A new book goes inside the process of PhD admissions committees. Elite graduate programs behind closed doors: A new book reveals all.
This article is one reason why I like most for-profit schools. They give many a chance that other schools wouldn't. It is sad that a student can be excellent from 1st grade through their MBA and then be denied into a PhD program because of a few personal opinions that can be truthful or not. At least NCU gave me an opportunity to be admitted; and then it is entirely up to me to take it from there, and it has gone well so far.
Schools that have what amounts to open admissions are attractive to many people who, as you said, just want a chance to show thy can do the work. This is true for programs like HES, schools like UNISA and a whole bunch of other universities around the world that are "open." One complaint that we've heard about the for-profits, in this regard, is that they keep people in these programs, year after year after year, honing their research and, of course, all the while collecting their tuition. I don't know the extent to which this is true, but that's something we've heard. I'm glad to know that's not your experience.
Then there was Theodore Streleski, who Stanford (decidedly non-profit, although you'd never know it from their endowment) kept around for 19 years, honing his research, before he was told that he wasn't getting his doctoral degree. He took the news so well, he murdered his advisor; http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/science/27murd.html (thanks to Dr. Bear for that one, I had never heard of it until he mentioned it here)
Endowments are donations, not profit. Non-profits receive donations all the time. That's inherently a part of being a non-profit. Stanford University uses those endowments to guarantee no tuition for students with parents who make less than $100,000. They even cover the room and board for students whose parents make less than $60,000. That sounds very much like a non-profit to me.
As John as frequently quipped, if the guy had been tried by a jury of his peers (doctoral candidates), he would have walked.
My friend and former student, Jim, did his MD at Stanford. During his first year, Jim's father (in Ireland) fell ill. The school flew him home and back at their expense and ensured he got caught up in his studies when he returned. Jim graduated, became a surgeon, became a chief resident, and is now an associate professor of surgery at a teaching hospital. Oh, and he's a colonel in the Air Force Reserve. You know, in his spare time. (I commissioned him as a 2Lt and again as a captain.) (Jim told me during the incident that Stanford's philosophy was that once you were admitted to their med school, everything else was dedicated to your success. No grades, no competition, just success. Love it.)
And they have an excellent credit union also. The only place around that offers 1.5% interest in an Healthcare Savings Account, where most places offer .25% . Even thought I live in PA, I can do anything I need to at other bank's ATMs with no fees. I'm not a Stanford student or alum, but I was able to join by making a $20 donation and joining the "Friends of the Paolo Alto Library"
Doesn't Bears' Guide mention some guy who murdered his dissertation advisor only to finde that he actually finished his doctorate?
The Posselt book is excellent . . . but that particular lid was blown off more than half a century ago by George R. Stewart (then a professor at UC Berkeley) in his book, "Doctor's Orals." Same message, same story
