by Melinda Clayton

At 5:45 a.m. the alarm jars me out of bed. I dressed, shower and then start the morning coffee and prepare breakfast for my children. After dropping them off at school, I'm home again by 8:15, firing up the computer and drinking my second cup of coffee.

As a psychotherapist and freelance author as well as an online student, nearly all of my work is done from my home office. Because of this, a well-organized time schedule is essential.

I've found that for the unwary student, the pluses of obtaining a degree online can quickly become minuses without the appropriate structure. I've also found that my brain functions best early in the morning. For this reason, my class work begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m.

I begin by signing into the university's "Learner Page." From this page, I can access everything I need. I can go to my "Course Page" to check my latest grade or receive my next assignment or to my "Mentor Page" to contact my instructor. I can access the university library with its dozens of aggregate databases, or I can contact my adviser. I can even pay the tuition for my next class or visit the bookstore to order supplies. Best of all, I can also "socialize" with classmates in the numerous chatrooms or discussion threads.

This quick and easy availability is my favorite aspect of attending an online degree program. The first seven years of my adult education were spent frantically driving an hour to

Next >>