Empire State College vs Touro College

amother

Burlywood

Sat, Jun 09 2018, 11:29 pm

Hi, through which college would you rather choose to earn your degree- Empire State College(SUNY) or Touro College?

Empire State College is an online program but is a fully accredited college of the State University of New York vs Touro which is not online but not SUNY.

I’d prefer online as it’s way more convenient being that a work full time and have kids, but before embarking on this journey I wanna be certain that Empire State College is recognized as an accredited college even tho its online.

Has anyone attended Empire State and would like to share their experience? Tia😊

amother

Bronze

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 12:12 am

5 of my immediate family members did empire state, one followed with a masters at touro in special Ed.

What are you going for? Empire state although online still takes 4 years (less if you did seminary /clep credits). Meanwhile, touro, YU, Sara Schenirer, and many city colleges accept accelerated programs like TTI or Thomas Edison.

amother

Violet

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 1:18 pm

SUNY, online college like WGU. These are much more affordable. It's not easy to start a career with a mountain of student loans. Why not start with a small hill instead? There are some SUNY programs and online colleges (like WGU) that allow for accelerated study. Research for yourself by calling/visiting schools.

amother

Burlywood

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 1:46 pm

Thanks for your replies. I plan on first going for a BA in psychology and then maybe go for a Masters too depending on a few factors.

I thought that because Empire State is an online program one can earn their degree in an accelerated manner. It took them all four years??

amother

Burlywood

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 6:55 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I believe WGU isn’t SUNY and I prefer one that is as it has more creditability than an online program that is not SUNY. Especially since it’s online.

Mommyg8

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 6:59 pm

amother wrote:

My experience has been that online programs are just as time consuming as real life programs, if not more so. Unless you are clepping a large part of your degree.

The advantage of WGU is that it's fast. The disadvantage - no GPA, as all classes are pass/fail.

amother

Burlywood

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 7:08 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

The reason I’m looking at online programs is because with a full time job and kids, it’s a lot more convenient and doable.

I would like to earn my degree fast but I’d also like for it to be accredited. I don’t wanna put in the work, time, and effort only to find myself with a degree that isn’t worth much.

amother

Saddlebrown

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 7:16 pm

amother wrote:

It's definitely more convenient, but as for 'doable' - its as the previous poster said. It demands just as much work or more work than a regular class. If you attend a class, the professor can assess your participation and effort. Since they're unable to do that with an online class, they demand a lot of assignments and a lot of logging in to ensure that you're actually doing the work.

I've taken both type of courses, online and in-class. When I have the choice, I take the in-class ones over the online ones anytime. I found them to be less demanding, and taking up less time of the day, even with having to attend classes. Just something to consider while assessing your options.

amother

Burlywood

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 9:24 pm

amother wrote:

With one car traveling to and from will be really difficult. I’d like to hear more about online SUNY programs. I’m trying to research which program would be my best option but the information isn’t coming easy. Not sure why. Possible because so many of what I’m reading is paid advertisement. Even the articles and comparisons that aren’t directly on the program’s website.

Mommyg8

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 9:57 pm

amother wrote:

WGU, Excelsior, and Thomas Edison are all accredited universities. It really depends on what you need the degree for - do you just need that piece of paper? Or are you trying to get into a competitive grad school program or need a more prestigious degree for a different reason?

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 11:14 pm

amother wrote:

Really? Not my experience. Grading is strictly tests exams assignments and labs. Going to a live lecture is where the learning happens.

Mommyg8

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 11:34 pm

amother wrote:

Really? Not my experience. Grading is strictly tests exams assignments and labs. Going to a live lecture is where the learning happens.

There are generally much more assignments and quizzes in online classes. And you have to read the book yourself; no-one's teaching it to you. Obviously each college has a different format, but if your college had a relatively easy online class, can you share which college that was?

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Jun 10 2018, 11:43 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

I didn’t take college online.

I’m challenging the idea that colleges grade on class participation, in any part.

mom39

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 12:10 am

I understand that for on line classes you can make your own hours but be aware that you must be very self motivated! Also, there are certain classes that it would be much easier if a teacher explained it to you instead of trying to figure it out yourself (like math)

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 12:14 am

amother wrote:

I didn’t take college online.

I’m challenging the idea that colleges grade on class participation, in any part.

I didn't mention that colleges grade on class participation. I said the professors assess the student's effort and participation - to see if the student is engaged in the learning process. They cannot do that online, so they use assignments, reports and frequent quizzes instead.

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 12:23 am

amother wrote:

Ok I misunderstood.

I don’t think I agree with you though. I don’t think those quizzes and assignments are there to show a teacher if he is being effective. They are there to aid in learning, and add integrity to the class.

amother

Bronze

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 12:31 am

amother wrote:

Didn't you say you didn't take online class? With all due respect, you can't have an opinion unless you've done it.

Op, yes empire state takes 4 years. If you clep and did sem, you can do 2ish years.

If you live in BP, Sara Schenirer has a one year program during evenings for a ba.

Again, what will you do with the ba? You can take it straight to a great grad school even if it comes from a place like TTI. Figure out what you want to do with degree and work backwards from there.

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 12:32 am

amother wrote:

I think you are misunderstanding again. I made no mention that the quizzes and assignments are there to show a teacher if he is being effective. I stated that they are there to ensure that the student is involved in the learning process. Those are two different concepts.

While they are there to aid in the learning, the INCREASE of them in online classes are as mentioned above. (My professors personally stated this, hence the reason I feel free to state this with certainty.)

gribzoid

Mon, Jun 11 2018, 8:11 am

Empire State is a SUNY college - I can't think of any reason why ESC would not be accredited. You should contact them to be sure. I have taken a ton of classes at ESC and I enjoyed them all including an MA that I abandoned two courses short of completion (don't ask)