Patten University

tigerfighter · April 2014

As from an earlier post I would like to complete my education, and listening to Pandora all day at work I have heard multiple advertisements for Patten University, which charge per term instead of per credit and it breaks down into $350/month. I am not planning on doing this now, waiting till have all debt paid off first, so in 3 years. They do have a physical campus and offers Bachelor's and Masters. Does MM think this is something worth digging deeper in?

Xstatic3333 · April 2014

I just spent some time checking out their website and honestly, it looked like any other college's website. That said, I'd be cautious. Here are my thoughts:

-I would make sure the degree program you're considering fits YOUR needs, and will increase either your earning potential or your personal fulfillment. I wouldn't chose it just for affordability.

-I'd make sure it's not a for-profit university. I couldn't tell either way from the website, but I've read some articles lately about how for-profits, on the whole, often don't deliver good learning or career outcomes for students.

-This one's specific to you. You mentioned in another post that you're in RI. I work in RI, am hoping to move there soon, and am becoming well-acquainted with the "everyone knows everyone" aspect of the state. By giving up a face-to-face degree, you are giving up the opportunity to make contacts that could really help your career. For example, I know (because my boss told me) that I only got my current position because of a recommendation from a specific professor I worked with in college. I'm not especially outgoing, but in three years in the state I've gotten to know and meet loads of important people from my field. Going to school in RI was invaluable for me, and I couldn't have a career there without it.

-I don't know if they have the right degree program for you, but I looked up tuition for RIC and assuming you're taking one class at a time in the evening, it would work out to costing a little bit less. URI is slightly higher but a great school with lots of evening options.

Good luck! You have lots of time to research and make sure wherever you chose will be money well spent.

tigerfighter · April 2014

Thanks, I had just kept hearing their commercials and thought about them. I was originally thinking of looking at state schools, as RWU is not affordable for me

hoffse · April 2014

I would absolutely not go to a for-profit university. Like Xstatic mentioned, make sure it's a not-for-profit. Tuition is usually less when all is said and done, and there is almost always more opportunities for students who come out of the nonprofit schools vs. the for-profit schools.

One reason for-profits don't train you as well as not-for-profits is because they don't have to. To get non-profit status you have to demonstrate some reason for tax exempt status to the IRS, and "education" is a reason. That's not to say that every nonprofit school is excellent, but they all have to make some effort to stick to their mission and continue demonstrating that mission to the IRS so that their nonprofit status doesn't get pulled. For-profit schools have no mission except to take your money.

Every state school, every excellent private school you've ever heard of - they are all nonprofit.

The other thing is I would make sure it's a place other people in your region are aware of. It doesn't have to be expensive to be known. I live in Birmingham, and the University of Alabama is king down here, and Auburn to a lesser degree because of location. Neither of those schools are expensive for in-state tuition. Hell compared to the schools I went to it's laughably cheap - which is great for people who live in this state. I grew up in GA and in-state schools are free for students who maintain a B average (up to 4 years worth of credits). I think TN now has a similar deal that they started a few years ago. I have no idea if RI is following that model, but it's worth checking out. That scholarship is funded by the state lottery, and it has enabled a lot of southern kids to be educated at good universities for pennies on the dollar. It's also made UGA, GA Tech, etc. extremely competitive schools - much harder to get into than 20 years ago, and so it makes your degree from those schools that much more valuable.

I think Xstatic's point about face time is really important. If you want to pay cash to finish your education, then it might mean you finish it more slowly. That's ok. Or you take out loans to do it more quickly. You just have to make sure that the debt you have is reasonable compared to what your degree will do for your income. The debt that students take on to get a degree from the for-profit schools is almost NEVER worth it, and in fact I think those schools are driving the education bubble. It's going to burst at some point in the relatively near future.

Xstatic3333 · April 2014

tigerfighter said:

Thanks, I had just kept hearing their commercials and thought about them. I was originally thinking of looking at state schools, as RWU is not affordable for me

I think RIC or URI would both be great places to look, depending on the program you're looking for! Like I said URI is a little higher than RIC, but from what you've shared about your budget I think you could still pay out of pocket if you budgeted and saved carefully and just took one or two classes at a time. Depending on how many credits you need to finish up, you could take some at CCRI first too to save money that way. RWU is pretty pricey, I think looking at state schools is smart.

ETA you may already know this, but URI has a satellite campus in Providence with evening classes for working professionals if that's more geographically convenient for you.

Sisugal · April 2014

In addition to the advice given, I would add that it is important to make sure the credits you have already earned are transferable and will count toward your degree. Often there is an age component for those credits to be considered as well as the number of credits allowed to be transferred (or a minimum number of credits to take at the completion school.)

I would consider a public institution that offers a combination of both campus and online classes.

emily1004 · April 2014

Check this list out. A lot of them are legitimate state public schools that have online programs.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/01/08/us-news-releases-2014-best-online-programs-rankings

Like the other PP, I would never go to a for-profit school. I also won't even hire someone from a for-profit school...

abrewer5 · April 2014

I didn't look at their site so this may be a non-issue, but also make sure the school is fully accredited. There are quite a few people I work with who went to schools like ITT tech and since it's not fully accredited they cannot transfer their credits and basically have to start from scratch. Good luck in your decision!

tigerfighter · April 2014

I need the online program as it is easier for my current career, but who knows where I will be in 3 years, hopefully still at current job and maybe in management. I currently have an Associates in Business Management from CCRI and actually 5 classes away from the Associates in Accounting, so maybe in those 3 years I should work on those 5 classes to be able to go either Accounting or Management for my Bachelors.

JoanE2012 · April 2014

FYI - Patten is a for-profit. Interesting article about them....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/universitynow-rides-a-low-cost-wave.html?_r=0

Xstatic3333 · April 2014

JoanE2012 said:
FYI - Patten is a for-profit. Interesting article about them....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/universitynow-rides-a-low-cost-wave.html?_r=0

Really interesting read! There are some things I like about the idea in principle, but I'd still never do for-profit. I also think education revolutions should come from educators. All of these businessmen who think they can "fix the system" with no background in educational theory do a lot of damage. Heck, PIT BULL of all people just opened a charter school in Miami. I wish it well, but really?

formerlyGDaisy09 · April 2014

I think 60 Minutes did a story on For-Profit colleges a year or two ago, basically the went after recruiting anyone who qualified for a Pell Grant and didn't much care what happended to them after they enrolled.

I think Facetime is Key! I wouldn't have gotten my first job (and then subsequent jobs at the same institution) if it weren't for connections made by one of my professors.

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