<p>For many students, choosing a college to transfer to in order to further their education can be a difficult task. The two schools that Im doing research over are DeVry University Online and Arkansas State University Jonesboro (ASU); both of which are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Some of the main things Im looking for in a school are the scholarships I can receive, if the classes that Ive already taken are transferrable, if there is a corresponding degree plan for the degree Im wanting, how the schools are reviewed, and, most importantly, what my expenses will be. I already have the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship, so I want to make sure that its going to transfer to whichever school I choose. Also, I want to earn my Bachelors degree in Financeand possibly my Mastersand I want to know that there is a degree plan offered in order for me to get both of those.
Transferring to any school is much more of a hassle than one would expect. According to the ASU website, the student transferring needs to do the following: Visit with the transfer coordinator, take a tour of the campus, complete an application for admission, request transcript from previous college attended, apply for financial aid and scholarships, apply for housing (if the student is planning on staying on campus), register for classes, etc.<br>
The main scholarship that transfer students look for is the Transfer Scholarship. Just about every college offers a transfer scholarship, but they may have different guidelines for the student to receive it. The requirements for the transfer scholarship at ASU are that the student must be an Arkansas resident, U.S. citizen, first-time transfer student from any Arkansas two-year institution with forty-five earned credit hours and a 3.25 cumulative GPA, both of which have to come from the two-year institution (Arkansas State University Institutional Scholarships 2). This scholarship offers the student $1,800 each semester for up to four consecutive semesters or until the student earns their Bachelors Degree, depending on which one comes first. The student must successfully complete 12 credit hours during each semester and retain a GPA of 3.25 in order to keep their scholarship. (Arkansas State University Institutional Scholarships 2)
DeVry University also offers a transfer scholarship. According to DeVrys website, students that apply for this scholarship must have earned their Associates Degree from a two-year college with a final GPA of 3.2. They must also have applied and started taking classes through DeVry University within one year after theyve graduated from the two-year school; an unofficial transcript is accepted as verification of graduation. The amount that the student will be awarded is $1,000 a semester. There is a minimum of 12 credit hours that the student must take per semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained to continue receiving the scholarship. This scholarship is offered to any student that is attending DeVry that meets these requirements.<br>
Another very important thing in transferring is making sure that all the work that has been put into the first two years of college will be worth anything. The ASU website has a list of the courses that will transfer from the previously attended institution. There isnt anything on the DeVry website that states anything about course equivalencies, which is a major issue for me. I want to make sure that the work that I put into my first two years of college is going to pay off. One of the discussion boards that review DeVry says that someone was going to transfer to DeVry but then found out that none of their credits would transfer.
Arkansas State University offers many great degree programs. Im interested in earning my Bachelors Degree in Finance with an emphasis in banking. DeVry doesnt offer a degree with the title of Finance. They do, however, offer a Business Administration degree with a specialization in Finance. Therefore, either way, there would be some form of Finance being studied. At ASU there is the Bachelors Degree in Finance, and they also offer a Masters degree. DeVry, as well, offers a Masters Degree for Business Administration.<br>
When determining whether or not a school is worth going to, the reviews of the school are a good source. If someone is taking the time out of their lives to give their thoughts about something, it means something to themwhether it is positive or negative. As stated in the Guide to Online Schools discussion board, there are thirteen people that recommended DeVry and eleven that do not. The main problem that the students have in common is that the Financial Aid department is unorganized with their paper work and it seems like they have no idea what they are even doing. There are a couple of people that have taken the university to small claims court because of their financial misplacements.<br>
After he had spent seven years taking courses on one of the DeVry campuses, David Dennison thought he was finished with school; they then informed him that he was to take online courses to finish up his degree. On the discussion board he posted The instruction is non-existent on-line and overall its just a waste of time and money. He says that the instructors for the online courses didnt even pay any attention to the class and his fellow students just got on there to blog their random thoughts that didnt have anything to do with the subject. Screen name, Average Student, posted the following about DeVry: Stephen King couldnt have wrote a story more horrifying then my expierance at DeVry U. Aside from his grammatical errors, this person, as well as many others, did not enjoy his time with DeVry University. However, there are students who did. Many of the people that have said that DeVry is a good school have stated that theyve always had great service when theyre speaking with the financial aid department and that they havent ever had any problems with them. Then again, theyre also saying there are a few places that DeVry could step up and help a little more. One of the main points that some of the positive reviewers have made is that the school is expensive, but that its also well worth it.<br>
According to CollegeGrader.com, the overall ranking of academics at ASU was a B+, the quality of the program was a B, and then the students ranked how the teachers behavior is. Some students said that some professors were arrogant and violent, but others thought some were friendly and approachable. This site also says that 94% of the students would attend ASU if they had the option to start over again.<br>
The most important factor in my decision is how much its going to cost me. Tuition is a major expense to many students. According to DeVry, tuition is $345 per semester for students that are taking 12 credit hours and above. Most students take at least 12 hours each semester, which considers them full time students. For students that are taking less than twelve credit hours, the tuition per semester is $575.
The tuition for ASU is $163 per credit hour for in-state residents and $427 for out-of-state residents. Whether its an in-state student or out-of-state student, the tuition remains the same at DeVry University. Most people ask why there is such an increase in the tuition for an out-of-state student. The answer for this is due to the residential tax payers in the state of the university. The in-state tax payers are contributing to the higher education funds, but the out-of-state tax payers, however, are not contributing anything to that state; therefore, the tuition for out-of-state students is more expensive than those that are in-state.
When choosing a college to transfer to, there are many things that must be taken into consideration. Based on my research, it seems as if ASU would be a better choice. The only negative feedback Ive found for this school is that the parking space isnt the best, which definitely isn’t a deal-breaker. DeVry, however, has gotten more negative rankings because of their Financial Aid Department. Im going to need all the help I can get financially and I dont need to be going to a school that is going to mess that up. If there was any other student in my situation, I would suggest attending ASU Jonesboro.</p>
<p>^ I think you got it right. IMO, most are better off attending their local, public university for a cheaper price (although with possibly more hassle) than an expensive, for-profit, private whose degrees are sometimes questionable.</p>