Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Amanda, Ph.D. in Human Services/Criminal Justice
Name: Amanda Bergen
Age: 26
Marital Status: Married
Advice to Others: "Learn from your classmates; they have a range of personal and work experience that you can learn from."
School: Capella University
Target: Ph.D. in Human Services/Criminal Justice, December 2007
The courses at Capella are as demanding as they are rewarding. Online classes are writing-intensive, with usually a weekly deadline for written homework.
Amanda warns, "You must be a prolific writer to do well at online learning. I love writing and have had no difficulty with the coursework; however, my fellow learners who struggle with writing have had a more difficult time." She recommends that prospective students check that their school has a writing center as Capella does.
In addition to the challenging online classes, Amanda's degree requires participation in three residential colloquia during her coursework. These colloquia are held in different cities throughout the country and provide an opportunity to go to seminar-like classes in person for one week. For Amanda, it was a chance to get to know the other students in her research class.
"We opted to go to a colloquium together and get that face-to-face contact." She has developed close friendships with some of her fellow students though they live in other states.
As fun as that aspect of school has been, Amanda readily admits that online learning has entailed a commitment and drive that might not be paramount in a traditional program.
"There are no acceptable excuses for not getting your work done," she asserts. "You can go to school any time of day or night, whether or not you are sick, or if you are on vacation."
For Amanda, this meant that on her honeymoon in Las Vegas, she was squeezing classwork in between casinos and shows. It also meant having to take a medical leave for one quarter when she cut her cornea so badly she could not drive or even cry.
But in the end, Amanda would say it was all worth it.
She has just completed her base classes for the Ph.D. and is about to take her comprehensive exams. In the spring she begins writing her dissertation, the final phase of her degree. In addition, she is designing a new online class in human behavior at Savannah State University that she says will provide "an enriched learning experience."
Her field of Human Services is all about "people helping other people," she says. In keeping with that spirit, she sees her class as more than just a class, but as "educating a community."
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