Complaint Review: University Of Phoenix

Hi Mike1163,

I feel I am not getting the full story. As as I stated in my previous Rebuttal; some instructors are better than others. Many facilitators simply use the plagiarism checker to do their work rather than as a tool to assist them. I can not see how a resume can be plagiarized.

I took the same class and simply used my own resume as if I was looking for a job. There where three parts to that assignment as I recall. The first part was the resume itself. The second part was a follow up letter to reaffirm that you are looking forward to meeting the person that will be giving you an interview. The third part was a follow up after the interview thanking the interviewer for his or her time.

As you may have learned the words: I, me and mine are never used in the actual resume. The letters to the interviewer must be in a business format; including the proper heading and salutations. I received an "A" on that assignment because I did what was required using real jobs and actual people in the company that I am currently working. It is impossible to plagiarize that since it is unique to me. The second teacher may have given you more latitude, but you can not take what is a sample of the assignment and modify it; because that is plagiarism.

As for getting an "F" for simply leaving out a single reference on a citation for a picture is hard to believe, I have never had that problem because any omissions at this level of your education that is an accidental omission is graded as an exercise. As a working professional even an accidental omission is considered plagiarism. If you were a journalist you would have been fired.

I believe you may have had a tough instructor, but I will say by your posting there was more to your education than you are letting on. Your posting did not contain the proper writing skills of someone that attended an English class.

You wrote the entire posting as one paragraph. Your grammar and punctuation was lacking the level of expertise even for a high school student. The fact that you passed the same class with a different instructor and did the assignments the same way proves my point that many students should not be allowed to matriculate after the second class if they are not qualified. The instructor and the school does not want students to drop out and will give the student a grade just high enough to pass.

The school has a policy in place that allows for a one time nine week break in case of an emergency. If you were not aware of this, then you did not read your air tight contract. By law all contracts may be voided within three days of signing to allow each party to read the fine print. This is why I say do not use the phone exclusively to make contact and communicate with anyone without a follow up by an email.

Not using email will prevent an objective overview by a third party of a problem or concern that a student may have. As I posted previously get all correspondences made by phone reaffirmed with a follow up email. I suggest all communication be done using email. The school has an internal email system. I used my back up email to communicate with the school because I have control of my email.

In my classes I had classmates that were well written and those that wrote as you just did in your posting. Five hundred words in a single paragraph without a break is unacceptable for a college student. The first person pronoun "I" is always capitalized. Punctuation and spelling is important. I can understand a typographical error; it happens to the best writer, but when it is consistently repeated it shows a level of competency or lack of the same.

I believe you received an "F" because of more than an unintentional omission. I am sure of the fact that you were charged with plagiarism on a previous assignment may have contributed to a tighter scrutiny of your work. I still find it hard to believe that a resume that is personal and unique to you can be plagiarized; unless you just cut and pasted the sample assignment and change a few words.

I will give you the benefit of the doubt on the specifics of your case because I was not there, but if I had to grade the posting as a paper I would give it a C minus only because you are an entry level student. At an advanced level the posting would get a "F"

For those that are considering an on-line class my recommendation is to attend a standard college. At least there are people there that will know you and the specific details of your situation. The on-line classes have the disadvantage of too many students and not enough support. It is possible to get "lost in the sauce" That is why I can not stress enough using email to contact your academic and financial counselors on a weekly basis.

If you are single parent or have a heavy workload, then an on-line college is not for you. If you are just out of high school go to a "Bricks and Mortar" institution were your hand may be held, and you are supervised more closely. On-line college is for working professions that have some education beyond high school and are self starters.

Good credit and a personal line of credit for paying for school is the best option. Stay away from student loans and grants; you will not be able to keep up with the rigorous pace of two classes at a time without a break for two years.

As for your credit score, it will suffer if you do not pay even the smallest amount due to the UoP. As for the collection agency just change your phone number to an unlisted number and the calls will stop coming. Return all letters unopened to the sender with "address unknown." Will the school get its money? Yes; it will eventually be garnished from any tax refund or your paycheck.

Questions to ask before you sign:

1) Do I have an emergency protection in case I or a family member gets sick? If so how long and who determines if the case is valid; the school or a doctor? I believe it is a one time nine week absence with documentation.

2) If I fail a class do I get an independent review of my grade to make sure the facilitator is not biased against me.

3) If I am taking student loans or grants must I take two classes at a time without a break between the classes. The answer is yes. That is why I suggest using a personal loan that can be forgiven in a bankruptcy court. A personal loan also allows you to take a single class at a time with 29 days between classes if needed.

4) Ask what the cost of a credit hour will be when you enter the bachelor's degree program, and if you are going for an associate's degree and decide to continue on with a bachelor's degree will all your credits be transferable within the school. They may not and the cost will be higher for the bachelor's degree credit hours. The counselors will not volunteer that information.

5) Negotiate terms with the enrollment officer, such as, free books for the entire course. If it is agreed to; make sure it is in your contract and an email is sent to you advising you of any special arrangements. They can not argue with something in Black and White.

6) How many days do I have to review the signed contract before it can be enforced. I believe it is three days by law. I suggest reading it and going over it with a "fine tooth comb." If you see something that is wrong cancel the enrollment as soon as possible because once your class starts you are committed for payment of that class or classes regardless of how many days you may or may not have taken.

7) If the enrollment officer does not have the answer to any question, then Stop!! Do not skip it over and go to the next question until the answer to your question has been answered; have them get back to you when they can answer the question.

The school wants your business because they are the business of making money. They will bend if it means keeping you enrolled, but the school does have its standards, and those standards will not be compromised to keep one student and possible loss of its accreditation. That is why I find it hard to believe you were failed because you forgot to cite one picture's source. A lesser grade is appropriate not failure at this stage of your education. There is something that you are not being honest about.

After six classes I have enough experience to know what an instructor can do and what he or she may not do. Not all are great instructors and one I had was truly poor at what he did, but I still manage to get an "A" in the class. The on-line program is for mature self starters.

The on-line classes helped me. My writing skills have greatly improved and I learned about Netiquette. It just wasn't worth the cost of the education and the pace was too stressful. So I will pay what I owe on my student loan and move on with my life taking what I have learned. I hope anyone that reads this has learned something before taking any on-line class.

Good luck,

A former satisfied student.

Tiffany,
First of all, FAFSA is merely an application. It's a way for the school (any school) to have enough information about your financial situation so as to make a determination how much aid you should be awarded. They don't actually award the aid.
Second, your school should have sent you a financial aid award letter. it will detail how much Pell grant you get, and what you're entitled to in the way of institutional aid (which is paid by U of P) and student loans you may be entitled to. What I've seen many schools do is send an award letter that details for the YEAR what you may be entitled to. So it's possible that your pell grant $$ were actually based on the assumption you would be attending full time for a year. There is no award for part time attendance, I don't think.
There are very few circumstances in which a student's entire tuition would be paid through a Pell grant. They just don't award that much money relative to the tuition at U of P.
As a previous poster suggested, you need to get IN WRITING something from your financial aid counselor that details your entitlements and where the money went.
I have been in higher education for over 20 years and I dont' think there's a more confusing issue than financial aid... it's difficult for everyone. So don't despair. They are required to give you this information.
Also, please consider attending your local community college. It's WAY cheaper, they have online classes, and real people for you to talk to.

Tiffany,
First of all, FAFSA is merely an application. It's a way for the school (any school) to have enough information about your financial situation so as to make a determination how much aid you should be awarded. They don't actually award the aid.
Second, your school should have sent you a financial aid award letter. it will detail how much Pell grant you get, and what you're entitled to in the way of institutional aid (which is paid by U of P) and student loans you may be entitled to. What I've seen many schools do is send an award letter that details for the YEAR what you may be entitled to. So it's possible that your pell grant $$ were actually based on the assumption you would be attending full time for a year. There is no award for part time attendance, I don't think.
There are very few circumstances in which a student's entire tuition would be paid through a Pell grant. They just don't award that much money relative to the tuition at U of P.
As a previous poster suggested, you need to get IN WRITING something from your financial aid counselor that details your entitlements and where the money went.
I have been in higher education for over 20 years and I dont' think there's a more confusing issue than financial aid... it's difficult for everyone. So don't despair. They are required to give you this information.
Also, please consider attending your local community college. It's WAY cheaper, they have online classes, and real people for you to talk to.

Tiffany,
First of all, FAFSA is merely an application. It's a way for the school (any school) to have enough information about your financial situation so as to make a determination how much aid you should be awarded. They don't actually award the aid.
Second, your school should have sent you a financial aid award letter. it will detail how much Pell grant you get, and what you're entitled to in the way of institutional aid (which is paid by U of P) and student loans you may be entitled to. What I've seen many schools do is send an award letter that details for the YEAR what you may be entitled to. So it's possible that your pell grant $$ were actually based on the assumption you would be attending full time for a year. There is no award for part time attendance, I don't think.
There are very few circumstances in which a student's entire tuition would be paid through a Pell grant. They just don't award that much money relative to the tuition at U of P.
As a previous poster suggested, you need to get IN WRITING something from your financial aid counselor that details your entitlements and where the money went.
I have been in higher education for over 20 years and I dont' think there's a more confusing issue than financial aid... it's difficult for everyone. So don't despair. They are required to give you this information.
Also, please consider attending your local community college. It's WAY cheaper, they have online classes, and real people for you to talk to.

Tiffany,
First of all, FAFSA is merely an application. It's a way for the school (any school) to have enough information about your financial situation so as to make a determination how much aid you should be awarded. They don't actually award the aid.
Second, your school should have sent you a financial aid award letter. it will detail how much Pell grant you get, and what you're entitled to in the way of institutional aid (which is paid by U of P) and student loans you may be entitled to. What I've seen many schools do is send an award letter that details for the YEAR what you may be entitled to. So it's possible that your pell grant $$ were actually based on the assumption you would be attending full time for a year. There is no award for part time attendance, I don't think.
There are very few circumstances in which a student's entire tuition would be paid through a Pell grant. They just don't award that much money relative to the tuition at U of P.
As a previous poster suggested, you need to get IN WRITING something from your financial aid counselor that details your entitlements and where the money went.
I have been in higher education for over 20 years and I dont' think there's a more confusing issue than financial aid... it's difficult for everyone. So don't despair. They are required to give you this information.
Also, please consider attending your local community college. It's WAY cheaper, they have online classes, and real people for you to talk to.

Hey, I would like to comment and also add some things of which are similar to your adventures with this UOP. Yes, I think that we all have fell for this scam type situation that we have put ourselves into and I do not think for a minute that if we/us had the info that you have just shared in your statement here, that any of us would be in the financial bind that I assume many of us are in because of just NOT knowing the in's and out's of the scam, correct so far??? Well, we may not all agree here with what it is that I am saying about UOP, but this is what I see it as, a HUGE SCAM!!!! Nothing less of that!!!! I say this just because of the lack of interest that these people actually have for you when it comes to crunch time!? I mean, if there is a problem with one of the instructor's, well don't do that, or don't do this, why, because it will only get worse? Worse for standing up for my right's as a student??? Hey, if you're wrong, your wrong, no matter who you are, correct??? Well, here is one of my situations, I was in a class about half way through and I was told to do an assignment , this assignment was to do resumes, so that is actually what I did! I was also told that I could use the material that I was working with as templates, so that is actually what I had used them as. I mixed this and that and then came up with my own resume, now this is the interesting part! I was turned in for plagiarism? I did not even know what that meant at the time, but I had sure found out shortly afterwards what it was, the instructor had turned me in on a disciplinary complaint without ever even corresponding with me about the situation? Now mind you, that I am totally new at this system, I am not that great of a computer wiz and this is my first run in with this type of charge? I truly never heard or knew honestly what it was that I was doing or even did? But I was reprimanded for this situation and almost thrown out of the school for it, and this was my 2nd or 3rd class that I have ever taken online??? No warning, no communication at all?? Now here is the kicker, I am still in the same class and I do the final exam, so I am thinking everything is going fine, everything was some what cleared up with that situation and I am doing this final, well, I did not reference a picture in my final, so I was failed for it, just completely failed, nothing else but an F!!! Yes, just because of that situation of not referencing a picture in my final, I failed the whole course??? Now, doesn't it seem kind of funny that I would fail the whole class for that and anyone I talked to would say to leave it alone or you may make it worse??? I think that they are a HUGE SCAM!!! It cost me $850 out of pocket to continue my schooling!!!! So now I borough the money and pay it! I continue to attend my classes, I am on fire now, I have to take this class over and pay for it out of my pocket on top of everything!!! So I do, and guess what, I did the same exact thing as I did in the first class, in the 2nd and passed with an A+, a 96%, YES, now if that isn't fishy, then someone needs to explain a little something to me, they are THIEVES!!!! I like an idiot continue because I want my education that bad, so as I am doing this, I get to my 4th class in my 2nd semester!! I am in algebra, I get to 6 wks into it and I am goig through many personal issues and explain this to these people to get a leave of absents, to no avail, I mean, my father is dying in the hospital, my mother is very ill because of this happening, I am also taking care of a 11yr old child and working construction at the same time, I am stressing so bad at this point, so I try to get by and just can not keep my head into it any longer, so I had to end my schooling because they would not hear anything that I had to say and what was happening in my personal life which was a direct affect of my school work results!!! So now I was failed for this and I have to put out $950 to reapply to get back in again!!!! I do not have this type of cash flow to throw around and live at the same time!!! Now I have the bill collectors blasting my door down with mail, blowing up my phone to get their money, that I do not have, simply because I was ill-afforded an opportunity to take a leave of absents, to just get through this situation of crisis that I am trapped in at the time!!! I had all intentions of completing my Associates Degree if I was give that small period of time to just get through to the other side??? So, I hope that someone out there has a bit of something to share with me on how to maybe get what it is that is mine back??? Thank You for listening!!!! This is all a matter of my opinion!!!

Hello

As a former student of UoP I wish to make a suggestion if you are planing on taking on-line classes. The first thing is deciding if you should attend an on-line class or a traditional school. Most of the same rules apply except taking on-line classes removes the ability to talk to someone face to face.

It is very important, and I can not stress this enough, do not rely on telephone conversations to be the end all when corresponding with anyone. Always use emails to keep a record of what is transpiring. If a phone call is made, follow up that phone call with an email detailing what you believe was said on the phone, and make sure you receive a response.

Phone calls are hearsay while emails are admissible in a court of law. Expect high pressure sales tactics. Have a list of questions ready and get the answers at that time. If the person does not have the answer to your question, then stop, have them call you back when they do have an answer. Make sure you follow up on the phone call with what you believe was stated or promised before you sign anything. Do not do anything until you receive a reply to that phone call by email. This will avoid any misunderstanding.

I suggest, when possible, to get a personal loan instead of a student loan for a number of reasons. A student loan can not be forgiven, a personal loan is subject to bankruptcy laws. You have control of the money and pay as you go. This will allow you to take one class at a time with a 29 day grace period between classes if needed.

You may drop out of school after your last class, and not worry about who is holding your money. Give plenty of notice before dropping out of class because once class starts, and you are enrolled, you are subject to the payment of the class in full; regardless of how many days you attended the class.

If you are taking a student loan you must take two classes at a time for the student loan to be dispersed in a timely manner. You will not be able to take a break between classes if you wish to meet the dispersal deadlines.

On-line classes are not for young adults straight out of high school. Parents with busy schedules; especially single parents, should not take on-line classes using student loans. Grants and student loans will not cover your expenses if you fail a class. If you can not maintain a "C" average the money will come from your pocket.

The enrollment counselors will use high pressure sales tactics to get you to sign up as soon as possible. Enrollment officers will use deadlines on specials, such as, free books for your first two classes if you sign by a certain date. "Classes are filling fast" is another approach.

The best reason for using a personal loan instead of a student loan is your ability to negotiate the terms for your benefit. You should tell them that you want your books to be free if they want your business. The University of Phoenix is a business that happens to provide an education. When you hold the money the university will deal on your terms. When the university holds the money they hold all of the cards.
With a personal loan you are bartering from a position of strength.

Do not sign right away. If you have doubts, do not sign at all. The cost of going to school on-line is double what you will pay at the local community college. Once you enter the bachelor's program your cost per credit hour doubles. You will not be told that, you must ask the question first. The enrollment counselor will not volunteer any information, you must ask the right questions.

After you have decided to enroll, and the offer of free books is agreed to, then email everything that you believe you have been promised, and what is understood to be the contract to the enrollment counselor. Do this before you enroll because you are about to be bound to a legally binding contract that is air tight. The university has lawyers at their disposal, you do not. Emails are the only way to keep track of what has been said and what is promised.

Expect to write a minimum 4,000 words a week between your two classes. Expect stress and deadlines. Your classmates will be a variety of individuals from the intelligent to ignorant, and from all walks of life. Group projects can hurt your grade if your teammates are not pulling their weight. Some facilitators (Instructors) are very good at what they do while others are just going through the motions.

After six class with an "A" average I stopped attending classes because of the cost of the school. I did learn in school, but the pace of the classes was too much, and because I took a student loan I was boxed in at that pace. I enjoyed my on-line college experience; you may enjoy it as well, but be advised of what you are getting into. Learn to avoid the pitfalls: ask questions, get it all in writing, minimize any student loans or grants. Phone calls must be followed up with emails, and use email whenever possible.

Formerly stressed, but satisfied student of an on-line degree program of UoP.

I am sorry to hear about your dilemma. Every student is assigned two counselors (three counselors in the beginning if you include your "New Student" counselor). One of these counselors is your financial counselor. Mine checks in with me about every 30 days to see if I have any questions. And if I do have a question, he responds within 24 hours, most of the time within a matter of a few hours. My Academic Counselor, well, I've had a few issues with that area. But, I won't go there. the point is, try contacting your counselors via email and via phone. If that doesn't work than you need to call their 800 number listed all over their website. You may have to sit on hold for a few minutes, but you will eventually get a live person.

Another question... have you verified your address with them? Have you recently moved? I have recieved checks on two occasions for what you explained but I will randomly get them in the mail from time to time. I hope this helps...

good luck with everything, I hope you are able to continue your education at UOP & get this setback taken care of.

I am sorry to hear about your dilemma. Every student is assigned two counselors (three counselors in the beginning if you include your "New Student" counselor). One of these counselors is your financial counselor. Mine checks in with me about every 30 days to see if I have any questions. And if I do have a question, he responds within 24 hours, most of the time within a matter of a few hours. My Academic Counselor, well, I've had a few issues with that area. But, I won't go there. the point is, try contacting your counselors via email and via phone. If that doesn't work than you need to call their 800 number listed all over their website. You may have to sit on hold for a few minutes, but you will eventually get a live person.

Another question... have you verified your address with them? Have you recently moved? I have recieved checks on two occasions for what you explained but I will randomly get them in the mail from time to time. I hope this helps...

good luck with everything, I hope you are able to continue your education at UOP & get this setback taken care of.

I am sorry to hear about your dilemma. Every student is assigned two counselors (three counselors in the beginning if you include your "New Student" counselor). One of these counselors is your financial counselor. Mine checks in with me about every 30 days to see if I have any questions. And if I do have a question, he responds within 24 hours, most of the time within a matter of a few hours. My Academic Counselor, well, I've had a few issues with that area. But, I won't go there. the point is, try contacting your counselors via email and via phone. If that doesn't work than you need to call their 800 number listed all over their website. You may have to sit on hold for a few minutes, but you will eventually get a live person.

Another question... have you verified your address with them? Have you recently moved? I have recieved checks on two occasions for what you explained but I will randomly get them in the mail from time to time. I hope this helps...

good luck with everything, I hope you are able to continue your education at UOP & get this setback taken care of.

I am sorry to hear about your dilemma. Every student is assigned two counselors (three counselors in the beginning if you include your "New Student" counselor). One of these counselors is your financial counselor. Mine checks in with me about every 30 days to see if I have any questions. And if I do have a question, he responds within 24 hours, most of the time within a matter of a few hours. My Academic Counselor, well, I've had a few issues with that area. But, I won't go there. the point is, try contacting your counselors via email and via phone. If that doesn't work than you need to call their 800 number listed all over their website. You may have to sit on hold for a few minutes, but you will eventually get a live person.

Another question... have you verified your address with them? Have you recently moved? I have recieved checks on two occasions for what you explained but I will randomly get them in the mail from time to time. I hope this helps...

good luck with everything, I hope you are able to continue your education at UOP & get this setback taken care of.

This is what I wrote to them and no response at all.


I have been looking at the money that I was granted and the amount of it was 9310.00 that is with Pell and FAFSA. My classes as of Dec. of 08 totaled was 7830.00, with the subtractions that you all are shown is 7079.25 and that leaves 750.00. ok.
With the 9310.00 subtracted 7830.00 that is 1480.00 that is left of that money. This money would pay for this bill that I am suppose to have. If it doesn't where is the money. I have spoken to many people and this doesn't look right to them either and I have spoken with FAFSA that they also said that I got that money. I have found many complaints about you all with this matter and I truly want to know what's going on. If I got 4310.00 in pell and it is only showing that you all used 2155.00, where is the other amount of that; plus the 1480.00.