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Education/tuition advice please?

MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
edited June 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
So I've been attending an online school for the past year. AS in IT, maybe continuing on for a BA. It's brick/mortar and is locally and nationally accredited with degrees available at the Master's level. A friend of mine got her Master's in Nursing there after attending a brick/mortar school and is making a lot of money now, but I'm a little nervous. I recognized going into it that the tuition was quite high. The cost of an associate's degree is going to end up being around 30K. That's high, very high when compared to a 10-15k cost at a local community/state college. The curriculum and teaching is merely adequate, and sometimes I'm left feeling a little under-taught. I'm a good student, have a 3.6 GPA. I'm thinking about transferring, but only a handful of my courses are eligible, about half.

My question is, should I saddle myself with what will be an essential $7500 (15K total, 7500 = estimated half the value of my transferred credits) dollar loan with nothing to show for it simply to move schools? Or should I stick it out and get my associate's degree, and move to another school afterwards? I may end up having to do portions of my degree again anyway?

MindLib on

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    ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited June 2011
    I think it matters whether or not you want to do a BA, so you need to decide that. It's a very different game transfering in individual courses and credits vs. transfering in your AS. Many schools will give you a set amount of credit for a previously earned degree and not nitpick at whether or not they'll accept every individual course, so if you definitely want to go for a BA and don't want to redo a bunch of credits, it might be worthwhile to stick this out.

    If you definitely don't want to do a BA, that changes and becomes more dependent upon what exactly the physically-present schools near you will accept, what tuition is per credit/full-time, and if you would plan on going part- or full-time.

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
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    MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    ceres wrote: »
    I think it matters whether or not you want to do a BA, so you need to decide that. It's a very different game transferring in individual courses and credits vs. transferring in your AS. Many schools will give you a set amount of credit for a previously earned degree and not nitpick at whether or not they'll accept every individual course, so if you definitely want to go for a BA and don't want to redo a bunch of credits, it might be worthwhile to stick this out.

    If you definitely don't want to do a BA, that changes and becomes more dependent upon what exactly the physically-present schools near you will accept, what tuition is per credit/full-time, and if you would plan on going part- or full-time.

    Yes, I'm going to go for a BA. My worry was that transferring would be essentially the same result whether or not I had the degree. Is it really the case that other schools will probably accept the AS after I grad. and allow me to move on to complete my BA without issue? If that's the case then sticking it out may be the best option. I'm just really regretting not doing more research about tuition before I'd begun.

    In the long run, though, the difference in my monthly student-loan bill would be marginal. http://apps.collegeboard.org/fincalc/sla.jsp

    I calculated that if I switch now my bill would be around $305.00 a month (estimating having to do about half my credits over). If I stick it out and finish, then switch, my bill would be about $390.00. Both are under the recommended 15% of a projected starting income of $35,000 a year, which is conservative.

    MindLib on
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    SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I would call the place you are thinking of transferring and see if they will do a transfer audit on your courses. Working at a large public institution I can tell you here, your AS doesn't mean crap. We will look at each course individually. And if your school happens to rhyme with Booniversity of Heonix, you can bet that majority of courses will only count for credit and not to satisfy actual course requirements, so the more courses you take there before finding this stuff out, the bigger chance that when you transfer you will actually be behind, not ahead.

    Also, if there is a way for you to get your degree that ISN'T from an online university, or a university primarily identified as online, you should do your best to do so.

    Sentry on
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    KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    30K for an associates? Fuck, that's highway robbery.

    Kyougu on
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    MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Sentry wrote: »
    I would call the place you are thinking of transferring and see if they will do a transfer audit on your courses. Working at a large public institution I can tell you here, your AS doesn't mean crap. We will look at each course individually. And if your school happens to rhyme with Booniversity of Heonix, you can bet that majority of courses will only count for credit and not to satisfy actual course requirements, so the more courses you take there before finding this stuff out, the bigger chance that when you transfer you will actually be behind, not ahead.

    Also, if there is a way for you to get your degree that ISN'T from an online university, or a university primarily identified as online, you should do your best to do so.

    South University Online is the name of the school. So you recommend just transferring now and biting the bullet?

    MindLib on
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Kyougu wrote: »
    30K for an associates? Fuck, that's highway robbery.

    This needs to be plastered all over the fucking internet.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    bowen wrote: »
    Kyougu wrote: »
    30K for an associates? Fuck, that's highway robbery.

    This needs to be plastered all over the fucking internet.

    I could get two BAs at my local state school for that much.

    Esh on
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    MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    bowen wrote: »
    Kyougu wrote: »
    30K for an associates? Fuck, that's highway robbery.

    This needs to be plastered all over the fucking internet.

    Yeah, I know. I've made a mistake. I'm trying to figure out the best possible outcome now. Should I stay or should I go?

    MindLib on
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Esh wrote: »
    bowen wrote: »
    Kyougu wrote: »
    30K for an associates? Fuck, that's highway robbery.

    This needs to be plastered all over the fucking internet.

    I could get two BAs at my local state school for that much.

    Indeed, same here. But I didn't figure that out as I was buttered up by lies and deceit as a stupid kid with parents who didn't care!

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Bail and go to community college, transfer to state.

    Deebaser on
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    MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I am completely fucked. This is barely going to transfer at all. I've just essentially put myself into debt for $20,000 for almost nothing.

    MindLib on
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    JaysonFourJaysonFour Classy Monster Kitteh Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I would go in to the advising office of whatever school you're thinking of transferring to, just so they can look at your credits. It would be better to find out beforehand how much work you need to do to finish off your degree before you sign up.

    Online courses are a crapshoot. They might transfer, they might not.

    EDIT: Well, at least you found out now, right?

    You have a couple of options- you could just finish the degree at the apparently not-worth-a-damn online school. Or you could head to a community college and build up some cheap credits there before you finish at the four-year school. Or you could just take your losses and start at the four-year school with what you can transfer over.

    I'd recommend the community college route. I'ts cheaper, and you can build up a bunch of needed credits for cheap.

    JaysonFour on
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    joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Deebaser wrote: »
    Bail and go to community college, transfer to state.

    This, absolutely. I was able to pay my community college tuition all on my own without any loans, and the credits I earned transferred completely to the private university I attend now. Community college will save you a lot of money and the education you receive isn't as poor as some elitists would have you believe.

    joshofalltrades on
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    MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    joshofalltrades wrote: »
    Deebaser wrote: »
    Bail and go to community college, transfer to state.

    This, absolutely. I was able to pay my community college tuition all on my own without any loans, and the credits I earned transferred completely to the private university I attend now. Community college will save you a lot of money and the education you receive isn't as poor as some elitists would have you believe.

    I'm thinkin' this is what I got to do.

    MindLib on
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    DruhimDruhim Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    MindLib wrote: »
    I am completely fucked. This is barely going to transfer at all. I've just essentially put myself into debt for $20,000 for almost nothing.

    While I can understand your dismay, better to realize this now before you get even deeper in debt.

    Druhim on
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    SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Yup. Pretty much everything that needs to be said has already been said.

    These schools tend to prey on people. Yes some can make a fine living graduating from one, but most people just find themselves in massive debt for absolutely nothing.

    Sentry on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    wrote:
    When I was a little kid, I always pretended I was the hero,' Skip said.
    'Fuck yeah, me too. What little kid ever pretended to be part of the lynch-mob?'
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