Online Associate Business Management Program Fits Student’s Goals

Madison D. chose to attend the University of Cincinnati Online and enroll in the Associate Business Management program as a high school graduate entering her first year of college amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

How UC Online Fits Her Busy Lifestyle

To her, the cost of tuition and boarding was too much, and even though the traditional college experience works for some people, Madison wanted to go another route. She’s paying for college on her own and says dorms and going to class in person wouldn’t fit into her budget or plans. Currently, Madison works at a local restaurant and attends online courses. Having the flexibility of online classes allows her to pick up shifts that she might not be able to get without her flexible schedule.

“With online schooling I can essentially do school when I want. Deadlines are typically on Sunday. So, it’s not something you can push off to the last minute. You can split up stuff. I can say, ‘OK, I’m off on Monday and Wednesday. Then on these off days, I can get my schoolwork done. I don’t have to worry about having a car to go to campus. I don’t have to worry about being late for class. I don’t have to worry about getting up for class.’ Honestly, it accommodates me so much better, and I really enjoy online courses.”

Her Career Goals

When Madison graduates from the Associate Business Management program she hopes to continue her education and earn a bachelor’s degree. After that, Madison says she’s indecisive. She hopes to have a career within the business field, maybe in an HR role.

Business Management Associate Degree Curriculum

What Madison loves most about the associate business management program is the variety of business subjects covered. She loves that it encompasses all business areas and doesn’t focus on one subject. The class she enjoys the most is her management class because that’s where her passion lies. She has the desire to become a business leader. Madison enjoys business, teaching people, and showing them how to accomplish goals. She’s gaining critical thinking and other key business skills that will provide her with the skillset to obtain a leadership role.

“I know online doesn’t seem hands-on. But it is,” says Madison. She gave an example from one of her classes where she solved a management issue; she had to explain the issue and think critically about how to resolve it. “Being able to be a leader, resolve issues and those classes. I really enjoyed that.”

Online Learning: Her Expectations

The associate business management program had everything Madison wanted and fell into place. Because Madison graduated in 2020 during COVID she decided not to attend an on-campus program.

She says at first, she was intimidated by online classes – that maybe she wouldn’t learn, or she’d have to teach herself.

“But once I got into it, the professor was doing an amazing job. You can tell they’ve been teaching online for a while. You know, from the first day of class, this is what we’re going to be doing. If you have questions, the professors have office hours, or you could send them an email. They’re there to help you. It’s a lot different than the stigma people think of online school.”

Madison says her expectations going into an online program were that she needed to ‘hunker down’ and have good time management skills.

“Although this is online schooling and I’m not going to class, it’s still school. It’s still my future. I was a little hesitant about it. But I quickly realized that was not how it was going to be – me teaching myself. My expectations were met. I have learned a lot without being in person.”

What She Would Say to Potential Students about UC Online

When asked what she would say to potential UC Online students, she says she would tell them that just because you’re doing online schooling doesn’t mean you aren’t getting a good degree.

“Don’t degrade yourself thinking you’re not going to college because you are. Just because it’s online and you do it at your own pace doesn’t mean it’s easy. You still must wake up. You still must discipline yourself.”

Madison thinks about schooling in terms of time management. She looks at what she needs to do today when her assignments are due that week and plans things around the days she works.

“Overall, it’s a great program”.

She hasn’t had a bad experience, and so far, online schooling has been great, and everyone has been extremely responsive.