ADULT learner, hear me roar (vent)!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by mongoose65, Feb 25, 2010.

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  1. mongoose65

    mongoose65 New Member

    OK, I've decided that if I go for the Masters, it's gonna be APU/AMU.

    Every dippy little no name school not only wants me to pay their exorbitant rate for a no-name degree, they want the following:

    GRE or GMAT
    Essay
    Letter verifying previous employment
    3 letters of reference
    3.0 GPA

    I'm an adult with 25 years experience in my field and have trained MBA's by the busload. I am paying out of my own pocket, no loans, no financial aid, no tuition assistance. I am not going to jump through hoops for the chance to pay more for the same RA degree. These schools are so full of themselves and academia is STILL the most pretentious, self righteous, snobbish institution there is.

    Thank you APU for effectively saying, "if you want the education, we'll offer the chance." The rest is just bull. In the business world it would be seen for the waste of time that it is. In academia, it is the status quo.

    Finally some institutions that get it.

    The views above are reflective of the cranky author and do not represent any other entities!
     
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    I totally agree with you on this. I've never been a fan of the GMAT/GRE myself. The purpose of these exams is supposedly to assess one's ability as a first-year graduate student. Why does an experienced executive even need such an assessment? Why does someone who has completed a master's degree and is going for a second master's degree need to take these exams again? It's pointless. And letters of recommendation....hey, anyone get find someone to write a glowing letter. Pointless.
     
  3. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I found a few other schools that don't require all the above but you are right, it's rare that they don't. I haven't worked in 5 years so getting letters of references is a bit difficult and in reality, I'm not even sure of their purpose. No one is going to submit a letter than says they are a bad fit for school or a job, they will only ask people that will write a letter that says they walk on water.

    I'm looking at some information schools for my post History studies and I finally found two good schools that don't require all those hoops.
     
  4. imalcolm

    imalcolm New Member

    I think AMU is great - in addition to the painless admissions process, they don't nickel and dime you with fees like many other schools.

    No application fee, you pay tuition, buy your own books (grad), and I think there is a graduation fee.

    Contrast that with other schools where the tuition sounds cheap, but they add an activity fee, technology fee, online student fee, etc. Then you end up paying twice as much.
     
  5. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    Just watch out for the transcript fees. $20 if you want one snail mailed and $10 for secure PDF.

    Good luck at AMU!
     
  6. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    Since you are paying out of pocket, why not try Amberton University? Their courses are $675 per class and they do not require any standardized tests:

    http://www.amberton.edu/

    They are also regionally accredited
     
  7. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    AMU/APUS is a great school, I've never met or heard from anyone who attended there that questioned their quality or service. If you have 25 years of industry experience then an MBA is just a sweet little cherry on top of a wealth of much more valuable and rich experience. Were I you I'd be doing the same thing, looking more at the return on my investment not so much only in terms of $$$ but intangible benefits such as greater respect, more knowledge, refined skills, etc.

    I think with your experience you stand to give as much as you get in the discussion boards in terms of providing know how and expertise. I had a couple of guys like you in my MBA program at Ashford University and I have to tell you, I really enjoyed working with them.

    Good luck on your program, I think you're making the right choice. Also Amberton is a great school too, albiet a bit more traditional in that you may be required to fill prereq requirements.
     
  8. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member


    I agree on the contributions that you will be making in the class, I valued the experience of the other students in my classes. Having completed the MBA at AMU and also taken courses at Amberton I would say you could not go wrong with either school. That being said, AMU is more polished in their delivery, appearance, customer service, etc.

    My only negatives to the MBA from AMU are self-induced; unrealistic expectations, and perhaps my own narcissistic need for recognition coupled with unrealistic ideas as to what would happen when I graduated (I'm a recent grad so perhaps things will fall in to place) has soured my view a bit.

    The school is a good one though. Good luck in your studies.
     
  9. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Hey Cory, if it makes you feel better I read an article not too long ago about the ROI on an MBA program for even Tier 1 schools only began on an average of 3 years after graduation. I blogged on it if you want to search it out there. Immediate returns on investment in an MBA program are not the "average" experience of graduates, for me it took about 6 months but I definitely consider myself an exception to the rule in this situation.
     
  10. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    I can see where that would happen. The degree is really just a piece of paper validating that you completed general business courses at the graduate level. What can I do with that degree and knowledge is perhaps a more important question.

    I'll check out your blog. Thanks.
     

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