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How to Choose a US-based Online Degree?
Catalin Braescu asks: "I have an Egyptian friend which wants to finish highschool in US, using an online degree institution. Her American BF advises her to go for Keystone, but I really don't think she can later on be admitted to any college with that kind of diploma. So I am asking Slashdot if there are any good resources online (or at least some easy-to-understand checking points) to verify whether any online diploma is good for going to college or is just some worthless paper. Being from Europe, I can hardly know such details myself - and the same issue can be applied to online college degrees, too. HELP!"
> Like a few other posters have pointed out; you can always go for a GED,
> which is generally as good as any high school diploma.
No, it's not. It's more like a certificate of completion. It'll get you a
job that doesn't require anything beyond high school only if there aren't
any better applicants, and it'll get you into most major universities,
including any state school of course, but it is *not* the same as having
graduated high school in the first place.
What would be better than a GED, as far as college admissions are concerned --
especially smaller schools with higher standards than the state schools -- is
a halfway decent SAT score, plus a diploma from your home country that is the
closest available equivalent there to what a high school diploma is here.
But when all is said and done, the frist psot is right: talk to the
admissions officers (and, frankly, also the financial aid department) at
the colleges you are interested in attending. They will know what will
get you enrolled and what won't, and what will get you considered for
grants and scholarships and what won't, too.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
I can tell you from personal experience that some (most?) foreign high schools are accepted by US institutions. Here's how it works:
1 - come to the US with a foreign high school diploma.
2 - try to join/attend some institution which requires a US high school diploma.
3 - when they refuse to accept your foreign diploma call the state board of education and ask them which colleges/universities handle this situation.
4 - stop by the admissions office of the nearest place on that list and explain the problem.
5 - they will give you a "certificate of equivalency".
6 - Et voila'! Just as good...
Of course in her case it would be wise to check in with these various institutions ahead of time to be sure that her specific school system is, in fact, accepted as an equivalent but I myself had no problems doing that and I've met various people over the years in similar situations who did the same.
Good luck!
For anyone else who is reading slashdot and still in high school, in most states you can do some sort of "post secondary" program. Basically you study at the nearest university, and the school pays for it! This is the best kept secret of high school. Go for it!
This is something you will have to fight for. They have to let you do it, but the school loses money when you do it, so the counselors are told to try and talk you out of it! Don't let them, force the issue. Threaten to drop out if you must (that will scare them because dropouts are the one thing worse for the district than the college students), but take your last two years of high school at college.
Note that you will have to take the B.S. liberal arts classes, and not the interesting engineering classes. Still, those are college credits so they count as generals already taken in a real college anywhere, while the "advanced" high school classes rarely count for much.
Think carefully. I have no idea what schools are like in Egypt, and I suspect few others here do either. While US schools sometimes get picked on, we know what they are like, and overall it isn't too bad. Most people think of Egypt as some backwords country where people don't even know what the light bulb is, and few even attend school, much less make it to third grade. So one advantage you will have by doing this is ignorant people will trust the degree. (This same advantage would apply to any distance learning from Europe. American's tend to think the Europe's schools are pretty good, but have no real knowledge)
However there are disadvantages. You loose social time with your peers, which despite the idiots in most high schools, is still useful. (You will have to deal with those idiots for the rest of your life, so you better learn to do it)
Also I would assume that Egyptians would think less of the degree than a local one. (though maybe not, if everyone knows Egyption schools are bad they might think more of it) Which means if you get this you are pretty much forced to move to the US (or at least go to college in the US), which can be difficult to do. The US doesn't let just anyone in anymore, much of Europe would though, and Europe has a good standard of living. (though not 100% the same, Europeans and Americans have different tastes) So consider a European degree which might work better for you.
In general I think less of any distance learning than of the "equivalent" degree earned by attending class. However not everyone is like me, and your friend may not have much a choice. In fact in your friend case, if he gives a good case for Egypt's schools being junk (remember like most people I'm ignorant on the topic so this should be easy), the fact that he went through the effort to get a US degree, even if it is second best, is impressive. The effort of finding and using this program on his own impresses me more than a US high school degree, precisely because he is from Egypt. (but only if he convinces me that Egypt's schools are junk)
Check with the local law. If they refuse to consider this program the equivalent of a local degree it might hamper anything you want to do back home because you cannot claim to have a high school degree, even though you have a "better" US degree.
One last thought. When I was in high school there were some students who were home schooled who came to school for a few hours every day for band and other such classes where a group is required. It would be a good idea to see if the local school will allow you take math and English at home, and then those other classes with locals. Some schools are really against this idea, while some will go for it In fact if you convince the school this program is good you might end up with the local degree and the US degree, which is a good end run around local laws!
As a previous poster mentioned, high SAT or ACT scores will help, whether you finished high school or not. I took the ACT twice, and got a 31 and 32. My SAT was decent (1350) but not outstanding. On the ACT scores alone, I could have walked into pretty much any university I wanted; I was being actively recruited by any number of "top" universities around the country, well after I'd stopped going to high school. They'd gotten copies of my test scores from god-knows-where, and were more than happy to take me if I wanted to pay.
In the end I did a semester at the local state U, then decided that environment was for the birds, and got an AAS at the community college. The instructors there were actual industry professionals, not career educators. Nothing against career educators, I've got some in the family, but for tech skills I'd rather learn from someone who's proficient in the industry as opposed to someone who's proficient as a teacher.
I don't know how this works for someone living in a foreign country. I presume that each country probably has its own standardized tests ala ACT/SAT, and the scores or transcripts could be sent. There are plenty of folks here on student visas, so while I don't know how the import process works, there obviously is one. In addition to speaking with admissions advisors, it might help to write or call the Egyptian embassy in the US.
Looking back, I wouldn't do anything differently if I had the chance. I do have a tendency to skirt the GED issue on the resume, e.g. under Education I list my college/degree, followed by my high school. I don't claim on my resume that I graduated, but I don't say that I got a GED instead, either. Nobody's ever asked.
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
Buna! :-)
Adevarul este, din pacate, ca nu este posibil. Universitatii americane sunt prea competitive pentru a accepta studentii din scoli pe internet. Scolii aceie nu pot sa-i teste pe studentii lor (pentru ca nu pot sa controle daca studentii insela sau nu stiu ce)...e prea complicat. Stiu ca scholii egipteane nu sunt foarte buni, dar e mai bun (si mai ieftin) sa iei o diploma egipteana si sa faci note bune.
Romana mea nu-i bun, dar e placut sa vorbesc romaneste din nou!