Southern New Hampshire University Online Reviews of Bachelor's in Graphic Design

I am the type to read reviews before attending or spending my time on something, but nothing could prepare me for this. I've attended another University online and I've never experienced so much confusion. I'm also pretty well technology savvy yet I found SNHU's online courses extremely confusing and frustrating. From the interface to the wording when it comes to assignments. Then lets add on, that what I'm learning I can learn on Youtube, or I already know the curriculum. Although the quick video... Read More tutorial helps in one class, I think all classes should have video included. I may finish my degree at my old school because I'm so confused!

I read all the reviews before deciding on an Online school to attend. My current job moves me around a lot so I am not able to attend a physical campus. I was thrilled when I found SNHU and saw how affordable the Bachelors programs were compared to other Art schools. My initial experience was decent enough and I felt like I had made the right choice. However, the classes became all about reading a chapter from a textbook and watching some Youtube tutorials. The instructors didn't really "teach" anything.... Read More We are expected to watch the tutorials, understand it perfectly, and submit a finished product so the instructor can criticize it. At one point, I became diagnosed with a serious disease and the stress from that caused me to withdraw and take a semester off. Financial Aid returned my funds to the gov't and I was hit with over $1,000 in course fees and sent to collections almost immediately. SNHU would not help or waive these fees due to my illness. That should have been the first red flag for me to know this school doesn't care about the students, just their money. They rush you through the classes so fast and are using the same projects that students 8 years ago did. I feel very unprepared for a career based on the quality of education I am paying for. Why bother paying at all when I can watch all the tutorials for free on Adobe's Youtube channel? Attend at your own risk.

I've been very pleased with this school, and the education I have received from it. I've had immediate and continual contact with counselors from the start of the program to the end. There has always been a friendly person there to help me with whatever I needed assistance with. The professors all come from experienced backgrounds and have always been very eager to help improve the skills I'm developing. They've always been friendly and provide useful feedback. Like any school, you will get more... Read More out of it if you put more into it. You can sometimes get by doing the minimum on your coursework, but if you work hard with the idea that what you make will be shown on your resume or portfolio, you will do better and gain much more from the course and from your instructor. Do not neglect the reading or other materials for each week. Active participation in courses that have discussions (which are almost all of them) is important to learning the material and improving your skills. Overall, I have really enjoyed this school. I started at a local college, and after having a lot of trouble with lack of available counselors, classes, and programs, I wanted to find something that would be locally and nationally accredited, non-profit, and would allow me to earn the degree I wanted while continuing to work. SNHU is a great school.

Out of high school, i tried to get on at my local community college and got a  lot of head games. They wanted me to show then digital designs that I created and im like "I'm trying to learn how to do it." I practically had to beg to try and get enrolled. SNHU understood this right off the bat. I applied here after my wife convinced me to try one more time. What a decision it was. I was aiming to start in August, 2014 but they got me in three or four months earlier with all my paperwork, financial... Read More aid, and everything was all taken care of. Professors are extremely supportive and they don't treat you like garbage if you get stuck. If something gets in your way of homework on a given week, they will work with you if you communicate. Excited to graduate here. This is the opportunity i needed. I feel like they were ready for me from the start.

After reading many questionable reviews, I had high hopes for the ONLINE program at SNHU. I assumed honestly, the folks whining on this site were simply that- folk whining! I am a middle aged professional and have always done extremely well in school and my job. I am professional, detail oriented and pretty sharp. All of this is said to articulate what type of person I am. It was my second term where the frustration started for me, to the extent that I summoned my adviser to intervene. My adviser... Read More has been absolutely fantastic- nothing but praises for her! The courses are pre-designed, and what I am seeing is that the adjunct professors (and that's predominately what they are) simply grade your work. They offer very little to no instruction. I spent more time trying to figure WHAT I was supposed to do rather than actually doing it. Repeatedly, I would pose clarification questions to my professors only to have them state "I get this question all the time- they need to fix the course". Who is this nebulous "they?". My response has been "with all due respect, if you know you are going to get a lot of requests for clarification then why don't you kick off the week with additional instruction? Perhaps a simple announcement with the clarifying details...or my GOD...create a power point or online tutorial... do what you are paid to do, dear instructor and INSTRUCT! From a consumer standpoint, I am quite irritated. I didn't get what I paid for - which was to be taught. So, while I know SNHU is cheaper than most, I would recommend that if you need to attend your classes ONLINE- that move on to another college if you wish to learn anything. I hear that ON CAMPUS classes are pretty decent. Best of luck in whatever institution you select!