Franklin University

I earned both my bachelors and MBA from Franklin. During my MBA I was using the Post 9/11 GI Bill and never had an issue with financial aid. Franklin took care of everything which made it easy for me to concentrate on school. In my undergraduate, I was using grants and student loans. Again, Franklin took care of everything. Scheduling was easy, I never had a single issue with financing, scheduling, any of that. I was a little skeptical of the MBA program at first because the courses are only 6 weeks long and Franklin doesn't require the GMAT. I took it in class and Franklin basically had us MBA students together for the whole duration. I had classes with the same people each week throughout the program and this made it easy to make friends and work in groups. Franklin does require MBA students take the Major Field Test for the MBA at the end of the program. This is an independent test administrated by a completely separate company. In my capstone class the teacher announced that the majority of the class had earned a 90% or better on the test and that one person in the class got a perfect score! (Not me, I was in the 90%+ people) To me, this validated the education I received. The fact that I was able to take an independent test of what I learned in the MBA at Franklin and not only me, but many of my classmates did very well on the test proved that Franklin had kept its promise to educate us. I would go there again anytime.

Flexibility was my primary reason for attending Franklin. Nearly every degree is available online; on-campus classes are one-night a week. Their trimesters allow for lighter course loads. In my undergraduate (BSBA), I took a back-to-back six-week courses over a twelve/fifteen-week courses. In the MBA program, it's just back-to-back six-week courses, but heavier material. Though not highly accredited (with the "gold" standard like Harvard and Yale), the MBA is a quick 16-month program that is regionally accredited. With current tuition rates, it's under $25k, which is nearly impossible to find these days. Many of the books are custom Franklin books, making renting or buying used sometimes difficult. At this point in my academic career, I am choosing to buy over rent because the material is important for my professional career. During my undergraduate, I transferred from OSU. The teacher-to-student ratio was very refreshing. It is so nice to have one professor (instead of two TAs grading and a professor who only lectures). Not only that, but the professors are always available and have real-world experience which they constantly share and incorporate into the course. Communication in the online environment is outstanding; nearly every course requires discussion board postings or participation in a live session. Professors are quick to reply to emails. Group projects can sometimes be difficult, but that's usually due to other students inability to be a team member. The online formart is very straight-forward. Courses are all setup the same, making accessibility a breeze. There are two complaints I have about Franklin. The first is that the computers available in the classrooms are terrible. The university thrives on being technologically current, but the computers are completely inefficient. With a four-hour class, most of the students spend the first hour waiting for the computer to simply boot up. The computers in the labs and library work just fine and professors encourage students to bring their own laptops to avoid delays. The second complaint I have is with the academic support. The online support is lacking, but currently being update, which is nice. Printing, signing, and mailing/delivering papers is tedious, especially with technology that allows online forms/signatures. The actual on-campus support is ridiculous. Financial Aid is difficult to get ahold of; typically, you'll find yourself on the phone with a student worker who can only give you vague information and suggest scheduling an appointment -- same with Advising. Appointments with either are typically on a 2-3 week wait, regardless of the time of year. People from both departments will not give out their phone numbers and take a week to respond to emails. My first advisor was let go from her position, but I was not aware for nearly two months, and had been attempting to contact her the entire time. There are a handful of individuals who have helped me with timely issues, none of whom are my actual advisor. All in all, Franklin is a great investment. The main reason I was able to get the internship I have is because Franklin allows me to work full-time while attending school, and it is a very well respected university, especially here in Columbus. I have known many people to receive promotions after completing their MBA here.