Online college degree or classes - anyone?

alaskagal
alaskagal Posts: 326
edited September 19 in Chit-Chat
Hi MFPer's -

If anyone has taken an online college class or received an online college degree, I want to know about your experience. Was it worth the money? How did it compare to going to a regular brick and mortar college? How do employers feel about an online degree? Where did you go and what type of degree did you receive? Anything else important I should know?

I'm currently considering finishing my degree and I'm considering University of Phoenix online, but boy is it expensive!

I welcome any and all input. If you don't want to post here please just send me a private message.

Many thanks to all!
:flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    Hi MFPer's -

    If anyone has taken an online college class or received an online college degree, I want to know about your experience. Was it worth the money? How did it compare to going to a regular brick and mortar college? How do employers feel about an online degree? Where did you go and what type of degree did you receive? Anything else important I should know?

    I'm currently considering finishing my degree and I'm considering University of Phoenix online, but boy is it expensive!

    I welcome any and all input. If you don't want to post here please just send me a private message.

    Many thanks to all!
    :flowerforyou:
  • Girlmom282109
    Girlmom282109 Posts: 2,643 Member
    Hi MFPer's -

    If anyone has taken an online college class or received an online college degree, I want to know about your experience. Was it worth the money? How did it compare to going to a regular brick and mortar college? How do employers feel about an online degree? Where did you go and what type of degree did you receive? Anything else important I should know?

    I'm currently considering finishing my degree and I'm considering University of Phoenix online, but boy is it expensive!

    I welcome any and all input. If you don't want to post here please just send me a private message.

    Many thanks to all!
    :flowerforyou:

    I've just takin classes. I'm going for sign language. I have taken most of my general classes on line and I love it. I have to work full time and I have 2 kids so this is the only way for me to do it. The bad thing is that I only have 3 more classes to take and then I have to start going to the Brick and Mortar building.
  • wfarrell2404
    wfarrell2404 Posts: 8 Member
    I take classes through University of Phoenix, the 2 year college is called Axia, I love it!!!! BUT you do have to be dedicated and make sure you can put the time and effort into it. It can be very overwhelming. You usually take two classes at a time and they are for 9 weeks. They work them so that usually you do nothave things do on the same days in both classes.
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
    I've got my master's in counseling - a portion of that is career counseling. In my experience, just be sure that whatever you choose is accredited. Do not get this info from the admissions dept, as they are there to make a commission a lot of the time and sadly provide misinformation. This is why I'm not a fan of private, costly schools. I always recommend public, state-funded schools to my clients and claimants. Do not try to take the easy way out; many employers see right thru that. Be sure to "do your homework" on your school of choice. Hope that helps a bit.
  • moidyn
    moidyn Posts: 112
    I am getting my Masters in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. It takes dedication and you have to have self motivation, but so far it has been a very pleasant experience.
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    bohlon15, wfarrell2404, kendallalissa, moidyn -

    Thanks! I truly appreciate the input. Lots of good feedback and many things to consider.

    Keep it coming guys!

    Cheers
    :drinker:
  • kajudalu
    kajudalu Posts: 13
    I attended U of P for about a year and, personally, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The class format is set up that you cram a semester's worth of work (typically 16 weeks) into 5 weeks and you are required to work in groups for every class. The problem with this for me was that you are graded on the GROUP'S work, not your own. So if one person in the group does more or less work than the others the entire group still receives the same grade. Another thing that I didn't like about U of P is that you don't get tested over the material, you just write A LOT of papers. I also had problems with some of the instructors being very condescending toward the students.

    I am currently in the process of looking at other schools to get enrolled so that I can continue my degree. I'm looking at Kaplan University, Capella University and Liberty University right now. There are several colleges out there that offer online degrees and that aren't anywhere near as expensive as U of P.

    Just my two cents worth.
  • kajudalu
    kajudalu Posts: 13
    I am getting my Masters in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. It takes dedication and you have to have self motivation, but so far it has been a very pleasant experience.


    Have you checked that your degree will be accepted in the state that you will be teaching in? I know of someone who got his Masters through U of P only to find out that it was essentially no good. It wasn't accepted/recognized in his state.
  • Vanessa414
    Vanessa414 Posts: 644
    I'm going to school online right now for Accounting. I think it's totally worth it. The only thing is that you need to make sure you are actually learning the material and not cheating your way though it because it is SO easy to do.

    If you apply yourself and give it your all, it is totally worth the money!

    I have a full time job and a son so I don't have the time for normal school either. :flowerforyou:
  • Vanessa414
    Vanessa414 Posts: 644
    I'm going to school online right now for Accounting. I think it's totally worth it. The only thing is that you need to make sure you are actually learning the material and not cheating your way though it because it is SO easy to do.

    If you apply yourself and give it your all, it is totally worth the money!

    I have a full time job and a son so I don't have the time for normal school either. :flowerforyou:

    I don't go to U of P though, i go to Minnesota School of Business.
  • FoxyLoxy
    FoxyLoxy Posts: 80 Member
    I got my BS in Psychology online from Regent University. It is an accredited program and it was by far the best experience that I have ever had in college and I've attended my fair share. It is a Christian school so that could make the difference but the professors are all very understanding that life happens, computers break, kids get sick and our semesters were 8 weeks long. I won't lie, it is fairly expensive but I'm not sure how that compares to U of P. The degree doesn't say anything about online, it is a regular diploma so no one ever has to know you completed it online and you can even go and walk across the stage when you graduate if you want that actual accomplished feeling. :wink:
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I knew my MFP pals wouldn't let me down.

    I so appreciate the responses.

    kajudalu - I'm Denise, too :happy: I've been exploring Kaplan also. Do you know if everything is done in groups there?

    owensmommy & FoxyLoxy - great input. Thank you.

    Thanks to all who are contributing.

    Anyone else?

    :flowerforyou:
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
    I have a degree in psychology from canyon college. Completed entirely online, I had been out of school for years when I discovered I had obtained a useless piece of paper from a degree mill.

    I graduate in May with a degree in Emergency Management from West Texas A&M University. The experience has been a pleasant and encouraging one. All my upper level courses and many lower division courses have been entirely online. I would recommend this school to anyone.

    www.wtamu.edu

    And make sure the school you choose is accredited PROPERLY...
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I have a degree in psychology from canyon college. Completed entirely online, I had been out of school for years when I discovered I had obtained a useless piece of paper from a degree mill.

    I graduate in May with a degree in Emergency Management from West Texas A&M University. The experience has been a pleasant and encouraging one. All my upper level courses and many lower division courses have been entirely online. I would recommend this school to anyone.

    www.wtamu.edu

    And make sure the school you choose is accredited PROPERLY...

    Thanks so much. I'll be sure to check out the accreditation carefully.
  • kajudalu
    kajudalu Posts: 13
    I knew my MFP pals wouldn't let me down.

    I so appreciate the responses.

    kajudalu - I'm Denise, too :happy: I've been exploring Kaplan also. Do you know if everything is done in groups there?

    owensmommy & FoxyLoxy - great input. Thank you.

    Thanks to all who are contributing.

    Anyone else?

    :flowerforyou:






    I'm not sure if they do the group thing or not. I've only just started investigating them. I do know that you have to have a $95 deposit at the time of enrollment which goes toward your tuition. That's what is holding me up with pursuing them right now. I do know that Capella does not typically do groups in the classes and my understanding is that if you do, then you do your part of the assignment and turn it in and are graded on just that portion. Of course, that could be the admissions advisor telling me what I want to hear to get me to enroll there too!
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I knew my MFP pals wouldn't let me down.

    I so appreciate the responses.

    kajudalu - I'm Denise, too :happy: I've been exploring Kaplan also. Do you know if everything is done in groups there?

    owensmommy & FoxyLoxy - great input. Thank you.

    Thanks to all who are contributing.

    Anyone else?

    :flowerforyou:






    I'm not sure if they do the group thing or not. I've only just started investigating them. I do know that you have to have a $95 deposit at the time of enrollment which goes toward your tuition. That's what is holding me up with pursuing them right now. I do know that Capella does not typically do groups in the classes and my understanding is that if you do, then you do your part of the assignment and turn it in and are graded on just that portion. Of course, that could be the admissions advisor telling me what I want to hear to get me to enroll there too!

    With all due respect....you gotta' watch those admission advisors :tongue:

    I'm still investigating but have gotten bogged down a bit with the rest of life going on at the moment. I hope you find the right fit for your education needs.
    :flowerforyou:
  • kajudalu
    kajudalu Posts: 13
    I knew my MFP pals wouldn't let me down.

    I so appreciate the responses.

    kajudalu - I'm Denise, too :happy: I've been exploring Kaplan also. Do you know if everything is done in groups there?

    owensmommy & FoxyLoxy - great input. Thank you.

    Thanks to all who are contributing.

    Anyone else?

    :flowerforyou:






    I'm not sure if they do the group thing or not. I've only just started investigating them. I do know that you have to have a $95 deposit at the time of enrollment which goes toward your tuition. That's what is holding me up with pursuing them right now. I do know that Capella does not typically do groups in the classes and my understanding is that if you do, then you do your part of the assignment and turn it in and are graded on just that portion. Of course, that could be the admissions advisor telling me what I want to hear to get me to enroll there too!

    With all due respect....you gotta' watch those admission advisors :tongue:

    I'm still investigating but have gotten bogged down a bit with the rest of life going on at the moment. I hope you find the right fit for your education needs.
    :flowerforyou:



    I know what you mean about the admissions advisors! I've talked to some that I could tell after just a few minutes that they would tell me anything that I wanted to hear to get me to enroll. It has been a challenge (and very frustrating at times too) but I keep plugging away to get the information that I need in order to make an informed decision.
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
    I'm getting my MBA online, and its nice for me because I can stay home with my son and I can have an at home job since I do all my work on my own time.

    Some instructors provide lecture feeds, which is nice. There are notes, slides, etc. Is it the same as going in to see a real professor talk for 2 hours? No, of course not, but it serves its purpose. Also, I don't put that its an online degree on my resume - a degree is a degree.

    Plus, I got some REALLY great books out of it. :bigsmile:

    *Wanted to clarify after reading some of the other responses. I attend Full Sail, a multimedia college. I got my bachelors degree in film there first and actually 'went' as in, attended real classes etc. FS's curiculum is a little screwy, each class is either 1 or 2 months, and you go to school all year round for 21 months. Then you're done. It was great, very focused.

    I have a theory that schools will begin to lean more towards this practice, since the youth of today is changing. They absorb information more quickly and they want things NOW. Just my two cents. :flowerforyou:
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I'm getting my MBA online, and its nice for me because I can stay home with my son and I can have an at home job since I do all my work on my own time.

    Some instructors provide lecture feeds, which is nice. There are notes, slides, etc. Is it the same as going in to see a real professor talk for 2 hours? No, of course not, but it serves its purpose. Also, I don't put that its an online degree on my resume - a degree is a degree.

    Plus, I got some REALLY great books out of it. :bigsmile:

    *Wanted to clarify after reading some of the other responses. I attend Full Sail, a multimedia college. I got my bachelors degree in film there first and actually 'went' as in, attended real classes etc. FS's curiculum is a little screwy, each class is either 1 or 2 months, and you go to school all year round for 21 months. Then you're done. It was great, very focused.

    I have a theory that schools will begin to lean more towards this practice, since the youth of today is changing. They absorb information more quickly and they want things NOW. Just my two cents. :flowerforyou:

    Thanks I greatly appreciate your two cents. I'm still checking out my options but intend to check with the university that I actually attended for my associate's and will see if I can't get my bachelor's in an online/correspondence format. It's worth a try as I know they are an actual accredited university already.

    Thanks again!
    :flowerforyou:
  • SoupNazi
    SoupNazi Posts: 4,229 Member
    You go AG! I am so proud of you for furthering your degree!:smooched:
  • dwerland
    dwerland Posts: 25 Member
    I too took classes through Axia College( University of Pheonix) I enjoyed every single minute of it? Was it worth it dollar wise? Succeeding in those classes did so much for my self-esteem! I have a State University only Thirty minutes from my house and two good city colleges even closer, which would have been so much cheaper. However the ability to do the work on my time and not have to drive to a campus and sit somewhere for an hour was incredible and I wouldn't have been able to do it any other way.:glasses:
  • cab2424
    cab2424 Posts: 122 Member
    I am attending Baker College online. I love it. I went to regular college and hated it. But I also work full time and have a child, so I need to be home at nights. Online there is a ton more writing than normal classes. I have my associates from online college and have a semester left until my Bachelors. Most businesses respect online degrees from what I have found, but I also live in the city that Baker is based out of so online degress are very common
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    dwerland & cab2424 -

    Thanks for the input. I've done the traditional route for the associate's degree and can't really see myself going that route again for a variety of reasons. I appreciate your insights on the online college stuff. A boost to my self-esteem has a lot to do with this too :tongue: (not that learning for learning's sake isn't a good thing also.)

    Soupy - thanks for the support. We'll have to see if I can pull it together or not.

    Everyone is great for responding and I appreciate all the thoughts and information.

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • VardaElentari
    VardaElentari Posts: 55
    I go to American Public University and I love it.
  • JessicaN1979
    JessicaN1979 Posts: 142 Member
    I live in Kansas and there is an in state college here that offered the program I was studying as an online degree. I went into Health Information and all of my classes were online and I have never really been asked how my degree was achieved. I love doing the classes from home in my time. I have come to find out that Kansas University also offers the Bachelors for the program, so I hope to obtain that degree as well. As for University of Pheonix, there was no way I was paying those rates. Absolutely riduculous. I would recommend checking with your in state universities first or community colleges for your first couple of years to save a lot of cash. Good luck.
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I live in Kansas and there is an in state college here that offered the program I was studying as an online degree. I went into Health Information and all of my classes were online and I have never really been asked how my degree was achieved. I love doing the classes from home in my time. I have come to find out that Kansas University also offers the Bachelors for the program, so I hope to obtain that degree as well. As for University of Pheonix, there was no way I was paying those rates. Absolutely riduculous. I would recommend checking with your in state universities first or community colleges for your first couple of years to save a lot of cash. Good luck.

    I agree the rates for University of Phoenix are crazy. Thank you for the input and I'll continue to check out state schools that may offer online programs.
    :flowerforyou:
  • alaskagal
    alaskagal Posts: 326
    I go to American Public University and I love it.

    I haven't heard of this one. Another good tip to investigate. Thanks so much!
    :flowerforyou:
  • KLS10
    KLS10 Posts: 127
    I am going to a community college taking one class there and two online... I LOVE it.. I feel like the online classes are so so so much easier!
  • msvallon
    msvallon Posts: 35 Member
    I'm taking classes online at my local community college and then I will be going on campus starting this summer. I love online classes because I get to stay home with my daughter. Also, you have to be disciplined and a self-starter b/c once you get behind, it's hard catching up!
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    i'm about to start a nutrition class online for credit towards my nursing degree. i'm super excited about it :smile:
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