State schools vs. other options

[allvia]

On the topic of the Pell Grant being the 'magic bullet' - it is true the maximum Pell Grant is $6495, but most don't get the maximum. In fact most don't get qualify at all; only 1/3 of students qualify for any Pell Grant money (https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/TrendGenerator...nswer/8/35)

In regards to MDela3's statement "I noticed people come on this forum for many reasons and with limited research ability and only get information about degrees from 3 college options only." - that is simply false.  It is true that this forum does focus on the Big 3, they only make up half of the 'Specific College Discussion' categories on this forum. Although the focus is on earning credits and degrees through alternative methods (non-traditional college courses), it is not against traditional path. A perfect example of this, and one relevant to MDela3's own alma mater, is a post on advice of choosing CUNY vs TESU (a Big# school), and the response was overwhelmingly CUNY (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...SU-BSBA-GM). I chose this post because even though it is a bit dated (2020) it is very clear right from the thread title; the message is not uncommon, but the thread titles are rarely so clear. Also MDela3 seems to be very pro state school, and since two of the three Big3 are just that (state schools), I'm not sure where their (MDela3) hostility is coming from.

This forum is also pro-employer paying educational expense options, it is encouraged to share any news of an employer paid program (example: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...es-Degrees). Tuition assistance from employers is just not an option for many (https://www.instride.com/insights/tuitio...statistics), especially at the undergraduate degree level (as many jobs at employers who offer the assistance primarily have jobs that require, or prefer, those with a bachelor to begin with).

[rachel83az]

So true that most students either don't qualify for the full Pell Grant or don't qualify at all. I used the full amount to show that, even if you do get that much, it's not a full ride. There is a lot it won't cover.

Also, yes, I skipped over the statement that we do tend to focus on the Big3 & UMPI + WGU, but that's mainly because these are well-known schools with well-known transferability and scholastic requirements. If you read the wiki (which is linked to in most threads), there are other possible options. And yet more schools are sometimes recommended, depending on the needs of the student in question. But if someone only needs a generic business degree so that they can get a better job and maybe get an MBA in the future, it doesn't make sense to recommend lost and confused students check out their local state universities when we know, for a fact, that it's possible to get a UMPI BABA for $3-5k.

In addition, too many choices can lead to analysis paralysis. Offering a limited set of options grounds the student in question and allows them to take a step back. Some accept the advice without question. Others take that advice and go off to do their own research. They may come back later, having gotten a degree from somewhere else entirely. And that's okay!

We're here to support students, not to judge whether or not a degree is "good enough" except, perhaps, in the context of whether Degree A is applicable to Career Goal B.

[ss20ts]

It breaks my heart when people go for these for-profit private institutions instead of considering online state schools. There are so many other options for you. University of the People, WGU, Capella and many more are low quality institutions. As someone who was looking for an affordable online degree program with required accreditation and reputation, I came across many state schools who accomplished these three needs.

I am not sure what state you reside in but I work look into the online degree programs at your local public colleges.

U of the P and WGU are not for profit. 

Many state schools do not accept ACE credit. Many state school are also expensive compared to WGU and UMPI. In my state the fees are almost as much as the tuition on some campuses. I just looked at one of my state schools and it's almost $4500 for a full time semester. Another state school is over $4500 per semester. You're locked into a semester based program and 12-18 credits as well. There's also VERY limited options with many state school's online offerings. Their programs are also designed to be completed over 4 years.

[jsd]

The only mention or reference is made in the last sentence where I clearly state they are "low quality institutions" not for-profit institutions.[/size]

You were directly replying, and even quoted, someone talking about UoPeople -- then said it broke your heart when people reply to "these" for-profits. No for-profit was mentioned in the post you were replying too. You were clearly implying UoPeople was for-profit, then tried to lump it and WGU with Capella. There would be no reason to mention for-profit otherwise, since they weren't being discussed. It's okay to admit you were wrong, the backpedalling is childish.

[dfrecore]

First TESU and COSC are state schools, so not sure why the OP would have a problem with them. Thomas Edison STATE University (NJ) and Charter Oak STATE College (CT). Excelsior used to be a state school as well, but that changed over the years.

Second, I have never qualified for Pell Grants even when I was young and single, so that's never going to cross my mind to tell people to bring that into the discussion. If they do qualify, they usually say so, and then others will help with that.

But generally, state schools are much more difficult to work with - they are much less lenient about what they'll bring in even from other RA schools; they have a lot more stringent requirements for GE; they don't generally take ACE, and they certainly don't take NCCRS; if they do take ACE, it's fairly limited to either 30cr or specific course providers; and they're generally more expensive than the schools we discuss on here.

I'm not anti-state school, but I'm also not pro-traditional education for most of the people who come to this forum who have either 1) tried traditional education in the past and it didn't work for them for some reason; or 2) have no credits, and don't have the time/money to do the long traditional path.

OP, not sure why you care who we suggest, but you are free to suggest any school you want any time. But there will be many of us here who will disagree with you for various reasons and will say so, and give our reasons why another option might work better.

[ss20ts]

I transferred from a state community college to a state university. I was labeled a second semester freshman even though I had graduated with an AAS. I also had to repeat MANY of my business courses. Both schools used the exact same textbooks in those classes. That was in no way shape or form a better deal for any student. Sure I was guaranteed acceptance into the university because of my AAS degree. However, I was not guaranteed acceptance into my degree program or guaranteed junior status. I also had to meet the general education requirements. This was an absolute nightmare and I dropped out because I was paying to take the same classes AGAIN. Classes I had A's in I had to repeat. I graduated with honors and was being treated terribly. I never went to another school in my state system after that. Wasn't worth it. Oh and for MDela3 who seems to think the SUNY/CUNY system is the greatest thing in the world, this all happened at SUNY schools.

[MDela3]

I did look up MIT policies before posting: https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-expl...er-credit/

MIT departments may grant credit for study at other colleges and universities if the subjects are substantially equivalent to those taught at MIT & the grade earned meets MIT standards. However, each department sets its own policies and reviews each request individually.

I did not write this so why is it being addressed to me?

[rachel83az]

I did look up MIT policies before posting: https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-expl...er-credit/

MIT departments may grant credit for study at other colleges and universities if the subjects are substantially equivalent to those taught at MIT & the grade earned meets MIT standards. However, each department sets its own policies and reviews each request individually.

I did not write this so why is it being addressed to me?

It's just a quote from MIT's page regarding its transfer policy; the link to which is above the quote.

[MDela3]

Again, CLEPs also do NOT count as ACE credit.

Unless you are discussing another acronym for ACE, They actually do. ACE Credit Recommendations for CLEP from the CLEP page. Also, I had taken CLEP exams that provided me ACE credits.

[rachel83az]

CLEPs are CLEPs. They've existed for decades before you were born: 1967, in fact. They do, currently, have ACE credit recommendations, but they also existed long before ACE was ever conceived and they do NOT go on ACE transcripts. They are their own thing. So, no, they do not count as ACE.