An investigative reporter for a large newspaper once told us that he could go into any building in the street, "that office, that hospital, that laundromat, that factory - and given enough time and money, I would find a story there that would probably make page one."
The same is very likely true of virtually every school in the world, from Harvard on down. Some simply have a lot more skeletons in a lot more closets than others.
It would be wonderful to have an army of trained investigators and detectives at our disposal. With our very limited resources and manpower, we cannot do a detailed and intensive investigation of every single school. Happily, we have received a great deal of assistance from readers of Bears' Guides, who have followed our advice on checking out schools and have reported their findings to us.
Here, then, is the five-step procedure we recommend for investigating schools that are not covered in our books, or looking further into those that are. And please, if you find anything interesting, email us and let us know! (Thank you.)
But even if it is listed here, don't take our opinions as the gospel truth. Hardly a day passes that we don't get a letter challenging our opinions. Sometimes they begin, "You idiot, don't you know that . . ." and sometimes they begin, "I beg to differ with you in regard to . . . " Whatever the tone, we are always glad to have these opinions. There have been quite a few instances where such a letter spurred us to look more closely at a school, resulting in a revised opinion, either upward or downward.
If you need the degree for a new job, a salary increase, or a state license, be sure to find out specifically if this degree will suffice before investing any money in any school. Many schools will gladly enter into correspondence with employers, state agencies, or others you may designate, to explain their programs and establish their credentials. All too often, we hear horror stories about people who have lost thousands of dollars and wasted incredible amounts of time completing a degree that was useless to them. "But the school said it was accredited," they lament.
Go to our Accreditation page for links to the regional and professional accrediting agencies. Some of these agencies list all of the schools that they accredit on their websites; others you need to call to determine. Either way, it's a quick and easy way to find out if the school has recognized accreditation.
Every state and every nation has an agency that oversees higher education. Check out the school with the agency in your state or in the state or country in which the school is located. Some correspondence schools are well known (positively or negatively) to the Better Business Bureau as well, but do not rely on this; some of the worst diploma mills have also been members of the BBB. And all nations have a department, bureau, or ministry of education that may be able to supply information on a school. They also all have embassies in Washington, DC and all national capitals, as well as United Nations delegations in New York to which questions may be addressed. You may get bogged down in voice mail, but it is worth the effort.
Visit the campus or the offices if at all possible, especially if you have any doubts. If the school's literature does not make clear its precise legal or accreditation status, or if you still have any questions, check with the appropriate accrediting agency. If the accreditor is not listed, be careful. There are a lot of phony accrediting agencies in operation, as well as phony schools.
Here are some of the questions you may wish to ask. Do not just make up a form letter and send it to 50 or more schools, as more than a few readers have done. Being more selective, both about schools and questions, will save you and the schools time and money. Also, match the question to the school. If you are inquiring of an obscure unaccredited school, it may be appropriate to ask where the president earned his or her degrees, but there is no need to ask that of, say, a major state university.
How many students are currently enrolled? Curiously, quite a few schools seem reluctant to reveal these numbers. Sometimes it is because they are embarrassed about how large they are, as, for instance, in the case of one alternative school that at one time had more than 3,000 students and a faculty of five! Sometimes it is because they are embarrassed about how small they are, as is the case with one heavily advertised school that has impressive literature, extremely high tuition, and fewer than 50 students.
How many degrees have been awarded in the last year?No legitimate school should refuse to answer questions like these. Remember, you are shopping for something that may cost you several thousand dollars or more. It is definitely a buyer's market, and the schools all know this. If they see that you are an informed customer, they will know that they must satisfy you or you will take your business elsewhere.
Remember too that alternative education does not require all the trappings of a traditional school. Don't expect to find a big campus with spacious lawns, an extensive library, or a football team. Some outstanding nontraditional schools are run from relatively small suites of rented offices.
You definitely cannot go by the catalog or other school literature alone. Some really bad schools and some outrageous degree mills have hired good writers and designers, and produced very attractive catalogs that are full of lies and misleading statements. A common trick, for instance, is to show a photograph of a large and impressive building, which may or may not be the building in which the school rents a room or two. Another common device is to list a large number of names of faculty and staff, sometimes with photographs of their smiling faces. Our files are full of certified, deliver-to-addressee-only letters sent to these people that have been returned as undeliverable.
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