Hi, my name is Terry, and I write the "My Penn Foster College Experience" blog here at eLearners (http://community.elearners.com/blogs/default.aspx?GroupID=17).  I am enrolled in the Associate of Science in Marketing degree program.  I just finished the first semester and I'm preparing to take my proctored final exams.  I'd like to hear from other PFC students, especially those who are further along in their programs, or even from some PFC graduates. Any thoughts about the school...good, bad or indifferent?

 So far, I have enjoyed my Penn Foster College experience, and I'm looking forward to the second semester!
 

 

Hi Terry,

 

How many courses do you have to take for your AA?

Abner

I've taken all my proctored exams at the same college - about 10 minutes away from home - and over the year it's worked out very nicely.  More importantly, though, they tend to give you much more time than you will/should actually need, so there's no need to rush.  On the multple-guess exams, you can read the question and all four or five possible answers at a normal reading pace and still finish the exam in WAY less than a third to half the time allowed; and, if it helps any, there aren't very many throw-away answers or what I would characterize as 'trick' questions.  If you've read your textbook, done you lessons/modules/hiomework or whatever they choose to call it, you can go in there confident that it's going to be a fair and accurate assessment of what you've learned.

Proctored essay exams probably take all of us slightly longer to complete - I would say much closer to half or two-thirds the time allowed, but I'm a relatively slow typist, so your actual mileage here may vary wildly from myown  You'll be assigned the format, topic, and audience, so, again, if you've done all the coursework you're well equipped to handle this without any need for panic or trying to develop an ulcer  I strongly recommend that you take the time to work out your outline first, it'll save you time in the long run and give you a specific 'roadmap' to follow; after you think you're finished, proofread it one more time and make any necessary editing that's need - something I don't do here on these forums nearly enough  This more than anything else is where you loose points and loose them needlessly because you made a stupid typo.

I'm dead  set against last minute cramming, so I recommend instead a good night's sleep the night before the exams - and exam.  I would also caution against having too heavy a meal the night before or anything that might be hard to digest - like pepperoni and sausage pizza; and do NOT skip breakfast (or lunch) but keeo it light unless you are accustomed to eating hearty meals.  You want to have plenty of energy for the task at hand, not be distracted by hunger or overeating.  Also depending on your ability to function with or without caffeine, you might want to go easy on coffee, tea, and soda if it tends to make you jittery and nervous;  but you absolutely, positively do not want to go in there obessed with a craving for caffeine either  You'll have to decide for yourself whether it's appropriate or not.

 

 

 

 

Yes, here I am. I just signed up to join this blog. I'm in the same situation as you, I must be finish in FIVE days with my first semester in the ASB degree in accounting and I still have to submit my reflective essay so I'm very busy and I don't have too much time to discuss the college. at a glance I can say I'm very happy with their service and of course the low tuition, I hope to continue with them at least until I finish the associate degree. for now have a nice day, "Good luck with the rest of your studies." (a familiar quote, ha?)

Hi Abner,

 

There are about 20 courses, with a couple of one-credit courses thrown in.  You can see the list of courses for PFC's AS in Marketing program here:

http://www.pennfostercollege.edu/marketing/ProgramOutline.html

 

I basically started from scratch, because none of my previous course work applied to my program, so I have to take nearly all of them.  I'm determined to get through the next three semesters much faster than the first one! 

Hi Terry,

I am a student attending penn Foster as well. I am in the begining of my second semester and English Compsition is my first class. I am having such a hard time with it.  I am currently working on my first Essay which is the Descriptive Essay. I am so nervous in turning this essay in because each time I read it I am not sure this is what the professor wants to read. I have not written papers since High School which was about 6 years ago. I am so confused. Any pointers you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bemi    

Hello, Im also a current Penn Foster student. Im in the first semester of the Early Childhood Education program, working on a semester project and getting ready for exams. Im nervous about the exams, if anyone has any advice or could tell me about them or how to study for them I would appreciate it. Also, I'd like to talk to other students in Early Childhood Education, if you are in the program....feel free to contact me!

Hi :

I am not a student yet but I am interested in the early childhood education program I work in a preschool but was wondering if Penn Foster has financial aid ? I am 50 years old and have never attended college so I am kind of nervous about this.

gbemisola:

Hi Terry,

I am a student attending penn Foster as well. I am in the begining of my second semester and English Compsition is my first class. I am having such a hard time with it.  I am currently working on my first Essay which is the Descriptive Essay. I am so nervous in turning this essay in because each time I read it I am not sure this is what the professor wants to read. I have not written papers since High School which was about 6 years ago. I am so confused. Any pointers you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bemi    

 

In your study guide, you will see the "exam" for your descriptive essay.  It's at the end of the chapter on descriptive writing and it tells you exactly what the instructor is looking for, and even how many points each part of the essay is worth.  I have found this to be the best guide for figuring out what to include in my essay.

 

This site also does a good job of describing how to write the various essays in the English Comp course. 

BK1Ohio:

Hi :

I am not a student yet but I am interested in the early childhood education program I work in a preschool but was wondering if Penn Foster has financial aid ? I am 50 years old and have never attended college so I am kind of nervous about this.

 

I have read that the average Penn Foster College student is over the age of 40, so you're in good company!   The courses take into account the fact that the students have not been in school for several years, and I have yet to encounter a course that I wasn't able to handle.

 

Penn Foster does not participate in federal financial aid programs, although students are eligible for veterans benefits if you were in the military.  Frankly, if you use the monthly payment plan you probably won't need financial aid.  This next semester, I'll be paying $29 a month to study with Penn Foster College, and that includes books! 

Hello All! 

I just signed up for the career diploma program in Wildlife/Forestry Conservation with Penn Foster College. It took me some time to make my desision though I must say. I did a lot of research on the college, as well as comparing it to others. It seemed like the right choice! I will not be able to attend a traditional college due to my geographical coordinate. I am curious to know whether or not there is anyone else taking the same program? If so, I would love to hear from you! I also would like to know how other students at Penn Foster feel about the online paltform of study. I have taken distance education courses through UMUC Europe, however this is a completely new platform of study. I am grateful for any comments or suggestions that you might have!

 

Thanks

 

:) 

NicNac:

Hello All! 

I just signed up for the career diploma program in Wildlife/Forestry Conservation with Penn Foster College. It took me some time to make my desision though I must say. I did a lot of research on the college, as well as comparing it to others. It seemed like the right choice! I will not be able to attend a traditional college due to my geographical coordinate. I am curious to know whether or not there is anyone else taking the same program? If so, I would love to hear from you! I also would like to know how other students at Penn Foster feel about the online paltform of study. I have taken distance education courses through UMUC Europe, however this is a completely new platform of study. I am grateful for any comments or suggestions that you might have!

 

Thanks

 

:) 

 

Hi NicNac,

 

I've always looked at Penn Foster as more of a correspondence study school rather than an "online" school.  While it is true that you can access study guides and take exams online through Penn Foster, most of the studying and learning is done using text books and in some cases, video tapes, or a combination of the two.   This seems to work just fine for me in my program, although some of the reading assignments can be rather long.  However, I don't think the reading assignments are unreasonable compared to assignments you would find at a traditional college. 

I just signed up for the  program in Photography. with Penn Foster College. It took me about a year  to make my desision  plus I attended a community college(SWCC)  I did a lot of research on the net , as well as comparing it to others . It seemed like the right choice!  I am curious to know whether or not there is anyone else taking the same program? If so, I would love to hear from you! I also would like to know how other students at Penn Foster feel about the online study. I am grateful for any comments or suggestions that you might have!

I'm currently looking into the early childhood education program. I have no previous college experience and I'm still a little skeptical about online college. I would love to hear what you have to say about the program so far.

Hi Terry!

I graduated from Penn Foster last April with a degree in Applied Computer Science.  I enjoyed the courses, and the school was very flexible with my final semester.  I had some family issues that caused me to take almost two years to finish the final semester.  Fortunately, I finished the first three semesters ahead of schedule.  They seemed to drag their feet a little in grading my projects and finals, but a quick e-mail to the Academic Officer got them moving.  I am preparing to start with California Coast University for a Bachelor's in Management.  I want to move into Project Management in my company, and this will be a nice compliment to my Computer Science degree.  CCU granted me credit for all of my Penn Foster classes, and I only have to take 22 courses with them to earn the degree.

 Good luck with your studies!