[nabs-l] Have You Researched or Attended Colorado Schools or the University of Phoenix?

Sat Nov 3 21:14:12 UTC 2012

Hello,
My counselor said that is not really how the system works. She said they 
want you employed, not necessarily in the specialized job you are wanting to 
do. She said she only knew of one case in her 20 years that DOR funded a 
private college. That was in an economic boom, the man wanted to be a 
motorcycle repairman and there was no degree like that anywhere in the state 
system.
I had professionals write letters to DOR, I had multiple research papers on 
the merits of private schools in my profession vs public forwarded to my 
counselor and I spent hours on the phone trying to make my counselor 
understand what makes someone with a degree from a private college 
significantly more hirable than from a state college in my profession.
It was all for nothing in the end as I didn't get excepted into any private 
colleges, but I never did get the OK from DOR to pay more than the 7 grand a 
year.
Now I'm at a state college and definitely I see the quality in general is 
just miles below the private colleges I wanted to attend, but what can I do 
other than to start a million clubs to make life better for myself here... 
LOL
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Arielle Silverman
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2012 1:29 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Have You Researched or Attended Colorado Schools or 
the University of Phoenix?

Right, but aren't you most likely to get into the workforce if you
attend the best school?
If you want to attend a private university that isn't the cheapest
option, and you want VR to foot the bill, then you need to justify why
VR should put in the extra money to send you there. Seems the most
reasonable justification for spending more is to get a better-quality
education that increases your chances of becoming employed and closing
your case.
Arielle

On 11/3/12, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm sorry, I was talking about CA, I didn't read the subject line! We have
> UCs and CSUs, so it through me off...
> I'm sorry, but still, the justification reasons are what I would use.
> The idea behind Department of rehabilitation is not what will serve your
> career goals best, but what school will get you into the work force the
> cheapest. They don't look at employment rates out of colleges, but just 
> the
>
> price. (That is what they did with me). I wanted to go to a private school
> and I was told CSU tuition or nothing, even though the private school was 
> 45
>
> grand a year. I didn't get excepted there, but a blind friend who is there
> told me he gets the 7 grand a year that he would get if he was CSUs.
> Thanks,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2012 10:24 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Have You Researched or Attended Colorado Schools or
> the University of Phoenix?
>
> Hi Brandon,
> I think you and Everett are talking about different places. Everett
> asked about Colorado State University (CSU). Brandon, are you
> referring to that CSU or the one in California? Since we don't have a
> Prop 30 on our ballot here in CO, I think you may be referring to the
> one in CA.
> I personally think that arguments about which school is best should
> relate to what is best for your career goals. What are you ultimately
> hoping to get your degree in and what do you plan to do with that
> degree? You want to show that whatever school you select will help you
> to earn a degree that will ultimately allow you to become employed. If
> you have family duties, or a part-time job or internship now, you can
> say that the part-time online classes will best accommodate your other
> career and family needs. However, I would recommend picking the school
> with the best program, not the one with the easiest program.
> I personally believe that all schools are about the same in terms of
> accessibility. Some schools provide more direct support services than
> others, but a blind student can be very successful at a school without
> formal disability services, and a school with formal disability
> services may be spread so thin that it cannot provide good and
> consistent accommodations to every student all the time. There are
> national services, such as Learning Ally and BookShare, that can
> enable textbook access regardless of which school you attend, and most
> professors are quite willing to allow access to their course
> materials. Finally, no matter where you are, you have the option to
> use readers.
> In doing your research I would recommend talking to faculty or
> advisors in your specific field of study at the various schools you
> are considering to get information about that program of study, rather
> than focusing on blindness-related concerns. That will allow you to
> figure out which school has the best course of study in your specific
> field, which is something that blind folks in different majors may not
> be able to tell you. Then you can give a report to VR that is focused
> on your career goals. If, however, your plans for school are more
> exploratory in nature--just taking a class or two here and there--then
> you are probably better off paying for the classes yourself and not
> worrying about research or justification.
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 11/3/12, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello,
>> If you get excepted anywhere else, don't go to CSU, I'm there now and
>> unless
>>
>> you have the option to take many classes privately or you want a very
>> long
>> degree, you don't want to go there. If prop 30 doesn't pass we can
>> basically
>>
>> wave good bye to what little CSU we have and find another college.
>> Something you can use as justification for going to that online college
>> is
>> the fact it is 100% online, so you don't have to worry about housing,
>> accessibility, books, transportation, new mobility for each quarter, or
>> your
>>
>> lecturers being laid off. You may also want to say that the coursework
>> will
>>
>> be a great deal less stressful because you don't need to focus on more
>> than
>>
>> one class at a time. If you have problems concentrating, this would be
>> something never done by any other college.
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nimer M. Jaber, IC³
>> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 2:35 PM
>> To: Everett Gavel ; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Have You Researched or Attended Colorado Schools or
>> the University of Phoenix?
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have experience with PPCC and with UCCS, so if you have any
>> questions, please let me know. I also know of a couple of people that
>> attend CSU.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> On 11/1/12, Everett Gavel <everett at everettgavel.com> wrote:
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> Anyone here attended or researched going to Pike's Peak Community
>>> College
>>> (PPCC), University of Colorado -- Colorado Springs (UCCS), Colorado
>>> State
>>> University (CSU), or the University of Phoenix? If so, could I please
>>> talk
>>> with you off-list?
>>>
>>> I'm attending college online at a private college, Ashford University
>>> (based
>>>
>>> in Iowa). It's very accessible, and should be for at least the first 2
>>> years, they say. They use some Constellation teaching system, rather
>>> than
>>> something like Blackboard.  Also, the reason I chose it was first for
>>> accessibility, but a close second was the fact that they only give you 1
>>> class at a time, each class being 5 weeks long, and you still get your
>>> 120
>>> credit hours in 4 years or whatever the requirement is for a 4-year
>>> degree.
>>>
>>> I mean, come on, how cool is that? Only 1 class at a time? I never heard
>>> of
>>>
>>> such a thing before, but as soon as I did I jumped on the opportunity.
>>>
>>> Anyway, Vocational Rehab here in Colorado will pay for my schooling, and
>>> they may even pay for this private University. But I have to of course
>>> show
>>>
>>> why it's the best choice after looking at local/Colorado schools and
>>> maybe
>>> another online option. So I'm going to look at Pike's Peak Community
>>> College
>>>
>>> (PPCC), University of Colorado -- Colorado Springs (UCCS), & Colorado
>>> State
>>>
>>> University (CSU), as well as the University of Phoenix.
>>>
>>> My question is, has anyone here already researched or used these
>>> facilities?
>>>
>>> Can I talk with you or hear from you on your experience, or why you did
>>> or
>>> did not end up attending that particular school? How was the
>>> accessibility
>>> of it all for you, etc. Has anyone here been to any of these 4 schools?
>>>
>>> Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
>>>
>>>
>>> Strive On!
>>> Everett
>>> everett at everettgavel.com
>>> (330) 604-5750
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Cordially,
>>
>> Nimer Jaber
>>
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