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Four Letters Re: A Low-Cost Route to Earning a Bachelor's Degree
James,
As the author [noted, prospective students should consider their career
plans before devoting time and money to a specific school or program, virtual
or
not. For example: I'm employed by a global Fortune 10 company and there is
a list of colleges and universities whose degrees are not sufficient
as hiring criteria regardless of accreditation. It is a good bet other large
companies have similar policies. Ditto for graduate degree programs. Depending on the school, bachelor degrees
from online schools or virtual universities may not be accepted for matriculation.
If the student plans to pursue a graduate
degree they should make sure their intended grad school will accept their undergrad
degree.
I'm not knocking virtual schools, my Bachelor's degree was obtained 100%
online as will my graduate degrees.
Obviously if the student is just getting a Bachelor's degree for the sake
of getting a degree, plans to work for smaller companies, or be a serial
entrepreneur,
which school issues the degree does not matter. However, everything comes with a price, and you get what you pay for. Choosing
the wrong virtual university could mean having to go back and get a second
Bachelor's degree before getting that job you covet or continuing on with
your education. - John T. in Michigan
Mr. Rawles,
My son came up with another method for keeping college costs down
that I don't recall having seen before: he talks instructors into letting him
skip
courses.
He was homeschooled, so had no official record of what he'd learned. When
he started college through the Running Start program (open to homeschoolers,
as
well as regular high school students, and another great way to save money!)
at age 15, he met with his future calculus professor and talked him into
letting him skip the first quarter of that subject. Later on, based on his
grades in
more advanced courses that required the one he skipped, he was given credit
for it--at no charge!
He has since talked other teachers into waiving courses that were officially
required for classes in specialized subjects he wanted to learn, picking
up any knowledge he truly needed from the prerequisites as he needed
it for
the
courses he wanted to take. He didn't get credit for any of the other classes
he didn't actually take, but did save the money and time he would have been
spent taking them. That's important both because of the time and money needed
to take the unwanted courses and because it can be difficult to fit classes
into your schedule that are only offered every year or two.
This tactic is also helpful if you don't do your full degree at the same
school. Your choices are limited if, as a newly-transferred junior, you want
to take
classes that require a course that students at your new school usually take
as freshmen. It can be hard to mesh in to a new school's program, but there
are obviously ways around it, and you can save money doing so! - Nancy L.
Hi Jim,
I've been reading your blog for a while but this is my first time writing in.
Excelsior College is great for people who need a flexible way to get a degree.
I actually got my undergrad nursing degree through them. This option is only
available to those with prior healthcare experience, which I had. I was formerly
a home birth midwife with a certification through the North American Registry
of Midwives. They accepted this credential to enter their program, and gave
a number of credits for earning this credential. They accepted all my transfer
credits from previous work, and I wound up only needing to take the 7 nursing
exams, plus a microbiology exam. Now I had a prior degree in another field,
but their flexibility for people of many different backgrounds is well-known.
I moved across the country halfway through my degree, and since it was not
a residential program I didn't have to change schools. This has been a godsend
for people in the armed forces, who move all over the place. I liked them
so much, I'm going back to Excelsior for my Master's in Nursing. The Masters
programs are different. Rather than being exam-based, you take classes online
with a group of other students. Anyway, my experiences with this school have
all been positive. I'm not an employee of the school, or connected in any
other way than being a student with them. Oh, a final bonus of this school
is that you can generally spread out your degree earning over many years,
making it very doable to work full time while earning a degree with them.
Andrea
Mr. Rawles,
I recently read your "Patriots" novel and loved it, and have
been reading and learning from your SurvivalBlog daily since then. I've been
following the
topic of alternative and low cost routes to obtaining a college degree and
wanted to contribute another option that your readers might be interested
in.
Harvard University's Extension
School offers
undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a variety of fields in a non-traditional
format. The benefits of this school include:
- Non-traditional admissions policy: This is my favorite aspect of their programs.
Classes are open-enrollment, meaning anyone can register for most courses without
undergoing any kind of application process. Admission to degree-granting programs
is based on your performance in several classes rather than your performance
on standardized tests or in prior schooling. There are no SATs, GREs, or other
tests required for admission (except an English proficiency test if you're
not a native English speaker). And there are no transcripts required. You simply
take 3 courses at the school, including a writing course, and if you pass them
all with a B- or better and GPA of 2.5, you will be accepted upon applying
to the degree program. The classes are very challenging, so rather than trying
to weed out unqualified applicants based on previous transcripts and tests,
you get a trial by fire, proving in the actual courses that you're up to the
task.
- Low cost: Most undergraduate courses there cost less than $1000, so a full
32 course undergraduate degree costs considerably less than one year of school
in many traditional 4 year colleges.
- Flexible scheduling: Courses are offered on both weekdays and weeknights,
so it's easy to schedule school around work.
- Flexible location: Many courses are available online, and for the undergrad
degree, only 16 credits (4 courses) are required to be taken on campus. So
if spending several years in the People's Republic of Cambridge or elsewhere
in the congested Northeast doesn't fit your survival plans, you can knock out
the on-campus requirement in a single summer.
- Excellent education: Courses are taught by a combination of full-fledged
Harvard professors and part-time instructors who are professionals that have
real world experience in the subjects that they teach
- Diverse student body: Classes are filled with students from all socioeconomic
backgrounds, most of whom are working part or full time jobs while in school.
- A degree from Harvard: Very nice to have on your resume, no matter what you
think of "elite" ivy league education and faculty. :-)
My wife and I both worked at Harvard for a few years so we could take classes
at the school for free. I took classes both at the Extension School and in
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (where traditional undergrads and grads take
classes) and can confirm that the Extension School classes are as challenging
and of as high quality as the "regular" classes. My wife managed
to get a masters degree in English from the Extension School while working
full time, and has found the education invaluable, and her degree essential
in helping her get job interviews and ultimately in landing her first job as
a middle and high school English teacher.
We no longer work at Harvard and have no financial interest in the success
of its programs, but we both spread the word about this little known "back-door" to
a Harvard education because we believe it's such a great value and opportunity
for anyone who wants to further their education in the fields of study that
they offer.
Regards, - Luke V.
