Interview With an Online Degree Graduate - Christine Forestire
Interviewed by Kirk Bangstad
Background Information
| Name: | Christine Forestire |
| Position: | Payroll Associate |
| Industry Sector: | Law |
| Employer: | Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP, New York, NY |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science in Management with an Information Technology Management Emphasis |
| Year of Graduation: | 2003 |
| Format: | Online |
| School: | Kaplan College |
| Notes: | Christine won a "GREAT Student Award" from the Career College Association. She is also scheduled to testify about her experience in front of the U.S. Congress in Spring 2004. |
Interview
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Cambridge Journal: | What do you believe an online degree has done for you?
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Christine: | I can tell you what I'm hoping it will do for me! I've been working in the payroll department at my law firm for over seven years, and I decided a while ago that I wanted to advance my career by moving to our human resources systems department, which is basically the IT department for human resources, and payroll falls under that umbrella. To work there, I needed a bachelor's degree.
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Cambridge Journal: | Why did you decide to complete your degree online?
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Christine: | Before I enrolled at Kaplan College, I was attending another college close to where I live outside New York City. I was earning my Computer Information Systems degree there, but the college cut my program because there weren't enough students. A two-hour commute made it impractical to take a night school class in New York City, as I couldn't find public transportation to return home late at night. I knew a bit about completing a degree online, and so I looked into it more. From my research, Kaplan College seemed to offer the highest-quality program in the area I wished to study, so I chose them.
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Cambridge Journal: | Did the cost of the program influence you in any way?
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Christine: | This program was less expensive than the previous campus college I was attending. However, the price wasn't really the deciding factor for me.
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Cambridge Journal: | What were the deciding factors for choosing this program?
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Christine: | I was focused on making sure I enrolled in a quality program that served my academic and flexibility needs. At the time, many of the other schools I researched offered mainly graduate degree programs, whereas I needed a bachelor's degree. I could keep up with the class on my own time and still make my commute home. As an added bonus, Kaplan College also allowed me to transfer my old college credits, which reduced the cost of the program. In short, Kaplan College provided a unique experience in online education and I received more personal attention than in a physical classroom.
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