rdcws000 wrote:
UoP could do alot to improve it's image. I think the primary criticisms of the school revolve around:
-no admission standards (valid criticism, but irrelevant to law school admissions)
-For profit institution (valid criticism, but irrelevant to law school admissions)
-Reputation as online diploma mill (I know this not to be true, but unfortunately, the degree from UoP for a student who attended 100% online is identical to the student who attended 100% in classroom).
-Massive grade inflation (in my opinion, this is the most valid criticism of UoP, and is probably highly relevant to the law school admissions process. In other words, a 3.95 at UoP will be almost entirely discounted. This is because UoP does a horrible job in this area. They have a massive attrition rate and a poor graduation percentage, but for those students who do barrel through and graduate, they practically give away the A's. They do not do their students any service by doing this. This is related to the for-profit model, i.e. give the customer what he wants.)
That being said, Law school admissions is about numbers and if the LSAT is high enough, law schools will gladly hold their nose while accepting the inflated GPA. The LSAT is the equalizer. It shows that just because UoP hands out easy grades, doesn't mean some people were not capable of earning them fair and square. The LSAT can bring this to light.
UoP should work to improve it's image, but they won't, because they are still making quite a bit of money. There are a lot of high quality doctorate level professors at UoP campuses, currently working in their field. Many graduates of UoP learn practical skills that they take immediately into the companies they are already working for. It's also very popular for the military. They have got to overhaul the online program though. No one should be able to obtain a degree 100% online, with no admissions criteria, and no final exams. It ruins the whole school.
I see UoP taking lots of heat on lots of forums arround as being a diploma etc. But I just don`t see how any of their criticism are fully justified. I hate to dig up an old thread, but since there is so much of these threads, I`d figure I`d just voice a differing opinion to the one above that is all so common. Full disclosure: I have no ties or link to UoP, I am just stating my opinion, make of it what you will.
1. UoP is for profit therefore cares only about money. I went to a campus with 50,000 students for 4 years, my program was quiet good and has a strong regional recognition as one must rank in the top 3% of class to get in. In between my family members there are about 10 different universities attended in numerous countries. I can tell you that they all would say, and I would say ALL SCHOOLS ARE FOR PROFIT. Maybe a few Ivy League School really care about education because they are full of $$$ from endowment that they do not care about $. But most normal schools, just care about your money and if they don`t then why are they always raising your tuition and charging you an arm and a leg. UoP is 80k, I know plenty of universities charging 40k a year, and plenty of their grads are just as jobless.
2. UoP has no admission standards. Ok this criticism is quiet valid, it is low, you do not need a standardize test, but should one really have to write the sat to get a communications degree? One does need to finish high school, and if the sat is anything like the lsat, then it is an equally long term "irrelevant" (in that how good one is on the lsat is a predictor of little else). Plus plenty of jurisdictions including my own do not use standardize test at all for universities, so I may have a bias view in that there are people who I know doing nuclear physics who never wrote the sat.
3. Diploma mill. Here is where I disagree with probably 90% of the others on this topic. On the one hand they say UoP graduates only 2%-20% of its grads depending on who is writing. Well if 80-98% of the people who enroll don't finish, isn't that the OPPOSITE of a diploma mill? I'm not a diploma mill expert, but I'd wager a Diploma mill would graduate anyone who entered. Meaning of anything, schools like my alma matter that will let in 10,000s of students to take useless arts degree that are IMO pretty damn easy - as the courses/classes are geared towards low income students who mostly have to work. Meaning any given person who got As in high school, could pull As in my Uni.
4. UoP is too Easy... Really, compared to some major state schools and reputable top schools, this is probably true. But consider 2 factors
1. If 80%-98% of kids are dropping out of the courses, how much lower could the class average go. Part of the reason my university was easy, was if you took a large class (500 kids) about 50-100 wouldn't show up. The Class average would be a C- and often a D yet the kids who showed up to class and did basic work where able to pull As consistently. These are not bright kids, they are just kids smart enough to recognize that it is smarter to go to an easy undergrad school and get high grades than to go to a hard (better reputation) school (often professional programs). I suspect the people railing on this school have a bit of resentment. I won't lie I do too. I had to work like a dog late into the night just to pull of A-/B+, and some guy can just jerk his wag show up and spend 5 hours reading and get an A+ and 4.0 gpa by doing some joke shit online.
2. You still have to do the work, and although it is probably easier, I say so what? So what if it is easy and has grade inflation, there are tons of regular bricks and mortar colleges that have the same thing. Why is it better because they charge you double put up a bunch of things unrelated to education like a big gym/sports complex/football team and insist that somehow makes that school superior. And since when has the grade stick of a good school been one that deflates grades with artificially hard marking designed just to kick students off bait and switch scholarships.
5. Once you realize most schools just care about getting your money, your best off just going where will give you the highest grade and best job/grad opportunity. If the t-14 schools say UoP gpa = any other regular school. Then why waste your time and money going to a regular school who will bust your nut sack to give you an A.
This is just my opinion and I realize it is unpopular, but my experience with universities has been lazy professors, who stroll into the class room, often unprepared and then just read notes and then go tell me to read a 500 page book in 3 month. Its hard to believe how that is some magically effective formula of learning but doing it online interactive is bad.
