What does motivation look like? Just ask Kelsey Ramsey. She enjoys her full-time job, but she also wanted to go back to school. “I didn’t want to take a break from working” she says. “So I kept working, started taking classes, planned my wedding, built a house, and got married. I don’t know what possessed me!” Packing for a honeymoon in Hawaii, she brought along a bit of schoolwork.
Ramsey holds an associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College (ITCC) and works as a rehab tech at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She’s accumulated a range of experience in the medical field. She’s done clinicals, worked in doctors’ offices and labs, and performed administrative work like scheduling and insurance. She enjoys interacting with patients but realized she prefers administrative work.
She looked at opportunities to get a BS in Business Administration (BSBA) and discovered IU Online. When she learned that all credits from her Ivy Tech would transfer to IU Online, she made her decision. “Once I learned how IU Online’s partnership with ITCC would benefit me, I looked no further. IU Online was the best choice for me.” She’ll graduate in December 2023.
Schoolwork fits in at night. “All my classes are asynchronous, so I can do them whenever they fit into my schedule.” She studies from her home in Tell City, Indiana, and takes classes from various Indiana University campuses.
Back to school as an adult?
Ramsey was a bit apprehensive about returning to school as an adult. “Stepping back into the classroom was weird,” she says. “I felt a little vulnerable. I put pressure on myself because I thought I was supposed to know more.”
And because Ramsey is a social person, she wondered how classmates working remotely would interact with her. Her experience quelched her fears. “I actually feel less vulnerable than I would in an actual classroom,” she explains. “It’s exciting to be in classes with students at all different stages of life—some right out of high school, and some in their 30s and 40s who have returned to school.” She was glad to find others from the healthcare field, working toward management positions. “We learn so much from each other’s broad and varied experience,” she says.
Part of a network
Nothing feels remote with online education. “I have a learning community,” says Ramsey. "My professors are right there on the screen. They are familiar faces, familiar voices. They’re encouraging and always available for my questions.” Her professors are easy to reach by email or phone. Some even do mid-semester check-ins, individually, or with groups of students who are working together.
And fellow students? “There’s more group interaction than I thought possible. Professors are great at pairing us up to work on projects together, and you can tell that other students are very open to teamwork. We reach out to each other.” She continues, “If I had more time, I’d like to find other ways to interact with them, especially those working in my field. Along with my professors, advisor, and success coach, IU Online feels like one big community.”
What’s next?
“My BSBA will likely get me where I want to be,” says Ramsey. “I see myself in a management position, working my way up the ladder.” For now, she’s happy at Perry County hospital, because it, too, feels like a community. As she looks to the future, Ramsey is considering a master’s degree in healthcare administration, managing a small clinic, or someday working as a regional CEO.
To anyone considering IU Online, she says, “Be open-minded! Give it a chance!”
