Big Three Grads, What Did Your Degree Do For You?

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Sounds like you are trying to compare apples to oranges. If they only offer DL programs, doesn't it make sense to only compare their offerings to other DL programs? Wouldn't that be a true apples to apples comparison then?

 

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No apples or oranges. I was discussing COSC as a school (in general terms), not a DL only institution. Many of the big three graduates, including myself, like to think of a big three degree as being on equal footing as any other college degree (delivery mode aside).

In the case of my alma mater, the entire school offers one major and six concentrations. I was asking if any other schools had such a limited offering (DL, classroom, or otherwise).

 

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You are comparing apples to oranges. You should compare degree options at distance institutions to other distance institutions, or you should compare degree options at distance insitutions to the distance degree programs at b&m institutions.

Pug

 

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I wouldn't want a future employer to consider a DL school any differently than any other school. That is why I chose not to make such a distinction. A school is a school. If the education is equally valid, why would mode of delivery matter?

 

I was discussing degrees that can be earned by only taking courses at that particular school.

 

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Because the "quality" of the education at The Big 3 will depend largely on where one earned the credits. For example, one could earn the majority of his or her credits from LSU, an RA-AACSB school, but graduate from Excelsior. The "quality" of this person's education may be quite different than a fellow graduate that earned the same degree entirely through testing. That is NOT to say that the learning outcomes differ at all...only that the "quality" and methodology of the learning experience might be night and day. The Big 3 are oranges in a sea of apples when it comes to schools.

Pug

 

Only slightly off topic but with regards to college degree utility, Thomas Stanley in 'The Millionaire Mind' quotes a multi-millionaire as saying:

'I graduated with a 2.01 average. Now, if they would have paid me $ for my work, I would have got a 4.0...'

Nice endorsement for alternative education and the 'big 3' IMO (and a pretty honkin' funny statement too).

;-)

Greg

 

How about #18 by Business Week and Top 25 in USN&WR?

http://kd.iu.edu

Cheers,
Mark

 

Kelley is a great school! I suspect your admission was a product of a great GMAT score and a solid work history. The undergrad degree probably had little to do with your admission (other than checking the box). Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

This does not relate to the most recent postings, but more to the original question. I just hired a guy today with an Excelsior BS and an MA from Georgetown -- a school that would hardly fall into the previously mentioned second-rate DL master's programs.

 

Read the thread again. There have not been any posts labeling any programs as "second-rate" DL master's programs. Thaddoc simply observed...

At the time he made that statement, that probably was his genuine perception. Neither he, nor anyone else, claimed it was impossible to get into a top notch graduate program with a big three degree. Sure it happens. It just isn't common. For those that were admitted to very selective programs, a big congrats is in order

 

Oh...I didn't mean that I consider any of these schools to be second rate -- I was just trying to tell those who believed that a Big 3 grad cannot get into top notch schools that I have actually seen it with my own eyes.

I personally hire hundreds of people a year and I can attest to the fact that, in most cases, anyway, nobody really cares where you got your degree -- unless you happen to have the same alma mater as the manager who is looking to hire you -- but what really matters is what you have done with that degree.

 

I needed a strong GPA (mine was 4.0, ALL credits via testing), good GMAT (700) and a long work history.

So yes, the GMAT and work history were relevant, and it wasn't because of my Excelsior undergrad that was accepted, but it goes to show that it didn't matter. I even stressed on my application that I completed my degree in around 1 year via testing - rather than hide it I used it as a positive showing that I was looking to build on this with more "traditional" learning...and also showing that I could undertake a remote program while working.

Before I considered Excelsior I looked at UoP and other options that would have cost me more $$$ and taken a lot more time. However, it shows that all things considered that the origin of your undergrad is generally less important than your results.

 

A 700 GMAT is a great score. Your undergrad degree didn't matter because you had a great score and sound work history.

Your same degree with less work history and a 550 GMAT could have been a different situation entirely. Undergrad degrees become a much more important factor with marginal (for lack of a better word) applicants.

 

Exactly. That's exactly what I have been saying on numerous other threads over the last few years. I hire tons of people every year and in 99.9% of the cases the school does not matter.

Let me just add that of the 11 regional directors working in my firm right now, only one has a graduate degree (it's from Colorado State if anyone cares). 3 don't have degrees. The other 7 have BA's. The one with the graduate degree makes less than any of the others. That's not intended to be a knock against graduate studies because I am an advocate for education...but it does attest to the fact that grad degrees do not necessarily translate into more cash, and that the names of the schools simply do not matter.

Pug

 

True, however, I will say that if I didn't pursue a Big 3 option I would still be either looking into a degree program or maybe half way through a more expensive option. Either way I wouldn't be at Kelley at the moment

 

I don't doubt for a second that you went wrong. Just pointing out that your situation (particularly GMAT score) is far from typical

 

You're right in that most grad schools won't care about where your undergraduate degree from if you scored a 700 on the GMAT.

But don't think an Ivy League degree and a 550 GMAT will mean that you are welcomed with open arms at a top tier school.

Does the undergrad school matter? Not near as much as you are implying. For a marginal candidate the school issuing the diploma can make a difference.

For example, if an applicant scores 20 points below my institution's auto-admit GMAT score, a 3.0 ivy league gpa will get them in without a close look at the essay and work history. A relatively recent ivy league grad with a 2.3 without one heck of a story will get a reject letter, at least at my institution.

An applicant from a lower tier undergraduate program (big 3, most dl programs) scoring 20 points below the auto-admit score is going to be examined more closely. However, most individuals that complete these types of programs have "good stories." They are older, have work AND life experience and are typically more mature and motivated.