One Small Step, One Giant Result

So today I am not caffed up as normal writing my blog, instead, I am boozed up. A mix between upset drinking because I cannot watch the Mayweather – Mcgregor fight, and celebratory drinking. Today, I did a thing. A thing that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Today, I applied to grad school.

Having been the sole breadwinner in our household I knew that if I decided to pursue higher education that I would need a program that was entirely online so I could work as I went to school, which is what I am doing now. There were a few schools that offered MSW programs online but the majority were synchronous, meaning every Monday at 8 pm I had to be online; well that isn’t always practical depending on the job I am working at that time. I then started looking into other degrees that were similar enough to MSW in which I could use them for my dream career of victim advocate/adoption specialist/ or foster care case worker, but ones in which I would not have to be online at a specific time.

I looked into a few programs and even had filled out the “contact me with more information” on quite a few. Then one day as I was in the shower, the ad on Pandora came on for Capella University. The same ad we have all heard a million times — and if you haven’t where have you been living for the last 5 years? I never thought those “no state name universities” were going to be any good, but I figured I could look into it.

Not only does Capella have a wide range of Masters programs that I would be interested in, but they have FlexPath. FlexPath is what really caught my eye and made me consider Capella, as I have done something similar in the past. Traditional school – online or face-to-face – consists of about 4-6 classes per semester, and you typically pay a per-class rate, although some universities will give you a flat rate once you enroll in more than 4 courses. These classes have weekly assignments, discussions, papers, etc. FlexPath is different

FlexPath is a program at Capella where you are able to work at your own pace. You can take only 2 classes at a time, but you can work on those classes as fast or as slow as you deem fit, with no specific deadlines. You pay one flat rate for the semester whether you take 1 class or 7 classes within those 12 weeks. That means if you finish the first class in a week, you can load the next class (or two classes). If I am dedicated enough, I may just be able to finish 12 classes in 12 weeks. Okay, that is a bit of a stretch. I am giving myself 24 weeks, or two semesters to finish my degree, but even if it takes longer that is okay!.

Now here is what really sold me. Before seriously considering any school I wanted to know not only what the classes I would be taking were, but also a course description to make sure it was the right degree for me. Like I said I “requested more information” for a few schools, but Capella was the first one to deliver. My enrollment advisor emailed me that day with all the information I had requested, and since then he has responded within one day to all questions I have had on my application process.

Right now the University is awaiting my transcripts and my application will be completed. So long as everything goes as planned I will be graduating from Western Michigan University with a B.S. in Child and Family Development in Spring 2018 and hope to graduate from Capella University with an M.S in Psychology – emphasis in Child and Adolescent Development around Spring/Summer/Fall 2019.

The process was a little harder than choosing an undergrad school, but it is well worth it. Anyone considering Capella FlexPath is encouraged to take the free trial program to test your toes and see if the format is something you would be comfortable with. As always, feel free to message me and ask questions.

Signing Off,

The Lazy Lassie