I've been taking full-time online college courses for a little over a year so that I can finish my BA degree while staying at home with my children. Staying on top of my coursework takes a lot of motivation and planning. While there is no set time to sign on for online classes, there are weekly deadlines and A LOT of reading. Sometimes there are short videos to watch. Motivation is not optional for an online student. As a stay at home mom I also have to fit my course work around housework, and raising my children. How do I do it?
At the beginning of each week I look over the schedule for each class. I look at due dates, assigned reading, homework ect. Taking it all into consideration I then write out a weekly schedule for myself. I split up all the reading and writing assignments. Doing this is a MUST! Planning is one of the keys to success while taking online courses. Having the motivation to keep this up for the entire school year is another important part to success. I've taken courses on campus and online. In my opinion, online courses are a lot harder and more time consuming.
My day usually looks like this:
9AM -Wake up with the kids. Get their breakfast ready and turn on cartoons for them while they eat. This gives me about 30-45 minutes of time to start on some reading/homework. That doesn't last long before they start wanting to play.
10AM-2PM I play with the kids. We go outside, make crafts, play with play doh and hang out. Then it's lunch time, and more playing.
2PM-4:30PM- Is when I usually try to get the kids down for a nap. Most of the time I take a nap as well, so that I don't get tired later on. Sometimes my husband comes home early.
4:30PM-5:00PM- I start dinner and usually my husband comes home. He plays with the kids so that I can cook uninterrupted. Other times he makes dinner while I sneak off to read for school.
5:30PM-6PM- Dinner time/clean up.
6PM-8:30PM- We spend family time together. Sometimes if I have A LOT to do I separate and go off to do my coursework. 8:30PM we start getting the kids ready for bed so that they are in bed by 9PM.
9PM-1AM- Is my time to get as much work done as possible. It is also my only alone time for the day. If I don't have too much to do then I am able to take breaks from schoolwork to watch my shows. Usually there isn't time for shows and I end up working on homework.
**Everyday varies a little bit, but it usually works out like stated above. If I get sick or one of my kids does....oh boy. It throws my week off and I have to pick up the slack on different days. Weekends throw off our schedule, especially when we have big plans. Holidays are difficult as well. My main goal is to dedicate at LEAST 3+ hours a day to my studies. Those 3+ hours could be grouped together or spread out throughout the day.
How do I pay for my education??
I filled out my FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. This needs to be done every school year, usually in the spring/summer before fall classes begin.
Then I applied to the school of my choice(www.liberty.edu). You can apply at any school you want. They took the information from the FAFSA and determined how much financial aid I was eligible for, and how much would be on loans. It is all based on taxes filed from the year before. The financial aid is money that I do NOT have to pay back. The loans will have to be paid starting 6 months after graduation. There are payment plans that can be worked out so that the whole amount isn't due at that time. I can also make payments while in school to help pay it off faster. If your income or family income is low enough there is no money down.
How do I keep motivated?
I think about the future and providing for my children.
I think of having a career and a "big girl" job.
I think of how great it will feel to have the accomplishment.
I take breaks often and make sure to get sleep.
It isn't easy but it is completely possible to get an entire degree online while staying at home with your children. I am living proof(well almost, I still have a little time left). You can always take 2 classes to start out if you aren't sure about what you are capable of. There is no law on how fast or slow you complete a degree. I usually take four classes, split so that I only have two at one time. (They are 8 weeks long) It will take me longer to complete my degree that way but I am able to focus and get good grades. This fall I'm even taking 5 classes. It's all about how much you can handle!
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