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NY Times Questions For-Profit Colleges' Exploitation of Veterans. Bridgepoint Criticized
The points here are being made with a lot of assumptions. The bottom line is, there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of online or for-profit colleges, although it is becoming increasingly common to assume that when you here "for-profit" or "online" school, it is a scam or a rip-off. For the right person, the opportunity presented by these online, for-profit colleges is a god-send. For many busy adults, it is the only way they are able to budget the time for school into their schedules. Like so many other things in the world, it is not so much about what the schools are doing, but HOW they do it. If done ethically, these advisers (or sales people, telemarketers, recruiters, whatever you want to call them...) actually DO help these people interested in bettering their lives through education. Obviously, not everyone is a good candidate for school. An ethical adviser will be honest and upfront with a student about whether the programs have the chance to benefit the student or not, and sets accurate expectations as to what it will take for the student be successful. Is every adviser operating under the right ethical framework to ensure that the students they work with are benefiting from their assistance? No. But I can tell you this. The policies and procedures put in place within Bridgepoint are structured to ensure that each adviser is held accountable to their practices. An ethical approach is not only the message being repeated to all employees, it is a requirement. Those operating below anything but the highest ethical practices do not have a long or bright future at Bridgepoint. I know, because I have been an employee with them for over 2 years now. If every for-profit school operated under the strict ethical rules that are enforced at Bridgepoint, there would be less problems arising around this subject, and probably nothing too news worthy to report on. If you want to target schools who are really making the problems, take a look at some of the bigger names out there. You know the ones. They loop commercials incessantly on your television, telling you about how you can go to school AND get a free laptop! Of course, none of those schools are based out of San Diego, so there would be no "hot-button" subject matter with local significance for Mr. Bauder to write about, and he'd be looking elsewhere to find his story. Hmm...makes me wonder - what else is going on in San Diego that might be lumped into a bigger story of actual significance? A little watery research and some unjustified claims, I'm sure there are tons of stories out there to be "repored" on. Which is exactly with Mr. Bauder should have a long and busy career doing what he does. I will tell you this: I did take one valuable lesson from this article: Approach any claims Mr. Bauder makes with a healthy dose of skepticism and more than your daily allowance in grains of salt. Good day.— December 11, 2010 2:45 p.m.