Anyone Else Going to Strayer University? (Norfolk, Arlington: schools, living in, price)

[vitalis85]

I have to say that it is expensive, but you can always look into other payment options, i.e. scholarships, financial aid, etc. I work at UPS, and they have a tuition reinburstment program.

Now, as far as credits... I live in New Jersey, and I went to a local community college majoring in Education. ALL OF MY 60 CREDITS from Middlesex have transferred over. I believe you need around 160 credits to graduate, and each course at Strayer is 4.5 credits.

I'm taking 2 classes this semester: both online. 1 class is synchraneous (forgive me if I spell it wrong) and the 2nd one is asynchraneous. The first one mentioned above, although its not a live class, its as close to a live class as it can possibly get. I had a chat with a professor (mainly through voice communication) and other students as well. Those are just some of the elements that I encountered and I liked.

[fuze]

I went to Boston University as a full-time student for a year and a half and I was disgusted at the quality of education for the price they charged. Many other students simply cheated there way through some classes and complained to professors other times for grade inflation. So I switched to Strayer University and I am very impressed with their level of professionalism. I now have a flexible schedule to work part time and study for various computer certifications while I pursue an online degree in the IT program at Strayer.

[leipzig]

Strayer has "regional" accreditation, but its business and accounting programs are not accredited by AACSB (AACSB International Home Page). Also, Strayer's MPA (public administration) program is not accredited by NASPAA (NASPAA - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration).

[schuyler]

Response to GOOman:
Like someone has mentioned in the previous thread, Virginia has top-notch public school education. Why not utilize it? For the young population, it is definitely a better choice to attend NVCC and then transfer to GMU or ODU. Strayer University is for the older population who do not have much options. In my opinion, Strayer University should NEVER be the first choice of school for the next generation of fellow Americans who must to be highly educated to defend the nation's technological lead/advantage from emerging foreign powers like India and China.
A simple question to ask yourself: Suppose your son and/or daughter has choice to attend George Mason or Strayer, which one would you recommend? Study full-time at GMU to get the real education and a reputable degree? OR Work and study half-and-half at Strayer?

Again, I am just stating my opinions. My intention here is not to offend anyone

I've read the posts regarding Strayer and have to say that I agree with GOOman. Strayer is probably a good choice for military personnel who need access to an education while serving overseas or on bases across the U.S. Having said that, there are so many reputable higher education sources, like University of Maryland, that reaches out to military personnel and their families. But for others not in the military, it's always interesting to hear the rationale as to why people choose a for-profit college instead of a brick-and-mortor one. Contrary to what another writer posted, most private colleges are NOT for profit. Most private colleges, such as religious based ones (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist et al) are not for profit and provide solid, top-notch programs with strong faculty and good reputations. Most historicaly black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are not for profit. Community colleges offer the best value for your education dollar and credits obtained there will most likely transfer to another college or university. ( Do credits obtained from Strayer transfer to most colleges or universities? Some do and some don't. )Most of your ivy league schools (you know who they are) are not for profit. The difference is that Strayer, University of Phoenix, Everest, ITT, DeVry are Wall Street darlings whose focus is on driving stock prices up and reporting profits and not necessarily whether the schools offer a solid education and can compete with other colleges around the country. Although Strayer is accredited regionally, they have had no professional accreditation (AACSB) to speak of. Most students don't question the accreditation because most don't know the difference in accreditation standards or why it's important. Having graduated from Strayer, I'll make sure my children don't go there. Even if they want to do classes on the interent, there are so many, many reputable, fully accredited brick-and-mortar schools that offer online programs and are not for profit. Strayer's pop-up presence on the internet, everyone's accepted policy, open book and non-proctored exams continue to raise questions among employers about the strength of the program. Not all credits earned transfer to other universities and in some cases, classes have to be repeated to ensure a working knowledge of the material. Strayer is a short-cut to getting a serious education and there are no short-cuts in life. Take the time to do it right. You'll be glad you did.

[horseplayer]

Great post. What online schools do you recommend?

[bscann]

What you are saying is absolutely ridiculous. I did abundant research on Strayer University before obtaining my Masters there. They are regionally accreditation, and I'm not sure why you put "regionally" in quoted. Obviously you are not up to date with your accreditation, per regionally is the best kind. It is on a higher level that "national", and Strayer has the same accreditation board that accredits John Hopkins, Penn State, Carnagie Mellon, Towson University, George Mason....
And their credits do transfer anywhere, despite your thought otherwise.

As for the education Strayer provides, they focus on working adults, average age being 36. So why would a working adult trying to obtain their masters or bachelors want to go to a college that is focused on frat parties and 10:45am Tuesday Thursday classes? Not all colleges are for everyone, but Strayer is by no means sup par to other colleges for being for-profit. Also, the community college is cheapest, yes, but is it really the best education? I think not. No community college in my area is accredited by the same group that accredits Penn State.

I do understand all colleges are not alike or for everyone, but do your research before you badmouth someone your not 100% sure about

[watkins7]

I have workers who graduated from Strayer. Their ability to understand technical jobs has caused me to question the quality of their education.

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by watkins7

I have workers who graduated from Strayer. Their ability to understand technical jobs has caused me to question the quality of their education.

I've also worked with folks who have gone to Mason, VT and UVA and they don't impress me. There must be a correlation there too...

[clj2009]

I can relate to your remarks regarding possible graduates from Strayer University. I have been attending Strayer as a fulltime student for the past five years. Many of the course required are outdated and not relevant to business today. There system of new academic degree programs is merely rearranging what they have to define new approaches to optional degrees. Over 75% of faculty are not campus based, many can barely speak English and yet carry a PHD that is required to teach, and then have no clue about the business world and that which changes repetitively.

They are obsessed with APA for every document and paper written, which is not conducive with business and many of its fields, like technology, engineering, medical, legal, government, and while focused on psychological style written papers they fail to even offer a course work or degree option in Organzational or Industrial Psychology.

I just dropped a course where the instructor follows the syllabus prepared by the department chair who decided to prepare a Country Analysis and demand a market entry strategy. Hello? this is not an element of a Country Analysis, and market entry strategies belong with Market Analysis. It is sad to say that students are treated as if they are children and stripped of their right to engage in creative writing utilizing all methods of writing that fit virtually every market in society today.

ADA compliance, this is an ultimate joke to those who manage this University. I am blind and know all to well the challenges I face, and attempted to present required accomdations needs well in advance to assure successful entry, attendance and completion of the classes. What do I get in return an $86K debt, refusal to prepare and have ready the classes causing me to meet increased cost, greater stress levels, and then when I refuse to accept a grade less than an A because I know my level of output, I am accused of being insulted.

It is no surprise if you have employees that fail to undrestand techical aspects and requirements of a given job, who could if they only attended a class thirty minutes each week? I am one who demands my moneys worth even from the educators. I put in 45-65 hours each week in study, prepration and completion of work. This has allowed a continous 4.0 GPA in Graduate Studies over the past two years.

[celiabrown]

It is very evident that when a person is bitter about their individual experience, their perception spills over to many other aspect of the place the negative experience occured. While we can agreed that there is no where on earth where everything is perfect, I would stand firm in saying that some of the short falls of strayer University does not take away from it's curriculum! Strayer University is just like any other school out there! If the University prescribes APA style as the required format for presentation of report, that format must be followed to the letter. Once you leave, you can do whatever you want. But as a student, you must apply the curriculum designed for you in order to graduate!