Why a non-RA school?

I know thats why I'm doing It via distant learning

 

Yup I agree

Massachusetts is ridiculously expensive for everything. School is very expensive here because they figure the cost of living is so expensive that they can charge a lot. The other reason is that there is such a glut of PhDs in this state that the universities have to pay them somehow (j/k, don't know if that is true!). You think that is expensive, you should see what the private schools charge around here. I have a friend that went to Clark University, which is a local private school, and he is now in debt a whopping $91,000 just for his undergrad. Crazy huh? Well just think it's over $4000 a class for undergrad at Harvard now! All this leads to the reason that I have discovered distance learning, and why everyone else should too. NA schools do what they are designed to do, they give you an education. But, as a caveat for NA as well as RA distance learning you will only succeed if you want to and you will only learn as much as you want. My opinion on the NA - RA stuff is that if an NA school will suit your purpose, then by all means go for it. There are more than a few RA schools that will accept the credits in transfer, you just have to do the research. I know that when I finish my Ashworth degrees that the $ savings will allow me to spend more on grad school since I will not have had to take out loans for that. Plus, I don't have to jockey around credits which I have already done twice and is such a hassle. Sorry for the rant.....Faxinator I have been reading your blog and it is good. I wish you luck with finishing by the first of the year, it's gonna be a lot of work! You can do it though, just keep plugging away at it.

Justin

 

Ummmmm.......

South Carolina public universities are all around and about $300 per credit hour in-state.

Our local community college is $117 per credit hour in-state/in-county.

hmmmmmm...... why would I go online for some of my education?

 

Ridiculous.

 

Cost and flexibility was a huge factor in my decision to pursue my undergraduate and graduate studies at a NA school.

When I started my distance education degree back in 2001, RA schools were not flexible and they were definitely not affordable. The RA schools based their online classes to semester and/or quarter systems and many times you'd have to be "online" at specified times. For the mid-level career adult with family obligations online RA schools didn't provide flexibility or affordability.

Now, has this changed over the past few years. I would say yes and no. Yes, in that RA schools have become a little more flexible, with online only schools like NCU offering greater flexibility. No, in that most RA schools are still not as flexible as NA and overall NA continues to be more affordable. RA tries to justify there increased tuition cost basing their rationale that RA accreditation is considered to be the elite accreditor. It amazes me that some RA schools actual advertise that there "accreditor" also accredits schools such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, ect. So, what there saying is their schools meet the same standards as the Ivy Leagues and anyone with half a brain knows this is simply not true. Accreditation is simply "minimum" standards and any school can up their standards if they wish. That's what seperates the Ivy Leagues from the rest of the schools and the reason why the Ivys can justify the higher cost. They earned that reputation as a "prestigious school" and their "prestige" has nothing to do with Stanford being accredited by WASC.

The flexibility that NA schools have offered and continue to offer is open enrollment all year round, affordability and independent study programs. You're on your own and if you need assistance the course professor is available to help you. This works extremely well for dedicated and self-motivated individuals.

I'm not trying to declare that NA is better than RA or vice versa. My point is a schools quality and value goes way beyond who the school is accredited by (RA, NA or a recognized foreign accreditor, specialized accreditor).

There's lots of talk about the specialized accreditors like AACSB and ACBSP. My thoughts are this; unless you want to teach in a classroom at a research university or college where they require this, who really cares whether you're school is accredited by these specialized accreditors? Let's get real, when was the last time you saw an employer or government agency requiring your degree to be accredited by AACSB or ACBSP? You haven't and that's why these specialized accreditors don't hold any documented value outside of academia. An accredited degree is for individuals seeking promotional opportunities and/or seeking employment requiring such a degree. Yet, we continue to see individuals get excited that their school is accredited or a candiate of AACSB or ACBSP. And as a result of this specialized accreditation, the school then justifies an increase in tuition.

I like to use a car analogy. Think of Harvard as a Lamborgini and the remainders as a Honda. You can try and doll up the Honda with fancy rims, modifications to the engine, new paint job, add a spolier, exhaust system, ect. But, when it comes down to brass tacks, it's still a Honda, no matter how hard you try to make it look like the Lamborgini.

My point is simply this, if you pursued an accredited college degree be proud of your accomplishments and don't worry yourself if you're driving a Honda or a modified Honda. A Honda is a Honda....a degree is a degree and there are thousands of schools around the world that issue them every year. If you can afford the Lamborgini and like to boast about it, that's just fine. I bought the Honda and it still gets me from point A to point B and I'll add that I'm not in debit and I can afford the gas. You may look cool in the Lamborgini, but I look smart in my Honda

 

Hmmmm. I'm not really finding that to be the case so much.

 

Ok then, show me an RA school that has year round open enrollment, where you're not waiting for the semster/quarter to begin and/or end.

Let's use Aspen University (NA) as an example. Their tuition for undergraduate is $200.00 per credit. NCU (RA) is $375.00.

Now, you could do what my wife did and go to Fort Hays State University and pay $130.00 per credit hour for undergraduate studies or $174.00 per credit hour for graduate studies. But, if you want an MBA at FHSU you'll be paying $400.00 per credit hour. Now, FHSU is not the norm and is the exception and proudly boasts one of the most affordable online state university degree programs available. But, when it comes to flexibility at FHSU, it's simply not there and I can personally attest to this by watching my wife go through the course work. It's a semester system lasting 15-16 weeks long. You can't accelerate through the course work and at times she's having to fax over her math work to the professor. Although overall, I think FHSU is a bargin and offers a good online program. It just dosen't offer the flexibility that NA schools offer and it's not an independent study program.

 

http://is.lsu.edu

Just one quick example that I know of offhand. Cheap, flexible, and RA.

And for flexibility, I don't think it gets any more flexible than the Big 3 schools, with no residency required at all and the ability to find the cheapest classes where you can.

 

Interesting, does LSU offer graduate degree programs? Again, affordable RA's are out there, but it's not the norm. I've never been too impressed by the so called "Big 3", but to each is own. It's a matter of what works best for the individual and their needs.

 

Don't know. Right now I'm just worried about my AA!

I guess it depends on what you call "the norm". It seems to me that there are tons of affordable RA's out there. Many cheaper than a lot of NA's I encountered.

 

Excellent analogies!


Abner

 

LSU

Does not offer online/distant degrees,

If your looking to take indivual classes for transfer and you need a RA school LSU is a good option.

 

jagmct1

The "Big 3"

Excelsior
Thomas Edison
Charter Oaks

They idea of paying to take classes at school A, B, & C and then paying school E to facilitate my degree didn't make alot since to me. Plus the whole testing out thing wasn't for me .

When I graduated high school I join the Army and college was the last thing on my mind. I took a couple college classes for promotion points while I was in the military with UMUC.

Then 7 1/2 year later when I was discharged from the Army I was an adult with adult respondablities so college was once again put on the back burner.

Few years later I didn't want my GI Bill money going to waste so I enrolled with Education Direct (PennFoster) in there ASB applied computer science program. I complete 3 semesters and than lost the drive to complete the 4th for various reasons.

2 years have past since then I came to the conculsion that I wanted to finish what I started... and get that degree.

Thats when the "BIG 3" made since to me I had 75 credit hours , 25 credits from the Army (ARRTS Transcripts) , 6 from UMUC, & 44 from PennFoster...

Excelsior took 60 of them. I only needed 12 credit hours to finish my degree .. Now I'm 6 credits away and I hope tio finish sometimes this year.. I look at the "BIG 3" as degree completion schools. A way for someone with credits from multiple source to complete there degree without haveing to start over. I would never recommend anyone with no college credits to start a degree plan with any of the "BIG 3"

 

Right. It's a very flexible way to find the best price on a per-credit basis and a great way to locate programs that work within the parameters you require. On top of that, you can do all of it RA all the way.

Years ago I used to think that to get a degree you had to attend all of your classes at the school from which you wanted your degree. Fortunately, at least for me, I've come to learn otherwise.

Folks may have a different approach, or different needs and that's perfectly fine. One size does not fit all.

But I have a co-worker who is currently in the midst of earning a bachelor's degree from UoP. He expects, when everything it totalled up, to have paid about $50,000 for it.

Why? I don't see it, myself.

 

If you want the degree more than you want to be part of a specific program, then if you're starting from scratch with zero credits, a good approach, IMO, is to work with one of the Big 3 without enrolling. Find out what you need to earn the degree they offer in your area. Then find the best deal on classes at schools that they will accept transfer credits from, and earn your credits as inexpensively as possible.

Local community colleges, LSU IS, classes at cheap out-of-state colleges like the ones out west, etc.

Then, once you think you've earned the credits you believe you need, enroll at one of the Big 3 and transfer everything in, and finish up filling any gaps there may be.

 

LSU is a good option, but for me taking indivaul courses at PennFoster is a better option

$165 for a 3 sh course books included compared to the $229 at LSU with books not included

I will be taking Physical Science from Pennfoster which will satisfy my remaining math/science requirements

Then I'll be testing out my Written English requirement with the Excelsior's College Writiing Exam

 

I don't know why, but the above sounds pretty insulting. The differences have been discussed ad nauseam here and I'm sure everyone who regularly posts here knows very well the difference between the two.

The answer is: Because people do what fits best into their life.

With a 60 hour a week job and family responsibilities, I had no time or inclination to hunt town piecemeal classes at several different institutions to save money on my degree. I found an A.S. that was very reasonably priced, my employer looked over the program and cost and happily paid the tuition. I also received a nice salary bump after I completed the degree.

After I graduated, my employer again looked over the B.S. program I wished to take and wrote another check for the tuition. I'm about midway through this program and very happy with it. I had no prior college classes so I started from the very beginning when I got the A.S. and that was fine with me. I wanted to complete the coursework. When I graduate with my B.S., the entire cost of my college will be about $7400.

I can't help but see a tone of superiority in all of your posts, Faxinator. You found a program that suited your needs and went with it and that's great. Others here have chosen their own route and they did so for their own reasons, certainly not because they don't understand the difference between NA and RA. Some employers-- my own included-- look at the skill set of the person in addition to the degree. My degree might be NA but I do my job very well and am paid handsomely for it.

The analogy that I use-- and yes I know it's flawed in some ways-- is that of a fitness club. You can pay a premium for Lucille Roberts or you can go to John Doe's gym for less. Sure, at John Doe's you might have to wait a few minutes for the treadmill if they are all in use and they may have less equipment than Lucille Roberts, but if you go there 3x a week and put the effort in, in a few months you will have dropped that 30 pounds. Once the weight is lost, no one is going to say "Well, that weight loss is less notable because they went to John Doe's gym and not a name brand like Lucille Roberts." They are going to look at the end result of your efforts. Granted, some, perhaps many, employers will look at an NA degree as inferior but I think that gap is closing somewhat and will continue to do so.

I'm very thankful that my employer does looks at the whole package recruiting. We both have benefitted greatly from my studies. I am a firm believer that you get from a program what you put in. I realize that independent, self paced degrees offer shortcuts (not reading the textbook, just hunting for the answers) but I don't see the point of paying tuition to skimp. I'm sure some do, but a lot of people take their education very seriously.

The bottom line is I did my research and found the program that fits best into my (hectic) life and it's working out well. It's unfortunate when people not in my shoes think my educational choices are not sound simply because they chose another route.

P.S. Hi Abner! Hope your studies are going well!

 

Excellent points and analogies! I must agree with you.

I must also add that my studies are going well, CCU is a great school, and is "Recognized". My employer, the State government, including the Department of Justice, have expressed interest in higher positions once I complete my studies.

take care,

Abner

 

I'm not referring only to people on this forum, I'm referring to people seeking a degree in general. Note that in my original question, I didn't ask why people on this forum would choose a non-RA school. I know for a fact that there are many, many people who don't know the difference between regional accreditation and national accreditation or other forms of accreditation. In fact, before I read these forums I was one of them. I thought national accreditation was superior to regional accreditation because it sounds that way...

All of them? Every single one? I'm awfully sorry you feel that way.

See above. I'm not talking about solely the posters in this forum. Certainly it is very true that some people don't understand the difference. And I know for certain as well that some have regretted NOT understanding that difference.

On that we can very much agree.