Making the decision to go back to school as an adult isn’t easy. You have to prepare yourself for balancing an intense workload of schoolwork plus the craziness of your actual job and whatever else comes with your hectic adult life.
Conventional colleges aren’t terribly accommodating to working adults. If you have a child, you can’t bring the child to class, and day care or babysitters aren’t always reliable. If you work a 9-to-5 job, finding the appropriate evening classes can be tricky. If you want to finish your education or advance your career through higher learning, finding the time to do so feels nearly impossible.
That’s where online schools such as Excelsior College come in. The classes at Excelsior College fit with your schedule, allowing you to keep your day job. And while you can’t bring a baby to class, you can bring one to a computer so you can take your classes and take care of your child at the same time. Excelsior College understands the choice to go back to school as an adult is a tough one, but the affordable education and flexible course schedule makes it worthwhile.
Opportunities with Excelsior College
The school has a variety of practical degrees to choose from, including business, psychology, criminal justice, national security, nuclear engineering technology, and information technology. Excelsior College Nursing stands out in particular for successfully helping students transition from licensed practical nurses to registered nurses, or helping them to elevate their education and their career in other ways. Both licensed practical nurses and registered nurses can achieve a decent middle class income. But becoming a registered nurse allows you to earn a little over $72,000 per year on average, greatly increasing your salary potential.
Often, the public perception of distance learning is that it’s easy and not as mentally stimulating as pursuing a regular university degree. But the nursing program at Excelsior is quite challenging and prepares you well for your licensing exams. And the effort and energy you put into your education at Excelsior pays off as you gain not only a valuable education, but learn how to manage your time effectively when balancing school, work, and family life.
Transferring academic credit
One of the main concerns for adult students, though, is how their past coursework will transfer to their new academic institution. Many students are attracted to Excelsior College because of the school’s generous policies on transfer credits.
No matter when you earned college credit years ago, Excelsior offers bachelor’s programs that allow you to transfer more than 100 credits without time limits. This system makes it easier and faster to complete your degree.
Excelsior accepts credit from various exams offered by military and educational services including from the College Level Examination Program, or CLEP. CLEP exams are a group of standardized tests administered by the College Board. They give students the chance to earn college credit without taking classes.
For nursing, Excelsior has numerous accreditations that students can choose from. To receive credit, Excelsior needs to receive a letter verifying your certification from the official certification board. You can also gain credit for information technology, military training, health care, criminal justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Project Management Professional, and Prior Learning Assessment. The variety of choices in degrees and transfer credits offered to prospective students make the school an ideal fit for most working adults.
Deciding to go back to school as an adult can be overwhelming, and many prospective students feel discouraged by the prospect. But Excelsior College makes the decision a no-brainer by easily transferring credits and offering affordable and accessible classes that can be completed on your own time.
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