Okay, so I was thinking... University Without Walls: "Well, we do save money on air conditioning, but nobody ever uses the restrooms." College of Extended Studies: Faculty automatically assigned to students who change majors more than four times. Department of Liberal Studies: Where else can one take a course on Robert Reich or Daniel Patrick Moynihan? Sociology 103 - Social Problems: Mandatory class at many community colleges, but never spends any time discussing body odor, shrill laughter, or halitosis. What a shame. Peace, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net
And the adult program euphemisms, including 'Experienced Adult Learning Program': Experienced at what?
Hey I have a question about DL. A friend of mine who graduated from COSC was on a job interview a few days ago, and the interviewer started asking all these questions about what kind of school it is. She started explaining about how you earn credits everywhere and transfer them in, take exams, or petition for life credits. Then my friend got asked why she did that, and how all the other applicants earned their degrees through attending classes regularly, studying hard and investing 4 yeras of their life. After I heard this, I started to panic....Do any of you have fears that about being discriminated against because of the way you earned your degree? I understand that some colleges allow you to test your way through a degree or earn life experience credits through a degree, but what to you honestly think of that? Having a degree to your name is great, but won't an employer(if they were to find out) discrimate against you, and accuse you of taking "the easy way out"? There's the college student who has to sit through lectures and study for exams for 4 years, and then there is a DL student who *seems* to be lazy, who *seems* to take the shortcut- now don't get me wrong, I'm in a DL program myself, and I'm not lazy! But I'm worried that its what people may think of my degree. My family certainly is disappointed that I'm in a non-traditional program, and coming from a family whom the majority earned their degrees from Cal Berkeley. Actually, I don't even tell them that my school(COSC) grants credit for life experience. Ah! How do you deal with these people...or actually, I can deal with my family..but how do you deal with potential employers who start asking questions? I'm just afraid that I'd get knocked out of the job of my dreams by someone who earned their degree the traditional way. Should you just keep low, avoid the questions, and let your school be your little secret; or should you just say to hell with those people? Thanks in advance. Janna
Janna, There is no telling at what level of knowledge a potential interviewer may have about DL. Back in the 80's when I graduated from USNY (Regents/Excelsior) I had a received a few similar questions. When first asked about the school I would respond that the school is a regionally accredited school whose accreditation is on par with ....... (here I would state the name of one or two local colleges or universities that the interviewer would be familiar with). I once had a follow-up question, as to how I was able to complete a USNY degree while living in North Dakota. I simply stated that is was an external degree program. If I was asked the same question today I would probably respond that it is an external degree program similar to the DL program offered by .... (some school the interviewer would be familar with that had a DL program). The interviewer isn't necessary interested in how you earned your degree but more interested in knowing that it is a valid degree. If you should run into someone who thinks DL is bad then it may be best not to work for them because they are definitely not up to speed on education in the 21st century. Nonetheless, be honest. COSC is an excellent institution and is a "State College." John ------------------ John R. Wetsch, Ph.D. B.S. '84 Excelsior College (USNY/Regents) M.A. '89 Antioch University, The McGregor School Ph.D. '94 Nova Southeastern University
An excellent question, Janna, which I will answer with a simple example. You have never played the piano. In your first year of collge you take Piano 101, in which you learn the names of the keys, basic fingering, how to generate triads and chords (there's a little theory built into the course), and play a few easy pieces. You pass. The following year you enroll in Piano 201, in which you continue with some fairly simple pieces by Bach, perhaps a couple of Mozart sonatas. Year 3, Piano 301. You've left sonatas behind are are now on concertos, working your way up to Tchaikovsky. And finally, in year 4, Piano 401, you have graduated to Chopin and can actually play the Minute Waltz in a minute. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have done it the traditional way. Now, let's change the scenario. Instead of beginning your studies in the first year of college, you started studying piano at the age of five or six. And to add icing to the cake, let's say that you are home schooled and you decide to pursue your college degree nontraditionally through a combination of testing out and life experience. You decide to challenge piano by portfolio. One day, you show up for your appointment with your evaluator. You walk in, sit down, and play the Minute Waltz in under a minute. You then proceed through selections from Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, and a bunch of other Russians, toss in works by the dead Polish dudes for spice, and end with a good ol' American selection by Gershwin. You play them all perfectly, as written, not missing a note, exhibiting solid form, style, and phrasing. You have just demonstrated in 15 minutes - 16 if you weren't able to pull off the Minute Waltz in enough time - that you have the same piano skills, if not more, than the traditional student who started learning in the freshman year. The question, then, is not whether you should be allowed to have skipped the four years of college courses to get where you are, but why you should have been forced to take those courses when you obviously have more than enough knowledge to have passed them, as evidenced by your demonstration of competency. Now, take the word "piano" and substitute it with the title of any other college course. A good evaluator can tell within five or ten minutes of dialogue with you whether you know what the average person would know upon completing a course in any subject, ranging from English literature to physics to logic to foreign languages. A competency exam will show whether you have the skills that the average student would exhibit on a final exam for any course. In other words, throw the burden back on your inquirer, who is probably jealous that he or she did not even know there were alternatives to sitting through those courses in the first place (or else they would have taken advantage of those options. How do you deal with potential employers who do not understand such a concept? Look for another potential employer, because the first one will not get over his or her jealousy even after you are hired. And that's the type of person for whom you don't want to work in the first place. - Steve (Who earned a B.A. by doing 98 credits via portfolio, 16 via testing out, and sat through only 6 credits some dozen years earlier. And who has never been hassled by an employer for it.)
Year 5, Postgraduate course Piano 501. YOu can actually play John Cage's 4'33'' in exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds. (sorry couldn't resist)
You're quite right, however. The course is taken along with History & Literature of Music 501, in which the homework assignment is to have sex with Ravel's Bolero playing in the background, with your orgasm occurring precisely at the moment of the final crescendo.
This question actually concerns me quite a bit. My AS, BA, and MA degrees are "traditional" in the fact that none of the schools offer external degrees. I'm now pretty much decided on Capella University's Ph.D. in Human Services-Criminal Justice specialization. I'm concerned because I'd like to secure a full-time teaching position at an RA school after I retire (I'm a police officer), and I'm wondering how a Capella degree would be received. I've decided that I'm not going to worry about it. Because Capella is regionally accredited, its integrity & quality are beyond reproach, IMO. I also don't have much choice but to go DL, since no schools within a reasonable distance to me (Boston) offer a doctorate in Criminal Justice. Bottom line...COSC is regionally accredited, which guarantees credibility, and it is also a state college. That probably subtracts from the prestige column, but the fact that the State of Connecticut owns it adds to their credibility (an interesting juxtaposition). Bruce
Originally posted by levicoff: Wow, I got a reply from the famous Steve Levicoff! I practically live on your website =) You know, I really appreciate everyone's feedback on the situation. I really like the concept of DL, and unfortunately, not all of us had the opportunity to go straight to dormitories after high school. Everyone's situations are different, so I don't understand why I would even have to justify myself! But from what I've read on this formun, it seems like its the degree mills that have given DL a bad name, and that they outnumber RA colleges. It is an unfortunate situation, but I guess the best thing to do would be to call it an external program if they even ask, and then take myself to a different employer! Well, thank you again! Janna
Hi, Janna: I have never had any trouble whatsoever with my BA from USNY (Regents/Excelsior). No interviewer has ever asked me about it at all, even when looking at the transcript, which *really* looks weird (three GREs, totalling 90 credits on three lines). I always planned, however, if challenged on how I got a BA in so short a time, to simply reply what a shame it is that so many people just aren't smart enough to do it in less than four years. And if that had been challenged, I wouldn't want to work there anyway. Regards, John
