Were you influenced by the NAME of your school?

Because they offer a payment plan and because they offer credit for subject exams, I like Excelsior College.

But the name - UGH! Much to be desired.

Also, I fear that when one sees a "State College" like TECU on a resume vs. EC, which although accredited, is not part of the SUNY system...well, I am frankly afraid Excelsior will raise eyebrows and I'll be constantly defending my alma mater - not exactly the position a proud grad wants to be in.

Am I the only one who has this bias against EC b/c of their name?? Am I being silly??

 

Overall? Yes.
Jack

 

I can't say that the "names" of the schools that I attended made me attend -- or not attend. What's in a name?

I do like the name Excelsior College, although many here don't. I think it sounds regal and classy. I don't like the name of my undergraduate school e.g. International College. It sounds sort of cheesey. The name of my graduate school (University of South Florida) is well known around here, so in that context, the name is good. Northcentral University is where I'm endeavoring to obtain a DBA and I like the name of the school because it sounds so... so... inconspicuous and normal. It's nice to have a middle-of-the-road name, as opposed to having an odd name where people look at you like a deer in headlights and then you have to start answering questions i.e. where is that???

I have too much time on my hands to be writing about this sort of stuff. LOL

 

I earned my degree from Excelsior and never had trouble with the name. The degree met my needs by getting me into graduate school, and I've been called in for interviews for jobs that required a degree. Generally, Excelsior will work whenever you need a 4-year degree to meet a qualification, about like any other school. At the same time, only degrees from top tier schools or your home state's flagship school will be likely impress anyone. So if your choice is between one of these and Excelsior name might be a factor. Otherwise, Excelsior is about like having a degree from an out of state school with little name recognition, like countless other schools. So, in my opinion, if Excelsior is your best option then you should not worry about the name, which isn't that important. Besides, it is New York's state motto and is on the state seal, if that helps.

 

Re: Re: Were you influenced by the NAME of your school?

Agreed. It's never been an issue for me.

 

Re: Re: Were you influenced by the NAME of your school?

What Jack said!

And a model of effective brevity he is, too! I'm envious.

 

I'm going to go a little bit against the grain here - I actually detest the Excelsior College name. I understand that a school's accreditation (or lack thereof) is much more important than its name, but I have always felt that the name sounds, well, cheesy. When it came time for me to pick a distance learning degree program, I chose one at the University of Wyoming.

That being said, I've encouraged several people, including my own father, to consider Excelsior College. I think that being able to earn a regionally accredited degree through one of their flexible programs benefits the holder enough to trump any qualms I might have about a cheesy name.

--Fortunato

 

Agreed.

Agreed.

 

Well, since my alma mater (Bellevue) shares the name of a rather infamous mental hospital, I can't say names concerned me very much........

Dave

 

I don't understand the objection to "Excelsior." It is, after all, the state's motto. Bellevue, though....

My dissertation research indicated that the name of the school can have a profound effect on the perceived acceptability of a school's degrees if the employer hasn't heard of the school. I'm not sure "Excelsior" would actually serve as a deterrent, though.

 

I have to admit, it DOES result in some rather interesting looks when I tell people that I'm a "Bellevue Alumni" without explaining any further.

 

Re: Re: Were you influenced by the NAME of your school?

Yes, with one caveat. I am sure this happens everywhere, but my local state university's (in this case, California State University, Fresno) graduates, particularly in business, have a strong tendency to hire their own. As in:

"Oh, you're a Fresno State grad..."

While this may work less well in places with many large b&m universities, we only have one (and one significantly smaller private Christian university).

One wonders how that dynamic will change locally now that we have a new UC campus just down the road in Merced.



Tom Nixon

 

It has been noted elsewhere, and I can only can agree with that: unless the school is well known among your target group, it is advantageous if the name of the school is associated with some geographical area, such as a major city or a state. This consciously or subconsciously adds credibility to the school in question and helps your audience to classify your education better.
In case of Excelsior, it certainly sounds much better and more credible if you add the clause "University of the State of New York" on your resume. This has been, however, a bone of contention on this board because some posters objected that "University of the State of New York" could readily be confused with "State University of New York" which are two different things.
On the other hand it could be argued that it is legitimate to use the addendum "University of the State of New York" in case of Excelsior because:
1. the Excelsior diploma explicitly states this fact(Excelsior, in fact, is a member of USNY like any other school in NY including SUNY)
2. Excelsior(some would prefer the term "predecessor of Excelsior")" had in the past a special relationship with the USNY(it was its official external program)
3. people who can't differentiate between SUNY and USNY should take care to get better educated.


Dennis

 

Agreed and it is for that reason I was initially impressed with the University of Phoenix. When I later learned about UoP's reputation, primarily through this board, my view did a 180 degree turn. However, the fact that it was connected with a geographical location lent credibility in my mind, even though it wasn't a valid credability. As someone else said, it's not the name of a school that makes it credible, even though there is some psychology/perception that is associated with a name. Hence the question: what's in a name?

 

Well, it is interesting how a name can be perceived differently in different parts of the country. In Colorado, a Western State alum is a guy or gal who went to a small liberal arts college up in the mountains about 7700 feet above sea level. In Washington State, a Western State alum is someone to, er, um, watch out for.

 

I find the names of various schools fascinating…I don’t know why, perhaps it’s because it tells a little bit about the school…most often however it doesn’t.

The three worst?

1.) Excelsior College…hands down winner in the ugly contest.

2.) American Public University…..what?

3.) American College of Computer and Informational Sciences…..Dang that’s cumbersome. http://www.accis.edu/

The three best?

1.) Andrew Jackson University…I just like the ring.

2.) American Military University…sound officious and purposeful.

3.) The Citadel……. http://www.citadel.edu/ just cool…for the same reasons as number 2.

That being said, I enrolled in Tarrant County College (yuck) Ashworth College (as generic as Wally World blue jeans) and Southwestern College (neutral…kind of like North Central U.)

My soon to be favorite school is St. Josephs College of Maine (kind of a generic, never heard of them, they must be in Maine, name.)

So no….the name of the school is not a deciding factor in where I get my education…but I am fascinated by some of them.

 

Although I detest the name Excelsior, my real concern is how employers will view it. It's not a commonly known college name among the general population. Like someone else said, adding a state affiliation somehow eases people's mind.

At least this has been my experience when discussing schools with friends and co-workers. I say "Thomas Edison State College" and no one blinks an eye. Say "Excelsior College" and almost always I get a "what?" or "where's that", "never heard of it"....

I would love to talk about my education on a job interview, but I would not love defending my school due to an unfortunate name.

 

Well, how you position the school will likely dictate how defensive you need to be.

When asked about where I obtained my undergrad I state "Excelsior College in Albany". Nobody has ever asked me if that was part of the SUNY system, if it was accredited, etc.

As I live on Long Island, I have the benefit of being geographically close, but also the potential negative that people haven't heard of it (unlike Hofstra, Fordham, etc).

I've never couched the name as "The University of State of NY", and never will. Ultimately, if someone doesn't want to hire me because the name of my school sounds "funny" then I probably wouldn't want to work for them anyway.

As Rich stated, "Excelsior" is the NY State motto, so if anyone asks you the explanation is obvious. There are a lot of "odd sounding" names out there - Thunderbird University comes to mind, and that's a great school. I'm not sure I'd want to go to "Dum Spiro Spero University" though (South Carolina's State motto)

You don't mention how old you are, but if you're above the age of 30 most people will look at your degree in an interview as a "tick in the box", assuming you've had it for years. Also, if you are planning to go on for a graduate degree any talk about the undergrad will be vastly overshadowed by what you did for your graduate study.

Of course, this is just my opinion, which is one of thousands here. Ultimately, you're the one that has to face up to people asking you about the degree.

One last piece of advice - which I repeat often - there are people on this board who have spent years debating the Excelsior name but haven't yet started their degree while others (like myself) have made a decision, completed their studies and moved on to something else. Don't sit on the fence too long...

Cheers,
Mark

 

BTW - there are also a lot of private colleges in NY that aren't part of the SUNY system, many of which may sound "just as odd" as Excelsior...

Skidmore College
D'Youville College
Daemen College
Keuka College
Cazenovia College
Bard College
Dominican College
Iona College
Manhattanville College
Boricua College

and so on...I think many of these would raise just as many eyebrows to a prospective employer as Excelsior!

Cheers,
Mark

 

Mark, I absolutely applaud you for doing exactly what matters - moving on, and getting the degree.
Congratulations on your graduating and pursuing an MBA.

ETA: I disagree about your list. I've heard of all those schools - except the one beginning with "K" - and I think most people in NY have heard of them (I'm also on Long Island).

I think we will have to agree to disagree here on the Excelsior name.