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I currently attend a technical college for my Associates Degree in Health Administration and plan to go on to a 4 year college for my Bachellors. I have talked to some of my current instructors and they told me to stay away from UoP. One even told me about a friend that graduated from UoP and the company she works for would not accept it and told her it was not accredited. From my understanding only certain areas of study are accredited from organizations.
On another note, my mom is attending the UoP in Georgia. She wants to pursue a degree in psychology. I told her the story about my instructor's friend and she said that they told her they were accredited. I did go to their web site and for the Pssychology degree it states right in there that you will not be able to receive any licensure for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. Yet, when I relayed this information to my mother she told me that they had told her she would be able to be a counselor and work in the field professionaly. Now she has been taking out student loans for a very expensive school and will most likely not be able to use the degree. My brother also took some classes through them in the classroom setting. When I originally started looking into further my education I mentioned UoP and his exact words to me were " I refuse to let you attend that school".
And now after researching the school online there are too many negatives out there for me to even consider this school even to another person. Yes, the negative stigma can stick, but the legal issues that have faced and fines they have paid kind of prove that there is a reason there is so much negative info out there on them.
I am almost done with my Associates and I have enjoyed the online experience; it has worked for me. But to do my BA is another thing. They want more money than the government will give me, meaning $900 out-of-pocket. I may be wrong, but isn't the student loan supposed to cover all costs? I am not sure I will be going for my BA at UOP. I went online looking for a new job and the site asked if I was interested in furthering my education. I checked the box, gave little information, and not 5 minutes after getting out of the site, someone from UOP was calling me. I thought that was weird. The facilitators I have had have been very good; they are knowledgeable and fair. My husband began looking online for info because he started at UOP for his BA (has BA with a local college), because they had all kinds of trouble with his FAFSA until he started class, now he's on his third class and they want almost $200 before he can start it...gotta wonder. There have been complaints online by supposed ex-employees of UOP stating that the only thing the owners care about is the money, and they want their employees to say and do whatever it takes to get someone signed up. The Associates program has gone well, I am actually good online friends with my Admissions Counselor, she is a wonderful person. It seems though that the problem starts with the BA degree programs. And, there seems to be a problem with employers accepting people with degrees from UOP because they accept anybody, very low criteria, again to get the federal funds for each new student. And I have to say, that some of the people that have been in my classes...well, let's just say it must have been a miracle they made it through high school, don't understand the rules after months of being in classes...anyway.
You need to stop wondering and come to the realization that U of P is a for profit company that does not care about providing education to anyone. They care about increasing their bottom line. When a university pays millions for naming rights for an NFL Stadium, you dont go there. It's not even something that should take thought.
U of P is one of the most complained about businesses in the history of the BBB. You dont get that way unless you are ripping people off. Their "counselors" are not counselors, they are salesmen that work commission. They are no different than the sleazy sales guys down at Discount Credit Auto.
There are many other options for an online education. They are real schools with good reputations that cost a fraction of U of P. So, why go there? There is not a single good reason for anyone to attend U of P. Not one.
Go get your BA elsewhere. If you dont, you will regret it. Especially when you have to write checks to pay the student loans for an education that no one will honor.
I shopped UoP just wanting information about my 14 year old credits (84 of them) and if it was possible to get that long awaited BA in something....
They were very...let's say....uninformative, had attitude, and did not answer any questions.
I shopped a few colleges, and one really took the time to answer my list of concerning questions.
Ashford University Online. Some ppl have complained about that college too, but I've been a senior for over a year now, and I have loved this format. I graduate in August with a BA in communications. I love my classes, one class at a time, the FAFSA was easy to get, and Ashford has done a lot to earn my respect with the way they have handled any of my concerns.
Some ppl would disagree, I hear from students all the time that it's better than UoP and sometimes they aren't receiving the support I have gotten from the school....I guess it depends on your luck maybe?
i am 45 and thinking of going back to school and have looked at university of phoenix. i would like to look into the psycology, does anyone know anything about those courses.
U of P may or may not be becoming more vigorous but in any situation you have a high and a low. I have talked to many graduates from U of P that work side by side with Harvard and Yale graduates and these U of P graduates are more than capable of holding their own. I am a U of P student and many times I find myself frustrated by the level and quality of input from the other students. Some of my classmates don't even understand the use of caps much less sentence structure. However, there are many that I find inspiring and challenging. Some of my classmates are pursuing entirely different degrees which makes our discussions all the more productive. I am just finishing my associate's degree and I have worked diligently to apply the things I have learned in my career. I have become more qualified in my writing abilities at work which is a large part of my position. U of P may allow almost anyone to be a student but it ultimately rests on the student to be the best they can be. I maintain a 3.8 GPA while working 1.5 jobs, supporting a family and attempting to have a life (havent done so well with that part). I believe it is up to me to prove myself in the working world. Anyone who believes that the measure of a person's abilities are contigent on where they go to school is an idiot. Granted, there are universities that have a long standing reputation for a quality eduction but let's not forget that many people who graduate did so because their parents built a new library or the student was a star athelete. Does that make them more qualified than me. I will put my abilities, especially those related to my career field and course of study, against any pretentious graduate any day. Let my tenacity, my ability, my aspirations, and my accomplishments speak for themselves. If U of P wants to make money...so be it. After all, so do I. It does not change the course of my life or the quality of my education because I am all in. I continue to suppliment my education with additional reading materials, specialized course training, and continued career education. I will never rest on my degree. I will on me and what I can do.
U of P may or may not be becoming more vigorous but in any situation you have a high and a low. I have talked to many graduates from U of P that work side by side with Harvard and Yale graduates and these U of P graduates are more than capable of holding their own. I am a U of P student and many times I find myself frustrated by the level and quality of input from the other students. Some of my classmates don't even understand the use of caps much less sentence structure. However, there are many that I find inspiring and challenging. Some of my classmates are pursuing entirely different degrees which makes our discussions all the more productive. I am just finishing my associate's degree and I have worked diligently to apply the things I have learned in my career. I have become more qualified in my writing abilities at work which is a large part of my position. U of P may allow almost anyone to be a student but it ultimately rests on the student to be the best they can be. I maintain a 3.8 GPA while working 1.5 jobs, supporting a family and attempting to have a life (havent done so well with that part). I believe it is up to me to prove myself in the working world. Anyone who believes that the measure of a person's abilities are contigent on where they go to school is an idiot. Granted, there are universities that have a long standing reputation for a quality eduction but let's not forget that many people who graduate did so because their parents built a new library or the student was a star athelete. Does that make them more qualified than me. I will put my abilities, especially those related to my career field and course of study, against any pretentious graduate any day. Let my tenacity, my ability, my aspirations, and my accomplishments speak for themselves. If U of P wants to make money...so be it. After all, so do I. It does not change the course of my life or the quality of my education because I am all in. I continue to suppliment my education with additional reading materials, specialized course training, and continued career education. I will never rest on my degree. I will on me and what I can do.
But why would you choose UofP, with it's rather bad reputation over a brick and mortar College with an online program? UofP is more expensive per credit hour than most colleges and has far less prestige.
Wow, first post and it is pro UoP. A lengthy one, too. Gee, I bet we'll never see another post from matthew.lersch. However, it is interesting that a google search of Matthew Lersch provides a hit to a Linkedin profile of a Matthew Lersch who did graduate from UoP in 2008 with an MBA in Economics and International Finance. Couldn't be you, could it?
Yeah I love that whole linkedin thing. I have only updated that stupid master's date four times. I have since given up. When you googled me did you find the reference to my continued complaints to the Linkedin staff. Probably didn't go that far did you? Not quite sure what one has to do with the other but if that's the best you've got then so be it. I do appreciate that you have enough interest in me to actually search for me on Google. What ever did I do to earn such an honor?
ha HA! University of Phoenix is a hot topic of sorts in this forum. It seems that once every week or two someone starts a new thread relating in one way or another to this school. Eventually, someone comes along, creates a new account on CD, and makes one -and only one- post in one of these dedicated threads commenting about how great this particular school is and the like.
My guess is that these are hired people whose job it is to help spread the word about UoP and to leave positive comments to combat all the negative ones. People do hold such a position, you know. I figured that you were another in a long list of hired henchmen. Perhaps you are not, but you did revive a 10 month old thread just to make your comment-which leads me to believe that you found this thread by searching for it.
Maybe it is an interest of yours, maybe not. Maybe you are legit and maybe you really do attend UoP and believe that it is worth your while. You are the one who is going to school there, not me. However, 'your' LinkedIn account still says that you graduated with an MBA from UoP in 2008, yet your OP in this thread says that you are finishing an Associates from UoP. What gives? Decide to back? For a lesser degree? Why not a second Masters?
So anyways, when people come on here praising UoP with their one post, they generally have some sort of screen name that is more or less a moniker of some sort. You on the other hand, left a full name. Out of curiosity, I googled the name; half expecting to find out that you work for UoP as a recruiter or something along those lines. Yet, the first hit for 'your' name is for LinkedIn, and I thought that was brilliant.
What a great way for potential employers to find you on LinkedIn!
Hence, my comment about social engineering. I am not interested in you at all, so don't flatter yourself.
This thread is about, or was about, UoPs reputation and whether or not it is making a comeback. Personally, I think that UoPs reputation is in the toilet, and will only get worse as more respectable institutions expand into on-line education. Of course, UoP has the power to change their reputation and offer a solid product (education), but as long as they keep targeting people of a lower financial status (by guarantying financial aid and job placement) or those who are otherwise interested in a higher education but either don't believe that they can afford a brick and mortar college, don't have the time (they need night, weekend and/or online classes), never took the SAT/ACT (or did and scored really low), are not familiar with the college admissions process or just don't think that they will be accepted, UoP will always be considered on a lower level in my book (the school as a whole, not anyone in particular who attends/did attend).
But hey, kudos to them as it is a great business model and as long as they remain in business there will be students who are interested in their hype.
By the way, I like your one and only tweet on Twitter. I often pounder the same thing.
Last edited by K-Luv; 08-05-2010 at 07:41 PM..
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