Finished MAOL! (Great experience!)

[indigoshuffle]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Just out of curiosity, how many credits did you transfer into the BLS Management minor degree? I know someone taking sophia classes now following the outline provided bt the degree forum wiki, however, I'm a little incredulous regarding the speed and quality of study dot com content. In the core content area I wondered if they'd be better of taking more classes with UMPI as opposed to Study dot com.

[larabell]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Just out of curiosity, how many credits did you transfer into the BLS Management minor degree? I know someone taking sophia classes now following the outline provided bt the degree forum wiki, however, I'm a little incredulous regarding the speed and quality of study dot com content. In the core content area I wondered if they'd be better of taking more classes with UMPI as opposed to Study dot com.

I transferred 78 credits in, which is less than some people on this forum, but because of my work schedule (off in the summer) it was important for me to start at UMPI in the summer when I would have the most free time. I only managed to get the 78 by that start date. I didn't use study.com at all, so I can't speak to that. I did use Sophia and also Straighterline (because I asked for advice too late and later realized easier and cheaper options were available). I also transferred the English credits in from old AP test scores from HS. I ended up taking a couple of extra classes for a double concentration (51 credits at UMPI, so 129 credits in total).

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Congratulations on both of your UMPI degrees and good luck with your doctorate!

Thank you, and thank you for your help and advice early on. It paved the way! I am so grateful.

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Congratulations!!!! The MAOL was a beast! So glad to see more complete it!

It was so much work, but I am so glad I did it! I never hit your 200 pg. for one course mark, but the second course did come in around 150 total pages. I would much rather write a paper than take a test though, so I was very happy to write instead.

[Yasir]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Hi, congratulations on your graduation!

I’m starting MAOL this spring session and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don’t mind.

You mentioned that the first 2 courses were long, can you elaborate on that like how many pages or videos did you have to go through? And were the other courses close to that or much shorter?

Also, did you have to record yourself speaking or doing a presentation?

Do you think it’s possible to finish the degree in one session? Cause I'm unemployed and I’ll be studying the whole time.

Lastly, what was the highest number of milestones you had in a given course and what was the lowest?


I’m sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I’m kinda nervous because I don’t know what to expect and I kinda have to finish this degree in one session because of my financial situation. So, any help or tips would be appreciated 

Thanks and congrats again

[ashkir]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Hi, congratulations on your graduation!

I’m starting MAOL this spring session and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don’t mind.

You mentioned that the first 2 courses were long, can you elaborate on that like how many pages or videos did you have to go through? And were the other courses close to that or much shorter?

Also, did you have to record yourself speaking or doing a presentation?

Do you think it’s possible to finish the degree in one session? Cause I'm unemployed and I’ll be studying the whole time.

Lastly, what was the highest number of milestones you had in a given course and what was the lowest?


I’m sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I’m kinda nervous because I don’t know what to expect and I kinda have to finish this degree in one session because of my financial situation. So, any help or tips would be appreciated 

Thanks and congrats again

The first course actually isn't too bad. It's about learning how to research as a grad student. It is an adjustment for undergraduate to graduate where you actually have to make sure your sources are 100% pristine. The second course, Foundations, is the beast. This is a lot of information. It will feel like the entire leadership undergrad courses all in one all over again. You'd run into many familiar theories, and then find the logic, history, and how they evolved behind each of these theories. For example you'll learn how the Great Man Theory that was brushed over in undergrad is really a racist and sexist theory, that cannot really be applied to men anymore, and the general defination changes to a born leader. You're going to learn to debate whether or not you can learn to be a leader versus it being natural traits. Now, if you're the opposite, how do you balance it? You'd learn that too. 

There are about 8 milestones per course. Sometimes it's a paper 10 pages, sometimes it is another project like a PowerPoint, a drawing board, etc. They're very mixed. Do expect the Foundations Course to be the heaviest of them all. 

I do not believe it is possible to finish this in one term. You can only have 2 courses at a time at UMPI and until you're at the final draft of one of the two, they won't unlock the third. The teachers usually do respond within 1-2 days. However, there's so much writing and so much research. The longest paper took me about 1.5 weeks to adequently research. The finals are actually pretty okay even though they're long, because many of the milestones build up into the final.

However, you do not get a "draft" in the MAOL it's one chance at the final or bust pretty much. 

If you're unemployed, ask UMPI for a financial academic judgement, they can adjust your EFC to be on your current income levels versus your 2 year old income levels, and possibly get you better financing offers.

[Yasir]

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Hi, congratulations on your graduation!

I’m starting MAOL this spring session and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don’t mind.

You mentioned that the first 2 courses were long, can you elaborate on that like how many pages or videos did you have to go through? And were the other courses close to that or much shorter?

Also, did you have to record yourself speaking or doing a presentation?

Do you think it’s possible to finish the degree in one session? Cause I'm unemployed and I’ll be studying the whole time.

Lastly, what was the highest number of milestones you had in a given course and what was the lowest?


I’m sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I’m kinda nervous because I don’t know what to expect and I kinda have to finish this degree in one session because of my financial situation. So, any help or tips would be appreciated 

Thanks and congrats again

The first course actually isn't too bad. It's about learning how to research as a grad student. It is an adjustment for undergraduate to graduate where you actually have to make sure your sources are 100% pristine. The second course, Foundations, is the beast. This is a lot of information. It will feel like the entire leadership undergrad courses all in one all over again. You'd run into many familiar theories, and then find the logic, history, and how they evolved behind each of these theories. For example you'll learn how the Great Man Theory that was brushed over in undergrad is really a racist and sexist theory, that cannot really be applied to men anymore, and the general defination changes to a born leader. You're going to learn to debate whether or not you can learn to be a leader versus it being natural traits. Now, if you're the opposite, how do you balance it? You'd learn that too. 

There are about 8 milestones per course. Sometimes it's a paper 10 pages, sometimes it is another project like a PowerPoint, a drawing board, etc. They're very mixed. Do expect the Foundations Course to be the heaviest of them all. 

I do not believe it is possible to finish this in one term. You can only have 2 courses at a time at UMPI and until you're at the final draft of one of the two, they won't unlock the third. The teachers usually do respond within 1-2 days. However, there's so much writing and so much research. The longest paper took me about 1.5 weeks to adequently research. The finals are actually pretty okay even though they're long, because many of the milestones build up into the final.

However, you do not get a "draft" in the MAOL it's one chance at the final or bust pretty much. 

If you're unemployed, ask UMPI for a financial academic judgement, they can adjust your EFC to be on your current income levels versus your 2 year old income levels, and possibly get you better financing offers.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. To be honest, I’m a little worried that this program might not be for me. I’m seriously considering to not go through with it.

By the way, I’m an international student and I earned my bachelor’s degree with the University of the People. So, I’m new to UMPI.

I understand that there’s no milestone or an assessment where I’ll be asked to do a video recording of myself giving a speech or a presentation right?

What about the courses, are they all available during the session? I’m not sure where I read that some courses are available in a session and some will have to take the next session.

---

I started Sophia classes in March and enrolled at UMPI for the Summer I session. I finished my undergrad degree requirements (BLS, w/ management & education concentrations) very early in the summer II session, so immediately went to work on the MAOL using the rest of that session. 

The first two classes were LONG. Nearly every milestone was a 10 page paper, plus a 25 page final. I was able to finish the first two classes by the end of the summer, but I was concerned that when I went back to work in the fall (at a school) I wouldn't make much progress.

Fortunately, it got MUCH better after those first two classes. Many milestones in the subsequent classes were just 3-5 page papers and I was able to complete 4 courses during Fall I, and the last 3 courses, including the Capstone during Fall II. (I transferred the other 3 classes from the undergrad management concentration). I have already been accepted for an Ed.D program starting in January. I want to keep up the momentum while I have it!

Overall, I would recommend the MAOL to anyone who is comfortable with/enjoys academic writing and research. If writing is particularly challenging for you, this may not be the best fit. I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences. I would not have made it to this point without all of the information shared here. I am so grateful for UMPI, and this forum. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys!

Hi, congratulations on your graduation!

I’m starting MAOL this spring session and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don’t mind.

You mentioned that the first 2 courses were long, can you elaborate on that like how many pages or videos did you have to go through? And were the other courses close to that or much shorter?

Also, did you have to record yourself speaking or doing a presentation?

Do you think it’s possible to finish the degree in one session? Cause I'm unemployed and I’ll be studying the whole time.

Lastly, what was the highest number of milestones you had in a given course and what was the lowest?


I’m sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I’m kinda nervous because I don’t know what to expect and I kinda have to finish this degree in one session because of my financial situation. So, any help or tips would be appreciated 

Thanks and congrats again

The first course actually isn't too bad. It's about learning how to research as a grad student. It is an adjustment for undergraduate to graduate where you actually have to make sure your sources are 100% pristine. The second course, Foundations, is the beast. This is a lot of information. It will feel like the entire leadership undergrad courses all in one all over again. You'd run into many familiar theories, and then find the logic, history, and how they evolved behind each of these theories. For example you'll learn how the Great Man Theory that was brushed over in undergrad is really a racist and sexist theory, that cannot really be applied to men anymore, and the general defination changes to a born leader. You're going to learn to debate whether or not you can learn to be a leader versus it being natural traits. Now, if you're the opposite, how do you balance it? You'd learn that too. 

There are about 8 milestones per course. Sometimes it's a paper 10 pages, sometimes it is another project like a PowerPoint, a drawing board, etc. They're very mixed. Do expect the Foundations Course to be the heaviest of them all. 

I do not believe it is possible to finish this in one term. You can only have 2 courses at a time at UMPI and until you're at the final draft of one of the two, they won't unlock the third. The teachers usually do respond within 1-2 days. However, there's so much writing and so much research. The longest paper took me about 1.5 weeks to adequently research. The finals are actually pretty okay even though they're long, because many of the milestones build up into the final.

However, you do not get a "draft" in the MAOL it's one chance at the final or bust pretty much. 

If you're unemployed, ask UMPI for a financial academic judgement, they can adjust your EFC to be on your current income levels versus your 2 year old income levels, and possibly get you better financing offers.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. To be honest, I’m a little worried that this program might not be for me. I’m seriously considering to not go through with it.

By the way, I’m an international student and I earned my bachelor’s degree with the University of the People. So, I’m new to UMPI.

I understand that there’s no milestone or an assessment where I’ll be asked to do a video recording of myself giving a speech or a presentation right?

What about the courses, are they all available during the session? I’m not sure where I read that some courses are available in a session and some will have to take the next session.

[ashkir]

You will absolutely have to record yourself a few times and give a presentation. They don't grade you on your speech however, just the content.

[ss20ts]

You'd have to check with your academic advisor as to which courses are offered each session for the MAOL. They're the only ones who have the current schedule.

[Alim83]

So the 3 of the courses of BLS with minor in Management transfer to MAOL ?

If you ever get the chance can you break down the amount of paper/pages for each course , just to get an idea of what one may be signing up for .

[ss20ts]

So the 3 of the courses of BLS with minor in Management transfer to MAOL ?

If you ever get the chance can you break down the amount of paper/pages for each course , just to get an idea of what one may be signing up for .

Maybe check on the Discord group? The classes do change over time and with the upcoming move to Brightspace there's a lot of changes coming.

[Pancman237]

So the 3 of the courses of BLS with minor in Management transfer to MAOL ?

If you ever get the chance can you break down the amount of paper/pages for each course , just to get an idea of what one may be signing up for .

I am also seriously considering the MAOL. I hope someone is able to give us a breakdown of the amount/number of papers for each class.