Empire State College, State University of New York

SUNY's online learning network is a true joke. The mode of instruction is ridiculous and the use of 'participation' online amusing. Read a few pages and post some generic comment and receive an A. Grading is far from college level. I'm aware of some students that did not do the coursework but rather had a surrogate provide the coursework. Degrees are awarded where there's clear indication no real 'learning' took place. ESC was a model for non-traditional education in the past but I'm afraid the value of an ESC degree is minimal. Don't waste your money on this substandard 'college'.

Empire State College is not for everyone. It is a school where communication is key and you as the individual learner has a responsibility to be engaged in your personal learning process. Overall the school is great. It is very inexpensive compared to many other colleges in the area of where I live, and is cheap compared with all online colleges that are for-profit, and they can charge 7-10 times the amount of ESC. The classes are rigorous and highly demanding. Your education at this school falls back on you and ultimately there is no hand holding in the process. Anyone who says they have had a bad mentor, it is there own fault for not switching mentors or just relying on e-mail correspondence. Sometimes you have to take the initiative and pick up the phone and call. Not all of the mentors are hip to the technology or they themselves are under a tight schedule, so making time for you is tough. When you are in a system like ESC, you have to take into consideration that you are not the only person that your mentor deals with, otherwise you are being delusional or just disingenuous, and passing blame off of yourself. I will agree with some of the comments that some mentors do not fit in this environment. One example, is an accounting professor who had too much on his plate and could not really give as much attention as I would have liked. I think if you look at many colleges there is always one professor that has it out for you or lacks credible knowledge to really be the type to foster mentoring skills, so the system is not perfect. I find most of the claims on this review site to be individuals who are bitter by their own personal experience. The school has a few bad apples yes. But according to the college's web site there are, "The college serves nearly 20,200 students worldwide at 36 locations in New York state and online. Its 63,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, not-for-profit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more." This has to show for something. When you have over 63,000 alumni they have to be doing something right. Before you make a decision on coming here know that the school does serve a purpose for adults who have not finished their degree and they offer an opportunity to let you move up in the world by your personal will to excel. If you have any questions about the college you can email me at danielhiggins13@gmail.com, this school has more to offer if you are a disciplined self-starter. I hope this has been informative and good luck to you on your journey of continued learning.

I was told the MBA program would take around 15+ hours per week for 2 classes per semester. While I have straight As, it is way more like 30-40 hours per week. It is nearly impossible for anyone who works full time and has a family. ESC does not understand the concept that time is money either. The on-line discussions often spiral into inane discussions with little feedback. It's almost like reading a crazy person's bad blog. This program is designed for someone who has nothing better to do than to log onto their esc email and go back and forth into the zillion different places on the website for information. The classes I have had so far have been taught by excellent professors surprsingly, but the program itself is not good. I echo others comments regarding over-extended professors, little feedback, meetings to make the PhD professors feel better about themselves, and horrible administration. Individuals have been good, but they make it so hard with the hoop-jumping for no answers. To succeed in this program, one needs a very regular 40 hour per week or less job and little else in their lives. All MBA programs require sacrifice, but at least you feel good about what you are learning. If I felt the learning was valuable (more than 30%), that would be great. Instead, ut it's the first school I just want to get through (I have an undergrad degree from an excellent school and another advanced degree). There is so little value-added. Why don't I leave--too much time and effort invested. The school likes to use the excuse that it is someone not being ready for graduate level work, but that is crap. Most of the concepts are good, but much of the work is sheer busywork. Even with the great value, they are mostly interested in getting your money. If they would just fix the administrative end, including within the classes, that would go a long way to cut down on the wasted time.

I really enjoy this school. I have read some bad reviews about the instructors and staff, but like any school there are good and bad people. I usually check for reviews of instructors prior to registration, this helps me pick instructors that are the best available. I love the fact that this is a SUNY school. The SUNY network isn't a bad school system at all. Many people feel that teachers do not participate in the course; I feel that they participate as needed. The concept of online learning is that the person is expected to be an independent learner because there is no actual classroom time. Overall I love this school; I am completing this degree and would love to continue with this school for an additional degree. I currently have a 4.0, but this is not an “easy A” school. In one of my current classes the course average is actually posted as 46. The online learning system, Angel, allows a person to actually see their grades in comparison to the class averages.

I went to SUNY Oneonta for undergrad and learned more in the initial residency offered by SUNY Empire's MBA program than the 4 years at Oneonta. I went into the work force for about 6 years then returned to complete my MBA. I have 6 classes left and have learned a tremdous amount. I cannot emphasize enough the VALUE here. I have been in the traditional class room as well as virtual and find ESC right on. THIS is not easy. DO NOT take this route if you do not like to read, write, self motivated and are willing to put time in. I write about 150 pages worth of work per semester (2 classes). With that being said it is a great experience. Most people have complained about mentors/advisors. YOU will not be baby sat so if thats what you are looking for go to a community college. I have found the few questions I needed answered were done so in a a acceptable manner.

I began my studies at ESC CDL in 2003 and completed in 2007. My decision to attend ESC was driven by its value and the flexibility it offered me as a working parent. I was generally pleased with the fact that many transfer credits from other NYS-based institutions were accepted, and I was granted 16 experiencial credits. ESC's determination of my advanced standing was done in a way that conveyed to me academic integrity. Prior courses needed to be relevant to my program, and I had to prove college-level learning for the experiencial credits through written and verbal means. My mentor was wonderfully supportive and responded quickly to my questions and concerns. Like others who have posted here, my experience with the instructors was mixed: some were excellent, engaged, and challenged students while others were MIA throughout the entire course duration. The fact that we were asked to rate instructors BEFORE the end of the term led me to be less truthful than I would have been once grades were issued. I had very few technology issues over the years, and I found the admin staff helpful. I, personally, would highly recommend ESC with the same reasonable cautions that others here have given. Without access to ESC's on-line environment, I likely would not have completed my degree. Now, I am seriously considering returning to ESC or another SUNY school for a graduate degree and would much prefer another on-line program or a hybrid for the benefit of some professional networking. All this said, my husband - also a recent ESC graduate - had a frustrating experience due, primarily, to an unresponsive mentor and administrative delays. Hence, he is unwilling to recommend ESC.

I started taking online courses through University of Phoenix for two semesters and I realized that I wasn't getting what I wanted, so I started with Empire State with the CDL courses. I just graduated in June 2009 and I am so pleased with the education I have earned at ESC! I am a working professional with a busy family and ESC fit right into my busy life. I was able to earn credits for my life experiences, so my degree plan waa efficient. Now I'm starting the MBA program in September and I can't wait! As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. I had one instructor in particular that was non-existant throughout, but the rest were all very supportive. My future goal is to continuing on with ESC as an online instructor so I can still continue my career, while supplimenting my income and building another career opportunity! I LOVE ESC!

I am very happy with my experience at ESC. If you are looking for a great online education at a reasonable price ESC is the way to go. No need to worry about its credibility since it is backed by SUNY. Most of the professors are great, some are involved more than others. I received my AA degree from a different online college and can tell you that ESC is dedicated to their online students. And its nice to have the opportunity to create your own degree plan.

I came across this site while searching for a college to pursue my MBA and after reading the first comment here I felt compelled to add my experiences with ESC. First, the site was rarely unavailable, and was announced if it was to become so. Second, most of the professors I had were of a high caliber and their critiques were generally given in an acceptable time-frame. I had a problem with a couple professors but I know that is par for the course, just another learning lesson. I thought the courses were quite rigorous and were graded fairly. The text books were excellent and usually the latest versions, which I liked. Bottom line is that I know that I learned what was needed in order to acquire a BS in Business Administration and get out in the business world and succeed, because I am doing just that. I personally do not think you could go wrong choosing ESC for your degree. Good Luck!

SUNY at Empire State College (ESC) is run by its Center for Distance Learning in Saratoga Springs, NY. SUNY, founded in 1784, has dozens of schools in its system. Empire State's charter came in 1971. As a requirement, you must take a 2 credit Degree Planning course which helps pull prior credit together into your program. Even with an assigned mentor, that initial experience could be overwhelming for first-time online students. My advice: READ the undergraduate catalog. This was not my first online learning experience. That prize goes to University of Phoenix Online. In August 2004, I took one class with UoP, which was delivered through MS Outlook Newsgroups. It wasn't user-friendly, and the discussion threads were kludgy. ESC delivers its content through its ANGEL portal, which can be user-modified. In fact, I've been through a transition from the Student Learning Network to ANGEL. Although SLN had its deficiencies similar to the thread problem, ANGEL is still slow and sometimes buggy. But their tech support is sharp. The format is the same for all courses, but the content is controlled by the instructor. I would say the ESC courses are rigorous. The texts are top-shelf: Paul Krugman for Economics, Twomey & Jennings for Business Law, Peter Stearns for History. The professors are average. You have, of course, a choice of teacher when you register for class. Use RateYourProfessors.com to see which instructors are duds. On the whole, I've had responsive teachers, which is what counts in this environment. You will do well if you complete writing assignments on time. Since you can never complete the readings (unless you speed-read), always go to the assignments first, then read what you must to answer the questions. Multiple choice testing is sometimes performed at the end of each module. You could do the tests at any time, but stick with the program. You have support through your mentor, your Student Government Association, fellow students, and teachers: so ask questions! Raise your hand! The financial Aid office is very responsive. The bookstore is fast, and you can defer payment in favor of pending grants or aid, but you can always get books cheaper through Half.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon or The College Store. When your student aid refund comes, pay yourself back. I intend on continuing my education through an online MBA program. When doing so, you apply to several schools, of course. My research was going along well, then I came across this website. I was applying to Grantham, but saw its review and decided "No thanks!" So this feedback is very useful. If you have high standards, these reviews will help you cull out the obviously poor choices. If you choose ESC, please rate your experience here. Good luck!