Milestone in Feline History
The debate over who's smarter, cats or dogs, may have met its end. Though dogs were the first to enter space (on Sputnik II, 1957), the pup had no formal education to speak of. The feline species, however, is proud to officially be the first outside of the humans species to boast a high school degree. Oreo C. Collins from Macon, Georgia was proud to be the first in her family to graduate high school. And to Oreo’s amazement, it wasn’t even that hard. After a life experience essay, a quick test, and a $200 registration fee, Oreo became a proud graduate of Jefferson High school Online.
Yet, Oreo had a little help. Due to her lack of opposable thumbs and inability to use a Mac her human companion, Kelvin C. Collins, (President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of central Georgia) had to help her out. Collins fronted Oreo the $200 and helped fill out the test and essay. The essay was actually based on Oreo’s humble beginnings as an adopted member of the family. Although Collins gives credit to Oreo for being really smart (and at least sitting on his lap while he took the test for her). As Collins “went to school” or took a quick exam which often gave the answers to you, he realized that Oreo was actually a victim of Degree Mills and the degree was virtually worthless. Even with the obvious setback, Oreo has reached quite an achievement by bringing a serious issue in Degree Mills to life, as shown in this MSNBC article Clever Cat Earns High School Diploma Online.
According to Collins, Oreo’s online diploma isn’t the same as a certified GED diploma. You can’t receive a certified GED online; they are only available at an Official GED Testing Center. "We (the BBB) do a lot of stories on these diploma mills, but a lot of times consumers really don’t get it until you show them an example of how they (the diplomas) aren't worth much."
These “Feauplomas” aren’t just for high school either. There are many “schools” that give out diplomas for the right price (usually ranging $800-$1200) at the consumer’s expense because they soon go into the interview only to find that the diploma was useless. Therefore it is up to the prospective student or interview to find as much information on the university as possible and to make sure the university has been accredited by a legitimate agency. If anything learn from Oreo’s mistake, look at what school/program will most help your career instead of thinking, “How fast can I get a degree?” A legitimate school is accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Is your school accredited? Find out!
Although a clever cat may have gotten fooled, you can bet a dog never would have and neither should you.