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Originally Posted by cinderly
I think once you move beyond the "prestige" schools, there's little difference in the utility of regionally-accredited degrees. I haven't tried to transfer to a school in the South, but neither of the University of Alaska programs I'm applying to for my Master's has an issue with Excelsior.
From a employment utility perspective, my half-completed Excelsior degree was on my resume during my last job search. I turned down four offers in the same week I accepted my present position. I now work for a mid-sized independent oil company. I turned down two Native corporations, a state-wide newspaper chain, and a regional hospital chain that is frequently included on those Best Places to Work lists. While I have more than a decade of work experience, none of it was in the same industry as any of the jobs I was offered. Each potential employer was impressed that I was pursuing my education independently while working full time.
If you want to work for Ernst & Young fresh out of school, it may matter where you go. If you just want to do well for yourself and have drive, I think it matters a lot less.
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Excellent post. At the end of the day, there are really only a few distinctions between degrees. 1) Ivy or not Ivy 2) Accredited or not accredited 3) Regionally accredited or Nationally accredited The end.
HOW you earned credits is non-issue. Almost every college in America has alternatives to the one-size-fits all 16 week format (correspondence, online, telecourse, public broadcast, weekend, mini-semester, summer session, CLEP exams, AP exams, IB classes, etc) Most traditional colleges offer online classes, and many traditional colleges offer entire degrees online even though the college is a traditional college. I guess my point is that you can still do the "regular college thing" in a completely non-traditional format. You don't have to use the "big 3" to take advantage of the good information here.
Quality of education- learning- utility of degree- how long we retain what we learn in college....those questions are all too personal. I know perfectly nice idiots with college degrees who don't have a clue. I know perfectly nice bright people without college degrees. I know smart people who can't hold a job. I know college graduates who made bad choices and lost their licenses. I know dozens of people who quit college and went back to earn their degrees as an adult and are much more motivated at this stage of life. There really is no way to tell how YOU will do based on how others have used (not used) their degree as a stepping stone. <shrug>