Which one of the big 3 is #1?

I believe, though am too tired to double check my memory, that Excelsior has THE largest nursing program in the country.

EDIT: support though not proof http://www.ehow.com/list_6883239_largest-nursing-colleges-united-states.html

 

I was in PA last year and saw TESC billboards all over the place. So people do know the name in the NE. I like TESC and their customer service is not that great but remember these are government employees.

 

COSC...best student support of the Big 3...GOOOOOOOOOOO Acorns!

 

While the facts are certainly correct here, I disagree with the conclusion. It's missing the key component of what is a paradox.

Being the largest doesn't mean being the most recognizable ("name recognition"). The obvious--but less relevant--reason is TESC and COSC have been operating under their respective names for twice as long as has Excelsior. Yet that isn't the real difference.

The fact is, most employers haven't heard of ANY of these schools. That's true with MOST colleges and universities in the U.S. There are simply too many of them. And when presented with a resume listing university degrees, they almost never check. (This is the basis of the diploma mill industry, btw.) But the DO bite on "legitimate"-sounding names, as I mentioned in an earlier post. This phenomenon gives greater "name recognition" to TESC and COSC over Excelsior.

All of that said, I think it's largely a moot point. Go to the school that best fits your needs, whatever its name.

 

Yes, I think you are right.

I'm on the West Coast, and I would bet that there are more Excelsior students/alumni out here than TESC/COSC students/alumni (for reasons mentioned above). That's what I was thinking about.

But even if this is true, does it translate into meaningfully better "name recognition" ? No, probably not.

Suppose you polled 1,000 people about Schools A, B, and C, and got the following results:

5 people (0.5 %) were familiar with School A
3 people (0.3 %) were familiar with School B
2 people (0.2 %) were familiar with School C
990 people (99 %) weren't familiar with any of these schools

Based on those numbers, it wouldn't make much sense to suggest that School A is "the best-known".
A more valid conclusion would be that none of these schools have significant name recognition.

 

I think employers know TESC very well. They didn't start up 2 years ago, they have been around since the 70's I think. They are especially known for their technology program too I think.

 

There are more than 4,400 colleges and universities in the U.S. alone. Without some means of creating a high profile, most of these are utterly unknown to employers.

Some schools have a local reputation.
Some have a regional reputation.
A handful have a national reputation (for better or worse!).
Most are unknown.

Around the country, no one knows the difference between Thomas Edison State and Montclair State. This actually favors TESC grads for the reasons I've stated before.

If you have evidence of TESC's name-brand recognition around the U.S., I'd love to see it. Absent that, I don't know how being "around since the 70's" matters one little bit.

 

I wouldn't expect anyone in California to recognize either name (unless they had some NJ connection). In the same way, I wouldn't expect anyone in NJ to know the difference between Cal State Chico and Cal State San Marcos.

 

Oh no, ya know what i wasn't clear, I meant here in NJ. I should have stated that, because that is what i meant. In NJ I know employers know of them, sorry about that.

 

Ahh, that feels much better! :smile:

 

Right. My point.

BTW, the difference between Chico and San Marcos is about 4:20.

 

But once an employer does see that the school is a state school, meanings its State government backed plus its regionally accredited I don't think they would hold that against you, would they? I mean everyone doesn't go to Harvard, or Yale.

 

Employers will tend to assume that any "state college" or "state university" must be basically OK, because it is backed by a state government -- even if the school is located in some faraway state and they've never heard of it before. Sure, it may not be Harvard or Yale, but if it is a state school, then it must be legit, right ?

For this reason, some people think that degrees from Charter Oak State College or Thomas Edison State College (which are obviously state schools) are better than degrees from Excelsior College (which is a private school, and does not have the word "state" in its name). Go back and look at Posts #8 and #18 above.

 

Interesting info, thanks. Makes sense to me in a lot of ways. I was going to go to Penn Foster for my AS in Industrial electronics, and electrical maintenance but decided on TESC because its a state school. Penn Foster was great, no complaints, but I want a state school on my resume for my AAS, in this case. Interesting discussion here.

 

I DO!!! I grew up in NJ and my niece graduated from Monclair with 2 masters degrees!

Actually, if ever in the area, you MUST go to Veggie Heaven, a vegetarian rest near the college

631 Valley Rd
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 783-1088
http://www.veggieheavenmontclair.com/

 

This is my thinking, as well. I have no data to support the claim, but I believe that if you're going to attend a school that 99% of people haven't heard of, it's better to be a public one--preferably indicating so in the name--than a private one. I'll admit my own ignorance of certain regionally known universities which probably would have led me to look upon them negatively. For example, Regis University has a name which sounds like a private, for-profit, fly-by-night all-distance operation. Little did I know it's a 135 year old, respectable B&M university. Same for Troy. Sounds like a school designed to fleece unsuspecting students out of their hard earned loan money. Then I find out its a public university, 125 years old, has a large campus, and a popular football team. D'oh.

And I consider myself above average when it comes to awareness of universities. If even I'm this ignorant, I can only imagine how people who don't pay any attention to this stuff feel. True, they might just assume all schools are equal, but that seems unrealistic. I figure that seeing "State" in the name, or something similar, might lend some semblance of credibility to a school.

 

What does that mean?

 

Really? 420. Four-twenty. 4:20.

 

Power User Tip: Information about unfamiliar terms, like "4:20", is often freely available on the Internet.

 

And with a little further searching, you should be able to determine which school is referenced by that term.