The Real Dirt on UOP From a Former Student AND Employee
Written: Oct 30 '00 (Updated Jul 05 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Study groups, one class at a time, many locations, great instructors, class flexibility
Cons: Poor financial aid system, slackers in study groups, very fast paced, degree value
The Bottom Line: UOP is one of the best adult education schools around. If you are looking for a fast paced quality program, look no further.
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| flashfriday's Full Review: University of Phoenix |
As a former 4 year employee and also a graduate of the MBA program, I believe that I am qualified to speak about the UOP experience. I will try to highlight just a few of the positives and negatives of attending the University of Phoenix. First let's look at the positives.
Positives: The University of Phoenix is a great adult education program that lets you focus on only one class at a time. Each class is 5 or 6 weeks long and is only one night a week for four hours. All classes are taught by working professionals that know the industry in which they teach. You will not find any tenured professors that have taught for 50 years and are one step from retiring. Most instructors are enthusiastic and truly love to teach.
The classes are designed to encourage teamwork by assigning everyone to a 3 or 4 person study group that you usually stick with during your entire education. I became great friends with all 3 members of my study group. We still call each other and hang out. It's a great plus.
Another great plus about UOP is its flexibility. If you need to go on a business trip and have to miss a class, your academic counselor will work with you to rescedule the missed class. This is not so easy for financial aid students which I will discuss later.
UOP also has locations all across the United States that make finding a close site easy. Many campuses are located next to major freeways that make them convenient and easy to access. You will find that most students usually live close to you which makes study group meetings easier.
The final positive of UOP that I wanted to mention is that all of the students are working professionals who truly want to learn. Most slackers usually drop out after a few classes and by the third or fourth class the remaining students will usually be top notch.
Negatives: Undoubtedly the worst aspect of UOP is the financial aid system. Although I was an employee and received a free education, I am quite familiar with the problems that many students had in obtaining and keeping financial aid. Students are often not aware that there are strict requirements for financial aid and are shocked when aid is returned just because they dropped out of one class. I blame this lack of knowledge squarely on the Enrollment Counselors at UOP. I've heard that financial aid is getting better, but somehow I doubt it.
Second, as I mentioned above the study group system can be a great positive. However, it can also be a tremendous negative. For my first 3 classes I was stuck doing ALL of the work for my study group. I quickly got myself into a group that was willing to work and put forth the effort. Some students may find difficulty in getting into a good study group.
Another negative is the overall value of the UOP degree. UOP is beginning to earn themselves the title of "degree mill" which has an effect on the value of your degree. This is a minimal negative since most education is WHAT you learn and the effort you put forth.
Finally, the 5 or 6 week courses can feel overwhelming at first. You are expected to learn a lot of material in a short time. The classes become easier once you adjust to the workload.
Final comment: UOP is by far the best adult education system out there. They offer the most flexibility and the fastest programs. Many of the negatives I listed will be found at all adult education schools and should not deter you from selecting UOP as your choice.
Recommended:
Yes
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flashfriday
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