The debate is a minor but heated discussion within certain small circles. To sum it up it usually starts with someone questioning the rigor, credibility, etc. of a for profit school and they usually surmise that non-profits are not so plagued or answering to a higher calling, or are better for the student, more respected, etc. The counter points are that even non-profits make money with their grossly bloated endowments, tenured professors who couldn’t care less about the student or the school, grossly over funded athletic programs, etc.
The truth is…it doesn’t matter.
In my experience I have attended exactly 2 wonderful schools and a handful of not so wonderful schools and oddly profit status meant absolutely nothing in how I was treated, what I learned and to date the way my degree has been perceived in the workplace.
My experiences are as follows:
For Profit Schools
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->Ashworth College – I did not have too good of an experience. Often poor communication combined with little interaction combined with slow service and being treated as a number not a person led to a pretty miserable experience overall. (Note: I’ve been told they’ve rectified most of these issues by now). But they were cheap.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->Kaplan College – I attended their College for Professional Studies, the people were okay but nothing to write home about, the college was eventually wrapped into the flagship university after which I felt like the student without a school. Kaplan University didn’t want to talk to me and refered me to non-working numbers time and again, etc. Overall a pretty miserable experience.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->Ashford University – Outstanding people, rigorous program, wonderful support base and overall one of the best schools in America as far as I’m concerned. They have a campus, athletic teams, residential students, alumni associations, etc. just like most non-profit universities.
Non-Profit Schools
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->Tarrant County College – Ditto for everything I wrote about Ashworth College. Add however to the list, professors who would take roll then leave the room expecting you to sit for 3 hours in silence and read your textbook while a teachers aid watched to see if anyone left. Also add to the list unaccountable professors, snotty advisors and goofy policy issues all rolled into…drum roll please….you guessed right, one miserable student experience. By the way, these guys are campus based, just like any state school.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->St. Joseph’s College of Maine- Great school, right up until you need something out of their policy spec. Don’t expect any exceptions to the rule and do not expect just a whole ton of explanation for it. I’m sure other’s experiences are different than mine but these guys were the let down of the century for me.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->Louisiana State University – Cheap, prompt, thorough and so far okay. Jury is still out.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.) <!--[endif]-->Southwestern College- One of the best schools in America if not the best when it comes to leadership studies. I had the most wonderful educational experience of my life there and with the exception of Ashford consider them the best there is. Like most other colleges these guys have a campus, sports teams, residential students, etc. and on the surface are indistinguishable from Ashford from the online student perspective.
In hiring, profit vs. non-profit has never come up in any conversation I have had with my peers or superiors who are also all hiring managers. Not once. Usually it’s:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->What’s the major?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) <!--[endif]-->What’s the degree level?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.) <!--[endif]-->Have you heard of the school?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.) <!--[endif]-->Are they accredited?
And that’s it. That pretty much covers the summation of questions any hiring manager wants to know and usually if they have heard of the school, accreditation isn’t even mentioned.
So the debate may rage on but in this guy’s opinion, it’s all utter nonsense.