Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How about a reputable source to back up the opinion? Unless you are some sort of HR industry expert, it seems like a loose claim at best.
Well unemployment statistics for those that actually graduate from for-profits are very poor compared to traditional schools. I'd say that goes to prove the claim.
This notion that for-profits are the only options for working adults is false. Because people don't do their research, they just assume that for-profits are the only schools offering online degree programs. Most non-profits do not advertise on t.v. or pay for Google ads, so people have to stop being lazy and seek them out. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online programs offered by non-profits and they actually offer a broader array of degrees than for-profits. For-profits tend to only offer the most popular, thus, profitable programs: IT, business administration, criminal justice, psychology, education, etc. Most for-profits will shy away from subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology because they don't target students who would be interested in or even capable of completing those degrees.
For-profits are not diploma mills. Most of these schools hold regional accreditation and some of them hold programmatic accreditation for majors like business and engineering. Even though I wouldn't call them diploma mills, I really think they do a disservice to their target market. Most for-profits do not offer the remedial courses that are often needed by their students. These students would be much better served by a community college many of which offer online courses these days. I am speaking from personal experience; almost all for-profits are open enrollment. While there are non-profits that are open enrollment schools, most of them require their entering students to take some kind of test to gauge whether or not they need remediation. For-profits dump nearly illiterate students into college level courses who are doomed to fail. These students are taking out large loans that they will most likely default on because they won't graduate with the degree they need to get a job that pays a decent enough salary to pay back these loans. I will go as far as to say that for-profits not only take advantage of those who are in need of remediation, but they also take advantage of those with severe learning disabilities or mental deficiencies who will never be able to get through college.
I will be receiving a BA from a state college that is about 1,500 miles away from me. It happens to be more flexible than any for-profit you will come across. I will be attending a state university that is in my state, but hundreds of miles away from me for a master's degree that will only cost $10,000 for the whole program. I plan on getting a PhD from a state university that is a couple of states away from me. I will have to do campus visits which is even required by most for-profits for doctoral programs, but most of my courses will be done online. If you're interested in attending school online and want to avoid for-profits, just send me a DM and I can point you to websites that list thousands of online degree programs from non-profits and for-profits.
When you look for online degree reviews, here are a few lies you will come across from those who graduated from for-profits.
1. My instructors have real world experience unlike professors at brick and mortar schools who never worked in their fields. Because of this, I got a more practical education.
Most instructors at for-profits do have real world experience and are still working in their fields, but this does not always equate to a better education. Since these instructors are still working full-time, they often aren't available when extra help is needed. They are basically paper graders. Just because someone who is teaching business administration has experience working in the private sector does not mean that the person is actually good at their craft. You have to ask yourself why does this person need to take on a part-time job that pays peanuts if they are so successful. It's not like they have a passion for teaching because all they do is grade papers.
2. I got my bachelor's at a traditional school. I am now attending a for-profit for my master's program and the for-profit is more rigorous than the traditional school.
Really? You're comparing an undergraduate program to a graduate program? It should be more rigorous.
3. This program is really rigorous and I feel challenged. I have to write a couple of long papers a week.
People often confuse quantity with quality. Writing a bunch of papers does not directly equate to intellectually challenging. They might be challenging your ability to write 1,000 words on something that it can be summed up in 100 words, but it is not the same as requiring you to understand and apply the important concepts. I attended a for-profit (young and naive with no college educated family members to guide me). I had to write a lot of papers, but I, honestly, learned nothing. I didn't have to remember anything, I didn't have to understand any difficult concepts, and I was rarely exposed to anything I didn't already know. As long as I met the word count requirements and used proper APA formatting, I would receive an A. Having to discuss topics with illiterate students was almost torture. I know this sounds mean, but it was impossible to engage my classmates in an intellectually stimulating conversation. Not all for-profits are like this when it comes to grading, but the admittance of illiterate students is done across the board.
Why do we need distance learning? A lot of working adults find a need to go back to school to further their careers. It is hard to fit a set class schedule in with variable working hours. In some cases there isn't a university in their area.
that is why in the old days (80's & 90's) some schools offered weekend college.....not everything has to be done on-line but it is a great tool nowadays.
At this point, I wish there was a way students could get their money back or allow the government to swoop in and take the money back themselves, that way the debt would be gone and could start over at a real and much cheaper college.
When it comes down to it, the people these schools target seem to lack the right background to be warned away from these schools. Believe it or not, there's not alot of common sense regarding these schools aside from UoP and Devry.
I only know those schools were bad when everyone else started making fun of them, sad to admit.
At this point, I wish there was a way students could get their money back or allow the government to swoop in and take the money back themselves, that way the debt would be gone and could start over at a real and much cheaper college.
When it comes down to it, the people these schools target seem to lack the right background to be warned away from these schools. Believe it or not, there's not alot of common sense regarding these schools aside from UoP and Devry.
I only know those schools were bad when everyone else started making fun of them, sad to admit.
Why should the government be responsible for people's stupidity? If that were the case, the government would be way more in debt than it already is. People need to learn to do their research so they can make an informed decision and not take the easy road FIRST before forking over their lives via a for profit education.
This would put A LOT of these for profit schools out of business.
Hmm, I attended a "for profit" school, yet I have managed to get jobs, change jobs, and be promoted, despite my "degree". Or is it because of it?
Just curious, why did you choose a for-profit vs a non-profit? How do YOU (personally) feel about your for-profit degree vs my non-profit degree in terms of quality of education (what you actually learned), short-term value, long-term value, and experience.
Do you (again, personally) think that if we were both up for the same job and everything except educational experience was equal, that you have an equal chance?
I'm just trying to get your perspective based on your experience. Everyone has their own views, but since you have success after your degree (vs the unfortunate unemployed), I'd like to hear yours.
How sad for those who put their faith and trust in these diploma-mills, only to find they have a worthless degree and massive debt.
Even sadder for those who weren't accepted by "real" universities, then get accepted to a diploma-mill. They feel they have achieved something, now they will be like everyone else, they can say they are going to college, they can say they are working on a degree, just like their peers. They can then say they are a college graduate. Then, they can't peddle the degree for squat, and are laughed at to boot.
At least when I graduated with a "worthless degree"---liberal arts, I wasn't ashamed of my university.
How sad for those who put their faith and trust in these diploma-mills, only to find they have a worthless degree and massive debt.
Even sadder for those who weren't accepted by "real" universities, then get accepted to a diploma-mill. They feel they have achieved something, now they will be like everyone else, they can say they are going to college, they can say they are working on a degree, just like their peers. They can then say they are a college graduate. Then, they can't peddle the degree for squat, and are laughed at to boot.
At least when I graduated with a "worthless degree"---liberal arts, I wasn't ashamed of my university.
Do you consider all for-profit colleges to be diploma mills? Is it possible that a for-profit school provides a better education (regardless of job market value) than a non-profit school?
Also, since you claim that diploma-mills have no job market value, I'd like to know what data you are basing that off of, if credible.
Why do you consider a liberal arts degree worthless? I consider it to be a very useful degree.
Finally, what is this university that you are not ashamed of?
At this point, I wish there was a way students could get their money back or allow the government to swoop in and take the money back themselves, that way the debt would be gone and could start over at a real and much cheaper college.
When it comes down to it, the people these schools target seem to lack the right background to be warned away from these schools. Believe it or not, there's not alot of common sense regarding these schools aside from UoP and Devry.
I only know those schools were bad when everyone else started making fun of them, sad to admit.
Believe me, you DO NOT want the government to intervene in this mess any more than they already have. Everything the government touches is ruined. The reason college is so obnoxiously expensive is because the government allows for easy access to credit to pay for college. The same thing happened in the real estate market, and look what happened there. It's high time the people tell the government to step back and let free market rule.
As for the people who are drowning in debt... Well, I saw a rabbit get eaten by a bald eagle yesterday. If those people were in the wild, they would have suffered the same fate. I think they are lucky to have whatever they have today, because it's more than what that rabbit has
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
