Kaylan is a married, working mom of a 3-year-old holding down two jobs. I think it’s fair to say she’s pretty busy. However, despite her hectic schedule, Kaylan has managed to squeeze one more priority into her life: college. Kaylan is pursuing her college degree through Pearson Accelerated Pathways. 

Kaylan qualified for tuition assistance from her employer, a Fortune 500 transportation company, so she started taking classes through Accelerated Pathways several years ago.

“When I first started taking classes, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I began getting most of my prerequisites out of the way,” says Kaylan.

It wasn’t easy. “It was hard at first because when peak season would roll around at my work, I would have to take off because I never really had the energy or time to work on school. Later, when I had my daughter, that set me back as well. Once I was healed and I got the hang of mom life I went back to my studies at full force.”

Kaylan offers some advice to students struggling with other responsibilities, “Never give up! There will be times when life throws obstacles in your way for you to get around, go through those obstacles headstrong and aim for your goals. In the end it’s worth it!”

Her husband helps support her by watching her daughter when she works on school, and he’s a huge motivator. She’s also uses her daughter as her motivation to continue school. “I think about my daughter a lot when I am struggling. I know finishing my degree will impact her life in a positive way.”

Never giving up is kind of a recurring theme with Kaylan. She was recently promoted to work in her chosen field, HR, has been driving towards her goals in that area of her life as well.

“I started in HR around March of 2020, about a week before COVID became a huge deal. During that time, I never let anything stop me from my goals. I kept my head up and a positive attitude during it all,” says Kaylan. Positivity helped Kaylan weather many changes due to COVID in her roles in HR.

“I love it! I love the people I work with and all the new things I’ve been able to learn about. I will say working in the HR field has definitely helped me through my schooling as well.”

Kaylan’s positive attitude has been instrumental in her success. She reiterates, “Don’t let anything get in the way of achieving your goals. Think positive and positive things will come your way.”

Kaylan has been able to make progress towards her degree through Accelerated Pathways, and you can too! Learn more about our degree programs and get started.

Accelerated Pathways gives students the freedom to pursue their passions while pursuing their degree. Rebekah is proof of that. A ballerina, she decided to use our online courses to pursue college while dancing with the Atlanta Center for Ballet Education. This is her story: 

“I was introduced to ballet when I was little. My mom took me to The Nutcracker when I was almost 3 years old and I just sat there, enraptured. I loved every minute of it. At the end I told my mom, ‘I want to be her,’ and I pointed to the girl on stage.”

“I always thought I would quit and move on to other things but as I grew, my love for ballet grew.” 

Rebekah passionately pursued a career in dance, but she also wanted to get her undergraduate degree. Pearson Accelerated Pathways (at the time branded as College Plus) offered her a pathway to pursue her dreams while also getting a degree that was also important for her future. 

“I was originally going to go to a 4-year university.” says Rebekah, “When I decided to pursue dance, I needed something that would be more flexible and something that would actually allow me to get life experience and job experience at the same time as getting my degree.” 

“There is always that tension in the arts world, should I go to school, or should I go for it in my career,” explains Rebekah. “Because our careers are so short that oftentimes spending 4 years at an institution, you lose that precious time that you could be gaining job experience.” 

Rebekah needed a solution for her college degree that was flexible and worked with her schedule. “One of my favorite things is the flexibility and how you can make it work around your schedule and make it work for you.”  “While I was training, I would study in the mornings, and we would have class from 2-4. Then I would take a break and find some time to study, and we’d have classes and rehearsals in the evening from 5:30 to as late as 9 o’clock."

“I squeezed in school and ballet, and I didn’t get to do that much else but, it worked! I got my bachelor’s in communications in 18 months and while I was doing that I was also dancing and training at the Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education. I would never have been able to do that any other way.”  "Ballet and dance can be used to communicate truth and to encourage people and build them up.  It can invite the audience into a story that is bigger than their own.” 

As a homeschooler, Cheyenne was used to self-paced learning and defining her own areas of interest. She’d worked with her dad to plan out her educational path from a young age and she’d worked with her mom to execute on that plan. So, when her family discovered Accelerated Pathways (back then it was called College Plus), they realized it was a formalized version of what they’d already been doing at home for years. So, it’s no surprise that it worked well for their family and allowed Cheyenne to get ahead in college during her high school years. 

“We heard about Accelerated Pathways from one of our homeschool friends,” says Cheyenne. “My older brother was in it for a year before I started. We were both interested because we wanted to jump start college.”

Are you looking for a way to get college credit? Pearson Accelerated Pathways works with all kinds of students (including high schoolers to get college credit!). Learn more today.

Cheyenne worked with her dad to create her overall curriculum, but she also relied on the program’s academic advisors to help her chart the quickest pathway to a college degree.

“Because I came from a homeschool environment, I was used to defining my own school curriculum. And, with Accelerated Pathways I was able to continue to be self-directed and chart my own path with their guidance,” says Cheyenne. “When I was younger, my father was big on us learning how to teach ourselves what we needed to know and not relying on others to give us the answers. I found that mentality helped me do well in college and beyond.”

Cheyenne emphasizes that she wasn’t intimidated by the idea of going to college online. In fact, she found that to be a big selling point with Accelerated Pathways because it allowed her to maximize her time in high school.

“I was 16 when I started dual enrollment with Accelerated Pathways. The program wasn’t scary or intimidating. I wouldn’t say that I found studying or learning easy, but I don’t think the fact that I was taking college credit during high school every really phased me,” explains Cheyenne. “In fact, I was mostly just excited that I didn't have to do double the schoolwork. I didn’t want to be in college until I was 24 or 25 and I was able to accomplish a lot of my high school and college credit simultaneously.”

And, even while pursuing dual enrollment, Cheyenne loved that Accelerated Pathways gave her the freedom to pursue activities outside of school.

“Because of the program I was able to travel a lot and I got to experience a lot of different things outside of school. Going to college through Accelerated Pathways allowed me the freedom to do that and I didn’t feel like I had to sit in class or waste time studying for credits I didn’t need,” says Cheyenne.

Ultimately, Cheyenne knows that Accelerated Pathways was the right path for her.

“With Accelerated Pathways I didn’t have to put my life on hold at all. If I didn’t have this program, I don’t think I would have wanted to put all that time, money, and effort to going to college. I feel like it’s important in the workplace but I it wasn’t really getting me to where I ultimately wanted to be.”

If you, like Cheyenne, are looking for a way to accelerate your degree, look no further. Pearson Accelerated Pathways can help you get college credit on your terms and in less time than a traditional degree.

High school graduation season is still a month or so away, but when it comes to researching college options for your child, it’s never too soon to start.

Going to college is a big decision that often necessitates taking out student loans. Regardless of whether you or your child will take responsibility for repaying that debt, you’ll want to keep that in mind. Why? Because graduating college with a student loan burden on par with the cost of a new Tesla can be a hard way for a grad to start their 20s.

In addition to planning for tuition, fees, and related expenses (e.g., textbooks)t, you'll need to be mindful of safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. You and your child will need to decide whether learning in an on-campus environment, as opposed to remotely, is the best fit for them.

What You Need to Know about Tuition

When it comes to preparing students for college, you should know that community college is a solid budget-conscious option. If your child knows they want to earn a degree but hasn’t yet decided what to major in, community college can be a great place for students to earn their general education credits.

General education includes courses in English, math, humanities (e.g., art, music, and ethics), and social sciences (e.g., including psychology and political science). All degree programs require a certain number of general education credits.

Caution: Before your student dives headfirst into community college coursework, you’ll want to research whether the credit hours they’ll earn are transferable. If they already have an idea of the school to which they hope to transfer to finish their degree, they’ll want to find out if that school will accept their gen-ed credit hours. If not, they’ll need to retake courses, which will end up costing more in the long run.

Other things to keep in mind:

• In-state public schools cost less than in-state private schools.

• Out-of-state public schools and private schools typically are the most expensive options.

• Students enrolled in online courses can save a significant amount of money on room and board, and they also avoid the cost of on-campus parking.

• Online, pay-as-you-go college courses can help you (and your child) avoid student loans.

Preparing Students for College During COVID-19

Another thing you and your college-age child will need to decide is how they want to learn amid the current pandemic. While some colleges are offering in-person courses, others are operating entirely online.

If your child is leaning toward campus living, keep in mind that college campuses can quickly turn into COVID-19 hotspots, as The Washington Post notes. For example, outbreaks have reportedly occurred on campuses in Georgia, North Dakota, Texas, and Washington. It’s also worth noting that while some schools’ dorms are open, others remain closed.

Attending class in person clearly involves some risk, but each student (and their family) needs to decide how much risk they’re comfortable with. Alternatively, if they’re leaning toward online learning but are concerned about their social life, they don’t need to fret. There are still ways to make friends as an online college student.

Helping Your Child Choose a Degree Program that Fits Their Career Goals

If your child already knows they want to be a biologist, mechanical engineer, or statistician, for example, choosing a major will be easy. But if they’re like the millions of students who don’t quite know which career they want to pursue, deciding what to major in can be a little tricky.

Some students choose a major because they fall in love with the subject matter after taking an introductory course. Others might research majors that tend to lead to the highest salaries, because they want to earn a degree that offers a strong return on their investment.

If your child has no idea what to study, the good news is that most schools don’t require students to declare a major right out of the gate. Encourage them to make the most out of their general education courses and to take some time to explore until they find what interests them.

Explore Affordable, Flexible Options for Earning a Degree Online

If you’re interested in learning more about nontraditional, online college experience options that will enable your child to earn an affordable degree on their own terms, Pearson Accelerated Pathways can help you and your future college student map out a plan. Not only do most Accelerated Pathways students graduate faster than those who choose in-person or other online learning options, but they can also log in to complete their coursework from anywhere they have a Wi-Fi connection. (Fact: There are worse ways to earn a degree than doing it while relaxing on a beach or traveling the world.)

Are you ready to learn more about how our advisors can help your child customize their college experience based on their goals, their preferred learning style, and the pace at which they want to learn? Discover how Accelerated Pathways can help them earn a flexible, pay-as-you-go, no-loans-required college degree.

Interested in more resources to help choose the right educational path for you or your child? Check out these posts:

14 Reasons not to Take Out Student Loans for College How to Find Online Classes while You are Social Distancing How to Transfer Community College Credits to University