The University of Phoenix Teaches an Old Dog Some New Tricks

Right now I am just finishing up on my first set of classes at The University Of Phoenix Online (UOP). When I first signed up with UOP, I was well aware of what I was taking on from the reviews that I have seen. Don't fool yourself about this school. Yes, you can cheat, and you can probably fly by without doing any work (never tested it out so I wouldn't know), etc. Honestly I couldn't expect much more out of a for-profit, online school. But for those of us that are actually serious about our education, The University Of Phoenix opens doors that normally would have remained shut.

I was completely college-phobic. Unfortunately for me, I was one of those kids that somehow ended up waaaaay ahead of their actual grade level. In the early years my teachers would take the time out to challenge me in various ways so my interest was kept piqued, but this ended in high school and I found myself faced with an environment that provided no new information and took a "sit down and shut up" attitude towards any independent thought. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I figured college wouldn't be any better and there was just something wrong with my attitude or something that I couldn't seem to fix. Over the years I haven't slacked off in my education in any sense, only it has been self-education for nothing more than the pure pleasure of learning.

Then came the realization one day that I was more than likely never going to any form of job security, position, or a pleasurable job without some proof of what I already knew - a degree. I gritted and bared my teeth and prepared to dig in to the drudgery that drug me down when I was younger. Since I had recently had a baby, I felt it would be best to pursue an education online. After looking through many online colleges, I came to the conclusion that UOP was the best one I could find, partially because it was the one that had the least amount of complaints and the highest review score, but also because the complaints were about things that were bearable to me (if you think The University Of Phoenix is bad, check out some of the reviews and information out there about American Intercontinental University). I wasn't looking for a university level education because I was pretty sure I had most of that. I wanted to simply get proof that I had that education and maybe learn a few things new.

UOP has blown me out of the water. The reason why is because they take a very unique and personal approach to the subject matter. While a lot of the subject matter hasn't been new to me, the study material makes me think deeper about it, and the assignments make me live it. I have been amazed by my instructors not only encouraging me to debate the subject matter, but also asking specific questions about what I have said to make me dig even deeper.

I have seen no indication that I'm earning easy A's or that the instructors aren't actually paying attention to my work. I'm currently at a 93, which I worked hard for. I got the feeling that my instructors got a feel for my educational level and then started setting their expectations for my work accordingly. I'm still wary about the truth in my grades though and look forward to seeing how many of my classmates make it through. I have been fortunate in that many of my classmates have not been nearly as bad as what some people have described their classmates being like. Still, there are a few I suspect would be the most likely to have issues, and it will be interesting to see how well they do in the next round of courses.

The thing I'm most appreciative of though is the approach to learning that The University Of Phoenix uses, and the level of support that I have experienced through the staff. They have surprised me quite a few times on how supportive they are.

The University Of Phoenix, for the most part, is just like any other online school. There are just certain limitations you have to expect from an online learning environment. But for those who are best suited to an online educational environment, so far I'm finding The University Of Phoenix to be just about as good as it gets.