mmagain
Shy Member
Posts: 36
Sept 12, 2018 15:28:39 GMT
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Post by mmagain on May 1, 2019 15:22:02 GMT
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,861
Jun 26, 2014 22:49:09 GMT
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Post by tracylynn on May 1, 2019 15:28:12 GMT
What is your opinion of online universities, or do you have experience with one? I'm wondering if it would be a good fit for my ds. Here's a little background on him. He was diagnosed with narcolepsy his junior year of high school. He seemed to manage it pretty well, but he had us to help him out. He's very smart, but he did struggle his last few semesters and ended up with a 3.0 GPA (down from a high of 3.5). He got a 30 on his ACT, so he should have been capable of doing well in college. Well, he's just finishing his first year of college (4 hours from here) and he's basically flunking out. His biggest problem was managing his narcolepsy. He is on medication, but his treatment also includes consistent sleep routines, diet & exercise, which is lacking-very common with first year college students. He either missed classes or fell asleep during them. He said he understood the material, but with missing so much classtime, he didn't complete assignments, take tests, etc. He will be home in a week and I want to help him come up with a game plan for going forward. And I'm just wondering if an online school would be a good fit for him. I think he has the discipline to do the work and he can do it on his own time table when he's most awake. Does anyone have experience with online schools or have an opinion on them? Do you think there are good job opportunities after you graduate? Also, this is a long shot, but does anyone have experience with narcolepsy-managing college and/or a job? Stay away, far far away, from schools that only exist online. An online degree is only as good as the school backing it. University of Phoenix and other for profit schools avoid like they are deadly. Most state schools offer online degrees or programs that are a mix of online courses with some in class courses. I am fine with working adults doing a degree completion online while working BUT I also hold the opinion that it is not a good option for young adults just leaving home. They need to be developing the people skills that come from living with non family, learning to navigate the expectations of a schedule that they don't necessarily like because that will be the work world he will be entering. Are you really doing your son a favor by letting him "skate" out of college for living at home and doing class when he feels like it? He is going to need a sleep routine for the rest of his life. The chances of him having a job that lets him work when he feels like it instead of developing discipline that he must get his sleep is highly unlikely. Personally, instead of online school at this point in life, I would have him find a full time job and work for a year or two while he decides how important a degree is to HIM, learn how to manage his life and have him save the money to pay for his next semester so he doesn't squander it by not sleeping. I would not be enabling him with easier solutions. IMO, I think he is playing you for sympathy. You need to move out of mommy protects her baby mode and let him stumble to find his own path so he is able to deal with his adult life. This is not true of all online only schools. Western Governors (WGU) is extremely reputable. It's a true non-profit and isn't a diploma factory. It's accredited and any credits earned there are easily transferred to brick & mortar schools. WGU also has strict guidelines about the amount of progress you have to make in order to stay active.
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Post by lesserknownpea on May 1, 2019 16:50:45 GMT
My DS has narcolepsy. It is a very frustrating condition. Every person has different levels of the symptoms. For DS, the cataplexy is even more debilitating than the excessive daytime sleepiness. Anything routine can result in falling asleep. DS nods off whenever he’s on the computer, unless he’s playing some stimulating game. Getting out and moving physically helps him get through the day, but frankly, while he is a talented and brilliant man, he is not a “success” in life. He barely makes it through each day. Can I ask what your son does for a living? Did he go to college? I get what you're saying about making it through the day, I know this is going to be a life long struggle for ds. My son is a licensed landscape contractor, and designer. His knowledge of plants, irrigation, design, ecology, and other aspects of the business are practically encyclopedic. He apprenticed under his father from a young age, as well as many courses both physically and online. He didn’t realize he has narcolepsy until his late 20’s. At first it appeared he was becoming somewhat of a flake, to be honest. He was embarrassed, and tried to hide and work around the symptoms. There was a lot of sleeping in the work truck in parking lots while he was supposed to be on the job, then trying desperately to make up the lost time by working like a fiend. The symptoms just kept getting worse. It was a relief when he was diagnosed, at least we all knew what was going on. My other son is also a contractor, and quite successful, and consults often with narcoleptic son, because of his superior knowledge and creativity. He actually feels guilty that because he does not have the disease he is very comfortable financially while his brother struggles so much. My son’s disease symptoms are the best when he does physical work, with a day off in between. Unfortunately this does not pay the bills, and every single time he pushes himself to do more, he ends up a mess. It sounds like so far your son’s symptoms are more manageable, but I’m sure you’re aware the disease can progress, so it may be difficult to predict what he will be able to continue doing. Many people with the disease are successful at working around it, but not all. I have a friend whose dh is a research scientist with severe n with c, but he recently had to go on disability as the symptoms became less manageable. I wish you and your son the very best.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 6, 2024 10:07:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 18:24:52 GMT
Stay away, far far away, from schools that only exist online. An online degree is only as good as the school backing it. University of Phoenix and other for profit schools avoid like they are deadly. Most state schools offer online degrees or programs that are a mix of online courses with some in class courses. I am fine with working adults doing a degree completion online while working BUT I also hold the opinion that it is not a good option for young adults just leaving home. They need to be developing the people skills that come from living with non family, learning to navigate the expectations of a schedule that they don't necessarily like because that will be the work world he will be entering. This is not true of all online only schools. Western Governors (WGU) is extremely reputable. It's a true non-profit and isn't a diploma factory. It's accredited and any credits earned there are easily transferred to brick & mortar schools. WGU also has strict guidelines about the amount of progress you have to make in order to stay active. WGU is not as reputable as you might think outside of the states that formed it. It is accredited but the credits earned are not always accepted at other universities. In my former job that WAS the focus of my job. Some schools that will take it to transfer won't accept it as the foundation into a master's program if the totality of the bachelors was done at WGU. If they do have strict guidlines about progress then it won't be a good fit for someone who can't stay awake.
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Post by just PEAchy on May 1, 2019 21:01:30 GMT
Can I ask what your son does for a living? Did he go to college? I get what you're saying about making it through the day, I know this is going to be a life long struggle for ds. My son is a licensed landscape contractor, and designer. His knowledge of plants, irrigation, design, ecology, and other aspects of the business are practically encyclopedic. He apprenticed under his father from a young age, as well as many courses both physically and online. He didn’t realize he has narcolepsy until his late 20’s. At first it appeared he was becoming somewhat of a flake, to be honest. He was embarrassed, and tried to hide and work around the symptoms. There was a lot of sleeping in the work truck in parking lots while he was supposed to be on the job, then trying desperately to make up the lost time by working like a fiend. The symptoms just kept getting worse. It was a relief when he was diagnosed, at least we all knew what was going on. My other son is also a contractor, and quite successful, and consults often with narcoleptic son, because of his superior knowledge and creativity. He actually feels guilty that because he does not have the disease he is very comfortable financially while his brother struggles so much. My son’s disease symptoms are the best when he does physical work, with a day off in between. Unfortunately this does not pay the bills, and every single time he pushes himself to do more, he ends up a mess. It sounds like so far your son’s symptoms are more manageable, but I’m sure you’re aware the disease can progress, so it may be difficult to predict what he will be able to continue doing. Many people with the disease are successful at working around it, but not all. I have a friend whose dh is a research scientist with severe n with c, but he recently had to go on disability as the symptoms became less manageable. I wish you and your son the very best. Thank you for sharing your story. I really hope my son will be able to manage his disability and find a career that will accommodate him. While I'm glad he got a diagnosis at a young age, it's a lot for him to deal with. In addition to his sleep specialist, he also works with a therapist to help him emotionally.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 2, 2019 2:05:24 GMT
Just like not all brick and mortar universities are the same not all on line schools are. More and more universities are adding courses and programs that are designed to be taught online. ASU and FIU (Arizona State and Florida International) are leaders in the field.
Every post-secondary institution should be accredited, there are about 7 accrediting bodies. You can find a lot of information about a school by looking at their IPEDS data you can even compare institutions.
The flexibility of an online program might help your son, I don't know. But he can certainly get an excellent respected degree completely on line. Just make sure the program is fully vetted. Treat it like you would any other school
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