Grand Canyon University Reviews of Bachelor's in Psychology

"The bottom line up front: The school is good, not prestigious. There is a difference. Yes, I would do it again. Is it adequate to get me into a stateside medical school... not sure yet. Having read through a series of angry reviews over GCU's on-line Psychology program, I thought I would take the time to offer my own point of view. In early 2018, with A.A.S. in hand, I came to GCU in an attempt to escape the money grab of repeated coursework. They accepted most of my credits and subsequently I was off to the races. I doubled up on courses throughout the whole program, which has brought me to the end of the road in roughly a year and five months. Throughout this time, I've had a myriad of experiences with instructors. Most were good, very few were questionable, and the rest were masters of their craft. None of them were arrogant, mean, or disrespectful. The student advisers were switched out frequently, but transitions were nearly seamless and administrative processes were fast/accurate. The coursework was practical for the most part. However, there were a few courses that could have been written in finger-paint over someone's lunch break and that is of no fault to the instructor. Mostly everything has a clearly written baseline in terms of acceptability. What is subjective is the interpretation of what is considered "substantive". Some instructors want references for everything. Others harp on word count. Some are just happy if a student can marginally grasp a concept. It is on the student to be able to flex to the instructor's style, not the other way around. There is one major downside to this program... the other students. While this is not the rule and there are many exceptions, the lack of effort on behalf of some students is appalling. When the requirement is to write six posts per question, per week, it means just that. When a student shows up at the eleventh hour on a group assignment while one or two people have done all the work, they've effectively stolen a grade. When a student cannot compose a sentence using proper structure and grammar, they have no business pursuing higher education. These actions devalue the concept of higher education. There are those that are there for a piece of paper (which they will inevitably receive), and there are those that are using GCU as a platform for a career. There really is no median or mean in this group dynamic. Ultimately, it all boils down to selection criteria by the institution and the cut-line is very low with GCU. With regard to the observations mentioned above, I will most likely graduate with a 3.98 GPA if I can continue my track record. The reason I mention this: I am not very intelligent. This means that anyone attempting this program that is willing to put in the work will not only pass, but separate themselves from the rest of the pack if the smallest iota of effort is put in. I will finalize with a few words of conventional wisdom... and you should: ask questions to your instructors. If they do not answer, you have tools available to route a complaint. The coursework is designed to pass, not fail. I say this with trepidation because as a Psychology student, you'll be subjected to the goodness of two statistics-based courses. Do not post if you intend to drop a class because you will be charged every time. Check out your instructors. You'll be shocked at what you can find out about them on Google. Hint: the bad ones have track records associated with their teaching methods. Use spellcheck. Have someone sanity check your papers because you will write hundreds of them. In ending, I wish you the best of luck on your endeavors with GCU should you choose to enroll."

"Do not go to this school. It is one big money making scam. They do not care about their students, they will not help you when you need it, they will run you around in circles, lie to you, and charge you for everything they can think of. The instruction, if you can even call it instruction is horrible. Instructors do not teach, there are no lessons, no lectures, and no explanation of subject material. You teach yourself everything from the textbook. Instructors seem to not understand subject material and many are unable to answer questions about subject material or assignments. There is generally no feedback on assignments or papers. In the many classes i have taken at GCU, I can think of two classes with instructors that actually provided useful feedback. Tests are not worded well and the summary of what is on the tests is not accurate. The cost is exorbitantly high, and is a complete an total waste of money for the "education" you receive. I am very frustrated with every aspect of this school, and would encourage anyone thinking about GCU to reconsider and do your research on other schools."

"Grand Canyon University is a growing community and an exciting place to receive an education. They have a good balance between fun community-building events and serious scholarship. The psychology program does not have many research opportunities; however, the teachers are incredibly supportive and if you are willing to ask they are more than happy to help you find research opportunities in the community."

"Was charged for a class I did not attend, I withdrew from college at the end of my current courses I passed. Had medical issues, stayed in communication the entire time. My financial advisor said there would was zero balance on student account, 3 months later I return to GCU to start back into program and I owe $540 dollars. Its not about the money, its about honesty and integrity, this college lacks both. When asked for verification that I started course or even logged into course, I got the run around for a year. Dont be surprised if you find charges on student account for courses you did not attend. Stear clear from this college, scammers"

"Grand Canyon University is a tremendous school to attend. The professors dedicate their time to students, and ensure that their students are getting the best education. While Grand Canyon is a private Christian school, professors, faculty, RA's, and etc do not push religion onto those who attend, and have welcoming arms at all times. Grand Canyon University also provides many resources to their students to set them up for success whether it be academically, or working."

"Terrible school. Go anywhere else. The teachers are great and the small classrooms are great but that's literally it. Nothing, I repeat, nothing else about this campus is any good. The rules require all of their students to be treated like little kids, the student advisors are constantly being replaced because of how bad they are, the fines for anything as minuscule as smoking in a designated smoking area can be up to 500$ and the food options are horrid. Also, good luck transferring to another school because the credits essentially force one to stay. Unless, of course, you want to ask another 4 classes at your new university."

"Grand Canyon was an awesome school. I always tell people when they ask me about it that I had a great experience with the staff, students and my advisor. The support you get with the staff isn't the average type of support. I could schedule with any advisor if I needed some help or needed to get something done. They call and check on you to make sure things are going well. I wish they had the program for MSW so I could go back but I will always be Lope!"

"Grand Canyon help me achieve my degree within three years. They have helped me make sure I am on track with my classes and the teachers were great. Most of my teachers helped me achieve my goals by guiding me to the right places out of education like different career opportunities and ways to pay back student loans. GCU is a great school to find your purpose and reach your fullest potential."

"My school Grand Canyon University was pretty tough as far as the schoolwork went, but the support that came with my experience was exceptional. There wasn't a time where I felt like the staff wasn't on my side. They encouraged me and did what they could to help me succeed. This is a Christian based school so everyone is helpful and pleasant. I think the fact that it was a faith based school helped throughout my time there because it reminded me that I can accomplish all my goals as long as my faith was strong."

"Grand Canyon University was an overall good school to complete my bachelors at. The teachers were very easily available to answer questions, however some where pretty harsh on grading- which is a good thing.. sometimes! Some of them really tried hard to make you think twice and put in a lot of effort, while some where more laid back and showed more flexibility in their teaching styles. The housing options made it a fun atmosphere especially with so much going on. Concerts and basket ball games are the best! I really advise to try and live on campus because students will make a lot more connections and be more apt to head to the library or favorite food spot to work on homework because it is so close and you can literally walk there! I would advise for future students to take the time to really try hard in classes and make the effort to study because it really will help them in their future whether it be for their career or for another job they might get out of college. I made the mistake of slacking off and just trying to get by in some classes- and now it really shows when I don't know things about skinner or Freud and I'm a Psych major! However, when I really applied myself and challenged myself- it paid off because I now work for a great company working with autistic kids and I'm on my way to obtaining my masters at ASU! All in all, GCU has great teachers, a fun campus life, and the students who go there are passionate, good people who all have the same goals as you- to finish college and get their diploma!"