Online Universities

[ST0RMY]

A few years ago i did the whole community college thing but just messed around and took the classes i wanted to take instead of ones that would help me out in a career. Since then ive matured and finally found a field i want to get into. Since i work full time my only real choice is the University of Phoenix. They have a Criminal Justice program that interested me enough to give them a call and i already have an appointment on friday.

So my questions to all of you are:

1. Have you had any positive/negative experience with online schools?
2. Would i be able to handle a fulltime job and a full course of classes?
3. What should i ask the counselor when i talk to her?
4. Have any of you attended Phoenix U?

Please feel free to express your opinion or experiences beyond my questions!

 

[warshy]

ask her what you need to do to get to your goal
it's a broad field so you need to level it

 

[Gunning]

I'm going to be finishing a BS at the end of the summer through University of Maryland University College (UMUC). They offer many degree programs online and I've had nothing but good experiences with the online classes. You have to make arraingements to take a final proctered exam at the end of every course, but it's not to hard to set up.

I prefer online classes over face-to-face any day. I like the freedom of being able to do the work on my schedule. It still takes quite a commitment though. Sometimes it's realy hard to resist playing TF2 instead of writing whatever paper I have due!

For your second question, that's up to you. I am active duty Navy and I've never been able to handle more than 2 classes a term. Depends on how much spare time you have.

Ask about the schools accredidation and their policies on accepting transfer credits from the community college you went to. Make sure you understand the degree program you are interested in and what the requirements are for it.

Good luck!

 

[DragonD]

The success of the online class depends just as much on the person taking the class as the class itself. As stated above, it's easy to blow it off.

Most of my undergrad courses (BS in computer science) where traditional face to face. There ARE advantages to those type of classes, specially for the more technical stuff.

Over half of my Grad level classes (MS in software engineering) were online courses. Most of these online classes were "theory based" (which is what most of the grad level courses are)..and that fits right in with online courses.

Both my Undergrad and Grad are from University of Houston.

Now, interesting about Phoenix. They have an online PHD (Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership/Information Systems and Technology) that I have really been looking at recently. I'm giving serious thought to checking it out.

As far as time? That's really up to you and your goals/priorities. How much of your free time are you willing to devote to it?

But think of it this way...even if you ONLY take one or two classes..and it takes you FIVE years to finish..you know what? That five years is going to come and go no matter what. IT will pass. So, might as well as take a few classes each semester. Ya know?

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

It's valuable to consider how this particular degree fits into your overall plan, and then to make school decisions accordingly. For instance, I took some MCSE classes (21 credit hours) at University of Phoenix a few years ago. I can never use those credits anywhere else, because UoP has no matriculation agreements with other educational institutions.

Also, I think UoP is accredited, but it's worth checking out. That's important, because it means that the school sticks to what the industry expects you to know. Another example: AIU (American Intercontinental University) nearly lost their accreditation because they failed to meet fourteen of the standards set forth by the accrediting body.

Finally, talk to employers and program graduates. These are the people who will tell you if you are going to get your money's worth from the program. There may be employers who don't value a UoP degree as much as one from a "proper" school.

Never forget that UoP is a for-profit school. Their sole purpose is to get as much money out of you as they can. Most "proper" schools are non-profit, and subsist largely on funds from alumni, the state government, and federal agencies. These agencies all put pretty strict requirements on the educational institution, none of which apply to the for-profit school which subsists on the profit they make from you the student.

(Hope this didn't turn into another dreaded TLR post.)

 

[VizierKane]

online schools sucks!

 

[Vain]

I think they want positive reinforcement not a one liner.

 

[ST0RMY]

Thanks for all the great info (exept Vizier) ill definitively be asking alot more questions when i go in!

 

[TahoE]

I am currently going to The University of Arizona and I prefer the online courses to the in-class lectures. I have a problem with attendance so this helps out so much because it allows me to work at my own pace and still have a full time job. Realize that you will have to set aside just as much, if not more, time for each online class as you would a class with lectures. It is definitely possible to hold a full-time job with online schooling, but I will tell you it is not easy in any way.

Questions I would ask to the counselor would be:
1) How many credit hours will it take me to finish my major?
2) With a full time job, how many credit hours per semester would you recommend?
3) What resources are available to me through the University of Phoenix to help me with my classes?


Another positive thing I personally enjoy (being that I have to pay for my own college tuition) is that online classes generally cost much less than in-class lectures. A negative aspect would be that you do not have the face-to-face office hours or TA's (Teacher Assistants) to ask your questions and get 1 on 1 help. But this is another question that I would tag along with the "What resources are available" question.

If you need any more information or help with your online class questions feel free to PM me and i'll respond with my upmost honest answers and each and every subject.

Overall, I definitely recommend furthering your education, not only because of the potential pay raise with your company, but also because Knowledge is Power. And I mean that in every way. It is definitely worth having a degree to fall back on when things get tough.

Hope my words help you in your decision.

 

[ST0RMY]

I am currently going to The University of Arizona and I prefer the online courses to the in-class lectures. I have a problem with attendance so this helps out so much because it allows me to work at my own pace and still have a full time job. Realize that you will have to set aside just as much, if not more, time for each online class as you would a class with lectures. It is definitely possible to hold a full-time job with online schooling, but I will tell you it is not easy in any way.

Questions I would ask to the counselor would be:
1) How many credit hours will it take me to finish my major?
2) With a full time job, how many credit hours per semester would you recommend?
3) What resources are available to me through the University of Phoenix to help me with my classes?


Another positive thing I personally enjoy (being that I have to pay for my own college tuition) is that online classes generally cost much less than in-class lectures. A negative aspect would be that you do not have the face-to-face office hours or TA's (Teacher Assistants) to ask your questions and get 1 on 1 help. But this is another question that I would tag along with the "What resources are available" question.

If you need any more information or help with your online class questions feel free to PM me and i'll respond with my upmost honest answers and each and every subject.

Overall, I definitely recommend furthering your education, not only because of the potential pay raise with your company, but also because Knowledge is Power. And I mean that in every way. It is definitely worth having a degree to fall back on when things get tough.

Hope my words help you in your decision.

Thanks alot for the sudgestions although for some reason i always thought that online classes would take less time than an actual lecture, but for criminal justice im pretty sure its just alot of memorization and theres where i can do my best!

 

[Ducttape]

For what it's worth, most colleges are incorporating some kind of on-line learning curriculum. Don't be afraid to check out any local colleges that may be in your area. If they do offer on-line distance learning, you may be better off attending a local school rather than a college that is primarily internet; with a school physically nearby, you'll have access to their library, tutoring options, a real teacher that you can meet, and typically if the local school is a community college, the tuition should be significantly lower for you.


If you do decide to attend a primarily online school, like UoP, make sure that their classes are really academically accredited; a good way to find out is to ask, "After I complete my two-year Associates degree with you, can I continue towards my bachelor's degree at a university?"

 

[Thereven]

You'd be better off taking online classes at a university that also offers traditional offline classes.

The University of Phoenix is equated with the infomercial (Earn your television repair degree at home!) schools with most people. And those same people will be the ones hiring.

What school you earned your degree at is one of the most important factors in hiring procedures for your first job. After you've got some experience in the industry, it doesn't matter.

 

[TahoE]

Thanks alot for the sudgestions although for some reason i always thought that online classes would take less time than an actual lecture, but for criminal justice im pretty sure its just alot of memorization and theres where i can do my best!

They may, however not all classes are necessarily quicker... I have 3 online courses and 4 lecture-based courses this semester and even though the online courses are easier for me, they are the same length and IMO require more reading and memorization (which may benefit you as you say you can do your best with this).