Ericka Lear

Kaplan University
B.S. in Psychology, 2011

I tried college once before. I was 18 and fresh out of high school; completely irresponsible is probably the best description I can give, even if it is cliché. This was one of those traditional, huge campus, get lost easily kind of colleges—the ones where there are more parties daily than there are open classes. I was so excited about my life being my own and not having to answer to anyone that I really botched it. So, 3 years and 6 majors later, I dropped out.

Life moves on, and it does so very quickly! Within ten years, I was married, had three children, and lived in extreme poverty in a town full of retail stores but very few decent paying jobs. So my husband and I did what we could, it just never seemed to be enough. It always ate at my soul that I had the intelligence to be something more and by this point I had the drive, but life was moving and I couldn't push the ‘pause' button to go to school and get my degree.

I had enough of spending my time working, waiting at the welfare office for periodic interviews, and at the local mission trying to get help with gas to get to work or help trying to fix something that had broken. So, I decided to make the time and go back to get the degree. After all, I could not get any more financially destitute than I already was, so at least this way I was working toward something that would be beneficial to all of us. I had heard about online universities and knew that some colleges offered online courses, but I always thought that most programs online were the type where you paid $8.95 to get a piece of paper that said you were a pastor of your own church, not something that was valid. So I tried to get back into that traditional school.

I call it God, you may call it fate, but every time I tried to enroll at that school, something would fall apart and make it more difficult the further I pressed the issue. I became really disheartened and just happened to see an online advertisement for Kaplan University one night when I was checking my email. I figured it was worth checking out. I liked what I saw, especially the part where I did not have to find day care for my kids so I could go to class, and I could get a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. It was a little expensive, but the aid I receive would cover most of it, plus books were included in the tuition price. So I called.

The gentleman I talked to made everything so easy for me—he sent all the forms I would need. All I had to do was fill them out online and fax over a signature page. My financial aid was immediately transferred over. Within 24 hours after seeing that advertisement, I was back in college! Most of my classmates are in the same position as me—life goes on and does not leave much time for school. There are young moms and dads, older parents whose kids have just left, even soldiers in active duty overseas. But Kaplan has tailored their program specifically for returning adult students. My professors are easily accessible. I can email them at anytime with a question and I have an answer within 24 hours. Office hours are held on AIM, so real time conversations are possible. I have one live seminar a week, plus discussion boards to cover relevant topics to the course and projects.

The best part about this education is they are teaching me how to research, how to find information for myself rather than just believing that the teacher is right. Instead of just regurgitating facts, we have to take the information taught to us and put it in real life context, so critical thinking skills are important. I am currently an honors student and have been invited into some honors clubs and fraternities. What's nice about it is my children see how I study and do homework, so they don't have excuses not to do theirs! My oldest child would sit and watch videos with me for a science class I had to take. Now she's constantly wanting to do “experiments”. So, not only is this going to financially benefit my kids down the road, but also they are learning it is okay to fail, but eventually you have to get back up and try again. They are learning that even adults can do something new; no one is stuck. And that with hard work, anyone can better themselves. All that, included in the price of tuition.

>Learn More About Kaplan University

>View More Student Testimonials