Colorado Technical University - Online Reviews
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Terrible educational experience
School not recommended by
Chad
on
July 28, 2010
4/4 people found this review helpful
Wow so many bad things to say about my experience at CTU. I realized after six months of attending CTU on-line that is a scam. These people should be ashamed of themselves for wasting tax payer money. I have found a newspaper article that anyone planning on attending any of these ridiculous on-line schools like CTU, ITT Tech, Westwood College or university of Phoenix, ECT... should read. It is titled In Hard Times Lured into Trade School and Debt. By: Peter S. Goodman.
The New York Times, March 15, 2010. This article explains exactly what these types of phony schools are up to. http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/109081/in-hard-times-lured-into-trade-school-and-debt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V122ICNS8_0
I found CTU On-Line to be a miserable experience. The on-line class environment is a joke. All the instructors do is read you a book over the internet. Listening to the instructors just read you a book over the Internet was intolerable and boring. The instructors would never answer any questions, saying that they had to finish reading the required material in these live chats ("class sessions").
The assignments that some of the instructors posted were stolen from other schools internet sites word for word. I found this out by googling the key words of assignments and found the exact same words for assignments on other schools web sites.
The instructors say you can e-mail them for help "since you can’t ask questions during the live chats”, but good luck getting a timely response. Most live on-line chat sessions I attended at this "school" had very few participants; maybe three out of forty people participated on average. The chats are recorded but that's even more intolerable and boring than listening to the live sessions.
The instructors would have you grade and comment on other student’s papers. This was a joke because most of the papers sucked and I didn’t want to be the one to tell these people they had no clue what they were writing about. Most of the student responses would only be a few sentences like, nice work on your paper I found it interesting. This really was not helpful at all and a complete waste of time.
The instructor’s comments for grades were basically the same, consisting of only a few sentences that really didn’t help me learn anything at all or correct my mistakes or clear up any confusing material. Most of the time the instructors would use the cop out that you can find everything you need on the internet, what a joke.
They (CTU) have this thing called group assignments were you team up with others from all over the country to do assignments together. This never worked because of different schedules and time zones. I was the only one most of the time that would even try to get the group to work together. It never did go very well though.
The APA style writing they push on you was a joke too. Every instructor had different interpretations of what APA was and nobody I talked to or even myself ever had much luck writing "correct" APA format.
I was getting A's and helping other students out with programming concepts and Java code writing. If you attend this school you had better love sitting in front of the computer forever. The college algebra class came and myself and allot of other students were struggling and trying to find help, but there was none. I was spending 30 hours a week doing all these things and feeling like I was wasting my time and money.
I learned more about computers from my own studies than the classes provided. Most students in my classes were so lost that I spent most of my time trying to help them make sense of the garbage the school was presenting.
I really think that you should choose a school carefully and ones that advertise on the TV or radio usually aren't very good. I got out after $9000.00 in total charges after like six months and six worthless classes. I would have been better off investing that money in any other way rather than trying CTU.
The admissions people are quite the sales talkers. They called me constantly for two weeks straight to get me to pay the $50 application fee and start my FASFA papers so they could get paid as soon as possible. What a joke that school will pass anyone through the courses so they can collect the easy money their stealing from government loans.
I think people should attend a class room based school with hands on training. That's really the only realistic way to go. Who wants a bunch of Internet trained cops, engineers or doctors working with them, I know I wouldn’t. I would advise you to ask the HR department of a place you would like to work were they have their employees trained and go to those classes. I have taken company sponsored classes that got me certificates that increased my pay and value to the companies I was working for. Hope this helps and good luck in your search for a school
I believe this school will accept anyone for their programs just to collect the easy money from the government loans they are stealing from. The fifty dollar application fee is just feel good tactic. Anyone who applies to this school will be accepted. Seriously DONT ATTEND THIS SCHOOL, YOU WILL JUST END UP IN BIG TIME DEBT WITH NO SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS. Now I’m so mad because I was a MORON for believing this "school" was going to improve my education and job options.
DONT GET SUCKERED IN LIKE I DID, I KNOW I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF INVESTING THAT MONEY IN ANY OTHER WAY. My E-mail is mchadtipton@yahoo.com and if you want more explanation of what I experienced I would be happy to save you from the worst (AND MOST COSTLY) decision of your life, attending Colorado Technical University On-line.
The grade I would give CTU on-line is 50% or an F.
These are my responses I put together that I have sent to others answering their questions about CTU on-line. I am glad to advise you what I experienced at CTU and hope it helps you make a wise decision. In my years of working towards advancement in my careers I have found that state, government and corporate certifications are the most rewarding classes to take. I have taken classes for certifications in bridge inspecting, construction materials testing and auto repair. All of these types of training experiences where the most rewarding and the most beneficial in the short run. I would suggest again that you consider calling a company human resources representative that you would like to work for and ask them where they send their employees for training. Generally these types of certifications are grounded in real world job use full information and training that results in immediate raises and job security.
Hope this helps you to make a good decision and best of luck to you.
So believe me this school isn’t worth the money and that’s why I answer all inquires sent to me about CTU. I do this because I truly believe I am helping people make a well informed decision. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have my email is mchadtipton@yahoo.com
Learn More about Colorado Technical University - Onlineformer employee
School not recommended by
former emp
on
June 24, 2010
50/55 people found this review helpful
OK, to get it out of the way, I am a former admissions rep for CTU. So if you want to take what I am saying as sour grapes fine, but it is the truth.
I worked in the admissions department for 6 months, so I know the ins and outs of the admissions here. I can not speak as to the quality of the education, but if it is based on who they allow to attend, the education will not be good.
My job as an "admission advisor" was to simply get you to enroll. Didn't matter rather I thought the online experience was going to meet your needs, or if you could handle online schooling. I was to get u enrolled.
When you speak with an advisor, the first thing we did was an "interview". This interview has only on purpose.. to get enough information on your state of mind to use it to mentally coerce you into attending later on in the process. I would find out why you wanted to go back to school, you motivation both positive and negative. What at you wanted to get out of school.
If you told me you wanted to be lets say a veterinarian,this was all you ever wanted to do, I would tell you we could help make your dream come true. Even though we offered no lab science courses. If you did not have your associates, I would tell you to get your gen ed associate with us or possible your associate in business, cause after all once you become a vet you need to run the business.
Would your degree transfer to a 4yr university?... good question. To us it didn't matter what your end goal was there was very little you may want to do with your life that we could not offer a possible "solution" for. The good reps could sell this to you, rather it made sense or not.
Online school is not for everyone. There are many people due to various situations where attending their local J.C. would be the better bet. Not if you talk with an admissions rep. I had one student, who,in talking with him, I could tell he, to put it politely, was a bit slow mentally speaking.
I knew in my heart of hearts, that he would not be able to do the online courses and all he would have to show for it is a student loan. But I was an "advisor" in name only. I was a salesman, once they drove off the lot wasnt my concern. When I was helping him fill out his application, he asked me what a v-e-t-e-r-a-n (yes he spelled it out) was. This is not someone who online school was made for. However he had what was needed to get enrolled... $50 and a high school diploma or GED.
That is right this is all you need. I guess I was use to colleges having some sort of standard that had to be met to get in. Not here. I always laughed inside, when I told a prospective student, upon getting their $50 and completed application, that I would present them to the Director of Admissions and give them a call tomorrow saying if they have or have not been accepted.
Did I "present" them.. ya i told my sales manager(DOA, most schools have one director of admissions, not here) of the client. The concern was the admission fee, and diploma/ged. I could tell them that they lived in a log cabin with no electricity have to go 20 miles to town to use the libraries internet, but as long as the money and degree was there, they were admitted.
The money ($50) was so important that I heard a advisor get into a heated discussion with a potential student asking them which was more important, getting his daughter a WII for christmas, or getting him the degree he needed. Did the advisor care about the guy, heck no. He cared that with out the fee, he couldn't submit the application thus meeting his sales goals.
In the small print of the admissions forms you will see where there is a 24hour buyers remorse clause, which would allow you to cancel and get your $50 back. After that the money was ours. If you did try to back out... be ready for the fight of you life.
We would do anything needed to keep you, this included emotional blackmail (remember the origional interview?) We always said that as a student one of the"perks" would be early admittance to class. That is right you could go into your class a week early and get started (all beginning students had the same intro to online learning class).
What we didn't tell you is we were doing you no favor here. Again, in the small print of the admissions contract, it stated that if you attend one class in a class, you had to pay for the entire class, regardless if you want to quit or not. It was to our advantage to get you in class.
These are just some of the things that go on behind the scenes. The masters program is another story in itself. If you got your degree from this school, would it be accepted by employers probably. Reason being is your diploma would read Colorado Technical University Denver Co. Not once will anyone see you went online for your education... So you tell me is this the school you want to spend over 50k with?
Annoying process
School not recommended by
Paul
on
June 19, 2010
20/25 people found this review helpful
Has anyone noticed that most of the positive reviews sound the same? They all have the same themes about students being challenged and when they confront a negative review they make it sound like it is the reviewers fault that the admissions people never answered the phone.
This is nothing but a scam to get a ton of money from people for a crappy degree. Think about it. 20,000 dollars for an AS or AA? I recommend checking out your local community colleges as they will be much cheaper and most offer a wide range of online classes. For example for a NC resident wake tech offers classes that are around 100 bucks a pop. Comes out to around 2,400 dollars for a degree (not including books).
They also fail to mention that you are going to be hard pressed to gain any type of decent job with an Associate degree. Trust me. I tried it and after 3 years of a nearly fruitless search I am 2 semesters away from my BA at a traditional school. That is not to say you will not find work. But finding a job that will balance out a 20 grand student loan debt is a bit tough as the jobs will not be much better than you could have found without the degree.
So, all that being said, I await the responses from the CTU trolls who will tell me that I did not try hard enough or that college is just too hard for some people (even though I made it work for me, just in a more inexpensive and practical way)and that CTU will challenge students in ways they have never been challenged before. I do not doubt this because as soon as they get their degree they are going to have to pay a monster loan back at 10 bucks an hour.
Thinking about going here for a Graduate degree
School recommended by
Rob
on
June 07, 2010
9/20 people found this review helpful
Basically just applied, waiting on acceptance. I'm not sure what to expect from CTU online but as an older person I can say, having professor involvement means very little to me.
I don't want to be micro managed. I just want to get my assignment, do my work and get a grade. To learn, put my work in, my time -- I don't need a prof. for that.
I expect that if I work at it and put the work it, I know I'd have earned it. One or two bad profs. or a bad rep from a couple formal students can't take that away from me. It's an accredited school so getting my Masters will be sweet. And what else matters.
Finally I don't have to hear from my stupid brother about his Masters ;).
Online school? Go to University of Phoenix
School not recommended by
Tracie
on
June 06, 2010
4/17 people found this review helpful
I went to Kaplan for about six months, never did a paper or any thing, all I did was show up to the class "discussions" made the Dean's list for doing nothing. I Dropped for not getting anywhere. University of Phoenix first week had to do a paper. Just feels like I am actually doing something.
CTUOnline is a Winner's Winner
School recommended by
Doris L. Hall
on
June 06, 2010
17/24 people found this review helpful
Thank you CTUOnline. Your toolkit is stacked and packed with virtually everything necessary to succeed. From a great virtual toolbar to an efficient Live Chat and Discussion Board with lots of Learning Labs, CTUOnline wins my vote as a recent graduate of CTUOnline with highest honors of 3.95.
You must learn to be part owl and concentrate on organization and attending the Live Chats. The professors are talented, highly motivated and caring. It is a fast paced and exciting way to maximize your computer skills and interact with students located all over the world. I love being a part of a university setting that is universal in nature and focuses on real-world career applications.
I must say that I had an exceptional admissions specialist and I appreciate her professional manner in handling all of my issues in a courteous and expedient manner.
I loved every one of my professors. Each one of them seem to have a flashlight into my soul and motivated me through encouragement and their personal maturity. Their teaching style was excellent and I enjoyed the way they guided the class with an organized and respectful approach, encouraging us to engage our peers through the Discussion Boards which assisted us in our inter-personal communication skills.
My overall experience at CTUOnline has been excellent and I am continuing with my Bachelors and Masters. You will be amazed at how CTUOnline brings the highest quality of virtual education and blends it with market reality. Thank you CTUOnline! I am a proud graduate.
Good CTU experience...
School recommended by
Steven
on
June 04, 2010
23/24 people found this review helpful
I have read many of the negative reviews here and must say "wow!" I am currently attending CTU Online and have NOT had any of the experiences these negative reviewers relate. I have never once had a professor "read from a book" in the LCS.
I have found that (in my case) the student advisors have been forthcoming and very helpful. I have not had even one experience with someone being rude to me because I needed help. In fact, the advisors went out of their way to help me on every issue.
Once, I wanted to change my schedule of classes at the last minute and it was done almost IMMEDIATELY with no arguments. I needed to scale down to one class at a time because I was overwhelmed due to work (and some other issues) and the school was more than willing to accomodate my request.
I changed one class in the first week because I found that I was unprepared for the material (I went to the Learning Labs to correct this) and the advisors took care of that WITHIN MINUTES. I failed one class (got an "F") due to non-attendance (had a family emergency) but have been allowed to retake the course (getting an "A" in it now) and was able to reschedule with NO problems whatsoever.
BTW, the failure in that class was through no fault but my own. I was completely responsible for this and am now being given the chance to correct it. The one thing I have found annoying up to this point, however, is that it does seem there are lots of people who attend the LCS (By the way, contrary to the claims of one reviewer here, you CAN ask questions in the Live Chats. That is what the LCSs are for!) who are of low intelligence or who are there simply to socialize rather than learn.
It is really annoying when attending an LCS and some students are using the Chat Pod to have conversations that have nothing to do with the subject. This is really disruptive to the classes when allowed to get away with this. The only other complaint I might have would be that I had a teacher recently who seemed to think the class was more like a mission field where she would subtly (or not so subtly) be constantly talking about "The Lord" and other religious stuff.
Spending the first half hour of a chat talking about your religious faith when we are there to learn about Professional Communications is not cool. Other than that, I ahve CTU Online to be an excellent school! You do have to actually work to get your degree here, so be warned of that...
What is your goal?
School recommended by
Matt B
on
June 04, 2010
12/14 people found this review helpful
I have read many of the reviews on this website and others, out of all of them one may notice that a good portion are negative. This is to be expected, most people that are currently attending the school are not posting anything. I believe it is because they are gaining an education and do not have the time to complain about it.
Now,of course, that is a blanket statement; however, I would like to share my experience with the school. A little background... I am a disabled Marine Veteran that decided to go to school after I returned from my second tour in the middle east. Members of the military live under very different circumstances, and with my service connected disabilities my choices of schools were limited.
I started with CTU online in Jan 2005 and was attempting to attend during my last employment. There are not many colleges in the Desert, so online seemed my only choice. After my contract had ended, I returned to Denver with my family and tried to attend Metro College of Denver in a program that I had five years of classes and experience on with the Marines.
And they told me that although I had been performing the job for years and had gained many dept of education accreditted courses, they would only transfer 9 out of my almost 100 credits I earned while serving my country. And no, it was not for my major in airframes it was for electives in marksmanship and physical education.
After that slap in the face I returned to CTU online. Between the age of 24 and 29 I will have been able to complete my BS in Management with honors, my MSM and my MBA. The first two were through the online campus and the MBA I am taking at the ground campus. I have recieved multiple job offers with my degrees and currently work for the city in an upper management position making around 76,000 per year.
The fact is the Degree gets you the interview and it is the interview that gets you the job. In fact, starting in a week I will be accepting a position with a group in Denver that works with developmental disabilities, specifically returning Veterans from OEF-OIF, my degrees may have gotten my application to the right people, but the knowledge that I have brought with those degrees is why I am where I am.
So for those that have a bad taste in there mouth about CTU Online, try looking from the outside in; life is what you make of it. If the only thing you have to offer Boeing or some other fortune 500 company is a piece of paper, you have a way to go. And for those that think that going to school online is a joke, try sticking it out with three kids and a full time job. And from someone that has done both online and ground campus schools, no this, online is far more difficult.
It requires more discipline and more dedication than most brick and mortar schools. Is the school expensive, yes, does it require testing, sometimes, does that make it a horrible school where no learning occurs, absolutely not. Testing can be crammed for and cheated on, but large amounts of homework and group projects give you the crash course on life.
For those of us that live in the business world, we can all agree that the amount of work we do compared to the amount of tests we take is not even worth trying to calculate. The real world wants to know what you can produce not what you can remember for a 45min period after staying up all night cramming.
The best advise I can give is look ahead and find out what you want, trying to find out when paying private institution tuition is not fiscally responsible. In addition, try taking responsibility for your own choices, you are your best advocate, and in the world of business those mean old admission advisors are the least of your problems. I want to thank you all for your opinions, but just don't let it consume you.
Are you willing to work for your degree?
School recommended by
Donna Nance
on
June 03, 2010
10/12 people found this review helpful
I have just completed my BS in IT at CTUOnline. This is not my first degree and I have attended traditional brick and mortar schools as well. CTUOnline is a challenging to say the least school. If you are not willing to be self motivated and do the research needed to complete assignments and attend class I promise you WILL fail.
For some reason people tend to think that a degree from this school is a walk in the park but honestly when compared to traditional institutions it is much more difficult.
The group projects are horrific but if anyone has ever worked on a project in their job you deal with the same issues of people that work and others that are slack. But that just goes back to there are people willing to work for their degree and those who ride on the coat tails of serious students.
This is my suggestion for anyone looking at attending CTUOnline. If you are serious, self motivated and willing to work for your degree then you will do very well.If you are wanting somewhere that you are spoon fed your education and are given passing grades for poor work do everyone a favor and go to another school.
Still there and GRADUATING EARLIER than expected!!
School recommended by
Theresa Brown
on
June 02, 2010
8/12 people found this review helpful
I originally wrote on this site and just wanted to add that since my first posting, I received GREAT news!! I will be graduating with my Associates degree in September 2010, instead of August 2011...The reason being...well because this University, appreciated all of the hard college credits that I have earned over the years and applied them to my academic program.
Talk about an incentive to finish and continue on with my Bachelor's degree program..I am HYPED!! Thank you CTUO!! Me and CTU are PERFECT together!!
Just earned my Associates
School recommended by
Tonja
on
May 30, 2010
13/13 people found this review helpful
I would recommend CTU online with no hesitation. I just completed my Associates in Criminal Justice on May 11th. I had good instructors for the most part, there are bad ones everywhere you go. It is fairly easy to transfer to another instructor, I've done it.
I really don't understand the negative comments. And for those who say they received a sales pitch, I don't believe that either. Within a week of graduation I sent an email to an admissions adviser about more information on their Bachelors Program and still haven't heard back. I wasn't ready to commit myself to another year and a half of school but I realized that if I've come this far, I can go the rest of the way.
This is a very demanding school. I spent every evening after work and weekends in the back room working on papers, papers, and more papers. If you don't plan on working hard you shouldn't apply to this school. You don't breeze your way through and get a degree here. I can't tell you how many sacrifices I've made for this degree.
I know people who go to other online schools. One of them told me her homework only takes about 45 minutes to complete. If that is the kind of degree people want, they can go for it. If I am working for a degree, I want to know it means something in the end. My Associates is a symbol of cramped hands, sweat, tears and sacrifice and I wouldn't change a thing.
I appreciate CTU online and what their staff have done for me to include their guidance, understanding and help. Once again, if you don't want to work hard, don't apply here.
Thanks, Tonja
What's wrong with people?
School recommended by
Sarah
on
May 29, 2010
6/7 people found this review helpful
It took me about 8 years to decide to go back to school. When I did I chose CTUO.
I was reading other reviews about how some are no better off than they were before attending, well, that is their own fault. It is not the schools fault that you can't get a job. I never read anything about them offering certification, besides, who would want an RN certified from an online school? They give you the degree and it is up to you to do something with it.
I will be graduating from their sister school, AIUO, in just a couple of days. The only reason I switched schools was because AIUO had the concentration that I wanted. I have never had any problems with the customer service and my advisor has been there all the way. Since everything has gone so well, I have enrolled for my MIT with AIUO.
What I'm trying to say it don't let people make your decisions for you. Call different schools before making your decision. It is not the schools fault that some people are just losers...
Babied or Educated
School recommended by
Master Project Manager
on
May 22, 2010
25/28 people found this review helpful
I have read most of the review on this page. It seems to me that the one that made the most sense was the one that said that recent high school grads should not apply. Most of what I have seen in these posts are angry people that couldn't make the cut. i.e. the guy that had the 3.56 GPA but got dismissed for excessive withdraws. TO that guy... If you were really prepared for college you would know that is a policy in nearly every college.
I read one post that talked about CTU's certifications. CTU has never claimed to provide you with certification and or state licensure in any field. CTU only offers ACADEMIC CERTIFICATIONS. These are only resume enhancers. However, CTU is backed by many professional certification authorities such as (PMI) Project Management Institute and American Academy of Project Management which I am board certified as a Master Project Manager.
Had it not been for the enormous amount of information I learned while at CTU I would not have passes the exam.
As far as ITT Tech... I went to school there and I did learn a lot. However I had a family crisis and had to withdraw one term before completing my AS in their EET program. When I tried to return 4 years later to finish what I started, I was told that they would not take my 96 credits. Wouldn't take their own credits??? Now that is a joke!!!
As for DeVry... I will say this much. The Avionic electrician program was discontinued due to 80% of DeVry grads not being able to properly perform their duties because they could meet the qualification standards in the field such as color blindness. You would think they would test for that in a field of work that there are wires of every color in the rainbow. Can't speak for any other program at Devry.
I will say this... IF you are thinking you are going to enroll in a college and breeze your way through to your degree, CTU is NOT that school!!! If you are willing to put in the HARD WORK, LONG HOURS, and EXTENSIVE SCHEDULE then CTU is a school that you can succeed. I do agree that the staff at CTU can be a bit rude and on an often occasion not provide correct information. However, are you looking to be babied or educated???
I used to work there....
School not recommended by
mike
on
May 18, 2010
28/37 people found this review helpful
Its shames me to say I worked there but I did. I was an admissions advisor. I was responsible for hard-selling education to people I knew couldnt afford it.
In my defense, in the beginning they really pumped us up and told us that the people on our lists really wanted the information and were ready to enroll. HOGWASH.
It turned out that so many people had requested our info in the process of getting a gift certificate to Red Lobster or something. But your job depends on Contracts, call backs and other numbers so you push, because you have to. They have "Rah-rahs" that are designed to bolster your confidence and courage. They get you all fired and wired up to hit those phones and bug the stuffing out of people that simply dont want it.
The admissions commitee is a HUGE lie. There is no admissions anything. If you're willing to pay, display the eagerness to not only shell out the cash but put up with the game, you're in.
I took the job between work in my real field as a technical writer. I thought I could help people. I thought I could do some good. I still feel guilty for some of the stuff I pulled and the way I was forced to ride people.
Eventually I quit because I couldnt take the lies anymore. Since then I've spoken to several people who got suckered into CTU and AIU its cousin school right down the hall. None of them have gotten a job with thier education and their degree is equivalent to toilet paper. Dont do it. PLEASE, I BEG you! DONT DO IT! Go to Pheonix if you have to do something on line.
I hope and pray that schools like CTU and anything else owned and operated by their parent company is closed down ASAP. Please people, ask around, find me ONE Person thats found a respectable job in their field specifically because of their degree from CTU. I challenge you. You wont because its impossible.
Take if from me. Consider it my act of redemption. DO NOT LET YOUR FUTURE RIDE ON THIS SCHOOL. It may take longer somewhere else or be more difficult but its those hardships that make the degree worth it! I cant stress it enough.
Once you register and they get your payment the nice-nice stops. The caring, involved advisor leaves and you're left hanging with someone else. Dont be fooled. AVOID this school like the plague people.
Satisfied CTU Graduate
School recommended by
Tena Heffernan
on
May 17, 2010
20/21 people found this review helpful
I have read a number of reviews on this site with interest. I am not an employee of CTU in any way. I got my Bachelor's and my Master's at CTU. I don't understand how someone could have gotten their Associates and never received the degree as one poster stated, unless they haven't fully paid the tuition.
A standard practice at all universities is to not release the diploma until after full payment has been received. If that isn't the problem then something is clearly wrong. I had no problem receiving either of my diploma's in the mail.
Many have complained regarding grades and instructors. I had some excellent instructors. I also had a few less than excellent. It is like this anywhere you go.
As far as the student who complained that instructors were given too much freedom to interpret assignments and decide on grading, it seems that is to be expected as well. I found it essential to attend the first class live chat in order to get a good understanding of what each instructor expected/required for their class.
I graduated from both my BS and my MSM with a 4.0. This school expects a lot of hard work. They don't just give their grades/credits away.
One thing that is critical to success here is to turn in all assignments on time. It is a demanding work schedule, true. Still to be successful one must be fully committed to keeping this work schedule.
I don't regret my time with CTU for one minute. I am going to pursue a PhD. Unfortunately, CTU doesn't have a PhD in what I want so I will need to go elsewhere.
Oh, group projects absolutely are miserable. Even if CTU had the PhD of my choice, if it included group projects, I would probably go elsewhere. Group projects aside. This is an excellent school.
Overall great experience
School recommended by
Kami
on
May 17, 2010
18/21 people found this review helpful
I cannot believe some of the things being said about this school on this website. I am wondering if they are talking about the same school that I just graduated from, because it cannot be so. I had an overall great experience at this school.
I had one bad teacher, I called student advising and explained what I thought was wrong, and the powers-that-be took care of the problem. If I had a grade that I did not agree with, I asked for explanation and the grade was either changed due to a mistake, or I was given a proper explanation.
Everytime I called student advising with a problem, it was taken care of right away. I love the learning labs they provide, they offer Microsoft Office learning labs and labs that help you in your classes. They also provide you with Microsoft Office suite, I know I was being charged for it, but it is put into my tuition where I don't have to worry about paying for it for awhile.
My sister goes to Kaplan and they did not provide that software to her, I went and gave her my disk to install in her computer. I did not like the group projects, but the teachers understood and graded what you attempted to do.
This school was challenging and it took a lot of hard work to get my well earned grade point average, but I definately had a great experience at this school. My sister is also paying a lot more to go to Kaplan University, and Colorado Technical University offers much more resources.
Just Don't Do It!!!
School not recommended by
Jim Roberts
on
May 14, 2010
18/28 people found this review helpful
I don't know who the people are writing favorable descriptions of Colorado Technical University Online, but they can't possibly be telling the truth.
CTU Online is the biggest ripoff! I spent over $20,000.00. I have a GPA of 3.56 and no degree.
The story is much to long to put in print, but they screwed me on my transcript by showing I was dismissed once for some silly 150% rule they have about withdrawing from courses. This "bad mark" on my transcript is keeping me out of other colleges and universities.
I say you better check them out thoroughly before you buy into there school. You will get ripped, I am not the only one. If you want further details, I will only be happy to provide them. Feel free to contact me 304-905-9087 or write to me at jjasrob@yahoo.com. Don't trust them, I am telling you the truth. I dare them to call me a liar!
CTUO to Be or Not to Be
School recommended by
Julie
on
May 13, 2010
20/24 people found this review helpful
The need to voice an opinion is a right each American is afforded in our country. In an online university this right is handled much differently. The system in place may not be easy to work in or provide the response a student needs in a timely manner.
My experience at CTUO has been great until this session culminating the fourth week of a five and a half week session. I am trying to work within CTUO system of communication which relies heavily on the continuing student advising department. I want to be the person who is part of the change I want to see. In addition I want to realize and achieve my goal to advocate for my self and other students, current and future at CTUO.
I have done well in the CTUO learning environment the first three sessions. Now at the end of my fourth session I am in jeopardy of tanking my 3.7 GPA. I have experienced two instructors who have abused the power at each of their discretion's this session. My degree program is the ASMBC. I have taken two courses in HIT.
My experience last session in the introductory class to health care systems compelled me to contact student advising in regard to the number of chats an instructor must give according to CTUO protocol. I learned that instructors interpret rules and expectations differently. this is a learning experience we all encounter in our daily lives along with in our work environments.
I received replies from Student Advising and a very quick response from the Ombudsman department. The HIT 101 class experience enabled me to see how CTUO does not maintain consistency in instructor compliance and it is the role of the student to bring this to CTUO's attention. The instructor did make up the chats she canceled due to illness at the end of the session the last two days after assignments were due to the university. I was able to get my questions resolved and received phone responses and emails from IQA.
This session has been a new experience. I am a persistent student who appreciated having two instructors who were "on the same page." I discovered that CTUO instructors can be allowed to use their discretion in many different ways. I would like to see consistency enforced "across the board."
An advisor whom I found very helpful stated that change would take time. CTUO has 35,000 students I was told by two different advisors in back to back conversations on Sun and Mon. An example is similarity scores. OV scores were enforced for the first time. Scores of 24% or less were acceptable and my BIO161 professor allowed students to fix assignments exceeding the limit and resubmit them for grading.
Although the threat of having 50% taken off the top of your grade is a big incentive to work on your assignment to comply with OV standards. This professor is a case in point.
She was removed from another section of BIO161 mid session. My section of BIO was informed by email from the instructor if we her students continued to send her multiple emails she would not allow more than one submission in the future. Another point is the inconsistency this instructor maintained throughout the session with assignment (assn) expectations.
She constantly verbally altered the task list. For example on a Ph 1 DB assn she gave us extended direction beyond the two conditions the task list stated to discuss and relate more severe conditions the patient may have. This instructor told us if we did not go further than diagnosing hypertension we would not do well on the assn.
Ironically this assn was related to a Ph 4 IP assn which was appropriate and allowed the student in this class to grow and learn as the session progressed. I was bothered by the instructor expecting performance on a Ph 1 assn to parallel the requirements on a ph 4 assn.
Grading was inconsistent in both of my classes this session. In addition responses to my emails directed to both instructors went unanswered at eh beginning of session well past the 48 hr required response time. Calls to Student Advising appeared to provoke responses to my emails and my classmates emails.
The number one lesson I can relate is to network with your fellow students. If your CTUO instructor does not answer your questions posed in emails, questions during chats, refers you to the archived chats for clarification, and responds to your assignment questions for clarification in his or her grading comments keep asking, contact student advising, pursue the issue to be forwarded to IQA and remember the ombudsman system.
The ombudsman department may seem an "after the fact" choice but I plan to pursue my issues through their grievance process. IQA has not addressed my issues directly, communication has taken place solely via student advising and I have had to initiate communication by phone or by email to get a response from IQA in regard to any decision or communication about my issues.
Today I received a response back to my inquiry due to my HIT 115 instructor refusing to grade assn I was granted an extension on during the third week of classes. Do not depend on an instructor to communicate with you.
IQA's decision is to let the instructor grade assignments at her discretion. The CTUO late policy state the deductions for up to 6 days. This instructor refused to grade any of my assn that were past this 6 day period. Her only communication was placed in the instructor comments in the grade book. She placed the deadline at the sixth day. I later found this statement after submitting my assn on the 7th day. I looked at the grade book to see if she had graded my assn. and discovered the comment 3 days after I had submitted my assn.
Phone calls to student advising produced no response from IQA until I received the email today. I have a D in a class now on my record that I began the session with grades of B, B+, and B. Classes with 8 assn for a total of 1000 pts are greatly affected when two of these assn are refused to be graded by the instructor.
Listen to the first class chat of the session and take heed of the instructors policies. Do NOT ASSUME anything.
My BIO161 grade is in worse shape. I do not know the outcome of CTUO decision in regard to my assn in that class either. I have grades for the first 3 assn but find myself in the same situation with the assn I requested extensions for plus have not received any grades for assn submitted following these assignments. I have continued to check the grade book but have not seen any changes to the 5 Fs for Phases 3-5 assns. I have found this experience very disheartening.
I had professors whom I communicated my family emergency last Dec-Jan who were very different than the two I have had this session. I do not know how these two classes will affect my academic plan. The D grade in HIT is not the kind of grade I view as passing. I did "jump through the hoops" to provide documentation of the family illness, hospitalization and treatment in which I was involved.
I have provided documentation to both professors and obtained a doctors note which I faxed to Student Service Mon afternoon. I learned that there is a separate fax number for student advising listed beneath Tech Support on CTUO campus home page. The phone number, DD number are the same but the fax number is different than the fax number listed under student services for student advising.
Lesson "read the fine" print scroll down, investigate further than the first information you find!
I am confused and plan to follow through in the pursuit of my situation and will use the ombudsman system as necessary.
I agree with many of the opinions expressed in this forum. As individual we must take the time to do research to enable good decision making. CTUO is expensive. My confusion in regard to Financial Aid center around my pell grant. At CTUO I receive a grant slightly over $2000 annually.
At the community college I attended from 2003-06 I received this amount each semester. I cannot get an answer at CTUO to explain this discrepancy.
I agree with the opinions regarding the outstanding performance of admissions advisors. In my case I would not be attending CTUO if not for the exemplary attention I have received from my advisor. He still calls me to check in. His description of my experience with my HIT 101 professor was this is an isolated incidence not the "norm" for CTUO. I agree even more with his statement after this session.
I cannot in good conscience penalize all CTUO professors for the performance of the two professors I had this session.
The online learning environment as a whole at CTUO has been very good for me. I could not have performed in such an environment 4-7 yrs ago upon returning to school to complete a degree. My choices in life led me far astray of my original education plans.
I put my education on hold; married at 20; had my children at 22, 24,26, and 29; divorced at 33, moved home with my parents to pursue my education; struggled stopped school; returned to the work force to have a job I enjoyed as a temp at a animal health pharmaceutical company to be disappointed in the company's purchase/merger preventing my full-time employment; to change jobs requiring relocation; disappointment in an unprofessional veterinarian and work environment; and to discover CTUO to continue my pursuit of a degree.
My children have been resistant and disrespectful in the past 5 months as I attend CTUO. Teens are that way, gotta love 'em. My oldest child, daughter graduates from high school Sat. She was amazed at the homework load I had. Her high school teachers stated that college does not have much homework.
She observed my efforts and the due dates of up to four assignment for two classes on the same day and was baffled by these facts. I told her times have changed. On-site classes require attendance to maintain your financial aid. Students who do not attend class or chats are only hurting themselves.
The online learning environment requires dedication, persistence, time management and the ability to self-initiate along with self-motivation. I compare a students will to wrestling, it is up to you whether it is to be, on the mat it is you, your opponent, a referee and the time clock. You get out of your experience what you put into it. The effort you put forth is your hope of a positive outcome.
In the "real world" life comes in different shapes and sizes. Your reaction to the challenge is what you make of your experience. A person can throw in the towel and walk away or stay and fight for what you believe in. Ultimately anything in life will not BE if you don't put forth the effort to make it BE for you!
The example that you set for yourself, your family, children, co-workers, friends, students and instructors will leave its mark. Proactive steps are available to each and everyone of us. Take the time to decide for yourself and pursue your goal. "If it is to be it is up to me."
Remember to "work smarter not harder." The ultimate lesson I have learned is to prioritize. Working ahead on assignments is beneficial. When and unforeseen event happens you have a fail safe. Don't count on leniency. Vague communication makes for assumptions. Don't ASSUME anything!
CTU ROCKS!
School recommended by
Charlie Steve Davis
on
May 11, 2010
9/16 people found this review helpful
If CTU was terrible for some, that is unfortunate. However, I have been enrolled since last October and the experience has been great. Graduate on June 23, 2010 with Associates in General Studies and plan to continue for Bachelor's in Property Management.
Wherever you go there you are!
School recommended by
Neil
on
May 09, 2010
12/18 people found this review helpful
If you are looking for success you will find it. CTU online can help you get there, but you had better expect to earn your degree. Ths school has earned he same accredition as many colleges in my state, one is a very prestigious engineering school. Nevermind the naysayers, go for it it; is your dream after all.
Change of heart-PLEASE TAKE HEED!
School not recommended by
Janice
on
May 03, 2010
17/22 people found this review helpful
I wrote a review earlier recommending Colorado Technical University Online; however, after speaking with an advisor, I have a change of heart.
I seriously considered withdrawing because of the negative comments. I later reconsidered. However, I was in for a real and very rude awakening. The nice advisor I had in the beginning has all but disappeared. I was left to defend myself with a very rude, arrogant advisor that only cared about getting paid. This is horrible! I will never recommend an online school to anyone after this, especially Colorado Technical University Online.
I advise anyone reading these reviews to absolutely take heed to the warnings posted. Maybe all schools are about money, but these advisors can be wolves in sheep clothing. PLEASE TAKE HEED. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SCHOOL!!!
I will move on and consider this a lesson learned. For those who decide to continue anyway, I offer my condolence. For those who have already received their degrees from here, God bless you because you have truly earned it and I hope you reap the rewards of working hard. As for me, farewell, CTUO.
How Dare CTU!!
School not recommended by
Shanel Kepley
on
May 03, 2010
16/27 people found this review helpful
First of all, those rude and idiotic comments on this board saying we are idiots and need to do our homework are most likely coming from the professors at CTU that obviously are a joke and don't give a damn about anyone attending, but only their paychecks they get for not caring. You notice they did not address the comment made of CTU plagerising other schools assignments. WONDER WHY!!!!
My Dad, a 62 year old war veteran, who was a police officer years ago, came to them looking for a degree in criminal science. His instructor doesn't care anything that my dad needs help with, the advisors are always leaving rude messages on our answering machine toward my dad personally. This school is horrible.
But don't worry CTU, my dad is still going to get his degree, just NOT WITH YOUR CRAPPY SCHOOL (if u can even call it a school). He is now going to attend DeVry University, where I happen to attend currently and they are a wonderful, caring school.
The first classes attending you will have someone to guide and mentor you. Its called a track team and they have been hired by the school to make sure you have a wonderful experience and keep ur momentum up to finish your degree. (The advisors, and track teams are there throughout the whole degree plan, and will regester your classes for you.)
I am currently a sophmore there going for my bachelor's. I would highly reccommend DeVry University to everyone. DO NOT go to CTU. (Just look how the people who go there behave. Read those rude and anchalant comments made by those horrible people. & By the way CTU professors, the students do their homework while getting NO HELP FROM YOU, so u end up giving them an incomplete.
U "professors" (ha yeah right) ARE A HORRIBLE JOKE THAT WENT WRONG! I DON'T SEE ANYONE GETTING LOWER THAN THAT! GOOD LUCK STEALING OTHERS MONEY.
Brief opinion
School recommended by
Janice
on
May 03, 2010
8/13 people found this review helpful
I enrolled at Colorado Technical University Online (CTUO) after being out of school for 24 years. I was impressed with the advisor and their virtual campus. They have all the tools necessary to help you become successful. I also liked the virtual commons where you get to meet other students and join clubs.
After reading some of the reviews, I became apprehensive about continuing. I immediately decided to withdraw in part because of the negative responses and probably mostly out of fear; not wanting to participate in group projects.
I cannot say anything negative about CTUO because I have not had the experience of attending other schools to say whether or not the way CTUO grade their students is a reason for concern. I can agree that I have worked very hard to earn the grades that I received. I was not pleased with some of the point deductions; but I still received a A.
I agree with those opinions that anything worth having will not come easy. CTUO requires a lot of hard work and exceptional time management. You must be able to keep a manageable file system for all of the task assignments as well.
In closing, I am rethinking my decision to withdraw. I have only attended 4 weeks and my experience has been both good and bad. All of the good is because of the school's virtual campus and the professors I've had so far. The bad part is the amount of stress and time it takes to earn a good grade. It is worth it. I have learned a lot so far and will use this knowledge everyday.
I have to recommend this school for those of you who can handle the group projects that are forthcoming. I probably chickened out, I must admit.
Enrollment before decision and difficult in withdrawal
School not recommended by
G
on
May 03, 2010
20/23 people found this review helpful
I was looking around the internet for schools where I could continue with for my master's degree and was also worrying about losing my health insurance once I left my undergrad university. My parents suggested requesting information, but, oh ho, that was a giant mistake.
I went from chatting with an online adviser rep to having an "admissions adviser" start emailing me and calling me within ten minutes. I thought this was strange, but I also thought I would just be put on a mailing list to receive some catalogs. Before I knew it, the school had emailed me access to the virtual campus and encouraged me to sign in. I signed in to check it out and what did I find? I already had a class schedule and a start date. The school hadn't even received FAFSA info or official undergraduate transcripts. This was fishy.
The "adviser" called me three times the next day while I was studying and I kept ignoring the calls. My parents told me to keep considering the college until something could be figured out to help me keep my health insurance, so I refrained from telling them to roll off of a cliff until I had a more definitive plan.
Foolishly, I put their school code on my FAFSA (DO NOT DO THIS) and it wasn't until later that day that I had a really uneasy feeling about this place and decided to cancel enrollment. Here is where it got tricky.
I sent an email to my "adviser" (who was really a fast talking salesman) telling him that I needed to be withdrawn from the classes, as I had no intention of starting their program. I received no reply the next day, so I called and left him a voicemail. Again, no reply.
I sent an email to ctuacademicdean@ctuonline.com, as it was stated in their student handbook to do if you wanted to withdrawal, but received an automated message saying the email address was no longer in service. That was funny, because the student handbook I had found the address in was updated in January of 2010 and it was only April of 2010 that I attempted to message this address and it was deactivated. It said it had been forwarded to the proper address, but I still heard no reply.
I called my "adviser" and left him two more voicemails and removed their school code from my FAFSA and called their financial aid to cancel any pending preliminary loan documents. I also chatted with three online "advisers" to inquire as to why I was not receiving any confirmations and they became increasingly more mean, saying "If your questions are regarding your withdrawal, you will have to speak with your adviser." HOW COULD I DO THIS IF HE WOULDN'T ANSWER MY EMAILS OR CALL ME BACK?
Finally, my "adviser" called me on a Saturday (what kind of school has people working on Saturdays?) and told me he had submitted my withdrawal paperwork. He said he would call back in 24-48 hours when everything had processed. I gave them 72 hours to call and when I hadn't received my confirmation call, I emailed the "adviser" twice more and called the registrar. The man said he had no way of accessing my file but he would call my "adviser" and leave him a voicemail requesting that he call me. I don't know if this was ever done.
After emailing "student advising" stating that I wanted a confirmation of my withdrawal, I finally managed to annoy someone at the registrar enough to get the phone number of the "Student Manager." I called her and left a voicemail asking why I hadn't received a phonecall or email confirmation of withdrawal. I was assured I would be called back no later than 24 hours from my call time by the man who gave me her number.
Obviously, this was a giant lie. I did receive a call the next day from my "adviser" telling me he had processed the paperwork and he was "sorry he hadn't gotten back to me" and that an automatic confirmation of withdrawal email would be sent once all of the paperwork was processed. I requested an email verification from him as well, which he finally sent after a week of hounding him. It was riddled with grammatical errors. I have still yet to receive my confirmation of withdrawal, and if I don't receive it by the middle of this week, I will call everyone and hound them until I get what I want, which should have been done two weeks ago with no argument.
It seems odd that I would be ignored on so many occasions once I stated that I did not want to take any of their classes. A legitimate university would never ignore me in such a fashion, and I have attended a very reputable brick and mortar university for my undergraduate career and even though I have had paperwork issues, they always resolved them within a week.
DO NOT BE SUCKED INTO THIS SCAM. This school hires salespeople to coax people into starting and they will enroll you in classes before you even mention your decision about your own enrollment. Once you want to withdrawal, they will ignore you and be very mean to you.
DON'T GET SUCKED IN, THIS SCHOOL IS A SCAM! DO NOT FILL OUT ANY OF THEIR PAPERWORK OR THEY WILL ENROLL YOU WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
Angry reviewers are liars...straight up
School recommended by
Sue
on
April 30, 2010
16/37 people found this review helpful
I have read so many reviews here on CTU and I have to say that the majority of the bad ones are chock full of lies. I AM an Admissions Advisor for CTU and trust me, I know the truth.
For example, there was a man complaining he wanted his degree for FREE with the FAFSA and then was surprised when he was charged for school out of pocket. He also stated he never DID the FAFSA and thought his advisor did. It doesn't work that way.
YOU are the student. We help, but it is up to you to follow through with the financial aid process and do your part. We are just guides. YOU need to study, YOU need a plan to fund your education, YOU must complete your own FAFSA by law, YOU need to participate in class. Do that and you will get a regionally accredited degree and be successful.
Those of you that complain so much must not have much college experience and must not really know how it works. College is hard work and if you are not up for it, don't go. Just go back to McDonald's or the warehouse you worked at and complained about to us in the admissions process.
