I just finished up my Associates in Business Management from Penn Foster College on line and am now shopping around for a college to get my Bachelors in Psychology on line. I am dizzy from looking and reading so many different school web sites. I’m looking for something where I can learn at my own pace and am not required to log on at certain times or join virtual classrooms. Also I am looking for an accredited school at a low cost. Can anyone make any suggestions? Thanks.
November 29th, 2009 4:42 pm
I don’t think you’re going to like this answer very much, but since you did your Associate’s through Penn Foster, the odds of you being able to transfer anywhere to finish a Bachelor’s are very low. Penn Foster does not have *regional* accreditation, which is the accreditation that matters the most and the one that transfer colleges will look for when you apply. Even other for-profit colleges like the University of Phoenix typically will not accept their credits.
The reality is, you’re probably going to end up having to start all over again. I’m honestly so sorry to tell you that, but you need to know this now before you start sinking more money into for-profit programs. I am *not* telling you that your Associate’s is "worthless," but rather than most colleges will not recognize it.
In order to avoid this problem again, I cannot urge you enough to consider a *public* on-line college. Charter Oak State College is my personal favorite due to its small size, reputation, and cost, but some other good ones include Thomas Edison State College, Granite State College, Penn State – World Campus, and the University of Maryland – University College. Visit http://higheredpro.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/choosing-online-colleges-wisely/ to get a list of additional recommendations and tips on selecting a college.
This time around, don’t consider any college that is a) for-profit or b) not regionally accredited. It will possibly be harder to earn through a public or reputable private college due to specific deadlines, but that’s why the degree is worth more — you’ll have to work harder to earn it. There’s no point in sinking thousands of more dollars into a degree that you can’t use.