It’s almost too good to be true. A partnership between an online University, a Mountain View start-up and the local Chamber of Commerce allows anyone who lives or works in Mountain View to earn a bachelor’s degree for about 90% off the normal price.
I had the honor of visiting Study.com in downtown Mountain View this week and heard all the details. It’s happening right now and once word gets around, this offer is going to be life-changing for some residents.
Here’s a link to the super simple application, just 5 questions—unheard of compared to other college applications, right? As long as you live or work in our community, you’ll get in. Your ‘Success Coach’ will help you come up with a degree plan. Then you take up to 75% of the courses online, through Study.com. Many students use simply their smartphone. Download the app and earn a degree. That’s what our world has come to! Earn a degree while you’re commuting.
There are proctored exams along the way and you’ll need a laptop (with a camera that faces you) to take the tests. You could even go to the Mountain View Public Library and use one of theirs, if necessary.
You don’t have to worry about purchasing text books, parking permits, fees per unit, required health fees, and all the other fees associated with college. It’s all included when you take courses through study.com and with this special Mountain View Working Scholars program, it’s almost free.
Once you’ve completed 75% of the course work through the study.com website, your credits can be transferred to Thomas Edison State University (TESU), a fully accredited East coast university, known for providing flexible, high-quality, collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults since 1972. Complete the remaining classes online and your degree will be from TESU
The degree being offered in this pilot program from Mountain View Working Scholars is a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, but other options will be coming. A business degree is something that would make a huge difference in the life of a Silicon Valley resident.
This partnership, (Study.com, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, and TESU) is a model for the alternative credit movement. Imagine finishing college without being in debt and how much of an impact this will have on hundreds of thousands of students. This is turning the educational system upside down and freeing people from getting stuck in the student debt crisis.
People can actually focus on paying rent, saving for a down payment on a home, or starting a business, instead of leaving college with a ton a debt. It’s almost too good to be true, especially in a community where everything (housing, gas, water, parking, restaurants) costs more than what the rest of the country is paying. But it’s not “too good to be true.” It’s really happening.
Education is a critical factor in a person’s ability to greater contribute to, benefit from, and survive in Silicon Valley. Having a bachelor’s degree could increase your earning potential anywhere from 42-67%. That’s a monumental change for yourself and future generations.
I looked at the online classes for a few hours this week and found them enjoyable and rather entertaining with fun animation and pleasant voiceovers. The lessons are videos that are 5 to 8 minutes long. Study.com is used by over 25 million students and teachers every month. Some of their most popular courses are Psychology, Chemistry and US History.
If you know anyone who lives or works in Mountain View, whose life could be improved with a bachelor’s degree, please show them this article. They can start their online classes at any time that is convenient for them, unlike attending regular college. Register at study.com/mv to get started.
Want to help? The Mountain View Working Scholars program has a goal of raising enough scholarship funding to totally eliminate all out-of-pocket costs for participants, but we need help from corporate sponsors. If you support this mission to educate Mountain View and are interested in donating to the scholarship fund, please contact Mannie@Chambermv.org.