I attended a University of Phoenix brick-and-mortar campus for almost three years and received my bachelor degree with a high GPA. Almost my entire curriculum was paid for with student loans. I have no complaints about heavy courseload. I completed my courses with a good attitude and work ethic.
During my experience there, I saw things that bothered me. I saw students who did not complete the assignments or even comprehend the material. But they still received good grades. This irritated me because I always strived to learn the material thoroughly even if the instructor didn't care. After all, look at all the money I was paying.
Too many of the classes were ridiculously easy with low workload, and seemed like nothing more than students and instructors rambling on or making commentaries about nothing relevant to the course material. One of the problems with this school is that they don't focus on teaching anything abstract or intellectual. This is what higher learning is all about. A few fellow students observed this too, and I remember one student saying, "I don't know how this school obtained their accreditation."
One the red flags I ignored in the beginning was the fact that all the admissions advisors have to have sales experience. University of Phoenix is all about making tons of money. The founder is a billionaire. This school is a business first, the students come second.
UOP faculty and executives like to say University of Phoenix fills a niche in the adult education community. So what? This doesn't dispute the fact that it is still is a poor quality education. I regret earning my degree there, and it may be doing me more harm then good by listing it on my resume. If you are a prospective student, don't waste your money on this school. I learned a lot more from community college courses that were a fraction of the cost of UOP and required 3 times the workload. You're a lot better off getting a good education from a traditional state or private university too.
I recent years I read of a multi-million dollar fine imposed on UOP. I predict that in the future University of Phoenix will get into more trouble with the government.
0 comments