Four months ago I decided Aspen University was the one for me. I managed to tick all the requirement boxes. The press was good!! . Most people only had good things to say about Aspen and life was looking good. I guess everybody has a different interpretation of what ‘good’ is! … I have had nothing but a bad experienced with Aspen thus far, and I would consider this university nothing more than a mere bucket shop. I am usually a patient person, but this lot, give new meaning to the word cowboys!!!! I have many regrets about my choice of Universities. Now, I am not a serial e-mailer, and keep this type of correspondence to a minimum and use only when necessary. As a distance student there are times when you do need a bit of information or help, especially from you instructors. Do you think I could raise a response from any one of the admin staff or the instructors? I had some very fundamental questions that needed attention and still to this day, no responses are forthcoming. Even a formal e-mail complaint about all the issues I was having did not draw a response. And I would consider that I was unusually diplomatic in my complaints. The online interactive website that students utilize to order courses, complete there course work and interact with other students looks like something out of the seventies . Its functionality is second rate when it actually works and the software is full of bugs. I was expecting hi-technology from a so called leading edge distance education provider and instead I get a half baked system that in my humble opinion should not even be let loose on kids just starting school. I could go on ……… anyone else has a similar experience ? Is it because Aspen are a cheap and cheerful university? Is being cheap an excuse for not being professional ? Thanks for reading All the best
Unique as your post may be, I am sorry to hear your experience. First off, I remember your previous threads... we've even had contact via email if I remember correctly, and I remember you had started with accounting... I am about to complete my last two courses this term, and will start off with the capstone by the end of February. So far, I don't think I have had the kind of problems you have mentioned, which is even more interesting since I did not have any business/commerce background when I started out with my MBA. And I am not sure exactly what you asked the instructors in your messages. Also, instructors in graduate studies are not especially known for teaching students. They are more like coaches than mentors, so I think I can understand your situation... McMaster was worse when it came to "independent studies". Nonetheless, I think your post deserves to be taken seriously. I will send out an email to all my class-fellows with a link to this thread. If they share your opinion, I have no doubt the truth will come out into the open. Other Aspen students on this forum can shed some light too. Regards
RE: Aspen I was also looking at Aspen as a possibility for my MBA, seemed like a good program I could do quickly and half the price of other programs. The red flags went off to me when I couldn't get answers from an adminssions councelor and he seemed to get aggravted with me when I asked questions. I was going to sink a large amount of money into the program. I expected to get some answers..... I bought the Bear's guide to distance learning off of Amazon.com and it lists Aspen University as a Diploma Mill. So I immediately stopped any further investigation into the school. I hope if you don't get a decent education that you at least get some of your money back.
Re: RE: Aspen John Bear has not listed Aspen University as a degree mill. There was an Aspen College quite a few years ago that was a degree mill. As a DETC accredited institution, Aspen adheres to the DETC required refund policy. Students are required to sign an enrollment agreement that includes the refund policy so there should be no misunderstanding about what kind of refund is available. There have been a number of changes at Aspen in the last few months and change can sometimes produce some temporary interruptions in how smoothly things flow. Aspen is a good school and if you do a search here you will see quite a few positive comments about it and its predecessor, ISIM. If you have problems you need to hang in there and make sure you take your concerns to the right person. If you don't know who that is, don't be afraid to email the Provost. If you are in the US, pick up the phone and call. While some things have changed, I am confident Aspen's commitment to serve its students has not changed. Regards, Mary A
maybe Bear's guide has made a mistake than, in my book the 15th Ed. on page 264. It says that: " Aspen Univeristy (not college) in Colorado. This school, as well as Darwin University, run by the same prankster, offers "honorary doctorates" that are clearly intended to be humorous (Doctor of Universal Confusion from UCLA the Ulcer Club of Los Angeles). We list them only on the principle that however innocent the seller's intentions, one never knows what the purchaser night try to pull." I bought the book to look up a few of the universities that I was interested in and Aspen University wasn't found anywhere in the accrediated list, only place I found it was in the degree mill index. thanks for your comment thanks, I just go by what I read, I will take another look at the school and try to e-mail some administration again, like you said could just be a transition period that no one replyed to me. It did fit into my budget.
Personally, I've felt that Aspen is a good school. I have compared its courses to some of the universities here in Canada, and found them to be comparable in difficulty. My knowledge about many things in the commerce world was acquired at Aspen, and am quite satisfied. Nonetheless, I've been helped by my instructors as well as the staff whenever I needed it, especially since I came from an engineering background (engineers are not wellknown for their accounting skills). Of course, I did not get numerical answers to my assignment questions until after I handed them in, which makes perfect sense... What graduate school would engage in "spoon-feeding" their students with direct answers? Thunder, I've sent out that email like I said before. If someone shares your opinion, you will get a reply soon. There are some more Aspen students on this forum as well. Maybe they too can shed some light...
If you look on page 117, you will see ISIM University at the top of the page. That is what is now called Aspen University. Apparently, the name change must have occurred sometime after the research was completed for the book. Tom Nixon
Thunder, Let me introduce myself - since November 2004 I have been Aspen's provost. I regret that you have had a bad experience. If you will email me directly, I will see what we can do to make things right for you. cheers dolf carlson
