Smart New Career Blog

To Save A Bundle On College, Head For Britain

November 10, 2016

London Big Ben and traffic on Westminster Bridge — Universities in Britain offer a great value

As the cost of college keeps on skyrocketing, a few enterprising students are taking extreme measures to cut down on educational costs. A small but growing number of U.S. students are enrolling themselves in British Universities, where total tuition is far lower than in America.

Tuition for non-European students in Britain can run anywhere from an equivalent of $8,600. to $31,000 per year. At the high end, that’s about equal to the cost of attending a U.S. public university from out-of-state.

But Americans can save even if they attend the highest-priced British schools. That’s because bachelor’s degrees in England and Wales generally take three years to complete, as opposed to the typical requirement of four years for U.S. schools. That difference can immediately lop off 25% of the total cost of a degree (Scotland is the one area of Britain where degree programs do tend to take four years).

The cost difference is so great that American students report they can even afford to attend schools in super high-priced cities like London. Others note that they are pleased to sign up for any courses they want in Britain, unlike the situation in American public universities where crowding is becoming so great that key classes are oversubscribed. Many students report that low key, uncrowded nature of Britain’s schools results in an experience that feels like a high-priced private college in the U.S.

The recent Brexit situation has given an added boost to American students. Negativity about the move has sent the value of the British pound to its lowest level in decades, making the exchange rate far more favorable to those with American dollars.

Many schools in Britain are actively recruiting American students these days. If you’re interested, you can apply to multiple schools in Britain at one time by filling out forms with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service or UCAS.

Supreme Court Says Race Can Count In College Admissions

June 24, 2016

This week’s Supreme Court Ruling upholding a Texas plan for building diversity in state universities was welcomed by admissions officers across the U.S. as a win for racial equality.

The ruling gives colleges permission to consider the race and ethnicity of students during the admission process, as a way of ensuring that students of various backgrounds are welcomed into the student body. The University of Texas admits 10% of graduates from any high school across the state based mainly on academic performance. But for the many other students who apply, the school considers a variety of factors, including race. The important outcomes of the new ruling are that the court appears to value diversity on college admissions, but does not want to dictate a single, strict approach to achieving it – preferring instead to allow various colleges and universities to come of with their own individual approaches.

The ruling does not, however, open the floodgates to race-based admissions. Many states have banned so-called “affirmative action” policies by schools, and the new ruling does not overturn those bans. Read more here

Which Career Should You Go To School For In 2015?

August 28, 2015

College graduates are a nervous group these days. Which of them are going to have strong careers? One new study identifies 25 great career paths. There’s reason for optimism – if you are going into the right industry.

Young Invincibles, a non-profit organization, works to “engage young adults on…higher education, health care, and jobs.” Their new report points out that young American adults today are facing an unemployment rate of 7.5%, compared with just 5.3% for all U.S. adults.

Of 400 careers the group looked into, 25 were singled out as offering particularly strong opportunities, based on salary and future growth potential. It will come as little surprise that 18 or the most attractive 25 jobs are in science, tech, engineering, math or health care. There are a few rays of hope for humanties majors as well, however.

Physician’s Assistant was the winner at the top of the list, with a median income of over $90,000 and a growth rate of 38% expected through 2022. Engineers, software developers and several other healthcare specialists can also look forward to strong prospects. Surprisingly, nurses did not appear on the list, or at least not in the top 25.

If you’re not a scientists or healthcare expert, you can take heart in the presence of some jobs in the top 25 like public relations experts, fundraisers and agents for athletes and performers.

Here is the group’s full list of the top 25 careers right now.

For The Absolute Fastest MBA, Transfer Credits Into An Accelerated Program

December 14, 2012

Because MBAs are among the most popular degrees, schools have come up with all kinds of degree programs that are faster or easier to complete. Some, like “one-year” MBAs, are not quite full master’s degrees. But even if you do want to traditional “full” MBA, there are lots of ways to get it done faster if you are willing to work at a rapid pace. But you can complete a degree even faster if you pay attention to credit transfers and course waivers for experience.

Don’t Waste Your Credits Or Your Experience

To absolutely maximize your speed to completion, make sure to look into the option of transferring the credits you may already have into an accelerated MBA. These programs generally require 50 to 60 credits to finish, though some schools are pressing the envelope a bit by offered full MBAs at a 45 credit level.

Whatever program you look at, you stand a good chance of making it even shorter if you have some past business credits you can transfer in or, in some cases, actual real world business experience that you can get credit for.

High Speed MBA

Some very accelerated programs can be quickened even further with credit transfer. American Intercontinental University’s special one-year MBA program involved 48 credits in total. But up to 12 credits can be accepted from another grad program, contingent on certain grade and subject requirements. Benedictine University offers a range of online accelerated MBAs, most of which are 64 credit hours and can be completed in 12 months. But students who have taken business courses previously can waive up to 16 credit hours (a grade of at least “B” in each of those is required). Alternatively, a student with a professional certification in a business specialty can also apply to waive certain courses. Both options can help you get this degree done quickly.

One very quick option is possible from California State University-Dominguez Hills, a public school that offers an online MBA that’s relatively short – just 33 credits. It normally takes 18 months to complete, but you can transfer in up to 9 credits from previously coursework to bring your completion time down.

Nine Credit Transfers Is Typical Limit

9 credits, you’ll find, is a very typical limit for transfer credit acceptance with accelerated MBA programs. Marylhurst University and Post University are two schools with good accelerated MBA options that both accept up to 9 credits in transfer, based on certain requirements.

You need to check, however. One school we’ve written about previously, Regent University in Virginia, states on it website that where it’s accelerated MBA program is concerned: “Due to the streamlined nature of this program, transfer of credits into this program is not permitted.” And Western Governors University, generally a very transfer-friendly school, does not accept transfers into it’s graduate programs. That’s mainly because Western Governors doesn’t focus on credits very much at all, instead using competency testing to determine when students have finished with their courses.

Learn Why Work Is Stressing You Out, And How To Combat It. Offbeat infographic

October 16, 2012

Welcome to “Work Is Murder – You’re Hired!”

An amusing and frightening infographic about the relentless stress we all seem to get from work, and the very real toll it takes on us. A big part of the problem is that so many of us spend so much time sitting in our butts in front of computers these days.

Did you know that:
– A million workers call in sick every day with stress-related sicknesses.
– 42% of Americans say they work in an environment where yelling and verbal abuse is common, while 10% say they work in an environment where stress has actually caused physical violence.
– Three quarters of Americans say their work is stressful.
– Almost 300 million Americans don’t get even the minimum amount of exercise they need to stay healthy.
– We’re all burning 140 fewer calories each day than we did did in the 1960’s.
– People with sedentary jobs are twice as likely to die from heart disease.
– 1 out of three American s are obese. The rate of obesity has doubled just since 1980.

Created by: OnlineUniversity.net