The King's College

mose2014 · 10-08-2009, 07:45 PM

Does anyone know the reputation of, or any inside information/experiences with The King's College in NYC? It's in the Empire State building, and when I visited it seemed nice, I just don't know if anyone has ever heard of it...

kherb43 · 10-10-2009, 04:05 PM

I would also like to know something about it. My daughter got a call from them today telling us that she is eligible for scholarships there because of her test scores.

Whistle Pig · 10-13-2009, 01:40 PM

I confess to knowing virtually nothing beyond hearing genuinely good reviews from genuinely informed reviewers. Here's hoping someone(s) watching can shed some light. Talk about Daniel in the lions' den! Go Danny Go!

spence113 · 10-18-2009, 11:15 PM

I recieved the same shocking phone call that I had been awarded a scholarship based on my test scores! I went up to visit the school and nothing seemed out of place. A few weeks ago, they informed me that I had been accepted to the college as part of the class of 2014. I have a friend who got accepted there a few years ago, but she transfered out (and no, i never really figured out why). But I really liked it, but im keeping my options open because Im waiting to hear from some more schools.

cckidd · 11-09-2009, 12:10 PM

I heard there was an acredation (sp?) controversy? Anyone know more about that

Corbett · 11-09-2009, 03:02 PM

The King's College has a recognized, but atypical, form of accreditation.

Most well-known colleges and universities in the US are "regionally accredited"; they hold accreditation from one of six regional accreditation agencies. Regional accreditation is the most common standard for undergraduate degrees; for example, the US News and World Report rankings only include regionally accredited schools.

The King's College is currently a candidate for regional accreditation, but does not yet hold full regional accreditation. Currently, their accreditation is from the New York State Board of Regents, a state agency which does have authorization to act as an accreditor. This is a legitimate form of accreditation, but it is relatively uncommon and unusual (even in New York State).

Graduate schools, employers, and state licensing boards often specify regionally accredited college degrees. A degree from The King's College, while legitimately accredited, technically does not meet that standard, and this might require some explanation.

The NY State Board of Regents raised some concerns about The King's College during its most recent accreditation review, in 2005, but ultimately did renew its accreditation. If TKC gains full regional accreditation, they will presumably drop the NY State accreditation.

If you were to enroll in The King's College now, it might well have full regional accreditation by the time that you graduated. But this is not guaranteed.

cckidd · 11-10-2009, 08:33 AM

Would their accrediation status affect law school admissions?

Corbett · 11-10-2009, 02:34 PM

It could. Law schools often specify a regionally accredited bachelor's degree as a prerequisite for admissions. For example, Temple Law School says:

Quote:

All matriculants in the J.D. program must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an institution which is approved by one of the regional accrediting associations of the United States.

A degree from The King's College technically does not meet this standard (although it might in a few more years, since The King's College has achieved candidate status).

In practice, law schools that have this requirement may still have some flexibility; it is not necessarily written in stone. For example, exceptions are commonly made for bachelor's degrees from foreign schools, which are obviously not eligible for US regional accreditation. Exceptions might be made for institutions that are candidates for regional accreditation (like The King's College). Exceptions might also be made for institutions that are New York State-accredited (again, like The King's College), especially at law schools in or near the New York area.

So I'm sure that there are graduates of The King's College that have gone on to law school; the lack of regional accreditation is not an automatic application killer. But it is likely that it technically does fail to meet the standard prerequisites at many law schools, and so it would require these schools to waive their normal admissions standards. The schools may be willing to do this for an otherwise strong applicant. However, it's probably a negative overall, given the competitive nature of law school admissions.

cckidd · 11-15-2009, 11:32 AM

If they become accredited say a year or two after I graduate will I then be able to apply to law or graduate school and declare my degree was from an accredited school?

Corbett · 11-15-2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

If they become accredited say a year or two after I graduate will I then be able to apply to law or graduate school and declare my degree was from an accredited school?

Technically no, because regional accreditation is generally not retroactive. In this case, your degree would still not be regionally accredited, even though the school itself subsequently became regionally accredited.

However, it is likely that law or graduate schools would be less concerned about the lack of regional accreditation in this case. In other words, they would be more likely to make an exception for an unaccredited degree, if the degree was from a school that subsequently became accredited.

It appears that TKC has been a a candidate for regional accreditation since 2007. The candidacy phase normally lasts for no more than 5 years, so there should be a decision by 2012.

cckidd · 11-15-2009, 05:23 PM

Thanks for the insight Corbett, you are very helpful. Do you have any relation to the King's College? I have applied and think that I would really enjoy attendance there but the accreditation issue is quite unsettling.

Corbett · 11-15-2009, 09:37 PM

Sorry, I have no inside info about TKC. In general, the regional accreditation agencies do not accept a school as a "candidate" unless they feel that the school is realistically likely to achieve full accreditation. So it is likely that TKC will, in fact, be fully accredited by 2012. However, no one can guarantee this.

The accreditation issue is perhaps only a symptom of a larger problem. The question you should ask is: how come TKC, which was founded in 1938, doesn't already have regional accreditation? The answer is that it *did* have regional accreditation, but lost it in the 1990s when it underwent a financial collapse. So TKC is really trying to re-gain such accreditation. Presumably its financial footing is more solid today, but it may not be a particularly wealthy institution.

Whistle Pig · 11-16-2009, 08:31 AM

Corbett's correct on the accreditation. I think it's a 3 year gig from acceptance to approval (again, not guaranteed, but nearly, assuming the school follows the maze and instruction manual). One fly always in the "ointment" of course? It's a CHRISTIAN college. If 'twere muslim, lucipherian, or McDonalds ...no issues. But in a world of PC academicians coming and passing judgment on a colt-college ...well. Stay tuned.

(In other words, generally ...can you imagine a professor of environmental studies from lets say an Oberlin-type place being named to the Middle States eval team? His nose would likely not be long enough to look down upon an aspiring campus for the Kingdom. Now, I'm just playing, dare I say it, devil's advocate ...but ol' Lucipher loves playing with problems like this one. Thank God Wheaton and Biola and Geneva and a whole bunch more got up the tree-house ladder long before this post-Christian era when being a man (or woman) for Jesus on campus is akin to having swine flu, polio, and mental illness all at the same time. Can you spell pariah? (I'm not sure I can!) )

Do you see the nature of the challenge for a wonderfully conceived place like King's?

And lest we doubt the magnitude and pervasiveness of this gangrenious growth in our nation and society ...consider the Army general who upon learning 13 (14 including an unborn child) of his charges were ambushed and slaughtered, another 30+ injured, but a terrorist ...and his first response? "We must not allow diversity to become a victim of this tragedy." His PC notion and giving up his troops for the sake of politcs ...THAT is the tragedy. And sadly, this all relates to the notion of accreditation for places like The King's College.

pisces8519 · 11-16-2009, 10:27 AM

I've never visited, but I too got a phone call saying I had been awarded 56,000 for high test scores. My test scores are nothing to shout about, so it seems they are really desperate for students. Plus, even with the scholarship, it's still seems to be more money than it's worth.

mose2014 · 11-16-2009, 06:10 PM

I believe they are slightly desperate for students, a few of my friends received calls, who also do not have amazing scores, and they are not even close to the demographic for this sort of school. Mainly, evangelical Protestant.