How do I know if Distance Learning is for ME?

[akanini, MSN, RN]

Ok, I was suppose to do Excelsior's LPN to RN but chickened out. I'm currently enrolled in a one year LPN to RN program and expect to graduate soon. I have a previous BA and I went to Excelsior's website and I'll be eligible for their MSN program.

Their website states "Once you have determined distance education is for you, have browsed through our programs, courses and exams, and discovered the financial assistance available to you, you are ready to continue."

I want to do their MSN program soooooo bad but how can I determine if distance learning is for me? I've never done it. Anyone completed Excelsior College's MSN program? PLEASE, I need some insight.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I think you have to have a certain amount of discipline, dedication, and the ability to teach yourself. Where EC is concerned, I think many (most?) of the RN-to-BSN/MSN courses aren't exams -- they're actual courses that span a semester or whatever timeframe, so you definitely have to keep up with them!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

A very cheap way to determine if distance learning is for you would be to enroll in a self-paced online or independent study course and see how you do. This is what I recently did since I had never previously taken an online class. I wanted to get used to the setup and overall feel of an online or distance-based format, so I enrolled in a few affordable self-paced courses through Straighterline. They charge $99 per month, plus a $39 fee for each new class in which you enroll. If you complete the class in less than a month, then all you have paid is $39 for that course, and you have also earned 3 college credits.

There are also independent study courses offered through universities. You do not have to be a student of the university in order to enroll in these courses. LSU offers plenty of college classes for less than $300, and Independent Study in Idaho offers the courses for about $300 each.

[TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN]

I had never done an online or distance course until last year, i just signed up for the first one and ONLY ONE to see how i did...If you are good at navigating online, being disaplined on "due dates" and posting to a discussion board then i didnt think it was too hard. You do have to keep yourself organized and have a "study area" since you will not being going to an actual class. Seems to me like most online classes involve a LOT of paper writing (which i didnt mind)! After the first one, i found a way to get myself more organized and was able to take 2-3 classes online at a time. goodl uck!

[NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN]

I am online MSN-NP student, and I love the flexibility of online. BUT if you are going for a clinical practice MSN that requires a practicum, be very careful about selecting your school as many online schools do NOT set up practicums, have no guidance, no hospital affiliations, and have advice such as "look in the yellow pages." I'm in a quagmire now and feel really stupid.

And I agree--there's a lot of reading and writing papers with online. More than ground.

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

I am in DL and I have a friend who is an executive with a large distant learning company (not TCN). She confirmed that DL courses are more rigorous because they have to account for your tome. In the regular university/college you could get by through attend class and doing cram studying. You cannot do this in DL. See what masters programs are accepted by your board; if it is not accepted, you may not be able to work in your state.