All universites are going to have their good and bad in all areas. It is
part of growing. I graduated with BSIT from the University of Phoenix
and I am now attending getting my MIS. There is nothing wrong with the
school or its faculty and staff. The problem is with the students. If
you can't take the heat, get out. And that is what some students go,
they get out. Of course, you are going to still have student loans, that
is the nature of the beast. You have to pay back what you borrow, if you
do not finish, that is your problem. This type of program is not for the
weak. It is going to take a strong student to fullfill the requirements
of the programs to obtain the degree. The programs are designed for a
win-win situation for the student and for the company that this strong
student goes to work for. They are not quitters.
On 11/11/06, A happy student wrote:
> I've heard and read enough non-sense already about UOP. I can't take
> it anymore. I did go to ripoff.com and read some complaints, and from
> what I read it appears to be a bunch of whining from people who are
> not prepared to jump in, roll up their sleeves and really hit the
> books.
>
> I'm currently an MBA student with only 2 classes left to graduation.
> Yes, it is time consuming, but once you get the hang of it, it is
> possible to still have a life. Why would you want to go to a school
> where you are doing minimal work and getting a degree for only three
> hours a week as one angry student wrote? Please enlighten me!
>
> And to all those who have complained about credits not transferring...
> Try going to a local school and see if your credits are going to
> transfer there if you don't like it. But somehow I don't think that
> your local school is going to accept them so easily either.
>
> And to the complainers stating that they didn't know how many classes
> they would need until they after got started? Why did you start then?
> Would you have done that at a local/ground school?
>
> Yes you work heavily in teams. But that is what real life is about,
> working and playing well with others. UOP teaches you just how to do
> that. Real life is not sitting in front of an instructor, sneaking in
> late and sleeping through a lecture. Real life is about learning from
> your peers and the world around you.
>
> I have known quite a few people in real life that have given UOP a
> spin and quit to go to some local schools. You know what they tell me?
> That it is cheaper and easier. So essentially, you get what you pay
> for.
>
> On 10/20/06, Michael Allen wrote:
>> There seems to be a lot of controversy over the validity of the
>> University of Phoneix Online degree programs. I do not understand
>> why. For the most part, people are skeptical about an education that
>> does not allow you to sit in a classroom and listen to someone
>> lecture. All that a lecture does is elaborate on the course work
>> that is being taught. Something that most people do not realize is
>> that an online degree displays a persons ability to reasearch. Here
>> is why. I do not have a teacher to readily refer to for step by step
>> assistance. Don't get my wrong, all of my instructors are available
>> if needed as they often supply a phone number and email address to
>> contact them. My point is that instead of listeining to a Charlie
>> Brown type teacher honking away at something that I do not feel
>> appealing, I can read the documents for the course, and then
>> research topics of interest or topics that I do not understand.
>> Rather than hoping that the teacher and I can effectively
>> communicate in order to work through the problem I am experienceing,
>> I can focus a little research on the topic and come up with the
>> answer. Another point that I would like to make is this. I am
>> currently pursuing a Business Admin degree and what I am learning
>> applies directly to my responsibilities as a manager. I have been
>> able to identify some of my managerial weaknesses and have been able
>> to make changes that impacts my organization in a positive manner.
>> The education is sound, if it was not it would not be nationally
>> accredited. We cannot forget about that. There are organizations out
>> there that accredit schools so that people will feel confident with
>> the education that they are receicing. Go ahead and google it, you
>> will find it to be true. We have all heard of Colin Powell right? He
>> graduated from some small inner city college in New York, and went
>> on to lead a successful military and political career. Why do I
>> bring this up? It does not matter quality of education, what matters
>> is quality of person. That degree is just a piece of paper that says
>> you completed school. It gets your foot in the door because it
>> proves that you have done more than the average high school student.
>> How you apply your abilites and knowledge is what will make you
>> successful, not a 4.0 at Harvard. That jsut says that you know how
>> to study and remember things. Application is the key to success. I
>> hope this helps with the UOP conversation.
>> -Michael Allen
>>
>>
>> On 7/14/06, Derek wrote:
>>> I'm just about to graduate from University of Phoenix with my BSIT
>>> (just the capstone class left), and I'm trying to decide what to
>>> do about pursuing a master's degree. UoP currently only offers it
>>> online, and I don't know what to think about the validity or value
>>> of an online degree in comparison to classroom based education.
>>> That's how I sumbled onto this thread during a Google search.
>>>
>>> I think that Mike is right about getting out of it what you put
>>> into it. I also think that basic interest has a lot to do with
>>> it. I love technology and I really enjoyed the programming
>>> classes, especially Java 1 & 2, and Web Programming 1 & 2.
>>> However, those classes were also taught by (in my opinion) the
>>> best instructors at that campus, which shows that instructor
>>> quality has a lot to do with maintaining the students' interest.
>>> Most of the instructors have "real" jobs and are teaching for
>>> various personal or monetary reasons on the side. They,
>>> therefore, bring their real-world experience to class with them,
>>> and that's something you won't get at a typical career-instructor
>>> school.
>>>
>>> It also takes student commitment. Without that, it doesn't matter
>>> what school you attend -- you probably won't finish, but you'll
>>> still owe on the loans. My first classes started out with 30+
>>> students. My last class on EBusiness had just 6 people in it, and
>>> only 5 finished the class.
>>>
>>> Before I started school I wondered why I had to jump through so
>>> many hoops to get my "piece of paper." After going through the
>>> process, I see that the true value of a degree program is to
>>> separate the quitters, slackers, and incompetent people from those
>>> who will actually be successful in life, and I think that's the
>>> real value of a degree to an employer. It's a baseline
>>> reliability and follow-through certification.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 6/13/06, Mike wrote:
>>>> You will get out of it what you put into it. I have complaints,
>>>> such as some of the duds in my learning teams, but how is that
>>>> so different from the real world. If anything, I learned how to
>>>> deal with dead-beats in a diplomatic fashion. You will find
>>>> people at EVERY school in the country, around the world for that
>>>> matter, who are not pleased. My business management degree from
>>>> UOP helped me get the job I have now. Most people who won't
>>>> accept a UOP degree don't know anything about it, have
>>>> preconceived notions about an "on-line" degree, or are
>>>> prejudiced against the format because they had to beat it out at
>>>> a brick-n-mortar university. Do the math. Did you see Good Will
>>>> Hunting? Speaking to a elitest Harvard student, the character,
>>>> Will, says "You dropped $150,000 on an education you could have
>>>> gotten with $1.50 in late charges at the public library." This
>>>> is probably not far from the truth.
>>>>
>>>> Ever heard the phrase: "Do your own think!" Don't be swayed by
>>>> public opinion. If it feels right to you, then move forward. Ask
>>>> the nay-sayers to submit proof for the feelings, and you will
>>>> find that they are unsubstantiated.
>>>> On 4/26/06, Frank wrote:
>>>>> On 7/07/05, Florita King wrote:
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I was warned about Phoenix by several people. Go to
>>>>>> ripoffreport.com and you'll see a mass of complaints about
>>>>>> the school.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Good luck!.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Florita
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 6/16/05, John wrote:
>>>>>>> I am currentlty attending the University of Phoenix's
>>>>>>> program for IT. I have not been 100&37; satisfied. I have
>>>>>>> been doing some pretty heavy research trying to find some
>>>>>>> alternate opinions on the quality of education, and the
>>>>>>> recognition of degrees provided by other educational
>>>>>>> bodies and employers, by the UoP. Some factors I have in
>>>>>>> my favor, is although I am employed full time, I am still
>>>>>>> in my 20's (for a bit longer :) , I have no family, and no
>>>>>>> children. I feel that I may be selling myself short if I
>>>>>>> continue on my current path. While I really want my
>>>>>>> degree, I want to be proud of the name, and I want to work
>>>>>>> my tail off getting it. Your opinions and advice are
>>>>>>> greatly appreciated!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>