Experience w/ a Big 3 degree

[jsd]

No one has heard of any of the big 3 so employers just classify it as a school that they've never heard of. I went to EC so if people ever ask where I went, I just say "a small school in New York, named Excelsior College".

Exactly this. "A small state school in New Jersey|Connecticut" works the same way.

[cookderosa]

And for what it's worth - MOST people have never heard of MOST colleges.
MOST people know the following:
50 state universities
50 university of a state
a dozen from friends/family
a dozen in my field
a dozen in my geographic area
all the Ivy schools
a half dozen medical/hospital/research universities
a half dozen for profits that advertise on the web.


That's the list of schools MOST people know. MOST people don't know anything about any school not on the list (which includes about 3000) and I could poll 100 people, I bet 1 knows the difference between national and regional accreditation (maybe less) so if you include nationally accredited schools, throw in another 3000 no one knows anything about. So, HR folks use a database like this one https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ to look up the appropriate accreditation/requirements for the job. We aren't even considering all the legitimate colleges outside of the USA.

So, what do employers know about the big 3? I think you'll be hard-pressed to find an employer that has ever heard of any of those schools, and unless they hang out here, they'll think the big 3 is a sports term.
Edit to add: It's offensive to anyone who has earned a legitimate regionally accredited degree that the legitimacy is in question. Perhaps the question should be "will all the people I meet in the future be impressed by the pedigree of my degree, or should I spend 6 years and $120,000 going somewhere else?" If that's the question, then you should definitely go somewhere else. People who attend TESU or EC/COSC are after the credential so they can get on with their life - not the brand. Those guys are probably on another forum.

[dfrecore]

And for what it's worth - MOST people have never heard of MOST colleges.
MOST people know the following:
50 state universities
50 university of a state
a dozen from friends/family
a dozen in my field
a dozen in my geographic area
all the Ivy schools
a half dozen medical/hospital/research universities
a half dozen for profits that advertise on the web.

I think you are overestimating how many schools most people will know. There are 20+ State Universities in my state (CA), and although I would recognize them if you told them to me, I couldn't name them all! I'll bet most Californian's wouldn't be able to either. They MIGHT be able to name the 8 (9?) UC schools, but even that would be a stretch. UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA...after that, it's a toss up. Maybe if one was close to where they lived.

The only reason someone would know State schools is because they had the State name in them (University of North Carolina at XXX or Cal State Sacramento for instance). Then again, it's because the word "state" is in the name - most people can't name all 50 states, if that's any help to you!! Sad but true.

So, for TESU and COSC, the word "state" actually means something to most people. Excelsior will have the most trouble if you judge by that route.

[Life Long Learning]

100% agree with this. One reason why Excelsior is 50% Nurses and 40% military.

People who attend TESU or EC/COSC are after the credential so they can get on with their life - not the brand. Those guys are probably on another forum.

[Notgodot]

I didn't think it would be a big deal. When I mention getting degrees from these kinds of colleges, my friends get a little skeptical. Hopefully I can clear that up for them.

Well, if it helps, you could mention that sitting in a classroom at these schools to complete a degree is totally an option as well - if you were interested in being saddled with student debt, which you are not, because you are smart.

[cookderosa]

I don't want to sound rude to the folks going after a brand name- I get it. If the time comes that I have the cash, I fully intend to complete another master's at Harvard. That said, to give real advice to the brand-conscious, your state offers online programs. They all do!
Go to your state college's website and poke around. In my state (NC) there are probably 100 online degrees I could earn through any of our public state colleges. You'll get the brand name and your degree won't say "online" anywhere.
You will be restricted as far as how many CLEP exams you can take, and your college probably won't accept ACE credit options (check the Alternative Credit Project database), but you'll get what you want. In the end, it's all about finishing. Getting into college is easy. Getting out is a hell of a lot of work no matter where you go.

[jmeitrem]

...most people can't name all 50 states, if that's any help to you!!

My wife and I just had to try your challenge, we each got 49... missing different ones. I really thought I could do it! Now I'm having the in-laws try it. They are struggling!