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Never give up! My path to MBA and beyond.
#1
Hey everyone,

I felt like this needed to be said. I've had an incredible amount of support from many people in my life including many people from these forums here. Thank you all for all the support/advice, and encouragement you've provided not only me, but each other as well.

I'll be honest, I never liked school. I'm surprised I graduated from high school. I'm not a fool, but I didn't like the idea of sitting in a classroom and grinding out assignments for years on end. I felt like a prisoner, and I tried to escape from it any chance I could. Because of my dad's profession, I was able to fly anywhere in the world for free assuming there were spare seats left on the plane. I'd disappear for weeks on end to wherever I wanted to go. Graduating from high school was a huge surprise for me, and my family as well. After high school, I didn't want to go to college, so I tried to go into the military. I scored well on my ASVAB (military entrance exam) and was accepted into the Air Force and was preparing to go to BMT (basic military training) and ATC (air traffic controller) training. Before shipping out to training, a car accident put that dream to an end. I was medically disqualified and was told I could try again in a few years after being medically cleared. I felt totally lost, and disappeared into Asia for a few years. I came back, started to work and started my bachelors at a local B&M university. Still wasn't "feeling it", and vanished again into Western Europe and eventually back to Asia. I was 23 years old, sitting in my apartment in China and feeling depressed about falling behind on my education, and not having a real career. Around late 2013 - early 2014, I enrolled in TESU so I could at least finish my bachelor's degree and check that box off on my list of life goals.

As of 2015 I had still not graduated with my bachelors degree. I was doing volunteer work abroad primarily in China, and occasionally Eastern Europe. TESU for me was the best option because it allowed me to continue with my education while doing my volunteer work abroad. I believe I started at TESU sometime between late 2013, and early 2014. After returning from overseas in 2015, I still had 30-45 credits remaining to complete my bachelor's degree, and was a bit disheartened about having essentially a year left. By 2015, I was married, and had a newborn son, was working 2 jobs, and every second felt precious and whatever free time I had was extremely limited. The encouragement from folks like you guys here kept me going, and the advice of several members really lit a fire under my @**. I put my nose to the grindstone, and knocked out the last of my bachelors within 4 months through a LOT of work. It was tough, but it was definitely worth it. I received my official degree paperwork in January 2016 (WOO HOO!). Since graduating with my bachelors, I have been hired on at a large hospital system, and my job prospects are on an upswing.

I never thought I'd have graduated high school, much less graduate with my bachelors. It felt like a dream when I finally graduated. After graduation, all my motivation came back and I started to consider the idea of pursuing a graduate degree. My wife is someone who sees a lot of value in education (she's a heck of a lot wiser than I am), she graduated with a double masters in education/linguistics, and encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree as well. I had a LOT of people tell me I wouldn't get accepted into a good MBA program because of TESU (which is BS guys! Don't listen to people that hate on non-traditional/online schools!). Others said I wouldn't do well in a masters program, etc. I heard so much negativity that I started to believe it, and started to question the path that I had chosen. At this point, roughly a year had passed since I had officially graduated with my bachelors degree. I considered a bunch of different options for my MBA, but WTAMU (West Texas A&M University) made it to the top of my list for a few reasons -- state school, AACSB accredited, affordable when compared to other MBA programs, and I could complete the degree online while working full-time.

In April 2017 I was accepted into WTAMU! I'll be updating this thread on occasion as I continue to move through this process. If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them as soon as I have time. The MBA is definitely a LOT of work, but I feel the work I'm doing is more relevant to my career than the work I did during my undergrad. The level of difficulty is roughly the same, but there is a LOT more reading/writing involved in the MBA so far. That being said, I've only completed 1 class, and I'm working on my second now. When I see my son, it keeps my inspired to continue knocking out this degree knowing (assuming no significant reasons for delay) I'll be done before he is 4, and I should be done before I'm 30 (27 now). It's a ton of work, but remember, if you want something badly enough you can make it happen. If I can do it, none of you have an excuse to not progress in your education if this is the path you want to take. MAKE. IT. HAPPEN!

Completed First Course: 08/15/2017

Grade: 98%
Overall Program GPA: 4.0
Course: 1/11
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

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#2
Congratulations!
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
[-] The following 1 user Likes sanantone's post:
  • Kaskadian
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#3
Excellent share - this is sure to inspire feature readers. Best wishes for holding on to that 4.0 all the way through the program! Smile
PhD, Leadership, University of the Cumberlands - What Have I Done!!?!!
MBA, Healthcare Management, Western Governors University - in progress
MS, Management and Leadership, Western Governors University - 2017
BS, Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University - 2016

RANSOMSOUL: Exchange Good For Great

The Ultimate Route to Earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business: A StraighterLine Success Story
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  • Kaskadian
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#4
(09-19-2017, 11:43 PM)sanantone Wrote: Congratulations!

Thank you so much! Your degree plans were incredibly helpful when I was trying to get through my undergrad. Thank you for everything you do for us all!

(09-19-2017, 11:55 PM)RANSOMSOUL Wrote: Excellent share - this is sure to inspire feature readers. Best wishes for holding on to that 4.0 all the way through the program! Smile

Thank you so much! I'm not sure that I'll be able to get through the entire MBA with a 4.0, but I'm sure going to try! Because of life (family, work, etc) I'm only doing one class at a time so I can fully invest any/all extra time I have into one class completely. I'm planning on taking two classes each summer since WTAMU splits the summer semesters into two mini semesters -- this should allow me to complete two classes in the same time it would normally take me to complete one.

I've got a 95% in my current class, but I still have two months to go with two exams, and a final project as well. I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't graduate with a 4.0 in my MBA, but I'm going to try my best. My motivation is still really high this early on in the MBA so I'll be trying to knock out the classes that I struggle the most with first (any classes that are math intensive; finance, accounting, etc).

Thank you all!
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

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  • RANSOMSOUL
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#5
Latest exam was a 95% (38/40) and holding steady at 95% in this course. It's a tough one but I've been busting my butt for this.

1 assignment
1 exam
1 project

That's what's left this semester. I'm really trying to finish my MBA at a 3.75+ GPA -- so far I'm on track.

Cheers
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

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  • Ideas
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#6
Finished the last of my exams & homework for this course tonight.

Currently sitting at a 97.2% (209/215) for this course. I have two upcoming projects required before this class is complete and each require a LOT of writing. Personally I'll take writing papers over assignments/exams every.single.time. 

Right now I'm working two jobs and have a toddler so my spare time is quite limited. I was hoping to attack this degree at a faster pace, but I'm slowly grinding it out one course at a time. WTAMU splits summer into two mini-semesters, so I'll definitely be trying to knock out two courses every summer until this has all been completed. Luckily the short summer semesters don't overlap! The workload during summer semesters is already a lot considering the significantly shorter course duration.

I'm loving my MBA program so far, and I've learned quite a lot in the short time since I've started. So far, I'm finding the MBA experience significantly more enjoyable than my undergrad. There is definitely more of a focus on learning and applying knowledge (lots of reading & writing papers!) instead of the busy work that we all have to go through during our undergrad. The majority of my assignments involved writing about topics just studied, sharing my opinion, and just generally discussing the material studied. I really prefer being able to apply the knowledge I've learned instead of just grinding out endless multiple choice/TF assignments.

I need to start deciding which course I'll be taking next. Right now I'm so new into the program (just finishing up my second course), I'm trying to knock out the classes which would be hardest for me -- accounting, finance, basically anything math related while my motivation is still really high. I'll put up a list of the subjects required for graduation. I know a lot of my posts are rambling, or long winded, but I'm logging my experiences more than anything else. Perhaps someone interested in going for their MBA will read this and gather something useful from it.

I'm here to answer questions if any come up guys/gals. Stay strong, stay motivated, and kick some butt! One day at a time.

Kas

(Subjects Required for Graduation)
Managerial Accounting 3 CR

Corporate Finance 3 CR
Economic Applications 3 CR
Management Information Systems 3 CR
Quantitative Analysis [i][b]3 CR[/b][/i]
Consumer Theory [i][b]3 CR[/b][/i]
Leadership [i][b]3 CR (Completed - Seminar in Organizational Behavior)[/b][/i]
Business Integration [i][b]3 CR[/b][/i]
International Business [i][b]3 CR (In Progress - Seminar in International Development)[/b][/i]
Capstone 4 CR
Elective [i][b]3 CR[/b][/i]

Credits Required: 34
Credits Completed: 3
Credits Remaining: 31
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

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  • Motivated2move
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#7
Just got my final grade for this semester. Ended up with a 93% in this class. I definitely feel as if my final project was not my best work; I've been working a lot and didn't devote as much time as I would have liked. I suppose a 90-100% doesn't change the GPA, but knowing I should have been able to do better is a bit of a bummer.

I'll update when I know which class is next.
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

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  • Life Long Learning, originalamyj
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#8
Registered for the winter semester. This semester is less than a month long so it seems like an excellent opportunity for knocking out a class in a short amount of time. This semester will go from December 18th until January 10th. Thankfully I’m back to working 4x10 hour shifts so having 3 day weekends should definitely be beneficial during these short semesters where I imagine the load of coursework will be quite heavy.

Course: Social Network Marketing

This class actually seems like it would be interesting. This course will satisfy either a marketing req class or an elective. I think I’ll opt for the marketing class as it’s one of the core areas required for graduation.

Will update along the way.
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

Reply
#9
Ok all,

Just passed my class with a 91%. I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but a 91% still keeps me in the 4.0 range that I've been aiming for.

My next course is a bit tougher, but with the longer semester I feel like I'll have more time to devote to course work. Next class is Advanced Macroeconomic Theory. Math was never my strong suit, so this semester will definitely be tough. Semester starts tomorrow... will update later.

Cheers,

Kas
West Texas A&M: MBA (In Progress) 6/14 Completed
Financial Accounting Leveling (Completed)
Statistics Leveling (Completed)
Finance Leveling
Managerial Accounting
Corporate Finance
Economic Applications  (Completed)
Management Information Systems
Quantitative Analysis
Consumer Theory (Completed)
Leadership (Completed)
Business Integration
International Business (Completed)
Elective
Capstone

TESU (Graduated 2016)

[-] The following 1 user Likes Kaskadian's post:
  • RANSOMSOUL
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#10
How have I not seen this thread before now? You're doing such awesome work!!! Keep up the updates, I'm sure your going to inspire a ton of people.
NanoDegree: Intro to Self-Driving Cars (2019)
Coursera: Stanford Machine Learning (2019)
TESU: BA in Comp Sci (2016)
TECEP:Env Ethics (2015); TESU PLA:Software Eng, Computer Arch, C++, Advanced C++, Data Struct (2015); TESU Courses:Capstone, Database Mngmnt Sys, Op Sys, Artificial Intel, Discrete Math, Intro to Portfolio Dev, Intro PLA (2014-16); DSST:Anthro, Pers Fin, Astronomy (2014); CLEP:Intro to Soc (2014); Saylor.org:Intro to Computers (2014); CC: 69 units (1980-88)

PLA Tips Thread - TESU: What is in a Portfolio?
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