2011 OSU Ecampus graduates

Lydia Barnes – Life as a grad? What a novel idea

B.A. Liberal Studies
Elmire, Ore.

What does completing your degree mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career?
I will have more opportunities to achieve my choice of careers: becoming a writer. I have been working on a novel for over a year now, and I have greatly improved my writing skills and technique by taking various writing, English and history classes. I'm sure that the knowledge I gained through those Ecampus courses will help me to finish my book in a most intriguing way.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
Not only did OSU Extended Campus allow me the flexibility to complete my degree on my own time, but it also offered a degree on the subject I was interested in. Aside from the flexibility that an online education provides, I also liked how I had all the information I needed for the whole term at my fingertips. Unlike the traditional classroom setting where you only receive information for that week, online classes give you everything for the whole term, which allowed me to work ahead on assignments and turn them in before they were due.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
One of my instructors was a great help in making me strive to be better at my writing. She didn't sugarcoat anything she said, but instead told me exactly what worked and didn't work in the stories I turned in. She helped me to see the errors I made and gave me the opportunity to bring my writing to a standard that everyone can appreciate.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
Without this degree, I never would have ventured into the writing field (not for a paid position, anyway) because I didn't have the right training to do so, but now I'm confident in my skills to seek a job in my favored line of work.

Back to 2011 Ecampus graduate profiles.