Switching schools

[avx]

Hey guys,
Ive been attending school at DeVry University in S. Florida for about two years now, and I am considering leaving. I pay almost $600 a credit and I don't believe I am getting the education I am paying for. Im thinking about going to FAU or maybe UF. DeVry is regionally accredited so I don't believe I will have any problems transferring my credits.

I was wondering if anyone else has switched schools like this? Any problems Im going to run into?

Thanks guys.

[Dave21]

Are you transferring for the same program? Make sure you talk to the academic cousellers or do your research to see what credits you can transfer. I know that not all universities will give you credit for a particular course due to a different cirriculum.

[avx]

I'm in the Networking and Communications Bachelors degree program here at DeVry. Luckily I have mostly taken GenEd classes so far. I have only had a few degree specific classes. This is why I really am considering leaving, because the Networking or Programming courses that I have taken have been poorly taught and by teachers with very strong Spanish accents and they did not seem to fully understand what they were talking about.

[catacon]

My brother had a lot of trouble with credits transferring when he switched schools. However, both schools weren't not in our state and they were in different states, so that may of had something to do with it. I would recommend checking that the other schools will accept your credits before you make any big decisions just in case something won't work out.

[Alaron]

Take a tour of the schools you are interested in switching to. Sit in on a class in your area of study and talk to the professor. You want to be sure the new school's program is going to be a step in the right direction.

[SonicVanguard]

I know here at MSU we do not accept credits from DeVry (or other similar trade/tech schools). MSU (and most colleges/universities) require national accreditiation, not regional. Specifically, we accept credits from any school that is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, Association of American Universities, American Council on Education, American Council of Learned Societies, Association of Graduate Schools, Council of Graduate Schools, Committee on Institutional Cooperation, International Association of Universities or the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

We have had a few students in the telecomm department argue for credit transfers for a few specific classes and they were granted general credit - but they did not specifically accept the DeVry.

[avx]

I was told when I first got accepted to DeVry that regional accreditation was higher than National, and that DeVry did have the highest accreditation available. One of my first questions was that if I did not like this school could all of my earned credits be transfered...I was told most of they probably could.

[SonicVanguard]

Then I'd suggest checking with the school(s) you plan on transferring to. I just called our registrar's office to double check - we do not accept DeVry credits. Although DeVry is a member of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools their programs and classes are so radically different that MSU has not found any similarities to allow for transfer credit.

And I'll be blunt - the last place to ask about transfer credits is the institution you are attending - that's not their call. They do not know how their credits match up to classes at other schools. Even if the credits would be accepted as general ed classes they are not the decision maker in that case. If you plan on transferring the very first thing I would do is verify with the school you plan on transferring to is if and how they handle credit transfers from a school like DeVry.

Good luck.

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by avx This is why I really am considering leaving, because the Networking or Programming courses that I have taken have been poorly taught and by teachers with very strong Spanish accents and they did not seem to fully understand what they were talking about.

That is really disappointing. A few years ago there was a major recruitment drive down here in Puerto Rico looking for teachers and nurses willing to relocate to Florida.
I am sure if any of the lecturers you are referring to are Puerto Rican they would be mortified to learn their English was not up to standard or their accents were too strong for you to understand. English is a second language here and no biggie, maybe Mexico or any other Latin/South American country I could understand but not here

[avx]

Thanks Sonic. Believe me, if I could transfer to MSU I would do so in a heart beat. You guys have an awesome program. MSU holds high standards with academics as well as athletics. I admire that in a school.

Villarosa - I have never had a problem with Puerto Rican accents. I have lived in Florida my whole life, and obviously I speak a little Spanish, and I am even pretty good at understanding Spanish conversations, as long as they go slow, but believe me when I tell you that the accents I am encountering at DeVry are THICK. But beyond that, its the fact that they dont seem to fully comprehend what they are teaching. They know the keywords and can follow a curriculum but if you ask a question that is not directly answered in the book, they seem to draw a blank.

I got an appointment with an FAU counselor later this week. Im gonna check them out and see what I can do.

I appreciate all the input everyone.

[glc]

It's unfortunate, but most "trade schools" such as DeVry and ITT don't really care about education quality, they are a for-profit assembly line.

[David M]

I'm with GLC on this.

I generally don't trust any "university" or trade school that I see advertised on television. If you think about it, there is a reason they need to advertise. And that is because people are not pounding on their doors to get in...meaning that others also realize the quality of education is not worth it.

For profit educational institutions are going to be focused first on their bottom line and secondarily on your education.

Stay away from any school that has to try to convince others that they are worth it. A good education speaks for itself through word of mouth and reputation and therefore needs no advertising.

It is also a good idea to check with future potential employers to see which universities that they do hire from before selecting a university to attend. Just call up their human resources department and ask.

[doctorgonzo]

Originally Posted by glc It's unfortunate, but most "trade schools" such as DeVry and ITT don't really care about education quality, they are a for-profit assembly line.

I agree. I have heard nothing but bad things about all of these schools, particularly DeVry.

You are NOT getting the education you are paying for at DeVry, guaranteed. $600 a credit is entering cheaper private university or out-of-state public tuition territory. You are much better off going to a community college at that rate.

Transferring credits is a huge problem too. I think that places like DeVry should be required to put a disclaimer on every advertisement saying, "Warning: The credits you earn at DeVry will most likely NOT transfer to a four-year college or university."

[Lespaul20]

Originally Posted by glc It's unfortunate, but most "trade schools" such as DeVry and ITT don't really care about education quality, they are a for-profit assembly line.

I'll fourth this. I know somebody that works in one of these types of institutions and they will take anybody that will to come. I heard a story of a lady that wanted to get into the nursing program. She had a criminal record that would make it very hard for her to get a job after graduating. Even with that known she was still enrolled and I don't think they told her that the criminal background might prevent employment. Basically it's very likely she is spending a lot of money for a low chance of employment.

Credits are the worst thing about transferring to any college. I graduated from a community college and decided to go back to a state school for a bachelor's and only 16 of my 60+ credits actually accounted for anything. I got about 20 something in electives. My sister and brother-in-law went to the same school to get some of there gen-ed classes finished and several of those didn't transfer. The best thing to do is to call like Sonic suggested. Unless a school has an explicit agreement with another school, I wouldn't assume anything will transfer.

[avx]

It really sucks to hear that...But to be honest, I expected it. Im not worried though. I enjoy my current job and make good money, so even if I do have to tack on an extra couple of semesters at FAU to earn the credits I already have, it will still be worth it. I keep hearing nothing but good things about it, and just found out that my uncle when there. Im looking forward to it no matter what.

I may have bombed 20k at DeVry on student loans, but we will just chalk that up to life experience.

[SonicVanguard]

I just saw a TV ad for Devry while I was getting some lunch. I don't remember the exact quote, but they had a disclaimer on the screen about most credits not transferring to other schools.

[piasabird]

If you were Mormon I might suggest BYU. They have a decent computer program there. Dont know if you want to be that cold in the winter. Definitely not a party school.

[avx]

So, a week ago,I left a message with my dean telling him that I wanted to drop the class, and that the professor told me to find a new teacher. I just heard back from him today. He said he thinks I should just finish out the class and then transfer. I honestly don't have any interest in returning to that class room, and would much rather have my money refunded back to me. I know the last day to drop the class was like 2 weeks ago, but being that the teacher told me to find a new teacher. I think he has kind of violated the deal. How much of a headache do you guys see me getting here?

[shadowpr]

Your safest bet is to continue to go to the class while you fight to get a refund for it. That way you're covered no matter what.

[David M]

Originally Posted by avx So, a week ago,I left a message with my dean telling him that I wanted to drop the class, and that the professor told me to find a new teacher. I just heard back from him today. He said he thinks I should just finish out the class and then transfer. I honestly don't have any interest in returning to that class room, and would much rather have my money refunded back to me. I know the last day to drop the class was like 2 weeks ago, but being that the teacher told me to find a new teacher. I think he has kind of violated the deal. How much of a headache do you guys see me getting here?

I would write it off as wasted time and money and move on ASAP. We all make these kinds of mistakes in our lifetime and learn for the better from them.

[avx]

I can agree with you there. But its not easy to write off $1,700 bucks at the moment. I talked to a few people today and they recommended that if they want to argue with me about it just tell them your going to the media. With the way this school is being run right now, the last thing they would want is for the media to put a spotlight on them for any reason.