13 more classes, including this one

I've done a terrible job at updates, but let me tell you that juggling all this has been crazy! I finishee my bachelor degree last year and have since begun working on a dual master degree. I went from wanting to be a therapist for teens to wanting to he a therapist in mental health family and recovery and ended up taking a complete 180° and am now pursuing a dual degree in business administration and healthcare administration. Today,  I just want to share a small personal win or feel good because when you are in school, being a parent, working full time, and running a business, every little thing counts. And by the way, the switch from Canvas to Blackboard...yuck! That's alright. Rise to the challenge, right?

I am a Phoenix!

No Time & Why

          So many people misjudge "fast track" colleges as ones that are not credible and are easy. Well, I don't know how many people out there have or have not attended UoPX, but those who have know how very far from true that assumption is.
          Don't get me wrong, there's a surprising number of attending students who do cheat (😲). There's also a surprising number of students who do not put their whole effort into their classes.Those who are not highly attentive and dedicated (yes, you know who you are) tend to be the ones who angrily protest on the university's Facebook page, enraged that they are unable to find work with their degrees. Now, I'm sure there are those few exceptions who genuinely cannot find work with their degree, but I still apply the basic laws of practical employment searching.
          So what's the point of this little rant? The point is that for all the complaints that I see take place, and even some of the fear that has been felt with the recent closure of ITT Tech, this alleged "fast track" school is by no means any easier than the universities I work with and local colleges I have been to. Again, there are those who skate by with only minute seriousness attached to the information they have available to them, and there are those who are utilizing every facet of their education within this University. It is those students who are making the most of their education here (and likely anywhere) that will see the most fruitful outcomes both educationally and professionally.
          So if you wonder why on earth this blog gets so silent (which, by the 5 of you reading this post, I'm sure you don't), it's because I have no time anymore to do it. Between countless homework assignments, papers, and class discussion mixed into my daily responsibilities, I can either focus on a blog in my leisure time or I can spend that time practicing self-care. I'll take the self-care hands down!

          One quick thing to give you some financial seriousness perspective: My current tuition for each upper division class (online rate) is costing me $1,755.00 plus $149.59 in "course material" fees. That's crazy! It's very expensive, but I will explain why that's worth it in a later blog.  (On campus courses cost $1,442.49, and if available, I strongly recommend you save some dough and go to ground campus). NOTE: Tuition increased sometime this year, but luckily, I locked into the previous price, which you have the ability to do, just talk to your Financial Advisor. Given that I'm forking out that much money every 5 weeks, you better bet your a-hem(!) that I am making the absolute most out of every single class.

Crazy high tuition prices or not, #IAmAPhoenix!

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!