"100 Things Every Online Student Ought to Know"

Point #2.
Make sure your course is from an accredited school. There are many types of accreditions. Know what you wish to do with your diploma or degree. If you want to go to an Ivy league - find out the academic qualifications required by that school, then pick your courses. See, some accreditations are regional and do not allow for schools outside of their accredition program to accept schools from other accreditation associations.

If you plan to go to work directly after graduation there should be not problems.

PLEASE NOTE - THIS SHOULD CHANGE IN THE FUTURE NOW THAT ONLINE SCHOOLS ARE MORE POPULAR AND THE ECONOMY IS CHANGING.

"100 Things Every Online Student Ought to Know"

Hello,

This blog will be a discussion of the "100 Things Every Online Student Ought to Know" booklet, written by Dr. Ganey and Frank Christ, and given to every online student at Capella University. As the owner of an online high school it's important that every student who wishes to earn their education through my school in an online course should have the knowledge needed to succeed as well as the support of the school administrators and instructors. So here we go.

Each day I will refer to the little book for online success.

This week is about chapter 1 - "Online Facts"

Point#1.
Since the advent of the computer and online commerce the education industry will boom. This means that you as an online student will be able to shop around for the courses you want and the school you wish to attend without leaving your home. Is that great or What??? :_)

Christina International High School

Christina International High School is a private, virtual (online) school offering middle, high school, and adult programs with offices in Shakopee, Minnesota and San Antonio, Texas, USA. Founded by educators, academics and internet technology professionals with over 90 years of combined administrative and teaching experience in online and distance based education, CIHS provides an accredited non-traditional education to all students including complete curriculums that lead to a diploma and graduation. Students in need of credit recovery, a single course, or those hard-to-find Advanced Placement (AP) classes will find our online environment with its anytime and anyplace feature an ideal way to learn from home.

CIHS is designed to fully leverage the power of the Internet to combine the academic continuity and personal interaction associated with traditional brick-and-mortar schools with the flexibility, safety and depth of a virtual learning environment. There is no typical CIHS student! CIHS is designed to provide unique and challenging academic solutions to diverse student situations, anywhere in the world there is internet access.

Christina International High School's namesake is from a vibrant young woman who left the world too soon. As a young student, she sought out alternative schooling options in time when the Internet was still in its infancy and online learning was not yet an option. At CIHS, we provide our students with the realization of the promise a virtual education offers in enabling one to achieve their potential. We at CIHS believe the power of distance based education is that it can be a gateway to your dreams, and we want your road to success to be a continuation of Christina's legacy.

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Why CIHS?

CIHS is an education solution for a diverse student body with diverse academic needs. CIHS provides standard middle school and advanced high school diplomas, credit recovery and ESL programs as well as advanced placement programs. CIHS graduates are able to be competitive in future studies, whether they are at the university, junior college or technical school levels. Even after receiving diplomas, CIHS is not done with our students! We provide additional learning opportunities including ACT/SAT test preparation, career path counseling, adult continuing education and follow-on training guidance. At CIHS, we provide our students with:

· Leading Edge Web-Based Academics

· Widely Accepted and Accredited Curricula that meets State Academic Standards

· Personalized Education Plans to meet Unique Student Needs

· Responsive Student-Teacher Interaction in a Virtual Environment

· Dedicated and Experienced Staff that is Always Available to Work with You

· Dedicated and Experienced Online Educators

· Secure, Robust, Yet Readily Accessible, Web-Based Interface

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At CIHS:

· We are Green. CIHS, due to its online nature, is inherently eco-conscious. At CIHS, we follow green business practices that include paperless record keeping; the use of e-books rather than textbooks whenever possible; and electronic online assignment submissions and grading. By attending CIHS online, students and parents save money by reducing fuel costs; not to mention reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions.

· We are not limited by geography. One advantage of the Internet is convenience.

. We are with you anytime, anywhere, and any place that there is Internet access.

· We are not limited by geography. One advantage of the Internet is convenience. We are with you anytime, anywhere there is Internet access.

· We are not a charter school. We provide equal access to students all across the United States as well as across the globe.

· We use challenging, interactive and widely accepted curricula that is in use by school districts across the country.

· We have earned "Full Accreditation" status as an outstanding academic institution by the National Private School Accreditation Alliance (NPSAA). NPSAA is a nationally recognized accrediting body representing private schools across the United States.

. We will work with you to ensure your diploma or transcript is accepted, particularly where you need it the most.

· You are not a number! - CIHS is not a diploma mill. We treat every student and their unique academic needs individually and can custom tailor our program to meet your learning style-whether your needs are to attend a vocational school or getting into the college of your choice.

· We are a stand-alone High School and Middle School. We provide complete academic programs from the 6th to 12th grades including graduation.

· We are Home School "Friendly" and our counseling staff is experienced working with parents in planning for one course or a complete curriculum. We can also assist you in assembling individualized transcripts.

· We can supplement or augment your current academic situation. Perhaps you transferred to a new school and are missing a few critical credits or you are a high performing student whose district doesn't offer the AP courses you need to get into the college or school you want-either way CIHS has you covered.

· We speak your language. We offer courses in ESL (Spanish and English).

· We are "Military Family Friendly." Many of our staff and counselors are prior military and are experienced working with high school and college admissions counselors. We know the complications associated with duty assignment transfers and overseas travel and CIHS is adept at navigating many of the steps military dependants experience when matriculating through multiple schools. Our "No Wait/Start Now" policy keeps students engaged before, during, and after the move- all online.

· We offer open enrollment and provide courses that are self-paced to fit any busy schedule. Our block scheduling and individualized curriculum planning process maximizes participation to ensure course and program completion.

. We have educators with extensive classroom and online teaching experience in middle school, high school and adult education. All of our teaching-staff hold college degrees and are licensed, many in multiple states!

How to get the most Financial Aid

StudentEdge Paying for College: How to Get the Most Financial Aid

StudentEdge invites you to take a look at the second article in the Paying for College advice series from the College Planning Network.
7 Strategies To Help You Get The Maximum Amount Of Money For Your Child's College Educationby Scott Weingold

Dear Parent,
In this installment we?re going to cover 7 strategies to help you get the maximum amount of money for your child?s college education.
So, without further ado, let?s discuss...
1. Have Your Child Apply to at Least 6 - 8 Colleges and Universities
Pick an assortment of "safety schools," "competitive schools," and "reach schools."
Try to pick, at least, several schools where your child lies in the top 25% of the incoming freshman class. Otherwise, there is a good likelihood that the schools won't give you a good financial aid package since your child won?t be a desirable candidate.
Make sure they apply to more than just 1 or 2 schools even if they're dead set on going to a particular school.
By applying to about 6 - 8 schools, you will greatly increase your ability to negotiate financial aid packages at the end of the year by pitting one school against the other.

2. Figure Out How to Value Your Home Properly
Most families end up over-valuing their homes for purposes of financial aid. Don't make this mistake-it could cost you thousands of dollars in lost college funding.
Instead, the schools use a special formula called ?The Housing Index Multiplier, which is based on your home's original purchase price and the year you purchased it. Find out what your "multiplier" is and use this value for your home.
3. Do Last Minute Income and Asset Planning to Lower Your Out-Of-Pocket Costs
You MUST set up your finances in a way that will maximize your eligibility for college financial aid. Assets held in the wrong place will kill your chances of getting money.
Should a parent or sibling attend college part-time to increase your eligibility? Are you properly valuing your real estate?
If you're not sure, you'd better find out the answers to these questions quickly before it's too late!
4. Don?' Apply for Early Decision if You Want to Get the Maximum Amount of Money from Each School
If your child applies for early decision, they are locked into going to that school. This is a huge mistake if you're trying to get the maximum amount of money for college.
The reality is that if a school knows you have to go to their school if they accept you, they have no competition and can offer you whatever they want.
Therefore, it's a very bad idea to apply for early decision since you have no leverage to negotiate for a better financial aid package.
5. Find Out Each School?s Deadline for the Financial Aid Applications-and Don't Miss A Deadline
The earliest date you can file the federal financial aid application (which is called the FAFSA) is January 1.
However, many private colleges and universities will also ask you to fill out the CSS Financial Aid Profile. Different schools have different deadlines for this form.
Don?t miss a deadline-it will cost you a lot of money in lost financial aid!
6. Look for Private Sources of College Funding
You don't want to waste too much time looking for private scholarships since they only make up approximately 2% of all the aid out there, but it's worth spending a little time looking for these sources.
Focus on local awards from foundations, organizations, and corporations. You can usually get more information on these awards from your child's high school guidance counselor.
7. Don't Let High School Guidance Counselors or College Financial Aid Officers Give You a False Sense of Security
Most high school guidance counselors tell parents,"Don't worry about it' it's an easy process, just fill out the forms and sit back and wait for your award letter." Unfortunately, it's not that simple!
If you want to get the maximum amount of money from each school, you've got to set up your finances properly, fill out the forms accurately and on-time, and negotiate with colleges and universities to get the best possible financial aid package.
Unfortunately, guidance counselors don't have the time or the training to do these things- so you can't rely on them to help you maximize your eligibility for college funding.
College aid officers may offer to help you apply for financial aid. But going to a financial aid officer and asking them to help you get more money from their school is like going to the IRS and asking them to help you save money on your taxes!
It's not in a school's best interest to teach you how to get more money from their school. They have a limited number of funds to give out to a large number of people.
Think twice before you let a guidance counselor or college aid officer "help" you apply for college funding-it may turn out to be a very expensive mistake!
Be on the lookout in your email next week for the next installment where we will be discussing 8 vital questions every parent must ask colleges before applying for financial aid. Until then...

Sincerely,

Scott WeingoldCollege Planning Network
If you missed the first article in the StudentEdge Paying for College series, select the link below (Acrobat Reader may be needed):Article 1: Avoiding Common Funding Mistakes

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