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Go"I don't understand the negative reviews here"
I really think that the people that had bad experiences are not mature, organized or prepared for the college experience, particularly that of an online program. I think that they had the expectation that since it was an online degree that they do not have to do anything. Yes, you have to submit your paperwork properly, particularly the FASFA paperwork, but they send you the links and hold your hand through everything. I am starting my last term here, and I can say that it is as challenging, in ways more so than the work that my sister-in-law had in graduating from Cal State Long Beach. In fact, I showed her my finance final after I took it, and she wasn't able to do most of the problems, and she has an accounting degree. I have also discussed Kaplan with several others who work in hiring positions at large IT companies nearby, and he says he hires Kaplan graduates all of the time, without hesitation. In fact, he got his masters degree from an online school, and he is the VP at his company, and has several side clients as well. He is the one who referred me to Kaplan because of the quality of applicants that have Kaplan degrees, and the fact that Kaplan is an accredited college. I even had my wife call Cal State LB and asked them if they accept a degree from Kaplan, and they said they don't judge where the degree was earned, as long as it is from an accredited school, which Kaplan is. They look at the GPA, honor societies, etc. to create a student profile, then they decide whether or not to admit the student to the program. Someone else mentioned transfer of credits between universities, and this is a difficulty even with public schools. I have a friend that has been going to Cal State Long Beach, and he is wanting to transfer to UC Irvine. UCI does not want to accept many of his credits, and he is having to write letters and call people to try to get them pushed through, but many may not end up transferring. And these are two public California universities! The cost is high, but less than many private universities, and is a bargain because you do not need to travel to a school, purchase books, pay for student housing, etc. It's all included. Someone mentioned to just go to community college, but I went to community college for 2 years out of high school and I got nowhere because you had to be at class 3 days a week, and most of the classes that you need were already full, so in 2 years I got less than half a year's worth of work actually done. Not so with Kaplan, as you are given a degree plan from day one that, with the help of an advisor, ensures that you will get through the program, as long as you don't quit. I read many reviews that said they had trouble when trying to withdraw, and guess what, you will get that at any university you attend! All universities need money to operate, and Kaplan is no different! These people are just whining because they lack the dedication and organizational skills to go to college, and trust me, you probably should not go if you can't stick with it. I have had no problems with my advisor or financial aid, in fact I was getting emails every day regarding my FASFA because I was late filing my taxes this year, and they wanted to make sure that I did not have to get dropped from my classes. They sent the link, I filled out the online form, and a few days later I got email confirmations, and I called the financial aid department and they were very helpful in confirming that all was ok. Kaplan is not marketed toward high school kids just graduating, looking for a place to go to college, although they will gladly accept such students, it is meant for working adults like myself who wish to get the education, but do not need the classroom to do so. I have read thousands of pages of books, web field trips, discussion boards, and electronic books at this point, and have greatly expanded my understanding of business processes, finance, accounting, IT, etc. I have learned SQL queries, how to use MS Project, understand lean manufacturing, bond valuation, economics, etc., more so than many other college grads that I know. Some have said that Kaplan does not hire qualified instructors, and currently I have two instructors with PhD's: Professor Lisa D. Epstein, PhD "I have an undergraduate degree in economics from Duke University, a masters and a PhD in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. My area of specialty is organizational behavior." She teaches MT460 Management Policy and Strategy And Curt Sobolewski, PhD who teaches Making a Living in the 21st Century: The Sociology of Work I have had several others with PhD's and Master's, in fact in my last Project Management class, the professor had a PMP certification, and worked as a project manager in a large IT firm. In conclusion, I would say that Kaplan is a great choice if you are the right candidate. If you have the time and need classrooms to learn best, go to a brick and mortar university. If you can learn on your own, can afford a private university, and are able to dedicate the many hours a week needed to complete each course in 9-10 weeks compared to the 16 weeks of a normal university, then Kaplan is for you. I will graduate with a 3.96GPA, am a member of 4 honor societies, and will have completed all of the coursework in about 3 1/2 years, and I just wanted to share this with everyone so that they could make a decision based of FACT, not on lazy people's fears.
