Degree Outlook: Students that graduate from AIU with a bachelor’s in criminal justice with a concentration in law enforcement are prepared to enter the field as police officers, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration personnel, state insurance fraud investigators, homeland security agents, and many similar occupations. Police officers are the protectors of the community. They work to catch criminals, maintain order and peace, and enforce federal, state, and local laws. This can be a dangerous and stressful career, but one that is also highly rewarding. Police officers generally earn around $50,000 per year, which depends on their rank within their department, their geographic locations, and experience level. State fraud investigators work for state bureaus to detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent insurance scams. Investigators can work in one specific fraud area, like auto or home, while others might work on all fraud cases. These professionals usually earn around %55,000 per year, depending on their geographic location and previous experience.

Degree Outlook: Students that successfully complete their BS in Business Administration with a financial specialization often seek employment as financial planners, financial services sales representatives, asset and debt managers, financial analysts, and insurance agents and brokers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the finance field is expected to increase by 20 percent in the coming years, which indicates an extremely positive employment outlook for these professionals. Those students that complete the management-centered business administration degree can expect to find employment as managers of corporate departments, like community relations, customer relations, human resources, product development, government affairs, and even as retail managers. The Bureau estimates that the management and administration sector should grow by 10 to 30 percent in the next five years, which should make finding employment fairly easy for recent graduates. The marketing concentration prepares students to enter the workforce as advertising managers, public relation specialists, communication specialists, and other similar fields relating to marketing, which are expected to grow by 30 percent in the coming year according to the Bureau.

Degree Outlook: Students that complete their bachelor’s degree in graphic design from IADT are prepared to seek employment in a variety of design fields, from visual communication and promotions, to catalog development and advertising. Possible job titles include graphic designer, junior illustrator, page layout designer, photograph retoucher, web designer, and prepress printing technician. Graphic designers, for instance, work with creative marketing and advertising teams or information technology teams, to create images, branding identities, and other collateral for companies. These can include brochures, billboards, websites, and even logos. This profession is slightly different from a web designer, which is essentially a graphic designer that works primarily on the web. They create e-mail campaigns, websites, and landing pages as part of a greater advertising campaign or company’s image. Both of these professionals can work for design firms, in-house for corporations, or as independent contractors. They generally earn around $45,000 per year, but this will depend on their locality and experience level.

Degree Outlook: Students that graduate with an AA in Healthcare Administration generally enter the field as medical billers, medical coders, medical records technicians, and other similar careers. Medical billers, also called medical billing or reimbursement specialists, work with insurance companies to ensure their medical practice is reimbursed for the services they provide to patients. They should be well-versed in medical jargon and have strong communication skills. These professionals generally earn around $30,000 a year, but this depends on their locality, place of employment, and experience level. Medical records technicians work with patients to obtain important medical information from them, including medical history, symptoms, treatment options and plans, allergies, and current medications. Recently, many healthcare providers begin using electronic medical records, which requires these professionals to be computer savvy and have a strong attention to details. Medical records technicians also earn around $30,000 per year, but this again depends on their location, employer and previous experience.

Degree Outlook: Students that complete their AA in Criminal Justice from Liberty University often seek employment in the areas of administration, casework, corrections, counseling, juvenile justice, probation and parole, social services, and victim advocacy. Many students become corrections officers, who deal with individuals that have been arrested and are awaiting trials, or who have already been convicted of their crimes and are sentenced to serve jail time. These professionals work to maintain security in the detention centers and to prevent disturbances and escapes from occurring. Corrections officers generally earn around $40,000 per year, depending on their experience and locality. Some graduates also enter the criminal justice field as bailiffs. Bailiffs are also known as marshals and court officers, and work to maintain peace and order inside courtrooms. They assist the judge, jury, and other personnel, gather and delivery court documents, and provide overall security for the facilities. These professionals earn around $37,000 per year, again depending on their place of employment and experience level.

Deep within America’s collective consciousness, there is a little red schoolhouse. Inside, obedient children sit in rows, eagerly absorbing lessons as a kind, wise teacher writes on the blackboard. Shiny           apples are offered as tokens of respect and gratitude. The reality of American education is often quite different. Beige classrooms are filled with note-passers and texters, who casually ignore teachers struggling to make it to the end of the 50-minute period.

Online college reviews have revealed that the dream of online education has become more of a reality for many citizens who until recently still considered education to be the little red schoolhouse.  Despite the many changes that the internet has brought to our society, online education remains at the bottom of internet reform because so many educators stand against it as an alternative to the traditional classroom education that remains the norm. 

Bill Gates has been one of the large supporters of online education, and while his views are obviously from a different perspective than teachers’ unions, he has pledged to donate a large sum of money (roughly $33 billion) toward revolutionizing online education.  Thus far, most online colleges and online schools feature online lectures, but Gates sees a future that is more interactive and therefore better accessible for students of all ages.  I still remember the early days of interactive learning when the internet was first taking off and I was in elementary.  At the time it was revolutionary that we could sit-in in a classroom that was taking place thousands of miles away.  Most educators do not view it as that revolutionary, but to a young child, this is a way to capture their attention better than traditional classroom settings.

Online colleges are currently paving the way for education reform and continue to attract thousands more students every year due to the increased publicity and Congressional reforms.  Even more revolutionary, online education has reached to younger students through programs such as Florida’s Virtual School which offers Advanced Placement classes to students who are enrolled in state schools.  This is a great way to place out of college courses and increase your knowledge in Middle School and High School outside the classroom.  Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christensen predicts that in the next decade, more than 50 percent of high school courses will be taught through the internet.  While this seems like a far-reaching goal, these schools have indicated that it is not that far in the future that we will be logging our children onto the internet instead of driving them to school.

There are still many critics of online education, but online college reviews help dissuade negative views of online education in favor of the many benefits they offer to students.  Online education does not mean a nation that will be full of home-schooled children, learning from computers, but instead means that children will have more options to pursue classes that their schools do not offer, still learning through their own school system.  Online colleges have mastered this technique and continue to foster a positive learning environment for their students and continue to attract new students every year. 

Mostly required classes are those in which students opt to take accelerated courses so that they can breeze through the classes without missing too much in their degree program.  The preliminary English, Math, and language courses are part of those in which accelerated programs can come in handy, but the arts in general have a large offering of courses that students can pick and choose from.  However, it is important to note that accelerated programs in any discipline require many hours of outside study and work, much more so than that of traditional classes.  How else could you expect to earn credit from half the time?

While devoting more time to these programs may seem a stretch for some students, for the majority it is well worth it since it saves valuable course time throughout the semester.  Since you are able to finish by midterms, it opens up a lot of time later on in the semester and can save you time within your entire degree program.  Sometimes, an accelerated program is all a graduating senior needs in order to graduate with the correct number of hours.  Many times, seniors are held back from receiving their degree solely because they do not have enough credit hours to earn their final degree.  Accelerated programs offer an attractive alternative to this type of situation and instead allow students to earn a degree without the stress of missing out on their diploma.

Programs in the arts typically revolve around English and foreign languages, so that students have to take several tests throughout the short period in which they enroll in the class to monitor their progress.  Many online colleges now offer accelerated programs in any field, thereby catering more to each student’s individual schedule, which is the mantra of online education.  While traditional schools still do not offer accelerated programs at the rate that online schools do, online education still allows students from traditional universities to earn the degree while still taking classes at their own school (assuming the credits transfer).  Accelerated programs cater to students who do not need the extra push that some students may need, and instead attracts students who have the ability to schedule their time in order to set aside time slots for their accelerated program.  
    

Recycling

Try these ways to take advantage of recycling on campus.

1. Look for recycling bins: Use recycling bins around campus and create one for your room.
2. Recycle your electronics: Don’t throw away your old cell phone or laptop-find a recycling center.
3. Know recycling rules: Make sure you don’t send in anything that can’t be processed.
4. Recycle paper: Even in this digital age, students generate lots of paper-be sure it finds its final place in a recycling bin.

Reusing

These tips will help you reuse what you already have access to.

5. Don’t throw away good stuff: Use sites like Craigslist and Freecycle to get rid of your old items.
6. Reuse paper: Use back sides of paper for scraps and more.
7. Donate supplies to artists: Give paper towel tubes, rubber bands, even oven doors to artists who can use them.
8. Repurpose items: Use empty cans for pencil holders, turn old shoe boxes into storage, and more.
9. Get used textbooks: Get used textbooks from stores, classmates, or websites.

Reducing

With these tips, you can reduce the waste you generate.

10. Be thrifty: Shop at a thrift store to reuse old items and avoid waste from production.
11. Buy green: Buy recycled products whenever possible.
12. Be picky: Don’t buy lots of unnecessary items-you’ll save money and the environment.
13. Carry a refillable water bottle: Instead of buying plastic water bottles each day, bring your own to refill.

Shopping

These are some of the ways you can be green while shopping.

14. Use canvas bags: Keep an extra canvas bag in your backpack for shopping.
15. Buy local: Buy your furnishings and supplies locally.
16. Buy in bulk: Cut down on packaging by purchasing items in bulk.

Cleaning

Stay clean and green with these methods.

17. Handwash: Conserve electricity and water by hand washing your clothes.
18. Use green cleaning products: Choose biodegradable cleaning products with minimal toxins for your dorm room.
19. Line-dry clothing: Cut down on costs and save energy by drying your clothes on a line.
20. Only wash full loads: Save water and energy by only washing loads at capacity.
21. Make your own cleaning products: Use ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon for non-toxic cleaning.
22. Use cold water: Cut down on electricity and heat damage to your clothing by using cold water in your washing machine.
23. Consolidate products: Buy a two in one shampoo plus conditioner to cut down on packaging.

Dorm Life

Follow these methods to make your dorm more environmentally friendly.

24. Take shorter showers: Save thousands of gallons and pounds of CO2 by reducing your shower time.
25. Use plants instead of air fresheners: Instead of plug in air fresheners, you can use plants that improve indoor air quality.
26. Decorate with recyclable materials: Use decor that you can recycle when you’ve outgrown it or move out later.
27. Create a handmade lamp: Recycle jars with a lighting fixture to create your own lamp.
28. Buy organic cotton sheets: Avoid toxicity by investing in organic cotton linens.
29. Use compact fluorescent bulbs: Instead of using overhead dorm lights, use a lamp with a compact fluorescent light bulb.
30. Give up air conditioning: Turn on a fan, open a window, or take a cold shower.
31. Use a programmable thermostat: Program your thermostat to be comfortable when you’re in your dorm room or apartment, and higher or lower in temperature when you’re not.
32. Turn off your lights: Use natural light whenever possible.
33. Turn off the water: Be sure to turn off your faucet when you’re brushing your teeth.
34. Unplug electronics: Save energy by turning off and unplugging electronics.

Supplies

Make your supplies green with these tips.

35. Use refillable pens and pencils: Avoid waste by refilling writing utensils instead of throwing them away.
36. Download energy saving applications: With certain applications, you can save energy on your computer.
37. Use an e-reader: With an e-reader like Kindle, you can download books instead of buying paper items.
38. Save your supplies: Keep your supplies and reuse them from semester to semester.
39. Use binders instead of notebooks: Save waste by reusing notebooks and using single sheets of paper.
40. Write to the edge of your paper: If you’re just taking notes, don’t bother staying within the margins.
41. Get a solar backpack: Use a solar backpack to charge your laptop, gadgets, and more.
42. Rent your textbooks: Save money and the environment by renting your textbooks.
43. Share textbooks: Save paper and money, and study together with a classmate.
44. Take inventory: Know what you have and avoid duplicates.
45. Print carefully: Cut down on printing by choosing carefully what you’d like to print.
46. Use low quality settings on your printing: Print in draft mode for items you don’t need to turn in, and you’ll save ink.
47. Print on both sides: For notes, directions, and more, save paper by printing on both sides.
48. Use recycled paper: Print and take notes on recycled paper.
49. Take digital notes: Save yourself the trouble of writing on paper by typing your notes on a laptop.

Clothes

Follow these tips to have environmentally friendly clothing.

50. Shop at thrift stores: Save money and the environment by shopping for clothing at thrift stores.
51. Go vintage: Get vintage accessories, clothing, and more.
52. Take care of your stuff: Repair items instead of replacing them, and treat them kindly to extend their life.
53. Swap clothes: Share and swap clothes among your friends.
54. Avoid chasing trends: Avoid wastefulness by investing in classics.
55. Purchase fair trade items: Improve the livelihoods of workers around the world by purchasing fair trade.
56. Shop indie: Stay away from big box retailers and support local boutiques instead.

Transportation & Travel

Make your travel and transportation greener with these tips.

57. Walk: Most college campuses are very friendly for walking.
58. Carpool: Split the cost and the emissions of transportation by carpooling with friends.
59. Use local resources: Find something fun to do around campus instead of going somewhere far flung.
60. Ride the bus: Use public transportation to get to class instead of driving.
61. Ride your bike: You can easily bike around campus.
62. Take a road trip close to home: Go on a road trip with your friends to save gas together.
63. Take an eco-trip: Go somewhere with sustainable housing, low-impact activities, and local support.

Food

Eat green on campus and off with these tips.

64. Go local: Buy seasonal, local food to cut down on miles and support your community.
65. Eat plants: Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to go greener.
66. Eat what you take: If you have an all you can eat cafeteria, make sure you only take what you know you’re going to eat.
67. Plan your meals: Save money on groceries by putting together a game plan ahead of time.
68. Stay away from packaging: Eat unpackaged or minimally packaged foods.
69. Go meat-free: You can cut your carbon footprint by eating less meat, or none at all.
70. Create a window box garden: Grow some of your own food in a window box.
71. Invest in organic: Keep yourself and the world healthy by purchasing organic food items.
72. Use cloth napkins: Stop using disposable napkins by using cloth.
73. Avoid disposable cups and plates: Use inexpensive plates instead of disposables.
74. Go raw: Cut down on the energy of preparing food by eating fresh, raw foods.
75. Save your leftovers: Don’t waste food-eat what’s left over again later.
76. Invest in a water filter: Easily filter water to put in your reusable bottle.
77. Use eco friendly appliances: Use a microwave, toaster, and rice cookers for green cooking.
78. Drink low waste beverages: Go for water, canned items, and concentrated drinks.
79. Bring a reusable mug: If you’re going to drink a lot of coffee, use your own mug instead of disposable cups.
80. Limit paper napkins: Cut down on paper napkins with fast food.
81. Take advantage of smart choices: If your school offers it, look for local, organic, and fair trade food choices.

Electronics

Follow these methods, and you can make your electronics greener.

82. Try to upgrade instead of replacing: Before replacing electronics, find out if a simple upgrade will do.
83. Buy used: Extend the lifetime of a gadget by purchasing used.
84. Buy items that will last: Avoid items that will ultimately end up in the trash.
85. Go paperless: Switch to paperless mailings for your monthly statements.
86. Keep your gadgets as long as possible: Weigh the options before replacing your gadgets.
87. Get energy efficient electronics: Check ratings to find the most energy efficient gadgets before you purchase them.

Getting Involved

Make a difference for yourself and others on campus by adopting these ideas.

88. Lobby for water savings: Talk to administrators about low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.
89. Encourage green food: Let your school know that you want organic, fair trade, vegan, and vegetarian options for food.
90. Ask for a recycling program: If your school doesn’t already have recycling bins or a program, ask that they start one.
91. Be a role model: Practice what you preach, and inspire others.
92. Start a rally: Educate others on the environmental movement by holding a rally.
93. Start a composting program: Get together with your school’s landscaping office and start a composting program for food waste.
94. Join green student groups: Get together with like minded students on campus.
95. Pick a green school: Find a school that supports your eco-friendly ways.
96. Request lighting sensors: Ask that campus building lights be put on timers and sensors to save energy in empty rooms.
97. Get your cafeteria to go trayless: Keep waste to a minimum by stopping the use of trays that can be overfilled.
98. Start a campus garden: Create beautiful produce on campus with your classmates.
99. Support local businesses: Cut down on transportation and help out your campus community by supporting local businesses.
100. Put together a green campus guide: Write a guide that students can use to be more environmentally friendly.
101. Host a paper drive: Put together a drive to collect recyclable paper at the end of every semester to save paper from the trash can.

The University of Phoenix is one of the king schools of online college reviews.  The school is one of the oldest for-profit online colleges so therefore has a deeper monetary fund to choose from, which explains the many commercials, billboards, and Facebook ads we see for the school.  Reviews of the school are almost as intermittent as the ads for the school are, indicating that prospective students need to be aware of the almost overindulgence in its programs.  However, the University of Phoenix, as a leading online college, has many good points to offer, and many student testimonials on its website are good to read before enrolling in specific programs.  What is even more helpful are students who have written reviews about the classes you wish to take or the degree program you want to enroll in.  While there are not reviews about some of theses smaller details, judging a more extensive review is almost half the battle and can lead you to contact a former student.

Other online college reviews work in similar ways, although the schools may not be as well known as University of Phoenix.  Kaplan University is working its way up in the ranks of online education and offers similar reviews from students who boast of their success after graduation.  Be wary of these types of reviews that seem to be more “ads” than actual reviews, and dig a little deeper until you find reviews with some meat on their outlines.  Kaplan offers a wide array of degree programs as well, and has reviews around the internet and throughout its website of the various programs that are offered. 

Many of the best reviews come from traditional colleges that have crossed over to offer many of their degree programs online, such as Liberty University.  These schools have reviews from students who have experienced the school both in its traditional setting and the online setting, offering an interesting look at both aspects of college life.  Regardless of the school you are researching into, the key is to find a review that is helpful to you individually and to your future as a student.  A review which simply acts as an advertisement to the school is not helpful and it is better to find one which can deliver a better message to prospective students of the underpinnings of the school. 

The Ivies are a great source of pride and prestige for its students and alumni. But here are ten reasons you might be smarter to attend college elsewhere.

1. Elitism. As this article, written by an Ivy-League-educated former Ivy-League professor, explains, getting a degree from an Ivy-League school leaves students isolated from anyone who is not also educated in the same manner. A definite class discrepancy, inability to communicate with real people, and the inability to fail leaves Ivy-League graduates with, according to this article, a lack of vision, ability to take important risks, and no experience with real life.
2. Publication vs. instructors’ ability to teach. Typically, instructors at Ivy-League schools receive tenure based on what they have published. Books and research documented in professional journals may take a back seat to an actual ability to teach their subject. At smaller schools, however, instructors are more often than not hired based on their teaching.
3. You can get many of the benefits online for free. With the availability of such resources as the free MIT OpenCourseWare classes online, the education once only available in the classrooms of the Ivy-League schools has now spread to anyone with Internet access and the desire to learn. Excellent video lectures, class materials, reading lists, and other elements of these classes are online at no cost. If you can supplement your education with these materials, you can avoid costly tuition and fees to receive the same knowledge.
4. CEO pay is not necessarily greater. For many who attend Ivy-League schools, the goal is to achieve success in business along with the expected elevated pay scale. A research study completed by a student from the Kelley School of Business indicates that while prestige and status may be common with an Ivy-League degree, higher compensation may not. The findings of the study show that Ivy-League graduates may indeed obtain marginally higher salary and marginally higher “other” income, overall compensation and stock-based compensation are actually lower than other graduates.
5. Ivy-League education not well suited for entrepreneurs. If you have the drive and ambition to become an entrepreneur, then you may want to stay away from Ivy-League schools. There is indication that an Ivy-League education produces excellent “corporate” thinkers, but does not produce the type of thinking that drives successful entrepreneurs or creates strong leaders. Indeed, many respected tech companies and other cutting-edge employers prefer to find their employees from schools outside the ivied walls of the elite.
6. Poor environment for undergraduate study. Sometimes Ivy-League schools put more money, quality instructors, and focus on their graduate programs than their undergraduate programs. The research coming from the graduate programs will promote the school in ways that undergraduate work will not. In these cases, undergraduate students may face large, anonymous classrooms and instructors that are graduate students or of lesser quality than the tenure-track professors spending time on mentoring grad students and their own research.
7. Quality vs. Affordability. With some Ivy-League colleges topping out at $50,000 a year, you would expect the quality to be the best in the nation. While this may certainly be true for some Ivy-League schools, there are also many other schools that offer comparable quality education at a fraction of the cost. According to Kiplinger’s ratings of the schools with the best value, institutions such as University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Florida, and University of Virginia offer top-rate education for a value price. Of the top 100 they ranked, only 18 cost more than $20,000 a year and some are almost half that.
8. Too much pressure on students. High school students pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion and mental stress striving to get into an Ivy League school or students at those schools living under the pressure of always competing to be the best among the best can result in overtaxed students learning less than their potential allows. Taking a student out of that pressure-cooker environment and allowing her to use her intelligence and ambition to do well in a good school without the added stress is ultimately a better choice for both the well-being of the student and her future.
9. Money spent on undergraduate education could go toward a graduate education. Choosing to go to a less expensive school for your undergraduate work means you may have more money available for grad school. According to Mark Kantrowitz of FinAid.org, students planning for grad school should look at options such as less expensive schools offering quality education for their undergraduate program and focus on better schools for their graduate work. Also, finding a school that offers excellent scholarship opportunities will greatly reduce your expenses, also freeing up available money for graduate school.
10. Low payback ratio. SmartMoney took a hard look at the expense of education alongside earnings of graduates from these same schools. Surprisingly, the state schools, which cost much less to attend, provided graduates with an education that helps them earn more money per the expense than graduates from Ivy-League schools. According to the study, Texas A&M graduates enjoy two and a half times the return on their investment than do Harvard graduates. Attending an Ivy-League school may provide connections and the opportunity for promising employment, but the return on the investment may not be worth the other gains.