Well, I know it's been a while. I promise I've been hard at work with school. It's more time consuming than I expected, but that's alright.
I'm happy to report that I'm currently 13 days into quitting smoking. With that, I have decided to do a series of 7 day challenges. I will be posting them on this blog as they occur daily. Feel free to share and hopefully participate yourself. First 7 day Challenge will start on Monday
Week 1: The Workout Challenge
Week 2: The Hydrate Challenge
Week 3: The Indulge Challenge
Week 4: The Healthy Eats Challenge
To be announced.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
11 months in.
Holy cow. I can't believe I've been a student at the University of Phoenix for close to a year now. It's really gone that fast. Every 5 weeks, I start a new class and I'm trying my hardest to maintain an A average and keep my GPA above a 3.5 (which was my original goal). I did find out some bummer news which was that in order to graduate with honors in the Bachelor's of Human Services program, you need a 3.875 GPA. I'm presently sitting at a 3.81 (I lost .03 points from my last class, even though I still received an A-, but you know what, I'm okay with that at this point).
Right now, I'm in the last week of BSHS 395, Client Assessment and Planning. Of the courses I have taken at Phoenix, this class has so far been the easiest, despite it being higher in level. I've actually had some leisure time this course which has been wonderful.
Overall, I still rate my Phoenix experience as good, it just requires diligence and consistency, One thing I did find out, however; online classes are actually more expensive than ground campus (in-person) classes. Once I found that out, I decided to switch to ground campus classes. The major draw back to ground campus classes is that if you miss two classes, you are automatically dropped from the class. The other draw back is that if there is no available ground campus courses, you are forced to take the courses online, therefore raising your tuition. I mention this because my emphasis courses will be online which means higher expenses.
I think that a lot of people look at online school and or 'fast track' colleges and universities as a lazy person's route to education. I can certainly tell you that at least in the case of University of Phoenix, that is certainly not the case. I completed my associate degree through Salt Lake Community College and if I were to compare the two side by side, SLCC was a breeze compared to what I do now.
To anyone who is attending Phoenix right now and who are determined to get through it, hats off to you!
Right now, I'm in the last week of BSHS 395, Client Assessment and Planning. Of the courses I have taken at Phoenix, this class has so far been the easiest, despite it being higher in level. I've actually had some leisure time this course which has been wonderful.
Overall, I still rate my Phoenix experience as good, it just requires diligence and consistency, One thing I did find out, however; online classes are actually more expensive than ground campus (in-person) classes. Once I found that out, I decided to switch to ground campus classes. The major draw back to ground campus classes is that if you miss two classes, you are automatically dropped from the class. The other draw back is that if there is no available ground campus courses, you are forced to take the courses online, therefore raising your tuition. I mention this because my emphasis courses will be online which means higher expenses.
I think that a lot of people look at online school and or 'fast track' colleges and universities as a lazy person's route to education. I can certainly tell you that at least in the case of University of Phoenix, that is certainly not the case. I completed my associate degree through Salt Lake Community College and if I were to compare the two side by side, SLCC was a breeze compared to what I do now.
To anyone who is attending Phoenix right now and who are determined to get through it, hats off to you!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Week 2 BSHS 335 (Ethics and Values for Human Service Professionals)
Week 2 was honestly a struggle for me. The work itself was not complicated, but due to my own history, I found many complications with completing the reading and assignments. Upon reading about some of the requirements when it comes to the duty to warn and the duty to protect in situations where a client poses harm to themselves and/or others.
The big thing when working as a professional who helps others, especially in mental health, is that the professional is sure to perform self-care. When you realize that your personal history and unresolved issues could conflict with your ability to perform your job at it's optimal level, it's time to seek intervention. Thankfully, my instructor was very supportive of this situation. I sent her a message voicing my concerns and instead of messaging me back, she called me to check in on me. In the time I have been at Phoenix, I have yet to experience that. I was very grateful that she was willing to reach out beyond just an e-mail.
That's not to say that I was excused from my assignments or even received any special treatment, and I still received docked points for submitting my assignment late; regardless, the help and support that was there from Terri Colbert was exceptional. This being the same instructor that I initially got off on a bad foot with still was willing to help in time of hardship and that by itself reminds me of how worth it my experience with Phoenix has been.
To see my assignments that I'm completing in this course, visit my Yolasite.
A Side note about financial aid:
I contacted my new financial adviser, Michelle Nash, and inquired about my financing. I have previously made some less than intelligent decisions with my student loans which will result in me having to pay out of pocket for some of my classes remaining in my Bachelor program. Michelle was incredibly patient and friendly through my questions and requests for updates. We spent nearly an hour on the phone talking and in the end, I learned that online courses are about $350 more than in person classes, there are still grants available to me through the school, though very few, and that I will be able to do some things to help get my financing in order to make sure that I can continue through. Once again, while Phoenix is more costly, the service I receive simply makes it all worth it.
The big thing when working as a professional who helps others, especially in mental health, is that the professional is sure to perform self-care. When you realize that your personal history and unresolved issues could conflict with your ability to perform your job at it's optimal level, it's time to seek intervention. Thankfully, my instructor was very supportive of this situation. I sent her a message voicing my concerns and instead of messaging me back, she called me to check in on me. In the time I have been at Phoenix, I have yet to experience that. I was very grateful that she was willing to reach out beyond just an e-mail.
That's not to say that I was excused from my assignments or even received any special treatment, and I still received docked points for submitting my assignment late; regardless, the help and support that was there from Terri Colbert was exceptional. This being the same instructor that I initially got off on a bad foot with still was willing to help in time of hardship and that by itself reminds me of how worth it my experience with Phoenix has been.
To see my assignments that I'm completing in this course, visit my Yolasite.
A Side note about financial aid:
I contacted my new financial adviser, Michelle Nash, and inquired about my financing. I have previously made some less than intelligent decisions with my student loans which will result in me having to pay out of pocket for some of my classes remaining in my Bachelor program. Michelle was incredibly patient and friendly through my questions and requests for updates. We spent nearly an hour on the phone talking and in the end, I learned that online courses are about $350 more than in person classes, there are still grants available to me through the school, though very few, and that I will be able to do some things to help get my financing in order to make sure that I can continue through. Once again, while Phoenix is more costly, the service I receive simply makes it all worth it.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Very late update
Well, it's been a while since I've made an updated post. I totally forgot that I was doing this blog to be honest. I've been so caught up in school and work and everything else. So that being said, I believe two classes have since passed for me at the University of Phoenix. My most recent class, Ethics and Values for Human Services, aka BSHS 355. I stressed myself to the maximum with that course, but my hard work I felt really did pay off. I received an A in the course with 99.29% as my final class percentage. Since the two courses have passed, not only have I managed to maintain a GPA above 3.6 (presently 3.84 - again-), I have also received another scholarship, but that I will post information about later on.
So far, these courses have been a lot more intense than I had ever expected. For those of you who believe that a 'fast track' school will be easier than a traditional school, I will say this: you are completely inaccurate in your assumption. These courses have been intense, educational, and stressful. As it turns out, many of my classmates are not doing 'as well' as I have been, which did come as a slight surprise. If you want to succeed in these courses, make sure to communicate with your instructor when you don't understand, and secondly, put 50% above your best effort in.
So far, these courses have been a lot more intense than I had ever expected. For those of you who believe that a 'fast track' school will be easier than a traditional school, I will say this: you are completely inaccurate in your assumption. These courses have been intense, educational, and stressful. As it turns out, many of my classmates are not doing 'as well' as I have been, which did come as a slight surprise. If you want to succeed in these courses, make sure to communicate with your instructor when you don't understand, and secondly, put 50% above your best effort in.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Week 1 & 2 BSHS 355: The Gossip Column?
It's been an interesting couple of weeks, although I am happy to say that the first week of this course, I managed to get 100% on all of my assignments. Yea.
The interesting portion; however, has been working with one of my classmates. I know that even I can be difficult at times to work with, especially lately in dealing with the passing of a few family members. Here's the thing, there's occasionally difficult and having a rough patch and then there's blatantly obstinate. This gal is definitely more on the blatant obstinate side. It's been incredibly frustrating so far to deal with her. Yes, this is again the group projects that are the mandatory part of our education.
It has felt that every step of the way, she has had some contrary opinion and argument. I can safely say that most of the group is starting to show signs of annoyance regarding it. Today, I pretty much had a gut load of her negativity and politely encouraged her to review our charter (the agreement we made as a group) to read up on all the agreements we made. I was very polite and respectful about it, but also matter of fact. She hasn't responded back and honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, at least the 'drama' has settled for a little bit.
Overall, this class has been relatively easy so far. There is a big project due at the end of the course which is something I'm not quite looking forward to, but, like anything else, it can be done.
I'm glad to say that one of the gals in my previous classes is someone who I still keep in touch with. Thankfully, there's someone out there that I can share my direct feelings with and not feel like I'm going to get penalized for being frustrated.
No tips for today. Well, maybe just that when you feel yourself getting worn out from all the work, it might be time to allow yourself a break from whatever you are working on.
The interesting portion; however, has been working with one of my classmates. I know that even I can be difficult at times to work with, especially lately in dealing with the passing of a few family members. Here's the thing, there's occasionally difficult and having a rough patch and then there's blatantly obstinate. This gal is definitely more on the blatant obstinate side. It's been incredibly frustrating so far to deal with her. Yes, this is again the group projects that are the mandatory part of our education.
It has felt that every step of the way, she has had some contrary opinion and argument. I can safely say that most of the group is starting to show signs of annoyance regarding it. Today, I pretty much had a gut load of her negativity and politely encouraged her to review our charter (the agreement we made as a group) to read up on all the agreements we made. I was very polite and respectful about it, but also matter of fact. She hasn't responded back and honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, at least the 'drama' has settled for a little bit.
Overall, this class has been relatively easy so far. There is a big project due at the end of the course which is something I'm not quite looking forward to, but, like anything else, it can be done.
I'm glad to say that one of the gals in my previous classes is someone who I still keep in touch with. Thankfully, there's someone out there that I can share my direct feelings with and not feel like I'm going to get penalized for being frustrated.
No tips for today. Well, maybe just that when you feel yourself getting worn out from all the work, it might be time to allow yourself a break from whatever you are working on.
Friday, January 16, 2015
PDF to JPG questions
A small bit of information to share. For those of you who are new to posting and keep a running post of assignments or other things that you do online, here's a great little helping tool.
I convert my assignment files, which are usual docs to pdf and then to jpg to upload them to these posts. There's several ways you can do this. Depending on which computer I'm using will depend on how I upload. Right now, I'm sitting at my desktop, so I end up using a website that converts pdf to jpg for me. The cool thing about this website is that for every 5,000 conversions, they plant a tree. The website is called pdf2jpg.net. I love this site! It's quite simple. All you do for your word docs is save them as a pdf file and then jump over to that website and upload the pdf, convert, then download your converted jpg files to whatever you are wanting. It's fabulous! Go check them out if you haven't already.
If you are looking for software to download, AVS is a great one. I downloaded their paid version a while back. I think it was around $50 at the time and I swear by them. You can add in watermarks and all kinds of things as well. I'm definitely a big fan of them because I use it for school and for my business.
I convert my assignment files, which are usual docs to pdf and then to jpg to upload them to these posts. There's several ways you can do this. Depending on which computer I'm using will depend on how I upload. Right now, I'm sitting at my desktop, so I end up using a website that converts pdf to jpg for me. The cool thing about this website is that for every 5,000 conversions, they plant a tree. The website is called pdf2jpg.net. I love this site! It's quite simple. All you do for your word docs is save them as a pdf file and then jump over to that website and upload the pdf, convert, then download your converted jpg files to whatever you are wanting. It's fabulous! Go check them out if you haven't already.
If you are looking for software to download, AVS is a great one. I downloaded their paid version a while back. I think it was around $50 at the time and I swear by them. You can add in watermarks and all kinds of things as well. I'm definitely a big fan of them because I use it for school and for my business.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Back into action
Okay, I went silent for a bit because I took a break from class. I needed it. Three classes taken so far and A's in all three, but oh man. Life just happens and you need that break sometimes.
I just finished my first week in BSHS 355 (Delivery of Human Services) at the University of Phoenix. Week 1 wasn't too bad. The assignments were the usual 8 substantive posts (although this instructor wants 100 words and a peer reviewed APA reference for all). We did our Learning Team Charter, which is basically our group agreement paper with all our contact information. Finally, we did a worksheet about four different populations whose needs are unmet, problems they face, and programs out there that offer services for them. In actuality, that assignment took me two days to finish because I struggled to understand what the instructor wanted for it. If you are like me at all, sometimes, simple directions aren't quite so simple to understand.
Anyhow, it's been a relatively easy first week, even though I'm finding that one of our group members is not so willing to go with the flow and get along nicely with others. I guess, though, if you don't have a bit of turbulence, you don't grow, right?
So here we sit, so far, I have 100% in the group. I found out from a previous class member of mine that even though I'm pulling A's, it's not as common as I was thinking. Yes, these courses are much harder than I originally anticipated. It's very important to make every point count in these classes, given that most of them are only 100 total points. Each point you miss literally drops you a full percentage point in the class, so missing more than 5 points drops you to an A-. Maybe I should clarify with this and mention that I have 1 A and 2 A-'s. That's okay though, my GPA is still at a 3.78. My goal for graduation is to graduate with a 3.5. I'm certain I can pull that off, I just have to stick to my guns.
So my tip for the week then is this:
If you start feeling like you are overwhelmed and just can't handle things at the moment, ask for a break. They allow you a break of two weeks or more as long as it is approved through the school, If it's approved, it doesn't count against your financial aid, so be SURE and communicate with your academic advisor. Cheers all!
Hugs and love!
I just finished my first week in BSHS 355 (Delivery of Human Services) at the University of Phoenix. Week 1 wasn't too bad. The assignments were the usual 8 substantive posts (although this instructor wants 100 words and a peer reviewed APA reference for all). We did our Learning Team Charter, which is basically our group agreement paper with all our contact information. Finally, we did a worksheet about four different populations whose needs are unmet, problems they face, and programs out there that offer services for them. In actuality, that assignment took me two days to finish because I struggled to understand what the instructor wanted for it. If you are like me at all, sometimes, simple directions aren't quite so simple to understand.
Anyhow, it's been a relatively easy first week, even though I'm finding that one of our group members is not so willing to go with the flow and get along nicely with others. I guess, though, if you don't have a bit of turbulence, you don't grow, right?
So here we sit, so far, I have 100% in the group. I found out from a previous class member of mine that even though I'm pulling A's, it's not as common as I was thinking. Yes, these courses are much harder than I originally anticipated. It's very important to make every point count in these classes, given that most of them are only 100 total points. Each point you miss literally drops you a full percentage point in the class, so missing more than 5 points drops you to an A-. Maybe I should clarify with this and mention that I have 1 A and 2 A-'s. That's okay though, my GPA is still at a 3.78. My goal for graduation is to graduate with a 3.5. I'm certain I can pull that off, I just have to stick to my guns.
So my tip for the week then is this:
If you start feeling like you are overwhelmed and just can't handle things at the moment, ask for a break. They allow you a break of two weeks or more as long as it is approved through the school, If it's approved, it doesn't count against your financial aid, so be SURE and communicate with your academic advisor. Cheers all!
Hugs and love!
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