The University of Arizona Global Campus Reviews of Bachelor's in Political Science

Let me preface this review by saying Im not a robot nor am I being paid to write this review. Ashford is a great school, but because it is online, classes are asynchronous and only 5 weeks for undergrad and 6-9 weeks for grad and doctoral students, so you need to pay attention to due dates and make sure your life is in order before starting online education. Unlike a brick and mortar setting, youre graded on participation and it is very writing intensive. Short of a life altering event theres no... Read More excuse to check out on your school work. You get all the assignments and due dates the Friday prior to class starting so PLAN ACCORDINGLY. Also, news flash you wont be the only one with kids, family or a job, I know that because I have a career and family and have classmates with 3.9 and up GPAs who also have family and work their behinds off to get their work done! So do not attend this school if youre going to blame unresponsive teachers for your personal problems. Learn the services provided to you and seek out support systems within the school like Champs and tutoring and work ahead of schedule. You have to be self-motivated to go to school online and though some teachers are unresponsive and sometimes offer no help with coursework, make sure you keep those unanswered emails and communicate with your advisor regularly. This is YOUR education, not theirs. If its really bad and you did everything you were suppose to do, there is also a review of the course at the end, but Pull up your sleeves, apply yourself, and if youre still not passing the class AFTER doing all your required reading and assignments ON TIME, then start to ask for help.

As for financial aid, this is a private institution...unlike state and local schools where you get tuition discounts as a resident and have great circumstances where your dont pay until youre out because of great financial packages that cover most or all of your expenses , understand that school isnt free and you need to plan for that. If you cant afford it, RESEARCH, look for programs and grants. Some places of employment will pay your full tuition. Also dont listen to your enrollment advisor, DO NOT start at Ashford until your financial aid package is final and you understand what you have to pay and what it covers, and if you have transfer credits dont start until you know the prior school has released them so you can enter school with a clean mind with no surprises as some will try to get you to start on Tuesday after you contact them. I hope this helps!

My only criticism is that I wish the school had naspaa accreditation for the Masters of Public Admin program so Ill be attending another school after graduation.

I attended Ashford University and would recommend it to anyone who can balance a check book. An education cost money and like everything else, you get out of it what you put in. I travel for a living and the only way I could attend any college was to do it online. The 5 week class schedule was perfect for my life style and family. Yeah, it was hard and it took time, so I would take a couple of weeks off between each class. On several occasions I took up to 45 days off to help with my work and family... Read More obligations. You shouldn't graduate if you can't take responsibility for your own actions. All my advisors were awesome and helped me every chance I gave them. My advisors scheduled my courses to streamline the number of courses I needed to graduate. I appreciate everything my advisors did for me. The only problems I had with Ashford University were those I created.

The journey to my bachelor degrees was anything but conventional. I started right out of high school and went to the traditional university setting. But I was not at a place in during that time to take my education seriously. It was not until years later that I realized that my education was extremely important and started looking for a school that would meld well with my life. Since my spouse is an active duty soldier in the Army, going to a traditional school was not plausible. So I began researching... Read More a strictly online program. I happen to run into Ashford University and as I did more research, I was really impressed with how their program was designed. It was set up that you could do one class every 5 weeks and they offered tuition assistance to military spouses which was so helpful financially. But the program for Political Science and Government was intriguing and pushed my ability to a point that was eye opening. There was very little memorize and recite in each of the courses, as most of what was taught was absorbed by applying the knowledge and using real life circumstances. And when "life" happened, the faculty and staff at Ashford University was willing to help me out. You could really feel that my success was super important to them as well! So to say the least, Ashford was a great fit for me and I would venture to bet that those students that are looking to balance a career and education would find it as beneficial as I did.

The curriculum is engaging and challenging. In order to get an A, a massive amount of reading/study and application involved. However, if you work hard and communicate with your instructors and advisers when you need help, you can succeed. Online programs typically involve an accelerated learning pace. Therefore, if you don't have 20+ to devote to study, its easy to fall behind, and almost impossible to catch up. Because all online communication is in writing, it helps to utilize a grammar check... Read More or citation assistance, if writing is not your strength. In this college there were numerous resources available to aid you in your success. IE. monthly webinars on library usage, writing centers to help with work and even a peer mentor program in my first year. I got more out of my education that I thought possible in every course. However, you get out of it, what you put into it.

I graduated with my degree in October of 2013 and since have been accepted to and offered scholarships at 4 law schools. The school requires you to work and if you don't have self discipline and time management you will not succeed. I think that the negative reviews on the school are from those who assumed an online degree would be an easy way to advance their career. If you work and really rely on yourself to extract the knowledge from the courses you will come away with a great appreciation when... Read More the degree finally arrives in the mail. I attended 3 years at a traditional university prior to finishing at Ashford, I am not saying that Ashford is a replacement for traditional education options because it is not, however for someone with work and a family it is a good way to still better yourself and your life.