Advice needed on Ashworth College VS other NA online schools

I actually recommended PFC because many courses are ACE accredited so they can transfer to RA colleges. PFC by itself might not have great utility but ACE credits are useful. I use ACE credits to satisfy my accounting designation CPE requirements. To be fair to PFC, many of the traditional CC colleges also follow the same format of MC exams straight from the text book so PFC is not so different from other CCs. By the way, I completed this year one PFC course so it is still the same format of MCs and one proctored final exam that is straight from the text book but perhaps not all the courses are the same, this was an accounting course.

 

Well, thank you for all of these interesting comments.. To elaborate on my situation, I am female. I have been working different jobs since I turned 18, starting in Retail, I worked as a part-time bookkeeper for one of my jobs, (surprisingly easy, but I suck at higher level math)
Currently I am working in healthcare, It's a day program caring for adults with mental disabilities. The pay is low, and I see and feel the misery of my fellow employees who are worn down and unappreciated after 10-15 years doing the same mind numbing work. I'm coming up on two years there, Hence my current feeling of wanting to better myself.

I realize that a degree from an online school doesn't have much cache with anyone, but for certain purposes it seems to be such an economical solution...

I don't put down the whole socializing or 'real college' experience, but for some reason I find that they don't hold much appeal for me. I am 25 now and I think the time for that has passed. I have always been more mature than anyone in my age group (and many that are older than me.) I have bills and as such, trying to fit a college class schedule into my work schedule does not seem like it will be successful. I see many friends trying to do this, and the misery and burn out (not to mention extreme debt) has turned me off.

I actually was enrolled in Penn Foster HS for awhile, about 10 years ago. But I never finished the program. I liked the ease of use and online test taking, but I found some of the texts to be very redundant and I didn't like them at the time. Though looking back I think that had to do with me feeling 'rebellious' but I credit their materials with teaching me all the basic math.

I have actually been very anti traditional college for a long time, because I feel that forcing young people into crippling debt by threatening them with poverty and social rejection (only having a H.S. Diploma makes you a loser, ect..) is morally and socially wrong. You see the result of this every day. Our society is crumbling under the weight of this debt, and I fear for my generation. One of my dear friends is over 100,000 in debt after attending a very prestigious college on the east coast. I don't see these degrees simply paying for themselves eventually, you are a slave to that debt for most of your working life. How is that financial freedom?

I see these online colleges as a much less costly route to the same end, which is being the holder of a degree. Though I do realize that a degree without experience is not worth much at first, especially if the degree is from an unrecognizable institution. But it can get you past that hurdle of degree requirement.

My tentative plan would be to get an Associates from a cheaper NA school, and transfer them to one of the other RA online schools that accept NA credits to complete a Bachelors. The trick is choosing subject matter that is appropriate or broad enough to translate across many industries. Some say you need a narrow focus, such as healthcare, others that general is better...It can be very confusing.

I thank you all for your opinions, I know there are many sides, and I see the value in everyone's experiences..

 

Lana,

Let me reply to you because I am the "poster child" so to speak of what you want to do. I have an associates degree from Ashworth in business, also a bachelors from Excelsior, and 3/4 of an MBA from American Public University. I was in the same situation you are, but I was 23 when I started back on my education. I have largely the same job history as you, as I worked in retail as a manager for a long time and then went into human services, eventually making it into program management with no degree at all. At 19 I had some college credits from a local state school where I spent some time after high school. The experience I had at that school was less than stellar however and I did not enjoy it nor did I think listening to professors lecture all day and dealing with immature classmates was the optimal way to learn for me. So I just went back to work full time and did that for 4 years until I decided I needed to get back into school. When I did decide to go back to school I knew I had to work full time as I was in my own apartment, had other responsibilities, etc. so going to actual brick and mortar college wasn't going to work. So I found this board and John Bear's books which led me to distance learning.

When I went to Ashworth they were still correspondence and it was about 2 years before they put their programs online. I know it is much different for them now but my experience then was pretty good. It is most definitely a self driven learning experience. I know they have discussion boards and other ways to connect to students now so that is a step up. When I went you were provided a text book and a study guide with multiple choice quizzes, tests, and yes believe it or not there actually were several projects you had to complete especially in the accounting courses. There was also an end of semester proctored exam you had to take. These tests were not hard but you had to know the material or you would not pass. Ashworth is a good school for someone just starting out again. The material is manageable and self paced and it will ease you back into the learning process. It is priced pretty good still, although I know there are community colleges online such as Clovis and others in New Mexico which are priced similar. The community colleges are based on the academic calendar of the school and you will have weekly due dates for assignments and sometimes can not work ahead in classes if you desire. Ashworth has no deadlines however and if you are self motivated you can finish as fast or as slow as you need to (although I think they have a minimum of time of 1 year for an associates).

The only issue I ever had with Ashworth was the customer service was abysmal at the time. Mind you this was 10+ years ago, but it was common to stay on hold for over an hour on the phone to get a live person. I think with the discussion boards and the online component now that has changed though. I never tried to transfer my degree but I was in contact with others who did and several (RA) schools did tell me unofficially they would accept the degree with no issues. Ones that come to mind were Upper Iowa University, Peru State College, Bellevue, APUS, WGU, among others. One thing I would suggest however is if you intend to transfer to another school take a class before you do and learn APA formatting. This is largely the required academic formatting required at many schools and when I was at Ashworth this was not covered, at least in the business program.

All in all I enjoyed my experience there and would do it again If I was in the same position. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

 

Thank you for your reply, you do sound very similar to my situation. And it seems you did/are doing what I want to do! Excelsior is RA right?

Do you mind telling me what field you are working in today? Do you feel that your degrees helped you to be in a better position career wise?

OR Do you feel that Ashworth made your resume be passed over/ignored.. I've been reading so many opinions that NA colleges are worthless for employment unless you are already employed in the field you want to stay in for the rest of your life.

Thank you for letting me know about the APA style, I was wondering if Ashworth taught or required this.

I have read some of those issues with Ashworth customer service and they do concern me a bit. And also for anyone wondering, I am not dead set on going to Ashworth College.

Due to my researching of online NA colleges it seems they are comparable but at a much lower cost.. I liked the descriptions of the coursework at CCU better, but I am financing this venture on my own for the most part and a cost difference of thousands for essentially the same thing is an important deciding factor.

 

Yes, we do - and yes, it is related to PFC. Both stem from the original ICS est. I890-odd, IIRC. One important difference: we started out talking about degrees here. PFC is DETC accredited and confers degrees. ICS Canada does not. Strictly certificates and diploma courses from this school. The other schools you mentioned - Humber, Sheridan, George Brown - are all well-recognized public Colleges. Yes, I agree - a big difference in recognition Plus, the public Colleges are now - slowly but surely - beginning to offer degree programs.

Great schools you mentioned. Both my sons are Sheridan grads and one recently earned a Humber diploma as well. No George Brown grads in the family yet - but hey -- it could happen! :smile:

 

About 20 years ago, an ex girlfriend of mine wanted to do a diploma with them. She called them to get more information, the lady that spoke to her was honest and told her that a diploma alone from ICS Canada was not going to get her the job. She explained that these diplomas were just there to enhance her knowledge but there were not going to provide the name recognition neither the same impact as Quebec government college diplomas (in Quebec cegeps).
ICS Canada is accredited by DETC too so technically their diplomas can also be recognized in Canada the same way a diploma from PFC would.
This type of diplomas serve a need and help people without doubt but a safer bet is always to go to a local school with name recognition, local colleges in TO offer a lot online degrees and diplomas such as Humber, Sheridan, George Brown, etc.
I just don't see why someone will go with a high risk option when there are so many local options available now.

 

Yes - the diplomas would have the same recognition. But we were originally talking degrees. PFC is accredited to offer degrees, ICS Canada may not do this - although there's nothing to stop Canadians from enrolling at the American school, PFC. A PFC degree will cost much more, take longer and require much more work than a diploma from either school. We have a discussion on another thread about the acceptance of NA degrees in Canada. Recognition of secular NA degrees may be limited - and on a case-by case basis - but I would expect a PF degree to carry more weight than an ICS Canada or a Penn Foster diploma.

Yes, the private schools do serve a need. A school like ICS costs much less and the diploma requirements take less time to complete. Some people don't have all that much in the way of time or resources - so they do what they figure is the next best thing - go to a private school. As you say, the qualification you receive at the public institution will be valued more. I think that's basically because:

(1) it's a known, (basically government-backed) quantity
(2) it takes more time, commitment and money to complete
(3) and yes - you'll have the opportunity to learn more. You're looking at 2-3 years (F/T) of a curriculum, vs. much less time for the private diploma

The public colleges are making it easier for people to complete programs by distance. Over the years, I graduated from four programs public Colleges, three done on a part-time (evening) basis. Good schools - I'm a fan. Most public College diploma courses have articulation/degree paths and serve people well at University later, too, if that's what they intend. That's another benefit of their increased recognition.

Johann