Colorado State University - Global Campus?

[burbuja0512]

That's pretty solid advice - I'm nowhere near CO. I guess my main hope is to get the biggest bang for my buck, both in education, and in name recognition. I'm in the military so I have tuition assistance and the GI bill. I'll be in four more years, and have until then to finish my masters. I want to prepare for public service as best as possible in that time. Therefore, I thought if I spend eight months or so to finish a BS from CSU, then use the rest of the GI bill to obtain an MBA from Webster University (they have a campus here for night courses), that would be a good course of action. However, I go back and forth between TESC/COSC/etc.., I just figured most of us on this forum use CLEPS/Big 3 options due to limited time and finances, whereas I have both taken care of.

In light of all that, what would you recommend?

Good question and I hope someone can chime in that knows more about the GI bill than I do. Surely, their advice would be better than mine, but here's what I think based on my limited knowledge:

Once you have a master's degree, no one will care all that much about the undergrad. Well.. of course that depends on the field you're in, but in my world it's better to have a good masters with an unknown undergrad than the other way around. Of course well-known degrees for both the bachelors AND the masters would be even better I'm not sure if CSU really qualifies as "well known" outside of Colorado (and their top-ranking veterinary program) other than it does have the state U appeal.

Even if you have totally unlimited time and money to spend on your education, how will you feel after two years? Will you still be going strong and hitting the books every night? If you know for a fact that you won't get sick of school or burned out on homework and deadlines, then do what appeals to you the most. I personally am a little sick of studying and I know I can make it through my MBA program because it's only 2 years. If I had four years or more ahead of me, I don't know if I would feel the same way. If you hurry to complete the bachelors through a testing-based program, you can get to your masters a lot quicker. Then, if you have time and desire to study more after that, you could get another masters, work on a doctorate, or get graduate certificates that would enhance your resume.

Overall, it's all about getting hired and having a good job. Would CSU on an undergrad make a difference over COSC/TESC? Unless you're in Colorado, my guess would be that it wouldn't matter. However, CSU does sound a little better than a Big 3 option, so it's really a personal choice. Just don't forget about all of the extra time you'll take getting the CSU undergrad when you're making that decision. If it's worth it, then go for it! If you're not sure, then you may want to really weigh out all of your options and think about how many more years you really want to be a student.

I'll be curious to hear what you end up doing!