I have found that my strengths as an online learner have be my diligence and lack of procrastination. I do have to admit there were several projects that came down to the wire but it had to do with time constraints and pressure to commitments to the outside world. I have had to say No a lot, but it does become more and more difficult as the term progresses. Taking what I have learned about time constraints I plan to be more active in my planning of my term from the beginning. Before the first day of class I will set a rough schedule for the term in conjunction with work and family.
I am creating a new office where i can establish the ideal learning environment for myself. Next term will hopefully be a lot smoother when I do not have to hunt for places to get work done.
I am still not sure about how I feel about resources available to me from OSU, honestly I love my adviser and she has been very helpful with my success so far. I really do feel I am out here on my own, but I know that is more of my doing. If I do need assistance I now know where to look. The areas I am most interested in take up more time that I am able to give at this point in my life. I am looking forward to contributing to my school upon completion of my degree.
My goal for next term is to not lose focus. I recently got one of my top 3 jobs I wanted upon graduation. I was not prepared to start working full time before the completion of my degree, but I have to. I could not pass up this opportunity and I cannot miss out on receiving my degree, I am one year one term away. My plan is to not look to receive all A’s like I have in the past but to push for strong B’s and be ok with C’s. This is very hard for me, but I need to find a balance with the two. Next term is full time work, full time family and full time school; if I am to take this on I have to be realistic and evaluate what my priorities are at the beginning of the term. I am taking this summer off from school, and next fall I will evaluate if it is possible based on how difficult spring term is.
Good luck all in your future ventures!
First of all, congratulations on your job! That is fantastic! Second, everything you touched on is amazing. You are being entirely realistic on what you need to accomplish vs. what you need to expect of yourself. You have clear organization, goals, and efforts in mind, and it sounds like you will be able to do all of this without coming down on yourself if everything can’t be as perfect as you might have liked (such is life!). I agree with you about a rough schedule before next term starts – I think I should do this, too. I am lucky to only have to work part-time right now, but I also have family duty 🙂 The job I have is the one I would love to have as a career, but this is not realistic so I also have to spend some time figuring out my options. I’m sorry that you still feel a little on your own as an on-line learner, but I hope that this changes as your OSU network grows. I, too, have to make sure that I work on this or I could very easily put myself in a position where I really am alone. Thankfully, there seem to be a lot of people throughout the school that are there specifically to help us figure out different things. All the best to you!