Show Us Your Life: My Alma Mater

This week over at Kelly's Korner, we are sharing our alma maters. I actually attended 2 colleges and have 3 degrees.

The first college I attended was a 2 year technical school in my hometown called Muskingum Area Technical College (MATC), although a few years ago the college changed the name to Zane State. Because I was in the top 20% of my class, I got a scholarship and got my Associate's Degree in Marketing Management for free. I figured it was a good opportunity to get my college paid for, and I wasn't crazy about moving away from my family, so it was a win-win situation for me at the time.

Source

This is the best pic I could find of the campus. MATC

shared campus with the Ohio University Zanesville branch

After I graduated with my Associate's Degree, I knew the next step was to get my bachelor's degree. At the time I was dating this guy (who I ended up marrying, and then divorcing), who lived in the big city -- Columbus, Ohio. We had been dating about a year, and I was ready to move closer since we had been doing the long-distance thing for about a year. I came across Franklin University and actually found out that this girl who's mother knew my dad was going there, and she was looking for a roommate. She had actually just gotten a job at Franklin as well, and they were paying for her college. I totally applied for a job, and ended up getting a job and accepted to be a student within a few weeks of each other.

Source

This is a picture of the courtyard and the clocktower at

Franklin University, which was the main icon for the University.

I worked at Franklin University for 6 years in the Marketing Department and started out as the Assistant to the department, then after graduation became a Marketing Coordinator, and then a Print Buyer. Also during this time I got my Bachelor's degree in Marketing and my MBA.

Franklin University is a non-traditional college. The students there are typically adult students who work during the day, and then either take evening classes or online classes. I worked full time, and then went to school about 2 nights a week. I loved that they had accelerated classes (which we half a term) so I was able to take 4 classes a term, but only had to go to class 2 nights a week (all classes were 4 hour classes, 1 night a week).

Me at graduation for my MBA

I am a little bummed I didn't get the traditional college experience of living in dorms and waking up at the crack of dawn for a lecture class, but it was right for me at the time, and I saved a ton of money because bascially I got my undergrad paid for by working there, and then half of my graduate degree paid for. In the long run it was probably for the best, and Franklin is a pretty credible school, especially in Ohio.