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A friend of mine recently started going to a large four-year university, after having attended our local community college. While at the community college, she refused to join Facebook. It only took three weeks to go by at the university and suddenly she was an active Facebook user, like so many others I know.

Social networking sites, specifically Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace are now a part of the culture at American Universities. Their names have become verbs. You can now “facebook” someone, as easily as you can call someone. Their impact on a student’s social life can be helpful, but also devastating. Fights can start over a message posted online or an argument can become inflamed and continue through these mediums.

College users often are so wrapped up in their own Facebook worlds that they forget about the bigger picture. An occasional photo of you and your friends having a beer at the local bar shouldn’t devastate your bright and shining future. Picture after picture of standing next to a beer keg and all your drunk buddies, just might. With the downturn of the world economy, the job market has become even more competitive.

So how do you keep that embarrassing picture from being viewed by potential employers? Simple, don’t post it. Don’t put things on Facebook that you aren’t willing to share with a complete stranger. Security measures are nice, but they aren’t fool proof, and people aren’t perfect. If you want to share the picture of you and your friends drinking a whole keg, then email them the pictures. Don’t post them to a website millions of people can access.

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Also, remember to self-check your online image. Go to your favorite search engine, type your name in and see what comes up. I assure you, that any computer savvy employer will do the same. Make sure that a simple internet search doesn’t turn up that picture you had forgotten about with your friends goofing off. Knowing your online reputation is comparable to knowing what your former employers will say about you.

Lastly, and perhaps the easiest thing to do is not do stupid things in the first place. In college, my favorite thing to do Monday morning was to pick up a copy of the school newspaper and read the police blotter. This is a log of select police incidents, which happened over the weekend. I was told by my boss on the first day of my job that if I was ever in the blotter, I would no longer have a job. School officials do check things like this and it isn’t hard for a company to find the newspaper of your school and search for your name.

These warnings are not meant to make you paranoid. I enjoy using social media and the web as much as anyone. I love spending time on Facebook and posting pictures of my friends. The internet can be an amazing social tool, but remember to keep your future in mind when sharing information. What you post on the net can be seen by anyone including that potential future employer.

Elissa Yonkers is a recent graduate from Bowling Green State University, with a Bachelors of Science of Journalism with a focus on Public Relations, and a very strong minor in German. With several internship experiences under her belt, she is looking to widen her experience and knowledge with a job in corporate communications, public affairs, or work in a public relations agency. Connect with her here: http://sites.google.com/site/elissay/

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Stanford University Campus

While it is true that no degree is awarded to unregistered students who partake in this sort of learning, there are still many benefits to listening to free online lectures. International students can gain knowledge in a specific subject area, familiarize themselves with U.S. teaching style, prepare for future courses, and practice English listening skills.

Here is a list of top colleges and universities that offer free online lectures to anyone with an Internet connection.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lectures - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers more free online lectures and courses than any other school in the world. Lectures can be viewed on MIT’s OCW site and on this YouTube channel.

Yale University Lectures – Yale University provides a wonderful selection of free online courses and lectures. Most can be viewed as audio or video and include supplemental learning materials.

Stanford University Lectures – Stanford University provides access to a number of free audio and video lectures through the iTunes Store. Although some materials can only be viewed by Stanford students, most are freely available to the general public.

Princeton University Lectures - Princeton University has an impressive collection of free video lectures on their website. The University also streams special events and sporting activities.

Columbia University Lectures – Columbia University hosts a video gallery of university lectures and events on their website. The gallery also includes photos, captions, and other interesting materials.

Carnegie Mellon University Lectures – Video recordings of Carnegie Mellon’s events and lectures can be viewed on the University’s YouTube channel. The channel is still under construction but is frequently updated with new videos and resources.

Columbia University

University of California – Berkeley Lectures – Every semester, UC Berkeley records the school’s most popular courses and events and then makes them available online. Most lectures are available in audio and video formats.

University of Southern California Lectures – The University of Southern California posts video lectures on nearly every subject imaginable. Videos are available on the universities YouTube channel, which also includes playlists and a list of school channels.

UCLA Lectures – The University of California – Los Angeles offers a nice selection of faculty research lectures on their website. Lectures can be enjoyed as streaming audio or video.

Vanderbilt University Lectures – Free online video lectures from Vanderbilt University can be viewed on the school’s YouTube Channel. New videos are added each week.

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who specializes in writing about business education. She is the Business School Guide for About.com. She also writes online colleges reviews for OnlineColleges.net.

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Scholarship info:

International and Undocumented Student Scholarship $1,000 Deadline 7/15/2009
Live abroad and want to study in the US? Does your citizenship status prevent you from enrolling as a US student? myUsearch will award a $1000 scholarship to the student who can best answer how the completion of a US degree will impact their life, their family and their home community.

The scholarship is open to any students who have completed the myUsearch matching questionnaire, are NOT a US citizen and will begin their first semester at an accredited US undergraduate institution on or before October 1, 2010 (transfer students are also eligible). Start scholarship application

Let us know if you are chosen for the scholarship and good luck!

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By Karen Schweitzer

Teachers and students aren’t the only people who have embraced the idea of free and open learning. There are a number of U.S. colleges and universities that have decided to explore this venue as well.

Although many of the free courses these institutions offer do not result in a degree, certificate, or diploma, the courses are still a great way to get a quality education. Free online courses also provide the perfect opportunity for students to prepare for formal enrollment in a U.S. school, allowing international students specifically to familiarize themselves with the U.S. style of teaching. Here are 20 respected colleges and universities that offer free online courses to self-learners around the world:

Berklee College of Music – The Berklee College of Music offers excerpts of the school’s 12-week, instructor-led music courses. These excerpts are free to download and share with other online learners.

Brigham Young University – The Independent Study Department of Brigham Young University offers free courses in many different areas of study, including family history, genealogy, history and government, mathematics, arithmetic, music, professional development, and religious scripture.

Carnegie Mellon University -  rovides a number of free courses through the school’s Open Learning Initiative (OLI). Some of the topics that are covered include statistics, economics, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and French.

College of Eastern Utah – There are several departments within the College of Eastern Utah that publish free online courses. Covered topics include accounting, medical terminology, geography, geology, and astronomy.

Dixie State College of Utah – Dixie State offers free online courses in computers, mathematics, and information technology. Free courses in elementary education, humanities, and family studies are also available.

John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides free access to some of the school’s most popular courses online. Each course covers an important topic or issue in public health.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – MIT offers more free courses online than any other U.S. college or university. Self-learners can take more than 1,800 courses in a wide range of subjects.

New York University – NYU offers a number of informal mathematics courses online. The school also links to free math books, videos, and other study materials.

Stanford University – Stanford University has partnered with iTunes to offer free courses, lectures, and other events to self-learners around the world. To take advantage, sign up for a free iTunes account and download the items that interest you.

Tufts University – Many of Tufts’ schools provide free courses online, including the School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the Fletcher School of International Relations.

University of California-Berkeley – UC Berkeley webcasts many of its most popular courses online. Self-study students can access current courses or explore archived courses from previous semesters.

University of California-Irvine – This California university provides free online courses for pre-college and college-level students. Courses cover a wide range of topics, including business, finance, and Internet technology.

University of Massachusetts-Boston – UMass Boston publishes a large collection of free courses and self-study materials. Some of the most popular courses offer instruction in biology, chemistry, computer science, history, mathematics, political science, nursing, music, and special education.

University of Michigan – U of M’s many schools and colleges provide free courses online. Offerings include courses in medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, engineering, and information technology.

University of Notre Dame – The OpenCourseWare site from Notre Dame is an excellent place to find free African, American, and Middle East studies courses. Other offerings include courses in architecture, language, and literature.

University of Washington – The UW Educational Outreach presents a series of free courses on the UW Open website. Courses explore everything from English literature to Greek mythology.

Utah State University – This Utah university offers one of the largest collections of free courses available online. Courses cover a variety of subjects, including economics, education, engineering, biology, history, math, languages, and family studies.

Utah Valley State College – UVSC provides a wide range of free online courses through their UV Open website. Courses cover many different topics, including career planning, life planning, computer applications, web design, literature, tax preparation, technology, math and science.

Western Governors University – The free courses offered through Western Governors University were specifically designed to be completed online by self-learners. All of the courses fall into one of two categories: liberal arts and information technology.

Yale University – This Ivy League university provides open access to a select group of courses taught by Yale professors. The Open Yale Courses offer instruction in astronomy, physics, engineering, history, economics, political science, English literature, psychology, and many other subjects.

About the Author

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who specializes is writing about business education. She is the Business School Guide for About.com. She also writes about management degrees for ManagementDegree.net.

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As with applications to any college, you must research the university you are applying to, making sure they are properly accredited and offer the degree you are seeking.  This can be a little more difficult to do with online only universities as the website may appear very professional and legitimate – while the school may offer a degree that may not be fully recognized.

However, many large and prestigious schools such as Columbia and Harvard now offer undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs that are fully online, giving students unable to travel to the US a great opportunity.  While these programs are not inexpensive, sometimes costing the same as an on-campus experience, they may allow you to attend college without leaving home. We encourage you to read through the university’s offerings, to calculate the costs, and to see whether you would benefit from a traditional campus experience before choosing a program to commit to.

One thing to remember, online degrees are not an “easy” way to receive a bachelors or masters, they are just as much work and effort as attending class in person. You will be expected to “attend” class, take exams, complete group projects, and interact with your classmates, if you are unprepared, your grades will reflect that. Online degrees can be the answer for many students, but as with everything you must study the positives and negatives before deciding on your course of action.

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