Saturday, February 28, 2009

Does the University really care about the students...or is it all about the money?

What's up people? It's your outspoken host Ms. Williams! Well, where do I begin......I began at the University of Phoenix 3 yrs. ago and currently maintain a 3.93 GPA and have managed to make nothing less than an A- thus far. I attend one of the Raleigh, North Carolina campuses. Strange, huh? Someone who's making straight A's is complaining. I know it sounds odd, but you'll understand why very soon.

Many students including myself feel as though if you're not learning anything, why go to school. Not every student is looking for a free ride. And then, you have those who have skated their way through their respective program(s). These are the ones that will probably be very angry with me by the time this is all over.

So let's talk about the ridiculous set-up they have. We'll be discussing everything from the class syllabuses to the Learning Team" environment. Here are just a few of the topics I would like to discuss over time:
  • Education vs Money (Is the instruction received worth what I'm paying?)
  • Learning Teams (What's the purpose if half of the students drop out anyway?)
  • Syllabus (Can students request the full syllabus prior to the class beginning or being open?)
  • Classrooms (Should it be accessible more than 2 days prior to class beginning?)
  • Instructors (Who screens these people?)
  • Communication w/Administration (Have you ever spoken to anyone other than your AC/FC?)
  • Academic Policies (Should some of the policies be adjusted based on individual circumstances?)
  • Grievance Hearings (When can we be heard?)
  • and many, many more.

Feel free to make requests for topics you would like to discuss. This is OUR forum!

The first topic I'd like to discuss is the "End of Course Survey". These surveys are my absolute favorite! NOT!!!! Are they serious? They always make me laugh. How many times have you completed the survey & requested to be contacted regarding some of your responses? If you're like me, they became to numerous to continue counting. So, what's the point of the surveys? This brings me to my initial question. Does the University of Phoenix really care about the educational enrichment of it's students, or are they more concerned about the number of students they can lure in and get financial aid for. As with any profitable business, the customer should come first since they are the foundation of any business. Without customers, you have no business.

How many of you feel as though the University of Phoenix values you as a paying customer? I sure as heck don't. I'm still waiting on a call regarding my very first survey of which I had absolutely NOTHING positive to say and asked to be contacted on every issue. So again I have to ask, what is the purpose of these surveys if nobody bothers to read or respond to them? I guess it's easy to ignore students individually especially when you don't have to be face[to[face with them. I wonder how they would ignore a large group of students waiting for them outside the camps building or the Department Chair or Director of Student Affairs' office.....hmmmm.


Your thoughts...

134 comments:

  1. I worked there. They blow and they only promote mormons

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    1. That has changed. They were in trouble for that

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    2. this comment is 100% accurate

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    3. I registered this year of 2018 in March. I was scheduled to attend my first class May 1st. I started the class and during the first week, my loans were disbursed to the campus. The Campus was supposed to issue me a refund of $1700 within two weeks of May 8th. I waited and never recieved any money. I use this money to pay for my apartment off campus like all Financial Aid Students. The third week was approaching so i contacted the advisor i spoke with earlier when registering as well as their financial advisors. They came up with an excuse that they needed my high school diploma in order to process my refund. This sounded like total lies considering i was admitted nearly three months prior and they had never once had any discrepancy to that. Plus, i had sent my transcripts from my college prior proving i had graduated. Not to mention i have recieved Financial Aid in previous years. All of these factors proved i graduated. Anyways, i had lost my diploma like years ago so i had to go into my old high school and fill out a Official High School replacement Diploma request. I was told it would be about two weeks. Fair enough. During the following week, i was treated very unfairly by a woman named Glory Berry who is employed as an advisor. She tried to tell me that the Instructor who's name was Wellington Williams had contacted her stating my GPA was questionable and to inform me he was not sure if I was going to pass the class. There were three more weeks remaining and i had put a lot of time and effort into all of my assignments especially the writing assignments. My work was A material. I have always gotten an A rarely a B in my classes at my other college. I feel i was discriminated against due to racial profiling. I also felt taken advantage of because the college NEVER gave me my $1700 i needed to pay my bills. I wound up withdrawing that week from this college. They are NOT a reputable and established honest campus. They employ what i believe to be uneducated non high school graduates and they award their friends and family members degrees. Most of the staff are all in a cult like group. I am a firm believer they need to be investigated for fraud, employing non educated individuals, FAFSA fraud, abusing students both racially and financially. I have power of attorney over my scholarships and loans. I don't recommend anyone trust these people.

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  2. I am a current BSN student...they didn't accept some of my classes that I took toward my associate's degree!! every other college (I found out too late) accepts your degree, no questions asked. When I asked about it, they said "we want our students to have a well-rounded education"...really? because my anatomy and physiology credits expired, you're going to make me take film studies??? Worst thing? The GOVERNMENT is paying for me to take all of the unnecessary credits. They don't allow me to transfer out!!

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    1. That is a retarted statement. You must be high.If your credits expired, that mean you are old. too bad

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    2. They do this because above being an educational institution, they are and will always be a business. What are businesses in business to do? If you answered "to make money", your absolutely right. Though it is sad to say that they do this, it isn't beneficial--financially-- to accept all of your credits from a transferring university or college.

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  3. They ripped me off. I attended for 3 weeks before a family medical emergency caused me to withdraw. Not only did they bill me for the entire class, they also obtained a loan without my knowledge AND signed me up for more classes than I approved of. I guess they were expecting double pay? I didn't find any of this out until 4 years after the fact when I went to purchase my house and that is when they started reporting it to my credit. They screwed my credit HUGE!!! No phone call, no notice...nothing. Oh and BTW...in order for them to keep some of the loan money I had to be passing. By some strange way I had a C even though I was mostly never in attendance since I was in the hospital with my son. Could we say the fake grades a little just to get money from banks and the government? How can they still be allowed to take people's money?!!?

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    1. Not true that you have to be passing! Really? A school should only get paid if their students pass. Took a loan without your permission. Remember signing your FAFSA, enrollment agreement, student financial agreement, and memorandum of understanding? Stop being a baby and take responsibility of your own actions.

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    2. Yes, all that is clearly listed in the everything we sign before attending school. The school, nor financial aid, doesn't care if you have a family emergency. If you drop out, you are responsible for the classes you were supposed to take. When you sign your fafsa it is for financial loan plus pell grant. Read your fine print LOL

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    3. Regional Accreditation is actually more revered than national accreditation. National accreditation is for vocational colleges, like a UTI or other trade school. Regional accreditation is for actual Universities, such as your local state universities. Do your research before whining.

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    4. All true replies. You read and sign Entrance Counselling that educates you about the responsible borrowing.

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    5. If you had to drop out of a class, you should've contacted your counselor. UoP pro-rates by how many weeks you attended. I had to do it and that's how it works.

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    6. I am a professor at a state university in the midwest and I will second the Regional Accreditation claim. Nearly all public and private brick-and-mortar universities are regionally accredited, including the institution at which I teach. National accreditation is much easier to get and maintain, which is why scam schools are usually only nationally accredited.

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  4. I have been attending UoP for about 6 months now and my g.p.a is 3.76. When I first began I was so excited about starting graduate classes but as the months progressed I began to think that this school was just a joke! The work is SUPER easy and any person could most likely maintain a 3.0 or higher! I can never get in contact with any of my advisors and they never return my calls. I am now beginning to feel as if this was a HUGE mistake!! I am seriously considering withdrawing and tranfering my credits to another school...but thenn again I have also discovered that UoP is regionally accredited and I live on the East cost :/

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    1. Think again. Uop is also nationally accredited. Do you know what regionally accredited means?

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    2. No, UOP is regionally accrdited by Higher Learning Commission North Central Association which is regional. They also have numorous program accreditions. Check your facts.

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  5. I owe 30K after 2 years and I recommend others to join it too... I feel really bad now and I don't know why they still exist...

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    1. If you owe $30,000 after two years then you couldn't have passed too many classes. Somewhere along the way, you failed or dropped out. After reading this the negative comments in this forum, it is pretty evident why all of you are complaining, you expect a free ride or you failed to take responsibility within the program. I'm almost finished with my AAFB and I'm loving it. I'm learning because the material becomes harder and more complex as you get further into the program. I'm going back for my B.A. then transferring to GA State, which is regionally accredited. Quit whining and be responsible some time.

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    2. How much are they offering you to post positive information?

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  6. I worked in tech support for 5 years so I can understand everyone's concern. However, there are reasonable explanations for some of the topics you mentioned. The learning teams, for example have a specific purpose. Sure students will drop out but that's life. The same thing happens in work environment. What are you going to do when you have a team project at work and two coworkers get fired? Are you gonna cry and moan about stupid your job is? And no, the college is not easy. I have come acros plenty of stupid people who do not know anyhing about how to learn. The reason I quit was that I was tired of the school accepting anyone who can write a check. No matter how stupid you are, you can always take classes at uop. Some people just so not belong in school. It is sad knowing that students think they are making something of themselves.

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    1. You said it so well! The problem is the students throwing all the money at the school then complaining because they couldn't make it.

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  9. Working there sucks too. They don't awards the hardest worker just the person the manager likes the most that week. AS far as the courses, they don't seem to be interested in doing what is best for the students.

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  10. I am a bit nervous because I recently withdrew from Axia/University of Phoenix. My concern is that I left my two classes with an A- in one and an A+ in the other. I checked today and noticed that my instructor in one class is still grading, and that has brought my grade down to a 62. I am afraid this will cause me to owe money in the end, which is not fair because I worked diligently in both classes. I believe I should not be graded because I am no longer a student. Has anyone had similar experiences? The teachers did not even know I withdrew because the university did not tell them. What trick are they trying to play here, and who should I contact? Maybe I should consult a lawyer at this time to ensure they do not abuse their position as a facility of education -- if the university deserves such a title.

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    1. You cannot withdraw from a class before it ends and expect your grade to stay at an A. That is common sense. And letting the instructor know you withdrew would not change that fact. If you don't get the points needed for class your grade drops, simple as that.

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    2. In most colleges and Universities, if you withdraw within a set time frame your grade stops being calculated and you receive a "W" on your transcript. It's not as "common sense" as you're so condescendingly implying. If she filled out the proper paperwork to withdraw, in the normal non-profit world of colleges this is how it works. It might be different at University of Phoenix but I can't really see a good reason why it would be.

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  11. I have the best story of ALL! I was admitted in the hosp. on a Emergency basis. I ended up delivering my baby 10 weeks early, I continued to have surgery for 5 hrs. where I almost died, I lost 8 pints of blood, my bladder burst, and a few other procedures. The best part is I callled someone in management (I will keep HER maneless) to tell them before I went to the Hosp. To make a long story short, I was admitted for a week, I came home w/ a cath, drainage, & 49 staples. Would u believe I e mailed my professor (pretend professor) the day I came home, and asked if I could make up my presentation, in addition I explained what happened. To my surprise she told me that "UOP does not give up make up work!" Oh I forgot prior to my hosp. issue my mom passed away again I asked for leaniency & I was deighed. I am appauled that I was not given any chances to make up any work. I wanted to w/draw, I was told that I had to complete my 3rd class and then I would rec. a refund. I had to call 7 times a day, finally I rec. a ck. Pryor to this ck. UOP lost my 1st ck. One would think that I was smart enough to do is not to continue w/ this pretent institution...b/c when I 1st applied the AZ office lost my paper work more times then I can count., I resided to the fact that I needed to send it through the person who signed me up (who was the ONLY one there w/ a brain!) AZ still insisted that the paperwork she sent never got there. I sent paperwork by registered mail & they still were claimimg that they did not rec. it! Fortunately, I am OK as well as my daughter. I started looking 4 other universities, I am pleased w/ the one I am in...but I can not rec. full financial aid, why? UOP has not called the data base to release my loan, although they do not have it, it looks as if I have a overlapping loan. I have heard horror stories before I started at UOP and they have all come true ! I assume the miss use of funds are to be true, and so on. I am sure that I will return to this cite! And by the way my credits do not transfer! I wasted my money... I know other students who were mislead in addition! Please reply, I would love to hear ur comments!

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  12. Ahh, I've found home. I was just written up as an Enrollment counselor for not making quota. How can you make quota in education? How can you make financial aid a quota? I did finish my degree there, that was a little sketchy but the biggest sketch is their "matrix". Save your self the time and heartache, don't work there. You are micro manged every minute of the day, the pay is only $34k a year. They promote only the good enrollment counselors so your manager doesn't even have a college degree and is a white guy who thinks he is black. OH! and if you are white you will be the only one there that is white, not only as a student but as a employee. they made $3.9 BILLION last year. Their average salary is $34k for an employee......guess where all the money goes????? To the board of directors who make ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR this is all in their annual report they publish. Later gators!!!

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    1. Bitter party of one? You didn't make it because you weren't good at your job.

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    2. "They promote only the good enrollment counselors..." Are you kidding me?!? LOL! Name one company who promotes the shitty employees who don't meet goals?

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  13. I worked for UOP for 2 years. I was harassed by my manager for almost the whole time. I complained to the directors,and now I am employed. Hmmm, I was in the top 10% of the company, a top performer for referrals and conversion. Go figure. They protect their own, and I do believe that they do something illegal with financial aid. Yup, students you are ALL just a number for the enrollment counselors!! Good Luck!! Save yourselves & go to another university.

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  14. To the above post meant UNEMPLOYED!!

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  15. This school is nothing more than a proprietor owned, publicly traded sham and a black eye to academia in the United States. I attended two classes in 2003 and learned absolutely nothing except how to work for four people when my three team partners who had the grammer level of 7th graders failed to contribute. 5 weeks to learn intermediate accounting?!?!?! Give me a break!! I went to Saint Leo University and received my BA in Accounting and Business Administration/Management and am confident about my chances of passing the CPA exam this fall. I am also enrolled for MBA online with the University of Scranton!! AACSB accredited. Stay away from UofPhx it is a diploma mill and not respected by anyone in the corporate world...fortune 500 companies recruiting UofPhx grads??? LMAO not a chance!!!

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  16. To the BSN student who is currently attending: Who told you your anatomy & physiology credits were "expired"?? UOP does not put an "expiration date" on general education credits. If for some reason those credits were not included in transfer, there must have been another reason, like you had already fulfilled the areas which those credits would fulfill. ALL general education categories (math, humanities, social science, math, science, etc.) must be fulfilled, you can't graduate without fulfilling all areas. If you were advised to take film studies, you must have been LACKING credits in that area, humanities, perhaps? Or you needed upper-division credits to fulfill the upper-division requirement in the BSN? Because an Associates' degree credits are lower-division, not upper-division. Please get your facts straight before you go online and BASH a school because you have to take a few more classes to fulfill degree requirements.

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  17. I am a former student at the uop. I paid 1100 dollars for every one of my classes. I went out of town for work and had a 97% going into my 7th week. I decided that I would focus on my trip and not do any assignments that week. I missed 15 points for discussion questions, 15 points for participation, and 30 points for an assignment. When I got back from my trip I logged on to do my week 8 assignments and it said that I had been dropped out of my class. I called my Councilor and she said that I was dropped because I did not meet the attendance requirement. I told her that they were going to refund my money, let me finish the class, or let me take the class over again. Instead they sent me to collections for classes that I didn't even plan on taking because they where apart of my academic year. UoP is a joke, it has to be the worse so called College in the world. They just want your money, they do not care about you or what you want. I hate that stupid school. I went to a normal college, paid 300 dollars per class, picked the classes that I wanted, actually learned something, and graduated. Trust me, save yourselves the heart ache.

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  18. Sounds like most of these comments are from people who cannot stick it out. If UoP is so bad then why do many fortune 500 companies like microsoft, Boeing and the government prefer their people to go to school here? Funny how that works.

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    1. Name me one top level person at Boeing or Microsoft who have gone to school at U of P. You sound like someone who heard one of their stupid advertisements. Just because U of P makes a claim in an ad does not make it true.

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  19. Cry me a river people! I guess that most of you need to educate yourselves on the enrollment process before you attend any school. It was the same for me at a traditional school as it was when I enrolled at U of Phx. The only difference is that I actually got the help I needed from the enrollment counselor at U of P. I have now graduated and found a wonderful job. The powerpoints done in class really helped me to become more comfortable with giving presentations and public speaking. The difference is that I didn't give up when I was faced with challenges. Not every credit will transfer and yes if you don't finish a class you have to pay for it at any school. When you do your own research, you can't be played, it is your own fault!

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  20. Several people mentioned the ridiculous "Learning Teams". A couple of you actually commended this practice. Are you serious? I have 20 years of IT experience and I'm only taking 1 course at UofP as a replacement for a graduate class with Western Inernational University. These Learning Teams are not even close to projects in the real world. First, you don't get to choose your classmates...I get to choose my project team members at work. Secondly, many UofP students are not smart or motivated and their ownly credible assett is financial aid or a bank account. Third, these team projects are a joke. They are very disconnected from real-world project and don't simulate any environment...except maybe standing in line at the DMV. UofP has managed to develop the least credible, most expensive, least rewarding, uneducational experience in online schools. If they have over 400,000 registered students world wide, why do they need to jack up tuition rates twice a year? UofP is a joke and I'm sure they would be ashamed of themselves if they weren't making more money than many mideast oil princes. BTW...when I see an applicant's resume with UofP on it, I throw it in the trash where it belongs. I plan on posting a link to this forum in my class survey.

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    1. One of the justifications for the learning teams was the replication of "real world" work experience as you stated. But the real reason for their incorporation was that UOP was able to justify shorter classes (shorter in duration -- that is, 5 weeks, rather than a full quarter of 11 weeks, much less a full semester of 16 weeks) by arguing to regulators that adult students "taught themselves" through the mid-week learning team assignments. The original pitch for on-ground classes was that students attended class only once a week for a four-hour class. The hidden caveat was students had to meet for four-hours, face to face at some other time in their teams. This requirement has since been watered down to only requiring some sort of assignment -- even as simple as a form to be filled out for no credit.

      Of course, what the learning teams really allowed was the charging for twice as many classes into the schedule as might otherwise be possible without requiring students to actually do the work represented by the units earned.

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  21. To james: I don't know what you heard about Fortune 500 companies and UoP, but that is not the case anymore. It might some propaganda put out by BIG CORPORATE INVESTORS who make a LOT of money off of UoP. Read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/education/11phoenix.html?ref=education.

    I'm being forced to go there because I have to cover a pre-requisite not being offered at my current graduate university.

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    1. I will note a telling fact from the article you cited: " The official rates at some University of Phoenix campuses are extremely low — 6 percent at the Southern California campus, 4 percent among online students."

      Round this number to 5% ... of all UOP students graduate.

      That should tell you something.

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  22. Another good link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071005060050AA3eVEk

    Man, I really hate this school!

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  23. I can't imagine how such a closed mind, bitter person could be an asset to anyone, anywhere. Maybe instead of throwing the applications of UoP students away, you should quit. No, not maybe. You should show your blog to your boss, and if he isn't as stagnant as you are, he'll (she'll) fire you.

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  24. I am a UOP student, and we just got a plea from the UOP president to sign a petition to get Congress off their backs.

    I can't do it. I have two degrees including an MBA, have taught college classes overseas, and ran a military training center -- I have lots of experience in ISD and classroom instruction. The for-profit and open admisssions model at UOP creates counselor bias and puts kids in college who really want to be in trade school. C'mon, society needs good plumbers, cable pullers, electricians, mechanics, and welders, too. No shame in that -- I worked as an alarm installer in my early 20s and have tremendous respect for skilled tradesmen who can turn a pile of materials into a completed house. Everybody doesn't belong in college, at least not when they're 18 or 19.

    Lots of those kids are in my learning teams. Many would rather chew on aluminum foil than write a paper, get nauseous when speaking at the front of the classroom, and haven't mastered the skill of analytical reading. They are there because a counselor sold them on it, and they got financial aid. Many of my military veteran classmates (I'm retired military myself) are only there for the monthly VA check.

    Only 25% of the instructors I have had are what I consider fully qualified to teach the course I was in. My last instructor was teaching it for the first time, did not see the slides until he pulled them up in class, and admitted at least ten times per class night that he had no idea what a certain slide bullet meant. Because he knew I had an MBA, he would ask me to explain the concept -- unbelievable.

    Again, the learning teams are a joke. I consider myself fortunate if there is at least one other team member who can meet deadlines, show up on time, and put a sentence together. I am convinced that UOP uses learning teams to make up for insufficient classroom hours/instructor talent, and to mask the maturity level of students who would flunk out if they weren't being carried by teammates.

    I am a hiring manager with my company, and I take a somewhat different view of a UOP graduate than "win is a real school" does. I give them extra points for surviving such a dysfunctional experience. In other words, they succeed despite UOP, not because of it.

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    1. You wrote, "I am convinced that UOP uses learning teams to make up for insufficient classroom hours/instructor talent, and to mask the maturity level of students who would flunk out if they weren't being carried by teammates."

      Read my post above ... you are exactly right, first, in regards to the insufficient classroom time (I like to flatter myself that in my case, at least, it is not a matter of lack of instructor talent).

      Additionally, as you say, I have observed many students who would not pass a class on their own being "carried" by virtue of the work of other more competent and diligent classmates on their teams.

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  25. David,

    My name's Andy Kroll, and I'm a reporter with Mother Jones magazine in Washington, DC. I'd heard about the plea from UOP's president, but am trying to track down alumni/etc to talk about that plea, what the president said, etc.

    Think you'd have a few minutes to chat via email or phone? You can reach me at akroll (at) motherjones (dot) com. And if anyone else's interested, happy to chat. Thanks, Andy Kroll

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  26. I'm only going to this crap hole because I need an Associate's degree to get into the program I want to get into... LOL. All of my instructors for my current classes are a joke. The one is a lazy idiot who takes forever to respond to questions or grade anything, and the other is even worse. Even so, it's not possible to receive lower than a 90% in their classes.

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  28. I hate UOP. I really do. I can go on and on and on about this that and the next thing. Today I enrolled in a new school. UOP is just another commercialized business looking to profit off of everyone they possibly can without any concern about the student.. Well, I SAY BUH BYEE UOP.. AND IF I NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN IT WILL BE TOO SOON.

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  29. I graduated with my BSIT degree from the University of Phoenix Online in 2005. When I started, in 2002, I knew what I was getting into. I knew that the school was expensive. I knew that it would accept anybody with a pulse, and that the school's reputation would be suspect by anyone looking at my resume. But at the time, my options as a working professional were limited and I needed to complete my degree.

    I decided going in that I needed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. My thought process was that in an environment of pretty clear grade inflation, I would be able to state that I couldn't have done any better. In other words, I would have hated to have a 3.7, or 3.8 in a known environment of grade inflation. But with a 4.0, I could state that I couldn't have done anything humanly possible to graduate with better grades. And that is exactly what I did: I did graduate with the 4.0. It's probably a very small thing, but in an environment where anybody can graduate, statistically very few graduate with a perfect GPA.

    Next, I knew going into my Bachelor's program at the UoP that I'd have continue on past a Bachelor's degree and get a Master's degree someplace else. This way, when my Bachelor's at the UoP would be questioned on my resume, it would be completely overshadowed by what came next in my academic endeavors.

    I've also never trusted that the UoP would retain it's regional accreditation. Who knows - perhaps they will? But I wouldn't put any money on it. And therefore I would hate to have the UoP as the only line-item in a resume's Education section. (Yeah - I know: If you graduate from an institution that is accredited, and that school subsequently looses its accreditation, your degree is still valid. But who wants to bother with that, in the event that it happens??)

    And to that end, I recently completed my Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from Boston University (a top US school and one with a reputation beyond reproach).

    My point? I hate the University of Phoenix. I hated it going in, and I hated it throughout my entire program. And nothing I ever experienced during my time there ever came close to changing that opinion. And I hate that it is on my resume.

    I only went there because my options were limited at the time and it was a medium for attaining the degree that I needed at the time. Today, there are many more options, including many State schools that offer 100% online programs. And I'd be at one of those schools over the UoP any day! But at the time I needed to go to school, the UoP was there and served its purpose.

    However, I was surprised by the amount of effort it took on my part to graduate with a 4.0. I really did work my butt off. And in the process, I was surprised by how much I learned. I actually did learn quite a bit throughout my program. The educational experience was of much higher value than I expected it to be.

    The point of all of this rant is this: Have the UoP as your last choice. But in the event that you decide you need to attend this school, do the absolute best you possibly can, so that you can defend your academic experience. And then, as quickly as possible, follow up a Bachelor's from the UoP with a Graduate degree at a better institution so that your Bachelor from the UoP gets overshadowed as quickly as possible.

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  30. I started UoP in August (online) for a BS in education degree. I work and dont really enjoy the classroom setting so that is why I picked this school because they offered my degree on line. After 7 weeks of work, studies and A's in class I ask my Financial Advisor to get me the list of the next classes i will be taking so i can have my work reimburse me, she comes back with "im confused how many classes do you want to take online?" Excuse me ah all of them as i stated, not to mention they still made me go to class for 5 weeks which i did anyways, although i asked for on line.
    Now they come back and tell me that "oh we no longer have the on line classes available for you to get your degree and you will only be certified in AZ" (I live in CO) Now why did you not tell me that in the first place if you knew that my degree is not available on line and i will not be certified in CO - I have spoken to 3 different people and not one of you decided to mention this fact to me - That is great work you do there. You motivate and then you drop me back on my ars.
    So the end as i will be looking for another school that will certify me in the state i actually live in.

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  31. WOW! Let me at my story to this growing list.

    I, too, was a working professional with VERY limited options on where and how I would complete my MBA degree. I eventually enrolled at the UoP and actually enjoyed many of the classes. I, too, was one of the least linguistically challenged in my classes so the team projects depended heavily on my leadership and skill.

    The UoP was supposed to waive QRB 501 based my passing of the placement test and other classes that I have taken to waive this class. I had no idea QRB 501 (entry level statistics) would be the death of my UoP experience.

    In my last 3 hours, my academic advisor made it clear that I had to take this class because I could not use twice a class that I had used to waive another course. So, I bit the bullet and took it.

    The first week of class I knew that I the instructor was incompetent (as the class syllabus still had INSERT _____ HERE all over it). Questions that I asked him were not answered appropriately or answered with a "tone". Finally, over half of the class dropped the class before week 2. By this time, the instructor had already scored one of my papers as a 2 out of 5. I had never made grades like this before. The second week, same grade. I perused the comments he made. None of the comments related to the syllabus. Many of his comments were based on conjecture and personal opinion. I let him know that we were not being scored on personal opinion. I had never been before and we would not start now in the final hours of my program.

    Additionally, I called my academic advisor - get this - gone on vacation until I completed the class. I wanted out of the class but the advisor assured me that we could appeal the grade at the end because doing so now would cause an undue financial hardship :: blank stare ::

    Long story short, I'm in the middle of a second appeal, I owe the University $1,000 +, and I had to relinquish a position as community college business instructor. This was the whole reason I wanted that damn MBA. I've been unemployed for 2 months (how can I pay UoP?). This has been truly been a nightmare. It would be one thing if I could speak to whomever was involved with this appeal process but they treat those people as if they are the Pope. I would like tot know who is the UoP owned by?

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  32. I'm the 'David' that posted above on September 19th.

    I was just browsing through a UoP folder I've got, from my time pursuing my BSIT degree.

    In my capstone course, the professor had discussion questions each week (as is the case for all UoP online courses). One of the students in my class submitted the following response to the week's discussion question.

    Before I post - keep in mind, this is the end of the program. Everybody in this course has essentially "earned" his/her degree.

    I read the following post and thought it PERFECTLY articulated exactly why I have as much disgust for this school as I have. I am embarrassed to have on my resume, the name of a school that allows people with the following writing competence to graduate.

    Here is a completely unaltered, unedited post, exactly as written by my fellow classmate, in that end-of-program class. I'll even post her name along with it. I saved this post because I thought it says all that really needs to be said about the quality of education one gets from this school.

    Anybody thinking about this school - consider, the following post is from somebody that succcessfully completed a Bachelor's degree from the UoP. This will be your classmate, and - even worse - the teammate you'll be carrying in every single course throughout the program:

    "What have been your most memorable and useful courses at UOP to date and why? Identify universal workplace competency skills that you believe will be needed to be successful in the workplace in the next 3-5 years. Also, identify which competencies you learned or refined during your UOP program of studies.



    (Due 2/19)



    My most memorable and useful courses at UOP it is hard because now I have to go back in memory to tried to member all incident from all of my class. I believe that everyone of my courses are useful to me except I believe GEN/300 That course was about task that I am already doing in everyday live so it did not solver any purposes to me. I started class with intimation in my head because the unknown but after that class I wonder if I had made a mistake and wonder if online class will be challenging because without a good challenge I get bored pretty quick. But boy was I wrong because after getting into my course I release that I GEN/300 was just an appetizer for what was to come. I believe the first memorable class was MTH/209 even thought I like math this was my first challenging course because I was a late learner in Algebra and I didn’t think I could keep up with learning or remembering algebra online. It was tough not being able to ask the professor question when I get stump because I didn’t know how to put the question into words. But somehow I finish the course better than I had expected. SCI/160 Life Sciences and HUM/102 Humanities are subject that is really not on my list of favorite, but doing these courses online were a great pleasure because I learn so much not only about health, but also the creativities of people. But what I enjoy the most is the timeline of what things comes about.



    I might be way off base here, but I thing that the universal workplace competency skills that will be needed to be successful in the workplace are business communication, computer skills, and mathematics. I believe that technology is very big in today and future market because most of everything that is coming out today has to do with some form of technology. Worker must be able to have good thinking skills they must be able to think creatively, makes decisions, solves problems, visualizes, and knows how to learn and reason in different areas. The one area of competency that I’ve refines at UOP is in business communication skills in the area of team work, improving my writing skills, and communication skills.


    --
    DENISE RAMSEY"

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  33. Complete diploma mill. I quit half-way through the MS in Information Systems program online because I had to admit the education is worthless.
    I had a 3.9 GPA so don't accuse me of not putting enough into the program. On second thought, please do. All I did was complete solo and LT writing assignments and make "substantive" comments in the learning forum (I kid you not; one LT member I was stuck with for two courses LITERALLY could not write beyond a third grade level and I was stuck in several other LTs where another team member and I did the vast majority of the work) and, voila! I got an 'A'!
    After hearing how a UoP degree is really not taken seriously by employers, unless your employer is simply wanting to fulfill some internal requirement that certain positions require that employees hold a degree, I decided I wouldn't waste any more time or money.
    I've seen lots of these forums and can't help but notice there are always a few who quite vehemently disagree with the majority "UOP SUCKS" opinion...the conspiracy side of me wonders if Apollo Group has spin doctors who search the web for negative comments so they can add their "positive" spin.

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    Replies
    1. Most likely that UOP has spin doctors. I wouldn't put it past them. They need to keep their money-making machine running. Disparaging reviews could hinder this process. UOP SUCKS!

      Delete
  34. David's last post completely shocked me. I had a strong feeling that UoP was questionable before I started researching it today, but this is appalling! That poor girl couldn't write a high school essay, and she is running around with a (what I now consider fake) degree!

    I really don't understand how a school like this could be considered an institution of higher education. I feel like I could learn more going back to high school than at UoP. Thank God I'm taking a different approach for my degree. My living situation requires me to look into online education as my only option of higher learning, and I plan on doing that through a real university (UMass).

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  35. David's last post is my exact experience. I am now halfway through my MBA and I'm quitting. Even with my employer paying for it, I don't want this joke of a school on my resume. I have had to carry many of my learning teams and do all of the work myself. It's almost like the "professor" looks at GPA and puts at least one ambitious person in each learning group so that the others WILL be carried.
    I recall getting some absolute crap from the other members that were at least attempting to try. Most words were misspelled with no structure at all. I even had many in the middle of a sentence put a period and move on to another topic, but they never finished the first line of thought. I trusted my learning group like an idiot one of the first classes and when we failed the assignment I realized that I had to do it all myself to get a good grade. The last class I took I got a 50 on my final exam because it was stuff we had never talked about and in chapters we didn't read. The teacher said that we all failed it and so he was going to grade on a curve and I still managed an A in that class. How do you fail an exam and still get an A? Not sure. I have seen many who I assumed were not English as a first language (or second, or third). I think my elementary school child can do better so that's why I'm quitting. Good riddance, sorry I wasted as much time as I did.

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  36. Seems like there is no shortage of complaints about UOP. They got my money and I got the debt. Well, not really much use in complaining and no use in litigation. I certainly don't want to just stew in anger. I may have found a solution. I am going to look into it. They say they can get me a degree which is what I wanted in the first place, not debt. I'll let you know how it goes. They are at unversity-of-phoenix-sucks.webs.com

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  37. James said: "If UoP is so bad then why do many fortune 500 companies like microsoft, Boeing and the government prefer their people to go to school here? Funny how that works."

    Ahahaha. No. Unless by "works," you mean "was pulled completely out of my ass."

    I worked at Microsoft for over six years, and they encouraged (and paid part of) my Master's at a brick and mortar evening program at the University of Washington. Several Boeing employees were in each of my classes with me, so I assume that was Boeing's "preference" as well.

    I can't imagine a resume with UOP as the only significant post-secondary education making it past the first level of HR's filters at a Fortune 500, let alone a Fortune 50.

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  38. UOP sucks. For all reasons already listed and one more: the Calgary, Canada office, which opened with fanfare in 2005, is now gone. No announcement, no warning, no email -- just short beeps coming from your phone. Call, for fun, (403) 538-5320. It will be worth a 3 cent investment in this long-distance call to Canada. Horrific!

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  39. UOP is a scam that prays on students who are either too stupid to get into a real school, or those of us who are intelligent and thought that the school really did provide a way for us to finish our education and fit it into our busy lives. I was one of those students, and a former employee and it was the biggest mistake of my life! The academic standards are a JOKE!

    I started my MBA there and after a few classes I realized that the information being covered was at a freshman level at best, and I knew more about the subjects than the so called instructors who were "administering" my classes. There are NO ADMISSION standards except that you have a pulse, and NO TESTING! How could you possibly measure the academic progress of the students without having exams?

    What's worse is that the few exams I did have to take online were all OPEN BOOK! I did not have to go to a testing center, and I FOUND THE ANSWERS TO EVERY QUESTION POSTED ONLINE BY SIMPLY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH!!! Also, while taking my so called "exam" I discovered that EVERY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FROM EVERY CLASS, and EVERY DEGREE PROGRAM, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE at several sites like - STUDENT OF FORTUNE (there are others)! All students have to do is pay a couple $'s and they can simply buy their homework. Meanwhile several former students are making $100,000 + selling their homework online on these sites to former students!!! And UOP actually has the nerve to publish an annual academic quality report that shows UOP students perform better than students from traditional schools! Are you kidding me, I learned more at my local community college, and that only cost me $70 a credit verses the $600 per credit I paid at UOP!

    Also, 70 percent of UOP online classes consist of doing open book "discussion questions" and classroom "participation". Participation means that you have to have an online discussion with the other mindless idiots in your class who babel on about stuff that is nowhere near relevant to the material that you are supposed to be learning, and don't even get me started on the so called "learning team" experience. What a JOKE! And to the former tech support employee above who blogged about the “value of learning teams” teaching you to work in teams, are you serious – this is a perfect example of the BRAINWASHING that UOP does to keep their employees and students quiet. Anyone who objectively can tell me that you learned anything about working with other people from your LT experience has some serious social problems to begin with. We learn these skills when we are kids, not at UOP. You LITERALLY don’t learn anything from any of these activities, and if you do want to learn anything from your classes you have to TEACH YOURSELF by reading the material and learning it YOURSELF! They don't even call their teachers "teachers" or "professors" because they don't TEACH ANYTHING! They are called "facilitators" because all they do is post the discussion questions online, and grade the fake papers that students copy and pasted from a website!

    ReplyDelete
  40. UOP is a scam that prays on students who are either too stupid to get into a real school, or those of us who are intelligent and thought that the school really did provide a way for us to finish our education and fit it into our busy lives. I was one of those students, and a former employee and it was the biggest mistake of my life! The academic standards are a JOKE!

    I started my MBA there and after a few classes I realized that the information being covered was at a freshman level at best, and I knew more about the subjects than the so called instructors who were "administering" my classes. There are NO ADMISSION standards except that you have a pulse, and NO TESTING! How could you possibly measure the academic progress of the students without having exams?

    What's worse is that the few exams I did have to take online were all OPEN BOOK! I did not have to go to a testing center, and I FOUND THE ANSWERS TO EVERY QUESTION POSTED ONLINE BY SIMPLY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH!!! Also, while taking my so called "exam" I discovered that EVERY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FROM EVERY CLASS, and EVERY DEGREE PROGRAM, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE at several sites like - STUDENT OF FORTUNE (there are others)! All students have to do is pay a couple $'s and they can simply buy their homework. Meanwhile several former students are making $100,000 + selling their homework online on these sites to former students!!! And UOP actually has the nerve to publish an annual academic quality report that shows UOP students perform better than students from traditional schools! Are you kidding me, I learned more at my local community college, and that only cost me $70 a credit verses the $600 per credit I paid at UOP!

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  41. Also, 70 percent of UOP online classes consist of doing open book "discussion questions" and classroom "participation". Participation means that you have to have an online discussion with the other mindless idiots in your class who babel on about stuff that is nowhere near relevant to the material that you are supposed to be learning, and don't even get me started on the so called "learning team" experience. What a JOKE! And to the former tech support employee above who blogged about the “value of learning teams” teaching you to work in teams, are you serious – this is a perfect example of the BRAINWASHING that UOP does to keep their employees and students quiet. Anyone who objectively can tell me that you learned anything about working with other people from your LT experience has some serious social problems to begin with. We learn these skills when we are kids, not at UOP. You LITERALLY don’t learn anything from any of these activities, and if you do want to learn anything from your classes you have to TEACH YOURSELF by reading the material and learning it YOURSELF! They don't even call their teachers "teachers" or "professors" because they don't TEACH ANYTHING! They are called "facilitators" because all they do is post the discussion questions online, and grade the fake papers that students copy and pasted from a website!

    ReplyDelete
  42. My short time as a UOP enrollment counselor was among the lowest points in my life. I hated the job from day one, but my wife wasn't working at the time, and I was trying to start my business, so I stayed there for a year until she started working. To anyone who I actually enrolled in that scam, I am truly SORRY, and I want to tell you the truth now, so that others can be spared from wasting a tremendous amount of time and money.

    First of all the employees are ALL BRAINWASHED from DAY #1. They are told that they are "changing lives", and that is not a lie, however, they are not changing lives for the good, instead they are RUINING LIVES by saddling students with WORTHLESS DEGREES and DEBT that they will never be able to repay! While I was there I was told by a regional vice president that were TARGETED BLACKS & HISPANICS, ESPECIALLY SINGLE MOTHERS BECAUSE THAT WAS ARE TARGET AUDIENCE!!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but it was true, since I soon realized that these individuals made up 70% of the student population in Florida. They also preyed on INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS and new PERMANENT RESIDENTS who were new to this country and didn't know any better, and FORMER CONVICTS WHO WERE RECRUITED STRAIGHT OUT OF PRISON!!! They taught us to "PROBE FOR A STUDENTS MOTIVATION" and make the "FEEL THE PAIN of NOT HAVING A DEGREE" (basically guilt them into going to school or make them feel like a loser). They also taught us to build "RAPPORT" with potential students so that they would "TRUST" us. Each employee was required to meet their "QUOTA" of students or face a decrease in salary or termination - EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS AN ILLEGAL PRACTICE, they got around the rules by saying that this was not the sole basis of compensation. However, 2 former UOP employees recently were awarded an "undisclosed amount" of money in a lawsuit that they files regarding this practice of pay for enrollments. They also required us to bring in at least 8 referrals a month, and retain 80% of our students past the second course. Anyone who didn't meat these standards were met with swift and severe punishment and humiliation. Managers and directors were always quick to say that it was all about the #'s and brag about all the money that we were making. (I could go on forever about the disgusting business practices used at this school, but I'll save that all for another post).

    ReplyDelete
  43. My short time as a UOP enrollment counselor was among the lowest points in my life. I hated the job from day one, but my wife wasn't working at the time, and I was trying to start my business, so I stayed there for a year until she started working. To anyone who I actually enrolled in that scam, I am truly SORRY, and I want to tell you the truth now, so that others can be spared from wasting a tremendous amount of time and money.

    First of all the employees are ALL BRAINWASHED from DAY #1. They are told that they are "changing lives", and that is not a lie, however, they are not changing lives for the good, instead they are RUINING LIVES by saddling students with WORTHLESS DEGREES and DEBT that they will never be able to repay! While I was there I was told by a “regional vice president” that were TARGETED BLACKS & HISPANICS, ESPECIALLY SINGLE MOTHERS BECAUSE THAT WAS ARE TARGET AUDIENCE!!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but it was true, since I soon realized that these individuals made up 70% of the student population in Florida.

    ReplyDelete
  44. They also preyed on INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS and new PERMANENT RESIDENTS who were new to this country and didn't know any better, and FORMER CONVICTS WHO WERE RECRUITED STRAIGHT OUT OF PRISON!!! They taught us to "PROBE FOR A STUDENTS MOTIVATION" and make the "FEEL THE PAIN of NOT HAVING A DEGREE" (basically guilt them into going to school or make them feel like a loser). They also taught us to build "RAPPORT" with potential students so that they would "TRUST" us. Each employee was required to meet their "QUOTA" of students or face a decrease in salary or termination - EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS AN ILLEGAL PRACTICE, they got around the rules by saying that this was not the sole basis of compensation. However, 2 former UOP employees recently were awarded an "undisclosed amount" of money in a lawsuit that they files regarding this practice of pay for enrollments. They also required us to bring in at least 8 referrals a month, and retain 80% of our students past the second course. Anyone who didn't meat these standards were met with swift and severe punishment and humiliation. Managers and directors were always quick to say that it was all about the #'s and brag about all the money that we were making. (I could go on forever about the disgusting business practices used at this school, but I'll save that all for another post).

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  45. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART AND SHOULD BE READ VERY CAREFULLY BY ANYONE WHO HATES THIS ORGANIZATION AS MUCH AS ME -

    UOP also engaged in unethical and ILLEGAL practices when it came to the handling of students FINANCIAL AID! The Stafford Loan program is the LIFEBLOOD of UOP and without it they would be out of business quickly because none of their students could afford their ridiculous tuition costs. The government has a rule called the COHORT DEFAULT RULE that states that a schools students "DEFAULT RATE" cannot go above a certain level (%) or that school would not be eligible to receive FEDERAL AID ANYMORE. THIS WOULD PUT UOP OUT OF BUSINESS INSTANTLY! Since UOP has NO ADMISSION STANDARDS (doesn't even verify high school diplomas in most cases) and their DEGREES ARE WORTHLESS the VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR STUDENTS DON"T GRADUATE, and CAN"T PAY BACK THEIR HUGE LOANS, so THEY DEFAULT... UOP knows this and so they have to engage in the deceptive and hopefully soon to be illegal practice of - RETURNING THE STUDENTS FUNDS TO THE LENDER.

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  46. THIS IS IMPORTANT - if a student takes out financial aid to pay for school they are entering into a contract between themselves (student) and the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (through Stafford Loans). The contract says that the student does not have to start paying back their loans until 6 months from their last date of attendance. HOWEVER, UOP INTERFERES WITH THIS CONTRACT and SENDS STUDENT FUNDS BACK TO THE LENDER, AND THEN TRY TO COLLECT DIRECTLY FROM THE STUDENT in 30 DAYS.

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  47. FOR EXAMPLE - a student starts a UOP class like GEN/200, student realizes that the school is shit or fails the class and wants to withdraw after this course. They currently owe UOP $1500 for the class, WHICH IS COVERED BY FINANCIAL AID. Once they withdraw they should have 6 months to start making payments, and only have to pay $50 a month, per the federal guidelines. HOWEVER, UOP knows that there is a GREAT CHANCE that this student will DEFAULT ON THIS LOAN, because they have no means to pay it back, so UOP WILL INTERFERE WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STUDENT AND THE GOVERNMENT AND SEND THE FUNDS BACK TO THE GOVERNMENT ON THE STUDENTS BEHALF!!!!! Stop and think about that for a moment, UOP is interfering as a 3rd party in a relationship between the student & government. SINCE THE GOVERNMENT NOW HAS THEIR MONEY BACK THIS STUDENT DOES NOT COUNT AGAINST UOP's DEFAULT RATE!!! UOP then harrassess the student relentlessly and sends their bill collectors after them, they threaten the student by telling them that they have ONLY 30 DAYS TO PAY IN FULL!!!! Verses the 6 month grace period and $50/month agreement they have with the government. IF THE STUDENT DOES NOT PAY IN 30 DAYS THEY ARE TURNED INTO THE COLLECTION AGENCY WHO ALSO HARASSES THE STUDENT AND RUINS THE STUDENTS CREDIT! UOP knows that they will collect very little of this money EVER, but they are willing to accept this small loss because THEY MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY BY KEEPING THEIR FINANCIAL AID (TITLE IV) STATUS!

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  48. If they did not return this money to the lender, and take a financial loss they would have been out of business decades ago!!! Think about that they actually knowingly take a loss from 100,000+ students a year, because they are making SO MUCH MORE MONEY FROM EVERYONE ELSE!!!

    There is currently a "class action" lawsuit that was filed by several UOP students in Arkansas regarding this practice of returning money to the lender. However, UOP lawyers will draw this case out for a decade just like they did with the "pay for enrollment case" which was originally filed in 2001.

    We should all work together and contact our CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS and urge them to crackdown on this illegal (and unethical) practice, and ENFORCE THE COHORT DEFAULT RULE, and put UOP out of business. Or if too many UOP students default on their loans Congress would have no choice to put them out of business as well.

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  49. Speaking of UOP's business do any of you realize how much money this company has made from ripping off students for decades? Currently UOP's founder Dr. John Sperling is worth over $6 BILLION DOLLARS! Please do some research on this man, he is pure evil. Also their executives currently make over $5 million each, and receive $100's of millions in stock options! BTW, UOP executives were also involved in a stock options "backdating" scandal several years ago, you can find info on the internet.

    This company makes $5 BILLION a year in revenues, currently has $1.2 BILLION in CASE on the balance sheet, a 45% return on equity, and a gross operating margin of 65%!!!!

    For those of you who aren't finance majors let me tell you that there are probably less than 0.05% of all major companies in America with those kinds of profit #'s and they aren't happy with those! WHAT OTHER UNIVERSITY IS MAKING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR? MOST "REAL" SCHOOLS HAVE TO RELY ON DONATIONS, BOOSTERS, ALUMNI, AND GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE JUST TO MAKE PAYROLL!!! UOP is making billions because they are overcharging for an inferior product, not paying their employees, not hiring real professors, and not providing any sort of VALUE AT ALL in their education.

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  50. I PROPOSE A CAMPAIGN TO SHUT DOWN UOP ONCE AND FOR ALL. The stock APOL is down 60% this year because of government pressure and articles and undercover investigations which have exposed the university for the fraud that it is. Congress is currently debating legislation (gainful employment laws) that will take affect next year, HOWEVER UOP has BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND THEY WON"T GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. THEY HAVE HIRE an ARMY OF WASHINGTON LOBBYIEST TO PAY OFF AND BRIBE CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS TO WATERDOWN THIS BILL. WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN.

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  51. I PROPOSE STARTING A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT USES SOCIAL MEDIA & THE INTERNET TO PUT PRESSURE ON CONGRESS TO FIND THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS SO CALLED SCHOOL AND TAKE AWAY THEIR TITLE IV STATUS, SO THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO "CHANGE LIVES" for the WORSE ANYMORE! I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO TRY TO EDUCATE AS MANY UOP STUDENTS AS POSSIBLE - SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THE TRUTH!!! IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN JOINING ME FOR SUCH AN ENDEAVOR PLEASE RESPOND ANONYMOUSLY ON THIS BLOG AND WE CAN GO FROM THERE.

    UOP CURRENTLY HAS OVER 400,000 VICTIMS (STUDENTS) AND AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH, I FEEL THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO EXPOSE THEM SO THAT THE NEXT 400,000 STUDENTS ARE NOT TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.

    ALSO AS A US TAXPAYER I DON'T WANT THIS SCAM TO KEEP RECEIVING $5 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR OF MY TAX MONEY. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE WILLING TO HELP.

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  52. It is very simple. UOP is a for profit publicly traded company, and as a result they are only concerned about making wall street happy. A school should put students first no share holders.

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  53. I made the mistake of getting a BS from University of Phoenix in 2007. Not only is it the most embarrassing point of conversation you can ever imagine ("So where did you go to school???") but it's actually harder to get hired with a UOP degree than no degree at all. I was going to go to grad school and try to eclipse the degree but I realized this wouldn't solve my problem at all. I want this degree out of my life...like it never happened. So I decided to actually get a second (or as far as the rest of the world is concerned, *first*) Bachelor degree in Computer Science. I'll worry about a Master degree once I have cleansed my system of UOP completely.

    Honestly, to anyone actually thinking of attending this school: do your homework for a few months before you enroll in school. Don't make the same mistake as all of us. Let UOP exist for the sole purpose of "educating" people who couldn't make it at any other university. That's nothing to be ashamed of...I'm glad those people can get degrees as well. I'm just pissed that I got tricked into attending classes with them and finishing all of their assignments after using all of my cryptology skills to try to decipher their incoherent essay submissions.

    There are so many excellent school offering online degrees. Amusingly, they are all far less expensive than UOP. I had no excuse for not doing my research back in 2004 when I enrolled. I was careless and I paid the price. It didn't concern me as much because my employer just wanted me to obtain a degree and they were flipping the bill so I just randomly chose UOP and their most useless undergrad program (BS Business/Finance).

    If you're looking to get an online degree I would suggest the following:

    Avoid "for profit" schools.

    Avoid schools that advertise during daytime television.

    Make sure the school is REGIONALLY accredited (not "nationally" accredited).

    If you are going for an MBA, do yourself a favor and choose a program that is AACSB accredited. As a general rule, any school that waves the GMAT is not AACSB accredited.

    Search the rankings on US News and see where the school stands nationally or regionally.

    Do tons of research by entering phrases like "is xyz a good school", "xyz computer science online program", etc. Search sites like degreeinfo for topics about schools you're interested in.

    Compare the program you're interested in with similar programs in Tier 1 schools. Are they similar? If yes, that's a good sign. If it looks like your potential program resembles a Girl Scout's version, that's a bad sign.

    Be honest with your reasons for getting a degree and ask yourself why you are choosing your major. If you have trouble answering this, you need to think a little longer about which path to take.

    Good luck to everyone. I honestly don't think UOP will be around much longer. With the types of people they sign up & force to take FAFSA, it doesn't take a genius to see that no one will be able to pay the government back. The UOP degree is actually a hinderence in the job market, which means these people will never make any money, which means a new financial crisis is on the horizon. When that happens, the government is going to body slam these for-profit schools for their enrollment tactics. Save yourself the embarrassment, just go somewhere else.

    Later.

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  54. This University needs to be shut down! They commit fraud daily, money extortion, misues of federal grants and loans, the number of complaints and lawsuits are unreal!!! We need to do something to stop them, Class A lawsuit or something! They have stolen money from students and then tried to bill the student for the money they stole, they bill students for classes they never took, if this continues our federal funds will be gone and future generations will not be able to attend college!

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  55. I have completed 6 classes and am supposed to start 7 & 8 on 3/7/11 and I just don't want to go back. What happeneds if I don't log in and just don't go back. Will I have to pay the loans back right away in a lump sum? When I signed up for UoP in May of 2010 the EC said classes were 8hundred and something then when I actually started they charged me 1150 per class. I was told the program would cost 9500.00, but that was just for 1/2 the classes needed to get my AA in business. Of course after I was enrolled and committed to the loans my EC quit. I don't want to continue, but can't afford to pay back a $8500 loan right now.

    ReplyDelete
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  57. Signing up for The University of Phoenix is quite possibly one of my biggest mistakes.... or even THE biggest mistake I have ever made. I don't even know where to start with my complaints. I was excited at first because I am a single mom who works full time and attending a physical campus was difficult for me. Then I started the classes and noticed that UOP apparently accepts all applications. The group discussion were a joke, these poor people couldn't even spell and were going for a Bachelors in Psychology? I didn't learn a thing and now I am in debt with student loans for about 20k... not to mention the fact that UOP is coming after me for another 3k. They were paid by my loans but apparently they want to be paid full price for the classes I dropped.... even though I filled out the AWTC form to transfer credit! I filed a claim with the BBB which got me nowhere. So now my credit is going to be ruined, I owe 20k in student loans, I will be sued by UOP for the other 3k, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing... unless you count the stress and headaches this has caused. UOP is only about money and not at all about educating their students. Please do yourself and your bank account a favor and look elsewhere for your education!

    ReplyDelete
  58. All your posts are making me very scared. Will other online schools credit my courses from UOP if I move to their school? I have been trying call my academic rep. but no response yet. Any advice? Thanks.
    VG

    ReplyDelete
  59. ^^ Since UOP is (surprisingly) regionally accredited, most other online schools will accept credits from them. As long as the classes you took match the criteria of the class you are trying to replace with transfer credits, you should be fine. If the school believes that UOP classes are inferior (which they mostly are), then the worst case scenario is that the classes will only transfer in as electives.

    ReplyDelete
  60. UoP is a horrendous school with awful teachers and stupid students. I enrolled in 2007 for a MBA and quit after taking 5 classes on campus because I couldn't stand the "learining" teams and the worthless information I was "learning". However, I am in the military and I have to have a Masters to be competitive for promotion. So in 2010, I enrolled again, this time online and have 3 classes left before getting a MBA. I still feel exactly the same way as I did before. I hate myself for subjecting myself to this stupid school. But it was the fastest way I could get a degree and I don't have to pay for it. Uncle Sam is paying with my GI bill. I wish the government would wise up and stop letting people obtain government aid to attend. If that was the case UoP would either go bankrupt or become a real school. Until that time, I tell everyone DO NOT attend this school unless someone else is paying for it AND you have no other choice due to work and life demands. If you really care about education, your sanity, and yourself, attend a real school and stop making UoP a multi-billion dollar company.

    ReplyDelete
  61. UOP is my visual nightmare everday, I live 1 block away. I started in 2009 with a hope of earning my MBA degree. I only ended up with frustration, hatred and being ridiculed by the professors and faculty of this establishment. I am now $18k in debt and no degree. They claim they are monitored by Federal Standards for lending however, the reality, the protection ensures them a luxurious building and the few who work there a comfortable salary w/o any work being put forth to earn it.

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  62. I find some of the complaints valid and some a little exaggerated. If you want to learn, you can learn a lot by applying yourself. Buy a book on the subject outside of the class text and engage your fellow students in dialogue, discussion, and critical thinking. I find that different courses have different sets of students with different backgrounds and skill sets. Some courses may have more educated students than others. It's the luck of the draw. I do not find that the courses are any less structured or beneficial than that of a community college or University of California. They are about the same.

    The prices are out of hand and I think UOP may get into trouble with the federal government for charging such high prices. There is no doubt in my mind that the number of students who default on these loans will continue to rise and force an investigation into why UOP charged so much and for what?

    As we have seen over the weekend, the online classrooms don't even work and students are unable to turn in their assignments or log into new classrooms. You would think with the high prices UOP would have this figured out... apparently not.

    My advice for current students: Drop out and become the next Mark Zuckerberg or stick it out until you have completed your degree. It's better than nothing. Most employers just want to see that you have a degree. Only if you are interviewing at very bourgeoisie companies will they scoff at your degree. Don't put on your resume where you earned the degree. Ultimately, the employer is going to hire you based on your personality, social skills, and whether or not he/she thinks you can do the job. Your resume just gets you in the door. The rest is up to you. Sell it! Be confident! Excel!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Look U of P is a fraud, a joke. A money making machine for the owners and nothing else.

      Do you really think that Employers don't care where you got your degree from. One of the requirements for getting many jobs is an education verification. Why do employers recruit at major universities and not U of P.

      Even you think U of P sucks since you seem to advise people not to put that they went there on their resumee.

      Delete
  63. I "attended" 7 online courses at UOP, and at the beginning, they gave me a refund of excess financial aid of $1009.00. Before the eighth class, they sent me a bill for $1507.00. So, at that point I took an academic leave and began to research UOP. I found many blogs like this that say they are swindlers and their degrees are worth nothing. So, I dropped. I started with local community college, and transferred to a CSU. Unfortunately, the College of Business would not accept my credits, because UOP has such a minimal accreditation. So, I now have $10,000 of debt that was all for naught. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saying "minimal accreditation" is like saying "dryer water"- makes as much sense. Do your research.
      UOP has regional accreditation.

      Delete
    2. Just because a school has accreditation does not mean that other colleges have to accept course work done there. You will find that very few universities accept U of P course work.

      Delete
  64. Oh where to begin? I guess I'll start with their "academic policies." Approaching the final week of a class, I had a %100.
    I turned in my final project a week early. While I was posting my final assignment, the UOP servers kept going down. Finally, it showed my post and I signed off. As I got my grade, I was dropped to a C-. Why? The server error made my document drop and I was given zero credit.
    Why didn't the "instructor" say "Hey, you know that final assignment you posted a WEEK early? ya its, blank, please repost."
    I petitioned that given the technical error beyond my control, my performance to that point and the instructor never letting me know my file was corrupt, that I be allowed to have my final project to be given credit.
    NOPE!
    UOP has a very strict policy about not accepting work after the class ended.
    EVEN IF THEY ADMIT IT'S THERE FAULT!!! Which Dianne Ellison admitted in my denial letter. WTF?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You deserve the grade just for being over 15 and not knowing how to use basic grammar, i .e. there vs. their.

      Delete
    2. Every online school has strict policies regarding turning in final assignments. ALL OF THEM. CSU-Global does allow you to request an incomplete to give you a little more time to finish your assignment. But if you do that, you shouldn't begin your next track because you will be behind on your first week that will domino into upcoming weeks. Probably take a serious amount of time to catch up. They also have an assignment grace period. If I recall UoP had it too. I can't remember. But NO GRACE PERIOD for finals. Never Ever. It is always your responsibility to make sure your papers are in and the system worked because computers are fallible.

      Delete
  65. I dropped out after finishing a semester. They sent back the funds and now they have some FMS company calling me saying I agreed to some private debt with UOP. All of my classes and books were supposedly covered by the financial aid. Now they want 300 a month for over a year to cover some private debt I never agreed to to pay for some classes I dropped out before taking and supposedly failed. I never failed a class while there.

    ReplyDelete
  66. They supposedly sent the funds back to DCS and I haven't even been gone for 3 months and they are already hounding me for some money I never knew I had to pay just for dropping out. I've dropped out of school before and never had this happen.

    ReplyDelete
  67. i have to pay my loans but this is a weird thing not related to loans.

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  68. Perhaps there are other similar stories that others would like to share?

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  69. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  70. I received my BS in Business Administration in 2008. I now have a piece of paper hanging on my wall and a $28K debt. Currently jobs are stating "Degrees/credits must be from an academically accredited college or university as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) or the Council for Higher Education (CHEA)." to eliminate candidates from diploma mill universities. Thanks UOP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You, obviously, have not learned much at all. UOP is regionally accredited. Department of Education does not accredit schools. HLC does.

      Delete
    2. University of Phoenix is REGIONALLY ACCREDITED through the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission. This meets the DOE (Dept of Education's) standards. if you are having problems getting a job it is NOT because of UOP's accreditation. Do some more research.

      Delete
  71. So what on-line university would you attend for an MBA degree?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MBA degrees at UOP are sufficient. You can, also, try ASU.

      Delete
  72. I went there for a BSN and dropped out after the third class..they suck and should be ashamed to collect a paycheck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great post! Full of detailed examples and explanations.
      Congrats, drop out!

      Delete
  73. I am very sorry for those who have had a negative UOP experience. I heaned a BSM at UOP and I am currently a grad student. I have had no problems communicating with facilitators or advisors and I was able to transfer previously earned credits to UOP. I am working very hard to maintain my 3.86 GPA, it is not easy. I like UOP and I am even thinking of earning a doctorate there.

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  74. I would have to agree with you UOP LifeLongLearner. I have enjoyed my experience with Phoenix and have not have any problems either. I am currently in the last week of class before obtaining my Associate's degree and plan on pursuing my Bachelor's. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but some of these stories are obsurd.

    ReplyDelete
  75. I love this, but it only scratches the surface, it’s all about money with the Phoenix http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Phoenix-Sucks/551180178229244

    ReplyDelete
  76. I am an instructor at UOP and as such, I don't have knowledge of some of the financial matters written about in this blog -- so I won't speak to those, except to say, UOP has a tremendously high dropout rate, enrolls a lot of people who probably shouldn't be going to college (aren't prepared to do the work; are not academically qualified to do the work; really don't have any interest in academic studies), and is tremendously expensive, even if you do graduate.

    As a faculty member, I (and others with whom I have spoken) have been harassed for giving too much feedback to students -- that is, giving detailed feedback, rather than a kind of fill-in-the-blank feedback form; I have been criticized and reprimanded for bringing original material into class (that is, "adding value" of my own experience and study); while I hear stories of other instructors not giving feedback for whole weeks and weeks, I have again received a 'world of hurt' for being one day late on a grade for a credit/no-credit assignment. When a professor notes that UOP doesn't allow 'make-up' or late assignments, he or she is being truthful ... that is company policy and woe to the faculty member who offers leniency, whatever the reason.

    I have heard from countless students that they have the impression that instructors do not read their papers, but just 'check them off,' (though this has long been a student complaint, even at the best of schools). Whereas, some of the more diligent instructors complain that they are punished for spending too much time grading papers.

    In its attempt to upgrade the quality of its doctoral work, the University has instituted a blind review system, which has resulted in doctoral candidates spending a year in a series of the most petty and picayune "corrections" and adjustments to their dissertations, some of which have reversed previous petty and picayune "corrections." (By contrast, I received my doctorate from a Tier 1 university, and after my committee approved and passed my dissertation, it was subject to one review, which focused mostly on technical issues.)


    The quality of instructor varies -- UOP has long 'sold' itself as the home of practitioner-scholars ... the faculty members are not "mere" academics, but are actually "out there" in the "real" world, doing the stuff that students want to and need to learn. The problem with this is many instructors spend the greater part of the class telling "war stories," rather than in explaining the material. They do this because they are not really teachers or scholars.

    In regards to the opacity of the organization (can't talk to anyone except your immediate academic adviser), this is true for faculty as well. I have never had a clear idea who to contact if I have a problem or issue. It's like working for the people who run "Mission Impossible" ... you get a message one day ... "Your assignment, should you chose to accept it ..." (Though I will say that this is more true of the online environment; I at least know the name of the Dean and the coordinator at the local campus where I teach.)

    Lastly, I have known some dedicated instructors who have thrown up their hands at the impossibility of teaching at the university and maintaining integrity.

    I would definitely not recommend UOP to anyone - you can get a much better education at a much more reasonable price elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
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  78. I worked for them for a short time. They are nothing but a diploma mill. They go after prospective new students like a used car salesman---in your face intimidation till you crack and buy their worthless product. The company shouldn't even exist. They were in big trouble during the 2000's when Bush was President for cheating the Education department out of billions of dollars. Investors were making big bucks off of tax payers. That's why nothing ever came of the justice departments inquiry into their financial trickery. Wall street and the Bush regime were in co-hoots fleecing the tax payers every chance they got. Little has changed.

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  79. This article sheds light on the recruitment/enrollment practices of University of Phoenix. The practices sound reprehensible. Young people and working adults are constantly being told that education is the key to a better life and a better future (which is true). However corporate interests are now exploiting the situation by getting students, some of whom are not prepared for college, to get into their low standard, for profit institutions for the sole purpose of adding to the bottom line. But that is not the whole story. The author makes no mention of the quality of education provided at University of Phoenix or any other for-profit university. Some of these students are prepared, are doing the work, and getting the education they need. There are plenty of students at not-for-profit schools that are getting government loans and flunking out, using the loan money to buy a car, etc. The recruitment may be suspect but what about the quality of education. And please, if you have never attended one of these schools then do us a favor and keep quiet.Read about For-Profit College Enrollment Falling As Companies Close Locations

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  80. Please everyone who is thinking about going to the UofP and is unemployed in the Michigan do not attend this college or what ever they want to call it. They may say they work with the Michigan Works programs but they do not. They will not return e-mails to verify any information. I an unemployed and told them that I would not attend if they did not particpate with the programs offered by the state to pay for college. Ryan Cook the admissions person said it would not be a problem and even called Michigan Works to tell the people there it would be ok. Well 2 weeks into my 3rd class GUESS what nope they are not and never planned on it. So here I am stuck with a bill from UofP and I have no way to pay for it. Where is the class action law suit lawyers that want to win a case??
    Read about Fraud by University Owner Is Found

    ReplyDelete
  81. I had zero problems with Axia/UoP. That was in 2008. Maybe things have changed. The truth is that you have to work VERY hard to feel like you are getting something out of it. Perhaps it's because I am a writer and love research and writing quality papers. The other fact is that the students in my class seemed to have never graduated high school...dumb as rocks. Their DQ responses lacked substance and were ridiculous. I was so frustrated. I felt that I was the only one with substantial posts (over 300 words), that nobody responded to. If they did, they were meaningless. Responses such as, "I agree" were laughable.

    When I needed help from instructors I called them and they answered. I had one instructor help me for an hour trying to find info on El Salvador. Searching for it just as El Salvador comes up nothing. We were perplexed. Then she tried a search for Central American and there it was! Who knew! Didn't make sense but it was what it was.

    Almost all of my credits were transferrable to Pepperdine University. I wound up not going to the Graziado School of Management because the tuition for the entire program was $60,000. Math definitely didn't transfer. California has strict policies about math and college admission. Had nothing to do with Axia.

    After a hiatus from school, I decided to come back and go to Colorado State University-Global Campus. Just as Pepperdine, CSU-Global rejected my math credits. Colorado's math standards are not as strict but I can't complain, I suck at math. Nevertheless, let me tell you that the CSU-Global platform (they use Blackboard) and campus portal doesn't hold a candle to UoP. Let me tell you that I still use the Center for Writing Excellence and the citation generator because CSU-GC does not have these, or any valuable tools to enhance the writing process. All they have is Turn-It In for students. No grammar checker. Just incase you didn't know, if you are a graduate, you can continue using the campus portal and all its resources forever. Thank God I can still use it because it has proven to be a valuable tool in my current situation.

    Now, I started bachelors at UoP but hated the team requirement. Hated it! I don't like depending on other people and their repulsive grammar added to a paper with my name on it. One girl was so controlling that we engaged in quite a verbal battle. I'm pretty easy going and accommodating but this woman was an ass. She thought she had organizational skills because she was a manager at some important company. Feh, they sucked. When it was my turn, I came up with a system that any dumbass could understand. It was necessary. I showed her what organizational skills was all about. After one term I wound up leaving, mostly for health reasons but the team requirement had a lot to do with it.

    It was expensive but it was a better alternative to sitting in a classroom with a bunch of disrespectful prick 18-20 sum -things in a community college for 16 weeks, after work. The last thing I needed was to deal with punk a-holes after a long day at work. I was tired and wanted to be home with my animals that were being neglected due to my absence.

    My experience was great, and any help I needed was addressed. So, I don't know what is wrong with all of you. Maybe you just didn't get it.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I've read enough and I didn't get halfway down the page. I was interested in attending the school but after reading this page and others like it, I have decided against it. But what has made my decision even more clear are the constant negative rude replies from what seem like UOPs goons. "Grow up people" and "Babbacock" just to name two. I am shocked to hear all these terrible stories. I wish luck to you all.

    ReplyDelete
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  91. My sister went to a private college. While I was getting my AA in Psychology from UoP, she implied that my education will only be as good as the credentials needed to be admitted. I was rather insulted, because I had been attending for a while. I finished my 2 year program in 25 months, only because I took a month off when my mother caught leukemia. I was a stellar student and finished with a 3.88. I was not penalized when I withdrew because I was "a stellar student". So UoP did not charge me for the weeks of the uncompleted course. I finished in 2012. Yes, my debt was 30,000 after 2 years as well. But I did take out extra in loans to supplement my income. I considered being a student my second job, since I was getting my GI Bill benefits paid to me. I might have paid them to UoP or on my loans, but why?? When my fulltime job pays less than $20,000 a year and I am solely responsible for two children and the head of the household??

    2016 I am enrolled at UoP again. My first experience was not bad. Although, sometimes I questioned if the facilitator even read my assignments. And sometimes I was certain up to 60% of my peers were copying and pasting from somewhere.

    I have 40 credits to go and the first two classes are extremely disappointing. The students are disappointing. The textbooks are the most elementary level; these are 300 classes! Within the first two weeks back, my enrollment advisor was super rude and unprofessional when he responded to an email of concern with an unsupportive one word answer. I asked for his supervisor and got a new one. She seems great on the surface, but I know she is serving the UoP industrial complex. I have been bullied by team members in manners which resemble high school cyber bullies. The immaturity and passive-aggressive communication displayed is simply unacceptable. A team member stated to me privately that in the previous class with him, his sexism was quite apparent in his posts. My EA states she will submit my screenshots for review by student affairs. We shall see. It seems I have to dumb down anything I post, otherwise no one replies. I figure they do not want to think about the topics that deeply and prefer to regurgitate the text or c&p some other source. These students in these 300 classes do not understand that a Poweroint slide is a visual outline of the speaker notes, which is where the real information is. But when I point this out, I get ignored. They do not seem to know how to cite anything. I have even seen some people try to cite wikipedia. At least find something with .org, .edu, or .gov! I really think my sister was right and what maybe she was trying to say was that I can do better, that I am capable of a respectable and well-earned degree. Not one that I coast through because my standards are higher than that of the school.

    ReplyDelete
  92. It saddens me to read these posts. I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a 4.0 GPA in computer science. I worked really hard for my degree. I admit that you will only get what you put into the program, so you have to be a self motivated/determined individual to survive here. Since I wanted to get everything I could out of the program to advance myself in terms of business and technical acumen, I studied hard, went the extra mile on all of my papers, and was the lead in all of my learning teams to leave nothing to chance. I admit many students did not pull there weight in the learning teams, and I would have to rewrite entire sections of the paper, and if someone worked for me like that on a project team in the real world I would have them fired, but it only made me a stronger student and I learned even more from the assignments. I also learned that you can find other like minded students and ask to be paired with them in your learning teams, which made my final year much easier. If you expect someone to hold your hand through the IT program it may not be the right learning environment for you. On the other hand the course material is excellent, so if you do the readings and assignments and work hard, you will do well and will graduate knowing as much as anyone I have encountered in my field (I have worked in IT for over 15 years). After I graduated I obtained a Masters Degree from the University of Southern California to add additional credibility to my name and personal brand. I now work as an IT executive so stop wining and make something of yourself and stop blaming other people for your shortcomings.
    Best,
    Brian

    ReplyDelete