Which one of the big 3 is #1?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by BillSimmons, Dec 7, 2012.

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  1. BillSimmons

    BillSimmons New Member

    Which one of the big 3 is #1 (ranked)?

    Does Thomas Edison have online and physical classes?
     
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    They're all about the same in terms of reputation, notwithstanding Thomas Edison's dubious reputation for poor customer service. I say pick the most affordable school and get the degree done.

    Yes

    No
     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Actually, I believe TESC has a few campus-based nursing courses, but they're a tiny exception to their mostly distance approach.

    Really, the best one is the one that best meets your specific needs. It could be any of the three.
     
  4. RugbyMan187

    RugbyMan187 New Member

    Thomas Edison State College does have on-campus classes.

    Here are the links.

    Nursing courses: Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program at Thomas Edison State College

    Math courses: College Launches Blended Math Course in Trenton, NJ (Might have to find the updated link for this one, it does say 2011 on it)

    BTW, I am a TESC graduate and like SteveFoerster specified, they're a tiny exception to their mostly distance approach. I remember visiting TESC "campus" or "buildings" as some might say, and indeed did see many students taking CLEPS/DSST in the testing rooms. As well as a classroom filled with students and a professor lecturing, call me crazy but I seen it, lol. I still consider TESC a "Distance-learning" institution. But hey, doesn't mean TESC can't venture into "new waters".
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 7, 2012
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Of course you can take on-campus courses at any RA school and transfer them to one of the big three. I took on-campus courses at at about a dozen schools in the USA and UK then transferred them to Excelsior towards my BSLS.
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Anyone who gives you a definitive answer to this question will have a very difficult time backing it up. There is no ranking system that applies, it's just a matter of opinion and those opinions will likely be based on personal experience (as opposed to any objective measure). These three schools differ slightly regarding things like cost, requirements, credit transfer policies, etc. This means that you need to spreadsheet these three babies so you can compare them along the dimensions that mean the most to you. Then you'll know which one is best "for you." In the end that's all that matters. Good luck.
     
  7. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Traditional college and university ranking systems typically rely on factors like SAT/ACT scores, acceptance rates, or research reputation. Such factors are completely inapplicable to nontraditional schools like the Big 3, which don't require standardized tests, have open admissions, and are oriented towards teaching rather than research.

    The best-known college rankings are from US News & World Report. But they state explicitly that their ranking system doesn't work for schools with "a large proportion of nontraditional students". So you can try to look up the USN&WR ranking for a Big 3 school, but the answer you get will simply be "Unranked".
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 8, 2012
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    My doctoral research showed that with HR managers, the more traditional-sounding a school's name is, the more likely the degree will be considered acceptable. (This is why the blatant degree mill called Columbia State University found so many satisfied customers.)

    I'll leave it to you to decide which of the Big Three sounds the most traditional.
     
  9. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    TESC has the best google maps street view. I vote it #1
     
  10. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I went with Charter Oak State College - they were just easiest to work with. I also liked the "State College" in the name as opposed to Excelsior.
     
  11. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Excelsior is #1, because they have the coolest t-shirts

    [​IMG]
     
  12. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Don't forget MUST University in this equation! :smile:
     
  13. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    Definitely another criteria that should be considered by USN&WR.
     
  14. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Along with the "cool shirt factor"!
     
  15. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    If by "#1" you mean the most popular, I remember reading somewhere that TESC had the most amount of students. As far as reputation, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, although I echo that I would prefer "state college" in the title to add legitimacy. I think Excelsior shot themselves in the foot when they got away from "University of the State of New York".
     
  16. BobbyJim

    BobbyJim New Member

    I agree with the Excelsior comment, and I'm a proud grad of University of the State of New York-Regents College.
     
  17. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Actually Excelsior is the largest. Fall 2011 enrollments (from College Navigator):

    Excelsior: 35,608 total (33,897 undergrad, 1,711 grad)
    TESC: 20,251 total (19,141 undergrad, 1,110 grad)
    COSC: 2,241 (all undergrad)

    Another difference is that TESC and COSC are state colleges, while Excelsior is private. This means that TESC and COSC are supported by the taxpayers of New Jersey and Connecticut respectively, and they charge lower tuition to residents of their home states. So TESC is a particularly good deal if you live in NJ, and so a high percentage of their students are from NJ. The same is true for COSC in CT.

    Excelsior, on the other hand, is private. They charge the same tuition to everyone, regardless of state. The vast majority of their students (about 87%) live outside New York.

    So I think Excelsior probably has the most name recognition of the Big 3, on a nationwide basis. This is because (1) Excelsior is the largest, and (2) Excelsior is the most likely to enroll out-of-state students; they don't give preferential treatment to in-state students, like COSC and TESC do. Of course, COSC and TESC probably have more name recognition within their home states.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 8, 2012
  18. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    Truth be told I was enrolled in Excelsior before I was in TESC and "transferred" mostly due to the warm and fuzzies that graduating from a state school with a traditional name gave me over the same from a private school with a crazy name. I personally knew they were on equal standing accreditation wise, and in some things Excelsior may have program accreditation that TESC lacks, but it was just one less thing for me to have to explain.
     
  19. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Technically, Excelsior is still part of the "University of the State of New York". In fact, their diplomas say "Excelsior College - Member of the University of the State of New York".

    So if you want to say that your degree is from "Excelsior College, University of the State of New York", that is OK. However, every licensed school in New York state -- from the pre-kindergarden to post-graduate level -- can also claim to be part of the "University of the State of New York". It's just a fancy way of saying that the school is operating under an appropriate NY state license:

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 8, 2012
  20. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    They had no choice.

    When the USNY Regents established the Regents External Degree Program, it was a little thing. All credit was earned by prior learning (assessed elsewhere); the Regents just administered exams, counted credits (earned by exam, transfer, FAA certificates, non-collegiate learning, etc.), and awarded degrees. But as the program grew (in levels and degree areas), it got to be too much. So a deal was cut to privatize the school. The deal included a provision for the new school to call itself "Regents College" for three years, then they had to get a new name. They chose the state motto, Excelsior ("upward," or other related meanings). Relevant, but weird-sounding to many. (Star Trek didn't help.)

    Neither "USNY" nor "Regents" remained an option.
     

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