By Jennifer Merritt

When Robyn Saunders first registered for classes at the University of Phoenix Online, the first-time college student was mistakenly placed in 300-level classes. Given that she didn't have a concrete campus with an academic advising office, you're probably guessing it took weeks to get the problem straightened out, right? Not so.

"I talked with [my advisor] and he fixed my schedule within 24 hours," Saunders says.

Taking advantage of the convenience of schooling online doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the benefit of student services like tutoring, writing centers, and vast libraries. In fact, many online students say their experiences at online \universities far outshine their traditional counterparts.

The Big Push
Not only was Saunders a first-time college student, she was also relatively unfamiliar with computers and the Internet beyond helping her daughter with homework and checking her e-mail. "I didn't even know how to copy and paste," she says, laughing.

Saunders requested information from the University of Phoenix and received a call from an admissions officer. "A month went by and he called again - but he wasn't being pushy, he was really encouraging," she says.

For the 31-year-old stay-at-home mom whose husband is currently deployed in the Navy, knowing someone would be there when she needed it was a big push in pursuing online learning. Since beginning her degree in business administration last October, she's been in contact with the financial aid and admissions departments via phone and e-mail, and says she always receives an answer the same day.

But the service Saunders finds herself using most often is the school's writing center, which returns a corrected paper to her within 48 hours. "I don't do well with grammar and punctuation," she admits, "so that's been very helpful. It also enables you to get things done sooner, because you have to consider the turnaround time if tutors look at it."

And getting things done quickly and efficiently is a must for this mother of four. "I didn't know a lot of tricks to getting a better online search," Saunders says of her time before schooling online. "I went from taking an hour to find something to finding what I needed right away."

Best of Both Worlds
For Scott McCalla, a big draw to attending Bellevue University Online was that he knew there was a facility someplace other than just on a computer.

McCalla, a married father of two, was a marketing manager studying leadership on Bellevue's campus when his job transferred him from Omaha to Kansas City, KS. This led to his first interaction with online learning and the services it offers.

Within 24 hours of transferring his 70 brick-and-mortar credit hours to the online program, McCalla received an e-mail from academic services stating what courses he needed in order to finish his degree. "[It was] a solid answer that has been dead-on accurate," he says.

McCalla graduated this past June with a bachelor's degree and is taking a few months off before searching for an online MBA school. This time, the university he chooses will have a whole new set of standards to meet, such as providing an interactive learning environment.

A Library of Help
Sheda Vasseghi, who is earning her master's degree in ancient Persian history at American Military University, originally thought the most important aspect of an online university was its general administration services, such as how quickly the university responded to her application, inquiries, and problems.

"I also looked to see if their virtual classrooms were secure and user-friendly, and whether their technical support was knowledgeable and readily available," she says.

But her major, which requires lots of research and library time, soon proved that her priorities should lay elsewhere.

She recently needed to find 30-40 references that were either out of print or in rare journals. "Within two to three weeks, the online librarian tracked them down and mailed them to me," says the full time public relations manager. "I received my first two degrees through traditional universities and do not recall having received such personal and immediate attention."

Vasseghi says given her busy schedule, the library pays off in other ways, too: She can e-mail the librarian a question or request and receive a response in 24 hours; she gets updates on the status of her queries; and materials are sent to her either by mail or e-mail within seven to 10 days.

Personal Attention
"I have had years of experience working in colleges and universities advising students on what to look for in a potential college," says Linda T. Curtis, a clinical psychologist earning her Ph.D. at Walden University. As a former academic counselor for two colleges in Michigan, she knew what to look for when deciding on a program.

For Curtis, the winning aspect of Walden University's online program was the experience she had with its admissions office. "With any university, these [people] are the first impressions we get of how the university is run," she says. "I loved the personal, prompt, and professional attention I was given. They were knowledgeable, and when I had questions that fell out of their scope of practice, they referred me to the appropriate person."

When Curtis decided to log on for credits at the cyber school, she found that the experienced staff extended beyond the admissions department - particularly to the financial aid office.

"I just thought [financial officers'] jobs were so complicated, thus why they often gave such bad service," she admits. "But each and every time I have dealt with Walden, I have received fast, courteous, and knowledgeable service."

And Curtis, who has attended four different colleges, understands the importance of effective communication.

"Online programs are similar to traditional programs. Just as you would have a real person working in a traditional institution, it takes real people to run online degree student services," says Curtis. "The only difference is I can't go into their office and see them face-to-face, but we utilize technology in order to get the job done."

Make Sure You Make the Grade

Even if your cyber school's student services aren't performing at their best, there are Internet resources to make sure you still are.

• PowerResearcher (www.powerresearcher.com) - A desktop application that acts like your own personal librarian by helping you improve the speed and quality of your research, including writing, citing, and creating a bibliography.
• eTrainers (www.etrainers.org) - Similar to a personal coach, eTrainers provides you with personalized solutions so you can gain the knowledge and skills that will enhance your educational and organizational performance.
• SMARTHINKING (www.smarthinking.com) - This online service offers tutors 24/7 in a variety of subjects, as well as a writing center with a 24-hour turnaround time.