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My Norwich University Experience

  • Fan Mail From Nina

    I have been doing extensive research about Kaplan University. And I came across your blog. I have an A.O.S in Hospitality Management and Kaplan is willing to accept my credits and place me as a junior in their Advanced start General Business Program. I would like to attend Kaplan, but I heard horror stories of their financial aid and such.

    I am deciding between Kaplan and UOP. After doing more research Kaplan is more expensive than UOP, but I will be getting my degree in less time. I guess my main concern is the quality of education that I will be receiving at Kaplan. Many claims say that is a diploma mill. I guess every person is different when it comes to learning.

    I never thought about accreditation until after I read your article. This made me realize that I want to attend Kaplan even more. The primary reason why I am writing is because I eventually want to continue to get my MBA. And I was wondering if you knew off-hand any online graduate schools that accept and respect Kaplan University credits? Kindly email me if you have any information.
    This is not a bad place to be in.  First of all, if you have decided that hospitality management is what you want to do, and you are so far along that you can be considered a junior, I think this is a no-brainer.  If Kaplan will accept your credits, I would go for it.  Yes, it may be more expensive, but that is something that you need to weigh against taking the whole program over at another school.

    It amazes me how many people write to me about Kaplan’s financial aid and problems they have experienced themselves or hear about others who have.  I went there for four years and never had a single problem.  I just don’t know what to say about that.  

    If you want to continue on to a MBA program, I can say that Kaplan is a good place to start.  Having a degree from there got me into a really good graduate school.  I know Norwich University (one of the oldest schools in the country) accepts degrees from Kaplan.  I would suspect that any accredited online graduate school will do the same.  Kaplan is accredited and you should not have a problem.

    Good luck!

    Do you have any questions about distance education
    or anything in this post?  Feel free to contact Scott anytime!
    Add to:                     
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 7:00 AM by WheelCipher | 0 Comments

  • Even Swaps

    It has been a hectic week.  So much so that I just completely shut down for a few days.  My writing and blogging schedule has suffered a little bit, but I needed a few days off.  We had our mid-term exam last week.  It was due on Sunday.  During the process, we learned a new and exciting thing that has really grabbed my interest.  Even Swaps!  

    “Even swaps” is a rational and simple method for making trade-offs that help the decision maker in considering the value of one objective in terms of another.  The scenario was a popular one.  Some of you may have read about the Shouldice Hospital in Canada.  This is a very popular case study.  Over 500,000 students around the world work on this case study every year.  Shouldice Hospital has been dedicated to the repair of hernias for over 55 years. Their success rate has long been the benchmark for the medical profession internationally and their success has sometimes led to attempts at imitation.

    Basically, the hospital has four choices to pick from in order to increase their capacity.  Those choices are to do nothing, add a floor to the existing hospital, build a new hospital in the United States, or make the current staff work on Saturdays.

    The spreadsheet I came up with analyzes 12 benefits and drawbacks of each potential choice and mathematically provides the best option.  I won’t tell you which one I picked based on the fact that some people may have not done the work yet, but this was a very cool assignment.  This is one I can apply at my place of employment as well.

    If you are into capacity analysis and other related topics, look into this hospital.  They do some really good things.  I really enjoyed researching them.  I actually had a good time doing the mid-term exam.  

    Do you have any questions about distance education
    or anything in this post?  Feel free to contact Scott anytime!
    Add to:                     
    Posted Wednesday, October 08, 2008 8:49 AM by WheelCipher | 0 Comments
    Filed under: ,

  • Fan Mail From Danny

    Hello Scott,

    I stumbled onto your review of Norwich on elearners.com. I am making a career change into I.T. My question, if you would be kind enough to answer if your degree from Kaplan allowed you to obtain an I.T job or were you already employed in I.T. I am seeking some guidance and I am uncertain on how much one can learn online without hands-on experience.
    Good questions!  Information technology takes both experience and a degree usually.  This is one of those fields where a person can succeed with experience only, but will need a degree to get into management.  So if I had to compare experience vs. a degree, I would vote for experience.  A degree is just icing on the cake and will expand your potential down the road.

    I started in support, engineering and other hands-on jobs early in may career.  Experience only took me so far.  That’s when I got into school.  Kaplan’s IT program will teach you the basics and you will probably learn a lot.  Some of that will probably be applicable in many jobs.  But you also have to weigh your long term desires.  Do you want to stay in IT as a hands-on guy or do you want to get into management?  

    If you want to get into management, then I would focus on and stick with a hands-on job while getting a degree in management or business.  Many doors will open if you take that route.  The key word I try to tell everyone is “diversify”.  Don’t pigeonhole yourself.  Be prepared for any opportunity that comes your way.

    Do you have any questions about distance education
    or anything in this post?  Feel free to contact Scott anytime!
    Add to:                     
    Posted Tuesday, September 30, 2008 7:00 AM by WheelCipher | 0 Comments

  • Fan Mail From a Working Mom

    I am a working mom and I have been thinking about going back to school for a long time. My dream is to get a PhD but I don't have a master’s degree. I have a BS in accounting, but I like technology (like web design).  I can't seem to find a masters program that might lead eventually to a PhD. Also, even though I like math a lot, I am not that good with writing beyond a very simple program in basic language. So do you think its ok to pursue a master’s degree when one is not so good in programming?  I took a few classes. I did well in the 1st level and 2nd level but not the 3rd level. But I still want to work on web pages while getting a PhD!

    I have not seen any masters programs that specifically state web design and the school needs to be online since I am a mom and I work full time and drive average of 4 hours per day commuting. The other issue is how to pay for it?  I know I need to focus on a master’s degree first but which one should I choose?

    I can' t afford to go to school for a masters program and then find out it will not help me get into the PhD.

    If you have any comments its appreciated.
    Wow.  With all due respect, you are all over the map.  Let me see if I can provide you with some guidance based on what I know.

    First of all, there is no PhD having anything to do with web design, and very few (if any) having to do with technology that is offered online.   If you like web design so much, I think you would be much better off doing it on the side, making money where you can and gaining experience that way.

    You also need to take one step at a time.  You need to make some serious decisions about your goals in education.  With a BS in accounting, you might be a good candidate for an online MBA program.  After that, if you are not completely burned out on school, you can look at PhD programs.  Keep in mind that most PhD programs are designed for clinical or research application.  They can also be used to teach at the college level.

    Take your BS in accounting and build on that with a master’s in the same field or get a MBA.  The only real link I can see (at a master’s level) to what you might want to do could be a master’s in computer science.  Those degrees are not offered online to the best of my knowledge.  

    If you are set on taking online courses only, my suggestion would be to go the business route.  You have something to build on.  Do not be fooled.  The MBA from an accredited institution is hard.  Get past that and then we can talk more.  If you do get the MBA, you may have a completely different perspective on going any further in your education.

    I hope this helps.

    Do you have any questions about distance education
    or anything in this post?  Feel free to contact Scott anytime!
    Add to:                     
    Posted Monday, September 29, 2008 7:00 AM by WheelCipher | 1 Comments
    Filed under: ,

  • Fan Mail From Angel

    Scott, I've read your post on Elearners.com about your experience in Kaplan.   I'm 32, out of school since 1993, looking to get a BS in Business with Finance or Accounting. There are so many online schools out there that it can get overwhelming at times, besides your comments, I've many online with lots of people complaining about their financial department.  Did you ever encounter any issues with them?  Can you elaborate in your experience?  How are their classes set up?
    I never had any issues with their financial department.  I used FASFA (Federal student loans) and my out of pocket through four years at Kaplan was minimal.  Whenever they wanted money, they just let me know.  Usually, the amount was small enough that I could pay on the spot.  If the amount was a little out of my reach, they were more than willing so set up monthly payments.  They were very flexible.  

    You have to keep in mind that it is in their best interest to be flexible.  I am sure some of their goals include keeping enrollment up.  That’s the case with any college.  If they can make some decisions that help the student while keeping them in school, it turns into a win-win for everyone involved.

    The classes are set up in a certain order that makes the learning process very sequential in nature.  Some of the classes have prerequisites.  If you come in without any other credits, you will take about 40 classes.  They let you take two at a time.  If you can prove yourself, you should be allowed to take three at a time later on.  I was able to do this.

    I hope this helps.  I have heard other negative comments about the financial aid department at Kaplan.  But I have nothing but good things to say.  I never had a problem.

    Do you have any questions about distance education
    or anything in this post?  Feel free to contact Scott anytime!
    Add to:                     
    Posted Saturday, September 27, 2008 9:24 PM by WheelCipher | 0 Comments
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Norwich University

Norwich University

Norwich's unique case study system provides its students with practical experience and a curriculum tailored to your field. When you become part of Norwich University, you become part of something very old, very deep, and very proud.
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WheelCipher

Scott is a manager for a large media, communications, and Internet company in Austin, Texas. He's been in that position since June 2001. He has experience in the high-technology industry in management, engineering, and support positions with Dell Computer Corporation, UUNET Technologies, Wayport and others.

Scott started his degree program in 2003, and had no prior college credit before jumping into the distance learning environment. He graduated in October 2007 having attained an A.A.S. in Information Technology and a B.S. in Management from Kaplan University.

He is now a MBA student at Norwich University

Scott maintains his own blog at ScottDavis.info where he talks about business, education, politics, technology and society.

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