<p>We have one of those for-profit schools near here - can’t remember the current name but it used to be National Institute of Technology - and I’ve never heard of anyone who graduated from there getting a job. In fact, the local hospitals won’t even accept their medical assistant graduates because the program isn’t accredited, and the kind of student a lot of these places attract aren’t savvy enough to know that’s important.</p>
<p>^Everest, they have commercials all the time too.</p>
<p>“What employers are paying is for the convenience factor.” - I agree. </p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, another advantage is interaction with instructors and other employees from other companies. But I only have known people in Phoenix MBA program (where networking etc would be helpful), not other programs.</p>
<p>Congress had a hearing on For Profit colleges recently and some of the things said there were’nt pretty. I am not mentioning DeVry or Phoenix but there definitely is some level of exploitation going on there…</p>
<p>This is why the accreditation is so important.</p>
<p>Many moons ago, I was an instructor at DeVry. Many people - such as my best friend - may be quite smart, but are “hands-on” type of people. A traditional college may not be best for them. My friend was extremely smart, but smart does not always mean that they want more theory… they want to roll up sleeves and MAKE things. My friend started out as a EE major at a large university and hated it… He went to DeVry and loved it. DeVry may not be for everyone, but it works for some people for undergrad, and for many more seeking graduate professional degrees. UofP may be the same.</p>
<p>When I was at DeVry, I was impressed with the quality of education available to the person who wanted to grab it (defining “quality” as having the resources and instruction available to meet the person’s goals). However, it seemed like only 10-20% of the students were really taking advantage of what was there.</p>
<p>The problem with piling on this type of criticism on these types of institutions is that you are imposing the standard educational experience that YOU want and the goals that YOU have onto a school that is providing for OTHER needs, experiences, and goals.</p>
<p>I also know people who have done very well with technical-oriented degrees from DeVry.</p>
<p>You might ask the converse question: does it make sense for someone to pay $50-$60K/year for 4 years of education at a traditional, not-for-profit college that provides a degree that does not provide any sort of specific job qualification? Aren’t there thousands of students who are wasting the opportunity they have at their top-20 universities by partying and binge drinking instead of attending class regularly? And many more students who perhaps really don’t belong in college, but are able to get admission to one of the hundreds of less-selective private colleges that charges a lot of money, but essentially takes all comers? </p>
<p>I’m sure that there are horror stories and abuses coming out of the for-profit schools… but “not-for-profit” really is a fiction as well. Traditional colleges are concerned about their financial bottom line as well – they hire enrollment management firms to consult with them as to how they should set their tuitions, how they should recruit students, and how they should structure their financial aid in order to maximize revenues.</p>
<p>Public, private, and for-profit colleges all have to make money. The difference is in the initial mindset.</p>
<p>One starts from, “Our mission is to educate,” and then asks, “How can we make money while doing that?”</p>
<p>The other starts from, “Our mission is to make money,” and then asks, “How can we educate people while doing that?”</p>
<p>It’s a subtle difference, and I don’t think it implies that for-profit schools are bad, but of course it affects the overall experience.</p>
<p>Convenience is fine, but quality of education is paramount. Fortunately, more nonprofit colleges (both two- and four-year) are offering online courses. Higher education is expensive enough without adding profit to the mix. It is fine if for-profit employers want to hire graduates of for-profit schools, but I am troubled that now public school teachers can get master’s degrees from these schools. Public schools are not there to serve an employer or a consumer, and yet neither the students nor the parents have much to do with hiring the teachers. Many of the posters have said that one can study or coast through these for-profit schools. Who wants a true coaster teaching their eight-year old?</p>
<p>Please take the political commentary to the political forum.</p>