How to Find Upstanding, Accredited Schools in Orlando, Florida

Have you ever been sitting at home watching daytime television when one of those commercials advertising a career school has caught your eye? Well, read this first before you get caught up in something that might serve to drain your finances.

First of all, I want you to take notice of how most of the reputable schools, colleges, and universities don't mainly advertise their programs on television. What I mean is this: you may see a commercial for the University of Central Florida, Valencia Community College, Rollins College, and either of the Orange County Public Vocational Centers every once in a while, but you'll never be bombarded with slickly produced TV commercials on a daily basis about any of those institutions. The reason for that is mainly because these schools do not have to advertise to gain new students. Most importantly, their main objectives are to educate their students for the future, NOT to get into their pockets and take all of their money.

Next, we're going to talk about accreditation. All of the legitimate public and private colleges, universities, and career programs across the U.S. are accredited by one of six regional accreditation bodies recognized by the United States Department of Education. When I say legitimate, I mean those institutions that almost everyone can easily recognize as a "real" school, and would have no reservations about the quality of education they provide, ie: FSU, UF, Harvard, Valencia, UCLA, Seminole CC, etc. The regional accreditation body in our area is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

There very well may be some institutions out there that are not SACS accredited, but still have good programs and practices. But, just to be on the safe side it is always a good idea to stay within the SACS schools when searching for a new program in which to enroll. This is especially true when you don't have a lot of money to go to school - it can truly make the difference between getting a big financial aid refund every semester to getting a big bill every semester! I'll explain this in further detail in another article.

When you contact a school by phone if the admissions representative cannot, or will not tell you upfront the cost or length of the program....then it's a good indication that you've fallen in with the wrong school. Also, ask them if their program is regionally accredited, if they either don't know or try telling you that their program is nationally accredited you can be sure that this is definitely not the best choice for a person who is looking for a cost effective program. Usually what happens next is that they'll try to tell you that they want to set you up for an interview so that you can get a better "feel" of the school. What they really want to do is get you in the door so that they can rope you into their high cost tuition. They'll tell you that you can get government loans to complete their programs, but the problem with that is you shouldn't have to get a big loan to pay for a program as short term as say for example a Surgical Technology or Medical Assisting program. Then, to add insult to injury, their tuition cost may be so high until even after the loan you may still owe the school money. People please; don't let them get you like that, especially if you come from a poor background because you are literally throwing away FREE MONEY!

Bottom line is this: A lot of schools will say that they're accredited, but that usually doesn't mean jack! It's all about which type of accreditation they have. Please don't EVER pick a school based solely on what you see on a television commercial - especially if you're short on cash. When in doubt be safe and check this database before enrolling in any school or signing papers of financial obligation: http://www.sacscoc.org/search.asp If the program or school in question is not on this list, be sure to check all other area programs and do complete and intelligent comparisons before you sign your name on the dotted line. When all else fails feel free to shoot me an email and I can do the leg work for you. Peace