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My Penn Foster College Experience

This is Terry's account of how he got started at Penn Foster, as well as his ongoing studies towards his online Marketing degree. Read about the various pitfalls of balancing homework with family, as well as his two jobs, personal life, and volunteer work.

  • Viewer Mail: Defending My Degree Program

    Every once in awhile, I am forced to defend my choice of degree program at Penn Foster College.  This email that I received was actually a response to my defense of nationally accredited schools such as Penn Foster College and Ashworth University:

     

    “I know you Ashworth (or Penn Foster) students are slow but, come on. nonetheless, I will gladly shred apart your statements. First of all, Ashworth (and Penn Foster) are accredited by the DETC which means.....absolutely nothing. You or I could submit an application for accreditation to the DETC and probably get it. As long as you pay the fee, and say your a college, you can get the DETC seal of approval. Secondly, If you are allowed to take your exams on-line with no supervision, then your paying a fake college for a worthless "degree". And spare me the whole "there is supposed to be a proctor" sentiment. Ashworth can't enforce that rule and it is embarrassingly easy to exploit the lameness of that rule. Any college that is legit is going to require their student who take on-line classes to complete their exams on campus with a teacher. If the college does not require that-or can't require it because there ISN'T an actual campus-the college is not legitimate, and no matter how much you rant and rave, kick and scream, and pretend it isn't so, you can't change that fact.”

     

    I will leave out the name of the sender of the email to protect the ill-informed.  Penn Foster College, and Ashworth University, are both nationally accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA.  That means that both of these schools are legitimately accredited.  Do they have the same accreditation, or carry the same weight as a school like Harvard or MIT?  No.  However, these schools serve a purpose. 

     

    Some students enroll in programs at nationally accredited schools so they can beef up their own work skills, which will later benefit them on the job.  Others enroll at these schools and intend to transfer their credits to another school so they can continue their education.  The schools they transfer to may be either nationally or regionally accredited.  Is there a guarantee that a regionally accredited school will accept transfer credit from Penn Foster College or Ashworth University?  No.  Of course, there is no guarantee they will accept all, or any, of a student's credits from another regionally accredited school, either. 

     

    As for it being “easy” to gain accreditation with the DETC, I doubt that I could start my own university out of my home (TCord College) and obtain accreditation from the DETC.  The DETC has site inspections.  They are an accrediting agency which has been around for several decades.  Not all schools which apply for DETC accreditation gain it.  If it were so easy to gain DETC accreditation, there would be many, many more schools accredited by the DETC. 

     

    There are other colleges, including regionally accredited colleges, which use online and proctored exams.  In fact, some regionally accredited schools don’t use exams at all, but instead use writing assignments as a means of assessment.  Schools such as the “Big Three”…Excelsior, Thomas Edison State College and Charter Oak State College, do not have college campuses in the traditional sense.  Does that mean they are not “legitimate”? 

     

    I think this person’s problem isn’t necessarily with nationally accredited schools like Penn Foster College, or Ashworth College, but with distance learning in general.  Education has come a long way over the past two or three decades, and distance learning is gaining wider acceptance every day.   Plenty of schools have embraced distance learning (yes, this includes Harvard).  Employers recognize that workers who have distance learning degrees are valuable assets.  To believe otherwise simply because a college doesn’t conform to your own ideas about what makes a school a “real” school is simply foolish.   

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  • Financial Accounting: The Final Chapter

    I have to admit, I'm pretty excited. I'm finally on the last chapter of my Financial Accounting text book! After I finish this chapter I will be ready to take my final online exam for this course.

    The end of the Financial Accounting course couldn't come soon enough for me. This was probably my least favorite course of all of the courses I have taken through Penn Foster College so far. Not only was it the most difficult for me to get through, but it has dragged down my grade point average, and I just plain don't find accounting an interesting subject. I guess I'm not a number cruncher.

    The final chapter of Financial Accounting deals with preparing a statement of cash flows, and it every bit as exciting as it sounds. Once again, the final online exam will be 25 questions, and it deals quite a bit with compiling the statement of cash flows.

    After this course, I get a bit of a break with the Economics course, which is basically a Principles of Macroeconomics course. Although this course is much longer than the Financial Accounting course, I predict I will get through it much quicker. Then, it's back to another accounting course: Managerial Accounting.

    I have set a goal of being finished with the second semester by the end of September. I then plan to apply to Excelsior College and see just how close I am to finishing my BA. At that point, I will have a decision to make: complete the BA at Excelsior, or move on to Semester Three with Penn Foster College. I guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

    Trying to actually complete the AS in Marketing through Penn Foster College would not be a bad thing. Despite the accounting course, I am still enjoying my studies with PFC. It will also give me some time to save up the cash to enroll in the graduate program I have my eye on: the MA in Communications, Media and Public Relations at the University of Leicester.

    I plan to take my next exam no later than Thursday. Hopefully I'll have a good grade to report!

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  • New Programs on the Way from DETC Accredited Schools

    This post will piggyback somewhat with a recent and very insightful post by Cajun about the new DETC accredited schools. The DETC also recently gave final approval recently to new programs and courses offered by currently accredited schools. These programs will drastically expand the offerings of these nationally accredited schools, giving distance learning students even more choices. The new programs/courses given final approval include:

    Allied Business Schools, Inc
    • Life Science A/B
    • Texas Real Estate Commission Legal Update
    • Texas Real Estate Commission Ethics
    • Essentials in Health Information Management
    • Small Business Management
    • HTML
    • Texas Financing Strategies
    • Texas Fair Housing


    American Graduate University
    • Master of Supply Management


    American Sentinel University
    • Bachelor of Science in Web Design & Development
    • Bachelor of Science in Nursing

    Andrew Jackson University
    • Associate of Science in Health Care Management
    • Composing Your Personal History
    • Associate of Science in Psychology


    Ashworth University
    • Introduction to Financial Statements
    • Introduction to Psychology
    • Online Business Management Program
    • Four new MBA concentrations: Health Care Administration, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and
    International Business
    • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

    Aspen University
    • MBA in Finance
    • RN-MSN Bridge Program
    • Master of Science in Health Science


    Australasian College of Health Sciences
    • Associate of Applied Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine
    • Master of Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine

    California Coast University
    • Associate of Science in Criminal Justice
    • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

    College of Humanities and Science, Harrison Middleton University
    • Bachelor of Imaginative Literature
    • Bachelor of Natural Science
    • Bachelor of Philosophy in Religion
    • Bachelor of Social Science
    • Bachelor of Science in Education
    • Bachelor of Arts in Education


    Sessions Online School of Art and Design
    • Game Art Certificate


    The Taft University System
    • Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.)


    Weston Distance Learning ~ McKinley College
    • Associate of Applied Science in Human Resources
    • Associate of Applied Science in Accounting
    • Associate of Applied Science in Marketing

    Some of the standouts to me include the Bachelor's degree programs at Harrison Middleton University, and the new MBA concentrations being offered by Ashworth University. As the DETC continues to accredit new schools and the expanded program offerings of those schools, it is proving that it is much more than an accreditor of vocational degree programs. Many of these programs are so new they are not yet listed on the Web sites of the schools, but keep checking back often. I'm sure they will waste no time making these programs available to students.

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  • Not a Good Week on the DL Front for TCord1964

    Honestly, I’m now sure how I’m going to pass this Financial Accounting course I am currently taking through Penn Foster College.  PFC isn’t exactly MIT, so this course should be a breeze, right?  Wrong!

     

    Last night, I sat down at 7:30 pm to take my third 25-question exam.  I finished at 2 AM.   This is not good, not good at all.  When I take the final exam, I will have only an hour to complete it, so this does not bode well for my chances.  To top it off, I scored a 76 on this exam.  This has dragged my semester average down to a 79, or a high “C” so far for the semester.  Yuck. 

     

    I have two more chapters worth of reading and one more exam to take in this course, and I can say the end of this course can’t come soon enough for me.  Unfortunately, the Managerial Accounting course is coming up later this semester. 

     

    I have to honestly say I have no aspirations whatsoever of becoming an accountant.  I know this is a required course, but this will have no application to my current or future job duties at all.  I guess that’s one of the things that makes me resent taking accounting courses. 

     

    Also, I got a response to my loan application to help pay for the tuition to attend a graduate program at the University of Leicester.  The answer was “You want a loan?  (Insert evil laugh here).  Are you SERIOUS?”    Actually, I received a professionally written form email telling me what I already knew:  my credit stinks, and even with a co-signer, I am out of luck.  Foiled by medical bills again.

     

    I am still determined to come up with the funds to attend University of Leicester, even it if means putting that plan on hold for a year until I finish my BA first and save the funds on my own.  My wife has always told me I am stubborn, and she is right.  These setbacks will only make me work harder to achieve my goals.  I was once told “you can never be a TV reporter without a college degree”.   Two years later, I was on the air working as a TV reporter, through a combination of hard work and constantly lobbying the news director for the position. 

     

    Perhaps not now, but eventually, I will be a student at a U.K. distance learning school.

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  • Giving a Foreign MA a Shot

    As I mentioned here previously, I’ve been giving serious thought to enrolling in the University of Leicester’s MA in Communications, Media and Public Relations.  The subject matter is right up my alley, and getting a graduate degree would be huge for my career.  The University of Leicester is located in the UK, but they do have a number of distance learning graduate degrees.  The school is considered one of the top 200 universities in the world. 

     

    Yesterday, I took the plunge and applied for a private loan to pay the $14,000 tuition for the two year program.  I can defer payments until I graduate, and I plan to save the money during those two years to pay off the loan once I finish the program.  My credit is not the greatest, due to medical bills, so I’m really keeping my fingers crossed on this one. 

     

    It might seem odd to go for a graduate degree before I have my undergrad, but it is possible at the University of Leicester.  The school has informed me that a certain number of years of work experience will qualify a student for entry into the program.  I have more than 20 years of journalism experience under my belt, which the school has informed me is more than sufficient for entry into the program. 

     

    My plan at this point is to finish this semester at Penn Foster College as quickly as possible, and get a credit evaluation done at Excelsior College.  The last time I checked, that was about $60.  If I am as close to my BA as I think I am, I will just knock out the rest of my requirements and get the undergraduate degree.  In the meantime, if I get the loan for the graduate program, I will enroll at the University of Leicester after I finish the semester at PFC.  I will then likely finish the BA after I complete the requirements for the graduate degree.  It would be strange to get a graduate degree before my undergrad, but I’m sure I’m not the only student who has ever done such a thing. 

     

    Right now, I’m just hoping for the best and waiting to see if my loan is approved. 

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Penn Foster College


Penn Foster College offers associate degrees designed to give you the skills you need in today’s fastest growing fields.

Study online, in print, or in combination. You decide which method best suits your learning style.

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tcord1964

Terry is a veteran writer and reporter who recently switched careers, and currently works in marketing/public relations. He is working toward an AS in Marketing from Penn Foster College. His future plans include earning a graduate degree in Public Relations.

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