Antelope Valley College class profile

Online Courses - MOOCs

Graduates with either a bachelors or associates degree typically earn 60% more than employees with only a high school diploma, adding up to a $750,000 difference in lifetime earnings. If you remain true to your career interests, your overall job earnings will increase as you gain experience. However, if your focus is more on salary alone, there's a higher risk that you'll suffer early signs of burnout, and be forced to change careers later on.

Technical programs are a low-cost alternative to attending a regular four-year university, and you can earn good money as a highly-skilled, technical specialist. By taking some of your required degree courses online, you may be able to graduate a semester early, thus saving money on tuition. If you're currently employed, you can take online technical education classes in your free time to advance your career. Massive Open Online Courses are known as MOOCs, utilizing interactive platforms such as Blackboard, and mobile apps. Udemy is a startup with backing from the founders of Groupon, and Khan Academy offers a free class profile and lecture videos served through YouTube. Then there's Humboldt State University computer engineering, with enrolled students from around the world.

Admissions Process

Most colleges accept either the SAT or ACT, and have formulas for converting raw test scores. Colleges use standardized tests because there are substantial differences in course requirements, high school GPA, and grade curve difficulty among US high schools. SAT test questions can be trickier and harder to decipher, while ACT questions are longer on average. On average, over half of students retaking the SAT saw improvements in their scores. Further, Advanced Placement exams are offered in a variety of physical sciences, offering you AP test credit for honors-level classes that you have taken while still in high school. Test yourself with practice exams online, before visiting the College Board website to register to take your actual AP Tests.

Higher education is undergoing rapid technological change, with entire institutions adopting the use of online learning methods. High school grades are the most important factor in gaining admission to the college of your choice, along with letters of recommendation. According to Southern Union State Community College life science, an ideal academic record consists of a high GPA in courses of progressive difficulty. About half of colleges use placement tests and a waiting list, and many community colleges have agreements with bachelor programs at four-year universities, so that the transfer of college credits is ensured.

Financial Aid Information

Government scholarship program disbursements and Pell grants only account for one third of total college aid. Student loans, work-study earnings, and personal savings make up the remaining two-thirds. Please make use of the financial aid calculator online, and see if you qualify for need-based financial aid or a fee waiver. In fact, millions of students that would have qualified for some financial aid were late in submitting required scholarship program application forms. The official FAFSA website is fafsa.ed.gov and is free to use. The earliest that the FAFSA form can be filled out is January of a student's senior year.

Academic scholarships are highly competitive, and are usually awarded either by the admissions office, or individual academic departments. Student loans typically have variable interest rates while federal student loans have fixed rates. Financial aid may be administered through Cabrillo College freshman scholarships. Alternatively, student credit cards may seem like a good short-term solution, but the interest rates are high, and credit cards often carry an annual fee. The College Board Scholarship Search service advertises several thousand sources for possible scholarship funds. Both county and city governments have dedicated financial resources allocated for grants and scholarships to qualified students in their areas.