I’m a student at Capella. I will graduate with a PhD in Information
Technology next year. I received a BS from Minnesota State in 1993. In 2003 I
wanted to go back to school and enrolled in some classes at the local community
college. They offered programs through the University of Minnesota. After about
a year I got extremely frustrated with parking. Campus security was like
the Gestapo. After the 2nd parking ticket I started complaining in
class. One of my professors was a graduate of Capella and “secretly”
recommended their program. The IT school has received national recognition from the NSA.
I’m not sure why but it’s a good program.
My wife has an undergraduate degree from the University of
Minnesota. We started graduate school together. It also happened to be our first year of marriage. I enrolled at
Capella and she entered a Masters program in English through St. Mary’s
University. Granted the material was different but Capella actually seemed to
require more submissions than St.Mary’s. Perhaps it just seemed that way. The
cost between the programs was almost identical. The first few years of our
marriage weren’t super exciting. Graduate school is a lot of work. PhD programs
are even more work. I don’t recommend entering a PhD program. The obstacles are
huge and the rivalry between MDs and PhDs is about as dignified as senior citizens competing for a holiday dinner at Denny's.
I’m writing a response because I can empathize
with a lot of the angry students. Capella pissed me off more times than I care
to remember. But it wasn’t much different from attending State. Everyone working
as an administrator in higher education seems to have a chip on their shoulder.
It’s like going to the DOT to renew your license….bad vibes everywhere. I thought the
professors were fine. The coursework is setup so you have a clear view of your
objectives. Teachers at the college level are very diverse. Some go all out; detailing
grammar and structure issues in every one of your papers, making suggestions, complicating
your life in undesirable ways. Others
give you the grade and don’t respond to emails because you’re beneath them.
I think another issue behind some of these nasty comments relates
to Capella’s requirements. They actually expect you to do the work. And since
they aren’t established they seem to be constantly adding more and more hoops
to jump through. However, I believe there are websites that will “help” you
with the material, if you have the cash. Not getting the assistance you need
from your mentor? You’re supposed to be developing the skill level of a doctor.
Obviously you'd be better off working with Heidi and Spencer. They need a new
show. PhD programs are designed to be difficult. If they were laid out like a
TiVo menu everyone would be a doctor.
Capella is not that
expensive - when compared to other graduate schools. One of my relatives just finished an MBA at the Kellogg school of business. I
was curious about the cost and checked their website. $100,000!!! That’s a lot of
money. Until you consider the salary he makes as an MBA. My grandmother asked him about his new job. He said “They pay me an obscene amount. If I told you how much, you wouldn't believe it." He does live in San Fransisco but I guess its a lot even for there.
I’m the rebellious anti-establishment member of the family. The
schools I attended are not even in the top 100. My family is full of graduates
from private and prestigious institutions: Columbia University, Carlton,
William & Mary, St. Catherine, Northwestern, Stanford. Did they get a better
education? It doesn’t appear that way around the dinner table. Why? All
accredited colleges must meet the same national standards. Granted some have
better professors but come on….George W. Bush has an MBA from Harvard. Perhaps
the following example will do a better job of illustrating how ridicules the issue
of college has become. My wife teaches with someone who
attended St.Olaf College in Northfield. They do the same job and get paid the
same amount. My wife went to the University of Minnesota. Her BA cost roughly
$20,000 after 4 years. The same degree at St. Olaf runs about $192,000. That’s
a lot of money for a teaching job. But she will always be a St. Olaf alumni....
Online schools are new and not as well recognized. However,
if I wasn’t a poor doctoral student I’d invest in Capella. They have aligned
themselves with the military. My PhD residencies were filled with officers and
DOD employees interested in taking advantage of the government’s 100% tuition
reimbursement policy. In turn Capella is heavily reinvesting their capital in
personnel and equipment. I work at a world renowned medical center and they
reimburse me for almost half of my tuition. They would do the exact same thing if
I was enrolled at the University of Minnesota. The idiots in HR are going to have to change their
attitudes. It'll take time. Probably just as long as it'll take people to understand PhD graduates don't all want to be professors.
Now if I could just stop putting off my dissertation…..
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