American Intercontinental University

Date: Oct 08 2009
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
Alright, he is the real deal with AIU Online. First of all, there is no school (besides their sister school CTU) out there (public or private) that has a program like this. The technology is second to none. Their virtual campus has won awards and you can see why. I have looked at and even attended other online universities and I've never seen some of the great things they have. First, they have a virtual area they call "virtual commons" and if you have been to a traditional school you know there are student commons areas, well this is as close as it gets for online. The other online schools don't even have anything like this. Granted it doesn't affect the education you receive but it helps the overall experience. If you are involved, you will make friendships that will last a lifetime. There are clubs you can join and other activities that most people wouldn't have even thought was possible online. Another important fact is the cost/value. I have seen a lot of people complaining about the cost of AIU, have you looked at other schools? AIU is much cheap. Moreover, if you went to a state school or other private campus you are looking at 4x as much, AIU is a great value. If you are looking for a well recognized name then you may be looking in the wrong spot and shouldn't be looking at online classes all together. If you are going for a job/promotion that will criticize the name of the institution that you attended, then you shouldn't be taking online classes in the first place. If you are going to work at a law firm or a hospital or somewhere else where the reputation of the school is important then chances are you shouldn't go to AIU. However, if you are taking online classes there is a good chance you aren't going for a job like that, if you are like me and most people, you are getting the degree because it is a requirement just to get the job you are going for. Does that mean you should sacrifice the quality of your education? No. And I don't think you will if you attend AIU. You have to understand that you get out what you put in, that goes for any school…period. A downside to AIU is the students, many who actually are probably making negative comments on here. They will pretty much allow anyone in their university (but that is any for-profit school) and the level of the students can be low. By level I mean experience/education/abilities. If you have never been to a college before it may be hard to adjust. It's not for everyone but if you know what you what to get your degree in and you are looking to finish it fast, then AIU is the best out there. If you are looking to be "challenged" if you are looking for "prestige" you aren't going to get that unless go to a school that is public or is very expensive and they aren't going to have a fully online program. I have to almost laugh when I see posts about being treated like a number, guess what? You are. That's at any school. This isn't a hotel, it's a school. You cannot expect that you are the only student there and the staff should drop whatever they are doing to help you. I have never had a problem getting a timely response from any teacher or member of the staff. If you think that is feeling like a number I went to a state school in New York and I am pretty sure that no one in the staff knew/cared when/if I was there, but that's how it goes - you're an adult. Bottom line, where else can you get a degree in 13 months that has a regional accreditation? No where else. There may be things that some people don't like about AIU but it doesn't matter which school you go to, chances are there is going to be something you don't like. So with that being said, wouldn't you want to get it over and done with as fast as you can? I did. It's not fly-by-night either, I got my AA and BA there. The AA wasn't very challenging, which is the case for any school. That's why an associates really doesn't mean anything anymore. The BA program was challenging though. It wasn't something you would "wing" because you will fail. And if you fall behind it's hard to catch up. So you do have to be focused but you should be. As long as you know what to expect and your expectation aren't realistic, AIU is the best bang for the buck besides a community college and they won't have an fully online program.