January 14, 2019
Caterina Lingenfelter is a single mom who works as a human resources assistant and is a sergeant with the National Guard. She’s also earning her associate degree in general studies from BARTonline.
“Barton has been really great to be able to manage the workload of being able to go to school full-time,” she said. “I’m a single working mom and I don’t have time, but sometimes you have to prioritize.”
Since this past spring, she’s been taking four classes per session. Each Monday, Caterina looks over her assignments for the week and plans when she’ll work in her studying.
“I know when my deadlines are for my coursework and I’m able to plan out my studying and quizzes. For my lifestyle it makes it very easy to go to school,” she said.
In addition to taking a full course-load, Caterina was able to earn credits for her military training. This put her on a fast track toward earning her degree.
“One of the good things about Barton is they utilize your military education,” she said. “That helped a lot. I transferred about 30 credits.”
Caterina likes the interaction she has with her professors and fellow students. Contrary to the perception that online courses don’t have much interaction, Caterina said the small class size enables a lot of communication.
“The classes are smaller, so it’s easier to build a rapport with other students and staff,” she said. “I’ve had some really great instructors. They’ve been so hands-on, guiding group discussions and making sure we understand the materials. They give you the opportunity to talk to them one-on-one or open a group discussion, so I really enjoy that.”
She recently moved from Kansas to Hawaii, but is still making online classes work for her. She has applied for a program in social work and hopes to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees to achieve her goal of becoming a social worker.
“Overall I’ve had a very positive experience at Barton. It’s been very beneficial for me,” she said.