Reliable and credible sources for online school reviews?

Has anyone managed to find an online resource for reliable, independent reviews of online schools or programs? I've found it very difficult in my search for the best graduate program to find credible sources of reviews of various programs. In my search for DL MBA programs, this forum has proven to be pretty much the ONLY one I've found to be at all helpful.

 

I think you have already nailed it. This is the best place I have found too. If you go somewhere like "Online Degree Reviews" or similar, you hear mostly from disgruntled students who think they can hurt the school by posting something extremely negative about it. It's funny because every online school I have followed on those websites have people saying that they are a "scam" of some sort, even the very best schools.

Here, at least, you will find more people that do not have an agenda. There will be some, but they are fewer. Start a thread about the particular school you are interested in, or search our archives, and you will likely find info on most any online school.

 

I vote for the stats on the soccer team.

 

Unfortunately the sites that list the "top online schools" or "best online programs" tend to be marketing sites that are pushing certain schools, which severly limits their ability to be reliable and credible. Sloan-C has just come up with a new "scorecard" for assessing academic programs, but it is likely to be more useful for program administrators (like me) than for potential students looking for a degree program.

 

How would you measure a school with a review? What are the criteria? Actually what are your criteria? What do you want the degree to do for you?

Seems to me that you would need to have some sort of measurable criteria, key performance indicators or other measurables.

You are looking at MBA programs, I would look at placement statistics for the school. Salary increase levels would be good to know as well. Are you using the degree to start a new career, move farther along in your current career, or completely change to another one? I guess I would ask the school those questions.

Any decent school with a respectable MBA program should be able to adequately answer those questions for you. If they cannot or will not I would immediately take them off the list. As you have mentioned there are too many programs out there to accept a degree that you do not feel comfortable with.

Good luck in your search.

 

Hi Schoolboy49,

Welcome to Degree Info! I hope you enjoy your time on the board and find the information you are looking for. Here's why your posts don't show up right away: http://www.degreeinfo.com/distance-learning-discussions/35100-new-users-ask-where-did-my-posts-go.html

The questions you are asking belong on a new thread. When you post them on a thread by someone else you will get only one and maybe two answers, if you are lucky. Instead, go to the main page of the "Distance Learning Discussions" forum and click "Post New Thread." Then you could even copy and past this exact question there. You will get a lot better results that way.

If you have any other questions, click on my screen-name "SurfDoctor" in the top/left of any of my posts and then click "Private Message." You can send me any questions you have and I'm always glad to help.

 

I did it. Schoolboy, look in the distance learning forum for your new thread entitled "Social Work v. Psych"

 

Yeah, I am not at all surprised that this forum and elearners are by far the most credible sources of information that I've been able to find. Now if I can just get over the analysis paralysis and commit to applying for something, I'll be that much closer to actually starting something! Thanks again!