My Ashford University Experience : comparison

Considering online college? Here’s a formula to choose the best one for you

Cajun — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:19:00 GMT

In the forums one of the most frequent questions I see is "which school is right for me" or "can you help me choose a school" or "do you know of a school" etc. The problem with answering those questions is that choosing the right school is impossible for someone to do for you. They can suggest, point you in the right direction, even offer options but ultimately it is a personal decision that you, the student has to make. After all it is you that will do the work and ultimately pay the tab.

So here's a little exercise to help you decide on choosing a school.

Write down the top 10 criteria you have for a school. For example when searching out my MBA program some of my criteria was as follow:

I.) The school needs to be regionally accredited.
II.) The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.
III.) The curriculum needed 12 classes or less.
IV.) The program must be under $15K.
V.) The school needs to be campus based with an online program.
VI.) The school needs to have accelerated courses.
VII.) The school needs to have 1 quantitative course combined finance and accounting.
VIII.) The school needs to have a good reputation.
IX.) The school needs to have a good support program.
X.) The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited.

I then take these 10 criteria and apply a number in order of priority with "10" being the highest and "1" being the lowest. Think of it in terms of dollars, $10.00 is worth 10 times more than $1.00. Make sense?

So now let's assume my criterion was as follows:

The school needs to be regionally accredited. = 10

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis. = 7

The curriculum needed 12 classes or less. = 6

The program must be under $15K. = 9

The school needs to be campus based with an online program. = 5

The school needs to have accelerated courses. = 8

The school needs to have 1 quantitative course combined finance and accounting. =2

The school needs to have a good reputation. = 4

The school needs to have a good support program. = 3

The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited. = 1

As you can see, in my criteria of comparing two different schools I have assigned "The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited" as the least important of the 10 and "The school needs to be regionally accredited" as the most important at "10". Of course you make your own list and assign your priorities according to your opinions and desires.

Now in comparing two different colleges, for example let's compare Ashford University and Texas A&M Commerce.

Ashford scores in:

The school had to be regionally accredited.

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.

The curriculum needed 12 classes or less.

The program must be under $15K.

The school needs to be campus based with an online program.

The school needs to have a good reputation.

The school needs to have a good support program.

The school needs to have accelerated courses.

The total score was: 52 at 3+4+8+5+9+6+7+10

Texas A&M Commerce scores in:

The school needs to be regionally accredited.

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.

The program must be under $15K.

The school needs to be campus based with an online program.

The school needs to have a good reputation.

The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited.

The total score was: 36 at 10+7+9+5+4+1

As you can see Texas A&M Commerce has some things going for it that Ashford does not as Ashford has some things going for it that Texas A&M Commerce lacks in my opinion. But in the end Ashford scores higher overall than Texas A&M Commerce does. Thus Texas A&M Commerce is eliminated from my list.

Just keep going like that until you emerge with a winner. If you end up in a tie extend your criteria to 15 or 20 things instead of just 10.

I hope that helps.

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So I'm Considering a Doctorate Degree

Cajun — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:56:00 GMT

First up, I've written about them before and I'm doing it again, but the Harrison Middleton University's College of the Humanities and Sciences has the best looking all around liberal arts doctorate programs I've seen. I love the concept of performing your research based upon readings from the Great Books, many of which have shaped our way of life in the Western World. Some of these works have influenced everyone from Marx to the framers of the United States Constitution to Einstein. I love the concept, I love the idea of the program.

The cost is very reasonable at just over $16K and of course I love the idea of being "Doctor Cajun." However there is a con, the degree seems as if it would have very little practical use as a credential in the "real world" even though the education gained from this program may prove invaluable indeed. So the inner pragmatist within me keeps shouting "something else, find something else" so I continued my search.

Found at http://www.chumsci.edu/pages/degree/doctorarts-coursework.asp

My search eventually landed me on Northcentral University's Web site. This school offers a deep law enforcement discount placing the degree program squarely within my predefined "affordable" range and the idea of a PhD soothes my inner pragmatist because of its utility in teaching and academia. I've made no secret of it; if at all possible I would love to teach college management, leadership and criminal justice courses. I am passionate on the subject matter, I am interested in the topics and because of that, I am gifted in those areas.

NCU has concentrations that are in areas of interest to me such as in Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Homeland Security: Leadership and Policy and a strange but interesting offering in Business, Corporate and Campus Security. Holy cow!!! On top of that if I choose 18 hours in electives towards Organizational Leadership that will be added to the transcript as a secondary specialization. So it would read something like Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with a specialization in Criminal Justice and Organizational Leadership…not bad, eh?

Another consideration is that NCU is accredited by the ACBSP and is regionally accredited by the NCACS which would turn into a weighty teaching credential.

I'll have to start really weighing my options again. In all honesty if I could have any job on the planet, right at the top of my list somewhere would be a college professor or instructor in criminal justice, management and leadership, I've just never considered that to be a practical goal but now it looks like it could actually happen one day…maybe.

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Is Getting an MBA Online a Mistake?

Cajun — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:15:00 GMT

I read an interesting interview of an executive recruiter over the value of the MBA. I recommend you read it as well, but in a nutshell, the MBA has real value. It has the most value in investment banking, consulting work and finance but can be a cross industry asset as well. The MBA is being more sought after by being “preferred” but not necessarily a requirement in applicant desirability but on the flip side of the coin, there are a lot more MBAs running around in the market diluting the value somewhat. Lastly the MBA says a lot about the applicant. This recruiter likes to see someone who left a lucrative career in order to invest in themselves for a couple of years at a top business school.

Of the entire article I have to disagree with him on one quote when asked what an MBA says about an applicant he responds by saying that“…they (the applicant) have made a sacrifice, and they are a highly motivated person. Depending on the reputation of the school, it can be a marker of how bright they are and how much value they place on it. If someone quit their job and went to Wharton, it tells me something different than if someone who went to a lesser-known school out of convenience, as opposed to seeking the best training.”-Walter E. Williams.

Here’s are the issues I take with the above quote.

1.) It lacks perspective. Mr. Williams assumes that he/she who would quit their job in order to attend school at Wharton or the like are making a greater sacrifice than one who would be willing to work full time and study full time or part time. Is working and going to school less of a sacrifice? I would personally disagree. If I could cram my wife and I into a little apartment and focus soley on school I personally believe that I would be under a lot less pressure. My wife probably would have to make more of a sacrifice but me personally? Nah. But then that’s just me.

2.) Mr. Williams talks about how important it is for someone to have professional experience before undertaking an MBA program however I’m not sure that he has considered how valueable it may be to apply what you are learning at your current position. This has aided me in getting perspective on how my new skills apply to the workplace as I learn them. When I do decide to transition in employment in an attempt to utilize my MBA I feel I will be a little more realistic and seasoned than my peers who quit work to study as I have seen where the application of this new knowledge fits and more importantly, where it does not.

3.) Not everyone will make the kind of money that would be necessary to recognize a return on investment in just the tuition cost of a school like Wharton alone, much less the opportunity cost of forgoing a couple years of work and experience. The tuition? About $72,000 for the year of 2007-2008.

4.) There are perfectly viable alternatives to a traditional brick and mortar B-school without having to sacrifice name recognition or quality. Penn State for example or how about the Duke Fuqua School of Business? Hardly blow off programs. Online does not equal less rigor and quality, only that it is online.

Overall I do believe the article conveys a ton of useful information to mull over if you are seriously considering an MBA. However what we all need to keep in perspective is that the MBA is really just a sheet of paper. The person behind the degree, the man or woman are what adds value to the credential. The degree is but a small part of an overall much more complex picture. Sometimes I think we place too much emphasis upon a degree program like it is some magic potion to success. It most certainly is not.

Check out the article at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/C60825MATTIOLI.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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10 Traps, Pitfalls and Shortcomings of Earning a Degree Online Part I (1-5)

Cajun — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:40:00 GMT

Okay I know it seems strange for a guy who is all about distance education to write about the negative aspects of learning online, but for the sake of fairness sometimes it is necessary to look at the bad side of learning as well as the good. After all it is important to make a well-informed decision when considering going back to college. If you choose to become an online student sooner or later you will note some of the pitfalls, traps and shortcomings of learning online. Personally it is my belief that you should go into the decision informed and with fore knowledge of struggles you may face.

So without further ado:

1.) A feeling of detachment and/or loneliness. Often times a distance education student will not feel part of the school by which they are earning their degree. I have experienced this myself at Southwestern College. The school is a private, campus-based college with colorful newsletters highlighting student life, showcasing beautiful pictures of the campus and there was even a forum by which students could post questions to the College’s administration. However online students really didn’t really have any representation in the literature or forums of the school other than what was provided on Blackboard. To make matters worse going online to the bookstore to order a tee-shirt or something would inevitably lead to a phone call the next day stating that they cannot process your order because the bookstore didn’t update their page with current stock. Instead you had to kind of blindly guess at what they did have and didn’t have at the moment making you feel just that much more out of touch. Often times as an online student you just feel alone and detached. Kind of like you are in an individual struggle and that you will make it or lose it by your will and determination alone. Though this isn’t true at all, it may be a feeling that you experience as I did when working for years on a degree online, where there is little to no tangible gain as you progress. Especially when the school is primarily geared towards campus based students and the online college is just an extension of a greater overall mission. Ironically however upon graduation, being able to walk around a campus and meeting dozens if not over a hundred of my fellow online graduates led me to feel an unbreakable attachment and source of pride in my school that I had not previously experienced. The very fact that there was this living, breathing organization that I was now a permanent part of, that I could see and touch just led me to a sense of belonging. Meeting people that had experienced what I had experienced only bolstered the feeling of belonging. Of course the faculty and staff made sure that we graduates experienced this even to the point of lining the halls and applauding us as we walked to our seats. The very thing that can cause you to feel isolated during the process can also lead you to feeling a part of an overall larger picture upon graduation, in my case it was the campus itself that I had never seen. I arrived a stranger and left as a part of a family.

2.) Distractions. It is so easy to be distracted when you are not expected to show up to class. All of a sudden hundreds of “more important” things will pop up that you have to take care of and before you know it, you are hopelessly behind. You absolutely must be self-disciplined and be pragmatic enough to say “no” when you have to. I know that at home we often have more distractions than anywhere else. We have kids, spouses, chores, internet, television, video games, our hobbies, books we enjoy, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. You have to cut things out of your life to go to school online, period. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Look at your life, is it full? Can you cut back on anything or cut anything out altogether? If you cannot, you will not be successful online.

3.) Fatigue. I have found that the only way to stave off fatigue as an online student is to stick to a rigid schedule. If you do not, you will get behind. If you get behind by the time you catch up you will be behind on the following week’s work and it will become a exhausting cycle of stress inducing, sleep depriving and relationship busting work. Once you become fatigued as a student online it can literally take months to recover if you do not get a break between classes. Avoiding fatigue is no joke when you make this type of commitment so beware this potentially fatal pitfall. Many students who hit the wall and take a “break” never come back.

4.) A feeling of being overwhelmed. Learning new things can be exhilarating yet stressful. Wonderful and altogether overwhelming. Most of the feeling of being overwhelmed is how you react emotionally to the stress of being forced to learn something new within a predetermined time frame. I have felt it, you likely will to. After a while though you just have to learn to control your emotions and not let them control you. A feeling of being overwhelmed can spoil the experience for you, sabotage your work, destroy your schedule and quickly lead to our #1 enemy, fatigue. Find ways to relax and calm down. Learn to embrace change. That sounds kind of corny but it is against our nature (for most of us anyway) to embrace change but it is absolutely vital for you to do just that.

5.) Venting. Being an online student does not mean that you are free of the stresses that classroom students experience. But it does mean that you are likely not going to have the same sort of outlet that your campus based peers will have like standing in the hallways after class complaining about the enormity of an assignment, or how your last grade was unfair, etc. Instead you will likely complain to your spouse, who will quickly tire of it. Then you may try your friends and coworkers who will likely tire of it just as quickly. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that most of them cannot relate or just do not share your feelings. Sooner or later you will have to find an alternate manner of venting and “letting go” of some of the pressure that can build up. I find that forums like eLearners provide or blogging helps a lot more than I could ever explain. Once you’ve experienced what I’m talking about, this will make more sense. By the way, do not fall for the temptation of complaining on the discussion boards on Blackboard in your classes. Trust me, it will not come off like you intended.

I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions you may have here or email if you prefer. Part II (numbers 6-10) will be posted tomorrow night.

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Ashford University vs. Bellevue University: A special request blog from a reader and (I hope) a fan

Cajun — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:23:00 GMT

I received a special request from a reader and fan of my blog (I’m blushing) who asked me to compare Ashford University to Bellevue University and to guide her through my thought process of choosing Ashford over Bellevue. For those of you who do not know, these two schools were my final two in weighing options of over 25 or so MBA programs that I gave serious consideration to. So I decided to go ahead and put it in a blog post for anyone else considering these two fine schools.

First a caveat though. Choosing a school is a highly personal and individualized process, a lot like choosing a spouse only once done with the degree it really is permanent. Nobody can tell you what is right for you. They can however show you the differences, provide opinions on the matter and even at times may try to suggest their view of what is best for you. Ultimately however you are the one who will pay the tuition, do the work, get the degree and apply it towards your ambitions in life.

That said, let’s compare side by side.

The Ashford University Saints vs. The Bellevue University Bruins

Bellevue University is a non-profit campus based school with several online programs. Ashford University is a for-profit campus based school with several online programs. The difference in a for profit and non-profit is generally going to be negated here by the fact that both schools are in fact private schools and of somewhat comparable tuition.

Bellevue has athletic teams, a mascot, school colors and probably even a fight song. Ashford University has all of the same.

Bellevue and Ashford are both regionally accredited. Neither hold program specific business accreditation, which I honestly find to be redundant, anyhow but then that’s my opinion.

Bellevue and Ashford both use Blackboard online software and are probably very much alike in how they approach a degree.

Bellevue University offers an Executive MBA designed for mid to senior level managers working in a cohort format. Ashford does not offer this and does not use a cohort format.

Bellevue also offers a full MBA which is not cohort but independent online learners just like Ashford University does.

Ashford offers a concentration in Organizational Leadership, Bellevue does not but Bellevue has more concentrations offered than Ashford. I personally was looking for a leadership oriented program so this was a factor in choosing Ashford over Bellevue, but again it was a highly personal and individualized factor.

Both Ashford and Bellevue University are about equal in their requirements for quantitative methods. I know, I know, the math can be scary but then that’s a big part of what an MBA is all about. Don’t worry, if I can do it so can you.

Both schools have a leveling course required of anyone who has not met certain undergraduate requirements. This is to ensure that you understand the basics of such topics as Accounting before you attempt a graduate class on the topic. I know from my experience Ashford’s leveling class has really saved my bacon, though at first I resented having to take it upon retrospect it was essential to my survival in this program.

Ashford University is slightly more expensive than Bellevue University, but only slightly.

From what I understand from Bellevue students upon speaking to them, Bellevue allows the professors to pretty much determine how students will be assessed as to their comprehension of the materials which is very traditional in nature. This means a professor may require a student to go to a testing center to have the student take midterms or a final in front of a proctor or what have you. Or the professor may require extensive research papers. There is a lot more autonomy for the professors from one class to the next including how the course is laid out, grades administered, weight of the assignments on the final grade, you know, the format. Ashford however seems to have a template by which the various professors go by but all the classes are not assessed the same way. I have had to take online quizzes, answer discussion questions, write research papers, etc. but for the most part the classes are approached much the same way from one course to the next in format. I personally like how Ashford does this as it enables me to focus more on the materials and less on the professor’s idiosyncrasies and preferences. This was a major consideration for me as I do better with uniformity in format.

Ashford University has very friendly, patient and knowledgeable admissions staff who will not pressure you to enroll. Bellevue is the same way.

Ashford University has 6 week classes, designed to be take one at a time. Bellevue has 12 week classes designed to be taken 2 at a time. This was another major consideration for me as I would prefer to take one class at a time and focus on that topic alone while I learn rather than trying to juggle two different courses at once. I did attempt 2 of the 6 week courses at a time for a while though, I recommend you not ever do that. The 6-week courses were the clincher for me in selecting Ashford.

Ashford University will give you a student representative upon enrollment who is your contact for pretty much everything but financial aid, in which case you have a financial aid person just for you. I’m not sure about Bellevue.

Ashford also has a research library online that functions a lot like Google. I’ve been to several online schools and have never seen a better set up, user friendly and thorough library than Ashford’s. Ashford’s library is one of the more impressive things about their school, it’s a shame more schools don’t follow suit. Ashford also has a Student Portal that is pretty much a one stop shop for all of your school administrative needs including a cool little graph that shows how far you’ve come along and how far you have yet to go. It’s a minor morale booster but that type of attention to detail and thoughtfulness is truly what sets Ashford apart from anywhere else I have seen. Is Bellevue the same? I don’t know, but I do know that I have not regretted picking Ashford one bit.

As you can see, when I compared these two schools they had much more in common than they had differences. I was truly splitting hairs when I made my choice and I made a choice based upon details that other people may not consider as important or have a difference of opinion than me on. I do not believe that with either school you can lose. They are both winners.

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