Ultimately, I worried that I would not be able to balance school life as a student and school life as an administrator. Luckily, Point Park University’s programs provided the convenience that allowed me to successfully complete not one, but two programs.

The ability to complete both of my programs virtually was a game changer. While I had the option to physically come to campus and even attend several classes in person, I chose to complete all of my work online. While other colleagues were traveling back and forth to campuses, I never lost time with a commute. In addition, I never had to worry about missing a class due to weather or wait for a professor to arrive. When I was ready to work, I simply logged on and I was instantly connected to my course.

Not having a set day or time for my class also gave me the flexibility that was necessary for me to be successful. While all of my classes had weekly deadlines, I could choose when during the week I would complete my assignments. That meant that some weeks, projects were completed in the evenings, and other times they were done on weekends.

Ultimately, I had the ability to work when it was convenient and take breaks as I needed them. Conversely, I watched several of my friends at other universities use up their personal or vacation days to attend graduate classes. Some even gave up weekends with their families to attend classes. The flexibility in Point Park’s programs allowed me to balance not only my school activities, but my family life as well.

Perhaps one of the reasons that Point Park’s programs are so convenient is that they make their assignments and projects applicable to your current teaching or administrative position. The effort that I was putting into my projects was benefitting not only me as a student, but also my entire district. I could look at areas in my building that needed improvement and focus my assignments on those concerns. The reverse was also true — many of the everyday actions that I was already completing, such as providing professional development, meeting with teachers, and attending trainings gave me credit during my coursework. This was particularly the case when I was completing my practicums.

There is no denying that being a full-time educator as well as a student can be difficult. Both positions require dedication and effort. However, Point Park’s programs provided the convenience necessary for me to be successful.

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Point Park’s online programs provided the flexibility that is necessary for my life. My days are spent being a special education director, and my evenings are often devoted to attending various school meetings and activities, as well as running my daughters to practices or attending their events. With Point Park’s programs, I was not locked into a specific day or time that I needed to be in classes. While each of the courses had deadlines, I was able to watch videos and work on assignments during the times that worked best for me and my family.  I did not have to miss a game or meeting because I had to attend a physical class. I could even adjust my workload to match the constraints of my schedule. If I knew that my home schedule was going to be hectic, I could work ahead in my classes to ensure that my deadlines were being met. In addition, there was flexibility in where I completed my work. Some assignments were completed in my home office in the evening, while other assignments may have been completed while I was on the road for a conference or even on my back back porch on a sunny afternoon. Ultimately, I was in charge of how my learning was taking place.

Other exceptional qualities of Point Park’s programs are their faculty and staff. Initially, I was worried that I would not be able to make connections with my professors because of the lack of face-to-face contact. I could not have been more wrong. All of my professors were very responsive to any of my questions. They responded quickly to email or posts on the discussion boards. In addition, many of them offered consultation or further discussion through phone conversations. They always made time to ensure that my questions were thoroughly answered. They made me feel that I was a valued student and that my concerns were important. Beyond the classroom, my advisers were excellent. When questions arose regarding the scheduling classes, they provided prompt and helpful responses. They worked with me to find the solutions to any of my issues. Everyone that I dealt with a Point Park, from registration to graduation application, were helpful and a pleasure to work with.

My Point Park master’s program gave me the challenge and the new knowledge that I was seeking. I knew that starting any program would mean hard work and ultimately some difficulty. However, the program’s flexibility, as well as the high quality faculty and staff, made this a wonderful learning journey.

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