"Big 3" education mills?

[burbuja0512]

Education mills are ones that will give you a diploma of questionable quality, low educational, and low workforce value. While I won't go into the whole debate about RA vs. NA, I will say that the Big 3 are all RA schools, and two out of three are state institutions.

When asked about my COSC diploma, I can easily say that it's a small state college in CT. But people don't ask me - why? Because it's a state college. Because it's RA. Because there is no reason for anyone to believe that a state college would be anything less than 100% quality. Because it is a quality education.

Don't fall into the trap of believing that an institution that accepts testing credits is anything less than legitimate. Most people don't worry at all about AP credits, right? You take the AP class, pass the test, and voila! You have the credit. Nothing mysterious or suspicious about that. CLEP is even part of the same company as AP!

There are others here who will explain much better than I do, but overall, if you decide to go to a Big 3 school, know that there are MANY hundreds and thousands of people who have gone before you and may never taken a single testing credit. Also know that your degree is not any less than your friends who went to other RA schools who have earned a diploma by sitting their butts in a seat for four or more years at exponentially greater costs. It's just a degree that can help you progress academically and in your career and allow you to do so more efficiently - if you are smart and plan well.

Lastly, many, many people who have a Big 3 degree that is largely comprised of tests have gone on to graduate from masters programs all over the country. My brother who showed me the testing path (back when you could do 100% test-out) got his masters from University of Texas. And my own masters program was extremely competitive, with Jesuit universities in two different countries (dual degree) and the Big 3 diploma was no issue at all. (Why would it be? It's from an RA State College)

That's my 2 cents.. but don't take my word for it. I'm sure others will chime in. But note that there are websites out there that HR professionals use that list diploma mills. You won't see the Big 3 on there. Why? Because they're not. More efficient doesn't mean easier and it certainly doesn't mean shady. It just means that I was smart enough not to go into debt over my undergrad and that I had the self-discipline to study a LOT, daily, on a strict schedule, enough to pass a test that's challenging enough to get college credit. I'm sure any doubt you have will melt away once you take a CLEP/DSST test.

Of course if you have the grades and the cash to go to an Ivy league, then that's what you should do. Why? In my field, it would be solely for the connections and for the recruiters that you'll get fresh out of school. But if you're looking at the Big 3 versus almost any other school, it's identical in your employer's eyes and has the same accreditation, so why sweat it? And no, you never need to "tell" anyone that you took a test if you don't want to. It's totally irrelevant since you have proven that you've acquired the same knowledge. Just like I easily tested out of Spanish by living in Mexico for 6 years. Not a soul would question that one! It's really the same thing for other topics. Gain the knowledge and get the credits. It's NOT usually easy, but it is a valid way to demonstrate learning.