Let me warn you all, please, AVOID the college network. I joined over 4 years ago and I still don't have my RN. I have been lied to and drained financially. They lie in the seminar. The "study guides" do not prepare you for the tests. I had to buy additional study materials. The college does not endorse them. Once you finally enroll in the college there is a long waiting period for clincial, while you continue to pay annual fees. I wish I had never done this program. Please, take my advice and don't sign up. You'll regret it.
:frustrated:
also avoid rue education, they are the same way!!!! AND I did try to cancel and it was a no go. They will not let you cancel the program or get any of your money back. I gave up on it and am going the traditional route to get my LPN to RN transition but I'm still paying on the last bit that I owe them. Signing a contract with Rue was a very big expensive mistake on my part and a very costly one! Rachael
Are you all using these "adjuctive" services to complete an Excelsior University degree? None of them will help you finish this program. The school itself provides all of the study guides and counseling necessary. The bottom line is that the student needs to do the work; take the written tests and the clinical practical. This program requires the student to assimilate from work experience what would be gotten from a classroom- it's not for everyone. If you're struggling, it's because you need a classroom.
The College Network takes great pride in our ability to help customers achieve their desired level of academic success. If you are a customer of The College Network and experiencing difficulties passing CLEP, DANTES, or Excelsior College exams, it is time for you to touch base with our Academic Support department. Our advisors are standing by to offer study tips, testing strategies, and the encouragement necessary to keep you motivated. It’s never too late to make an adjustment to put you on the right track. Remember, Academic Support is there to help.
The College Network wrote:The College Network takes great pride in our ability to help customers achieve their desired level of academic success. If you are a customer of The College Network and experiencing difficulties passing CLEP, DANTES, or Excelsior College exams, it is time for you to touch base with our Academic Support department. Our advisors are standing by to offer study tips, testing strategies, and the encouragement necessary to keep you motivated. It’s never too late to make an adjustment to put you on the right track. Remember, Academic Support is there to help.
This is a typical response from the College Network and Excelsior. If things go wrong, it must be the student's fault. It couldn't possibly be theirs. They will say the student is confused or they didn't pick the right program or they didn't give it their all. However, I can easily prove I was lied to in the seminar with my paperwork. They left one entire course out, they told me my previous credits would be accepted (they were not) they claim if you pass the test in the back of their textbook you will pass the acutal exam, and several other things I found out were not true. They don't tell you that Excelsiors fees go up on a regular basis and that some of them are repeated yearly. The figure they gave me for what my education would cost and what I actually paid are worlds apart, with the latter being far higher. At the seminar they have to sign students up I was hesitant when the high pressure salesman was practically salivating over the table for a check to start the program with (he said if you wait it will take a long time to get your first book). My husband encouraged me, and I really wanted my RN. How I wish I had done what another nurse in the room did. She was suspicous as well and she left without signing up, despite his pressure. One of the reasons I went in the first place was that the card I got in the mail advertised clincials in your hometown. However, when I got there I was told that was for RN to BSN only, not LPN to RN.
As for their so called "availablity" for their students, they hung up on me once, and when I complained about the course they left out, I was asked to fax my paper from the conference for proof because they did not believe me. When I did and it showed I was telling the truth I asked what they planned to do about it. I got silence. What's it to them? It's me that has to dish out another outrageous fee, not them.
I think they are interested in one thing only, money. I never even heard from them after 3 months. They don't call to see how you're doing, or even when you finish the academic portion, or how your clinical went. Once they have your money, they don't care about anything else; that was my experience.
Rule of Thumb: If the organization is not accredited by your state's board of regents or other educational administrative bodies, do not go for it. There are tons of "know-nothing" options out there for education, I detest them. Before signing up, call some local employers and tell them you are a graduate from the specific program seeking a job: Is their response favorable?
If it isn't a valid Technical School, Community College, or University--don't ever trust it.
The College Network sucked me in with a pay on time program, about $100/month, which I thought was a great deal, the total is about $5000, and at the end of my study, which I found to be a review of the entire LPN program, they had only assessed me properly in one area that agreed with Excelsior. So I had bought 8 books that were completely unecessary. When it came time for me to actually apply for Excelsior,they assessed me also for completed credits and all were accepted, contrary to The College Network's assessment. (Mind you TCN told me my credits were accepted while continuing to sell me all the books that would indicate I needed to cover everything all over again) Excelsior's program was just the semester step up like other brick and mortar colleges have, and none of the materials were covered by the College Network. So I have to buy yet more books. And still pay $895 yearly fee to Excelsior. Now I can save money finding books online. That's no problem. I'm a self starter, and was home schooled, that's no problem either. But The College Network sucks $5000 out of my account little by little and it's a total waste. I could have done a lot with that money, like pay Excelsior directly. I could have been done with the RN by now (two years) except for the money and waste of time.
We are sorry that you feel this way about your purchase through The College Network.
If you would like to provide us with your Excelsior evaluation, we would be more than happy to adjust your contract based on their degree requirements. The College Network never looks to charge someone for course work that they have already completed.
If there is anything we can do to help please call Academic Support at 1-800-634-1443.
I, too, was duped! The textbooks are horribly written! I want to edit them and send them back. They do nothing for you. I wish I had just gone through Excelsior directly. I have not had trouble with the exams, but only because I bought other textbooks. The practice tests are also not a reflection of what to expect from Excelsior exams. The program seems geared towards cranking out nurses who have memorized the least amount of information possible to squeak by. They should be producing nurses who can solve problems, think on their feet, and do the job well, NOT just producing people who can pass exams.
Glorificous wrote:I, too, was duped! The textbooks are horribly written! I want to edit them and send them back. They do nothing for you. I wish I had just gone through Excelsior directly. I have not had trouble with the exams, but only because I bought other textbooks. The practice tests are also not a reflection of what to expect from Excelsior exams. The program seems geared towards cranking out nurses who have memorized the least amount of information possible to squeak by. They should be producing nurses who can solve problems, think on their feet, and do the job well, NOT just producing people who can pass exams.
Glorificous,
I am sorry you feel the materials are insufficient. They have been reviewed by a psychomatrician at Excelsior College and have been deemed sound. We also speak to people everyday who use our materials to pass the exams.
Please feel free to contact Academic Support and ask for me if I can be of any assistance.
I agree. Everyone who hasn't already been ripped off, needs to avoid The College Network. Rick, I see you post all over the web defending The College Network, how do you sleep at night. I know so many people and have read about many, who are left with a huge debt and nothing to show for it. If you decide to drop out of college, you are not left with the remainder of a 2 or 4 year degree to pay for.You pay for the semester you signed up for. So, why is it when you sign up with The College Network, you pay over $6000 for a few lame binders that have junk info and that's all you get. It should be against the law and I hope someday this type of business is no longer around.
marysmith wrote:I agree. Everyone who hasn't already been ripped off, needs to avoid The College Network. Rick, I see you post all over the web defending The College Network, how do you sleep at night. I know so many people and have read about many, who are left with a huge debt and nothing to show for it. If you decide to drop out of college, you are not left with the remainder of a 2 or 4 year degree to pay for.You pay for the semester you signed up for. So, why is it when you sign up with The College Network, you pay over $6000 for a few lame binders that have junk info and that's all you get. It should be against the law and I hope someday this type of business is no longer around.
People pay $6000 for The College Network "study guides," and then have to pay school tuition too? Back when I went to Regent's College, I paid LESS than $6000 for the entire A.A.S. degree- no outside help was necessary.
Go to the toolbar at the top of this page on this site and click on "degree info", The College Network's page comes up. No wonder the admin folks are so defensive of the bums. I am appalled.
Hi, I'm a paramedic in NYC and I have been with The College Network to do my RN. Here is my evaluation of them to date. A few of my colleagues at work and a few nurses I know have never reported to me any dissatisfaction with The College Network or Excelsior. I do find that the material that they give you to study for your elective courses, donot prepare you adequately enough to pass. For example I had to take the Sociology component and passing is a 50 and I scored a 54. I studied the material vigorously and content that I had expected to be on the exam was not there, which was very dissappointing. As far as the Nursing component goes, I just started my first book, and its it very informative. However, being that it is the first one, I was expecting to be introduced in to the history and formation of nursing etc. I browsed through the book and the material doesnot appear to be difficult as I am already a paramedic, so essentially to me it is like taking an advanced refresher course. I will keep posting my opinions of the components and literature from time to time. Good Luck to everyone.
Follow up post, I have completed my first book of Nursing, Health Safety. The book is very informative, clear cut and precise. However, there are some terms that has to be researched, as you would expect with any material being studied. Getting ready to take the exam within the next 2 weeks.
pmedic2rn wrote:Follow up post, I have completed my first book of Nursing, Health Safety. The book is very informative, clear cut and precise. However, there are some terms that has to be researched, as you would expect with any material being studied. Getting ready to take the exam within the next 2 weeks.
Good luck! Are you taking the computerized exams or paper?
Ok, you asked and here it is. My objective opinion/review of The College Network. The College Netowkr and its study material is horrible, disgusting, undesirable and inexplicable. I feel like I have been conned. I studied for an exam, which is Nursing: Health Safety and I failed the exam. Now, I'm a pretty smart person and I dont believe in failing exams and have past numerous exams before. The college network makes up their own material, which is not approved by Excelsior college (After seeing my grade, I went postal) evidenced by my lengthy phone call to Excelsior College. Excelsior told me that I shouldnot use The College Networks material and that I should use their recommended literature for any of their exams. Thats my new game plan, I have ordered about $600 of books from Excelsior. When I was taking the exam, I was being asked material that I had never seen before a day in my life. Excelsior, was empathetic with me and explained that this is happening frequently and that I am not to be blamed but it was rather my lack of proper knowledge due to studying the inappropriate material provided by The college network. And to reiterate: EXCELSIOR COLLEGE HOLDS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE COLLEGE NETWORK. THE COLLEGE NETWORK ONLY SERVES AS AN INTERMEDIARY AND IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO, MERGED WITH, AFFILIATED WITH EXCELSIOR COLLEGE. Therefore any literature that is provided by The college network to study for any Excelsior College exam is faulty and to be used at the consumers'/subscribers' own risk and is NOT, I repeat not supported/endorsed or approved of by Excelsior College. Now that I've been subjective, its time to be objective. Yes the college network is a load of horse maneur but going to a community or private college and paying out of pocket is twice as much if not more expensive. I am seeking some legal recourse in cancelling my contract with The college network, if unsuccessful I will sell their questionable literature on eBay.
pmedic2rn wrote:Ok, you asked and here it is. My objective opinion/review of The College Network. The College Netowkr and its study material is horrible, disgusting, undesirable and inexplicable. I feel like I have been conned. I studied for an exam, which is Nursing: Health Safety and I failed the exam. Now, I'm a pretty smart person and I dont believe in failing exams and have past numerous exams before. The college network makes up their own material, which is not approved by Excelsior college (After seeing my grade, I went postal) evidenced by my lengthy phone call to Excelsior College. Excelsior told me that I shouldnot use The College Networks material and that I should use their recommended literature for any of their exams. Thats my new game plan, I have ordered about $600 of books from Excelsior. When I was taking the exam, I was being asked material that I had never seen before a day in my life. Excelsior, was empathetic with me and explained that this is happening frequently and that I am not to be blamed but it was rather my lack of proper knowledge due to studying the inappropriate material provided by The college network. And to reiterate: EXCELSIOR COLLEGE HOLDS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE COLLEGE NETWORK. THE COLLEGE NETWORK ONLY SERVES AS AN INTERMEDIARY AND IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO, MERGED WITH, AFFILIATED WITH EXCELSIOR COLLEGE. Therefore any literature that is provided by The college network to study for any Excelsior College exam is faulty and to be used at the consumers'/subscribers' own risk and is NOT, I repeat not supported/endorsed or approved of by Excelsior College. Now that I've been subjective, its time to be objective. Yes the college network is a load of horse maneur but going to a community or private college and paying out of pocket is twice as much if not more expensive. I am seeking some legal recourse in cancelling my contract with The college network, if unsuccessful I will sell their questionable literature on eBay.
Hey Pmedic,
Wow, what a painful update. I'm sorry it worked out this way for you but it sounds like you have a good game plan. I'm sure you're more than a little gun-shy now when it comes to advice, but before you spend more on textbooks, check into what is available for loan through your hospital library. You may not know that I'm a graduate from Regent's College which is now Excelsior University, so I do have first hand experience with their program. I was able to save a fortune this way and what you can't borrow may be available from Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Don't hesitate to buy or use a prior edition of a textbook either.
Thanks, Ricu. The college network bottom line is providing inaccurate study material, a few of my colleagues also concurred with me. I will be trying to find every and all ways to circumvent the college network. Its unbelievable what they are getting away with, I feel as if I'm starting from scratch.
pmedic2rn wrote:Thanks, Ricu. The college network bottom line is providing inaccurate study material, a few of my colleagues also concurred with me. I will be trying to find every and all ways to circumvent the college network. Its unbelievable what they are getting away with, I feel as if I'm starting from scratch.
I understand. Many people have said the same thing about "adjunctive study guides." Hopefully you won't feel too discouraged and will be able to cruise right along into those upcoming tests. The Excelsior guides are very specific so you should do well.
The College Network has a very compelling ad which focuses on the student's test anxiety so no wonder their business thrives and maybe some students do succeed with them. I can't help but wonder if those students do well because they use the Excelsior guides AND the ones they buy from TCN in effect, study twice. The important thing is that you have the right study material now and your energy can be focused on completing your nursing degree.
I know You feel bad right now about your experience with this company but maybe some good can come of it. Now and then you will read here about TCN so feel free to fire off a message and share your story. Saving someone else a lot of trouble or identifying with those who have been burnt might somehow make it better.
It may sound trite but we're all in this nursing thing together and we watch each others' backs.
marysmith wrote:I agree. Everyone who hasn't already been ripped off, needs to avoid The College Network. Rick, I see you post all over the web defending The College Network, how do you sleep at night. I know so many people and have read about many, who are left with a huge debt and nothing to show for it. If you decide to drop out of college, you are not left with the remainder of a 2 or 4 year degree to pay for.You pay for the semester you signed up for. So, why is it when you sign up with The College Network, you pay over $6000 for a few lame binders that have junk info and that's all you get. It should be against the law and I hope someday this type of business is no longer around.
Mary,
Unfortunately, I am unable to identify you in our system as a College Network customer by name alone, but I am interested in why you are so dissatisfied with our products and/or services. We would be more than willing to have a friendly dialogue with you about any concerns you may have. You may post on here to which I will respond, or you may contact the manager of our Customer Care Unit. Her name is Heather and she can be reached at 1-800-634-1443. Either way it is our hope that you continue to pursue your degree and if there is anything we can do to assist please contact us.
pmedic2rn wrote:Ok, you asked and here it is. My objective opinion/review of The College Network. The College Netowkr and its study material is horrible, disgusting, undesirable and inexplicable. I feel like I have been conned. I studied for an exam, which is Nursing: Health Safety and I failed the exam. Now, I'm a pretty smart person and I dont believe in failing exams and have past numerous exams before. The college network makes up their own material, which is not approved by Excelsior college (After seeing my grade, I went postal) evidenced by my lengthy phone call to Excelsior College. Excelsior told me that I shouldnot use The College Networks material and that I should use their recommended literature for any of their exams. Thats my new game plan, I have ordered about $600 of books from Excelsior. When I was taking the exam, I was being asked material that I had never seen before a day in my life. Excelsior, was empathetic with me and explained that this is happening frequently and that I am not to be blamed but it was rather my lack of proper knowledge due to studying the inappropriate material provided by The college network. And to reiterate: EXCELSIOR COLLEGE HOLDS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE COLLEGE NETWORK. THE COLLEGE NETWORK ONLY SERVES AS AN INTERMEDIARY AND IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO, MERGED WITH, AFFILIATED WITH EXCELSIOR COLLEGE. Therefore any literature that is provided by The college network to study for any Excelsior College exam is faulty and to be used at the consumers'/subscribers' own risk and is NOT, I repeat not supported/endorsed or approved of by Excelsior College. Now that I've been subjective, its time to be objective. Yes the college network is a load of horse maneur but going to a community or private college and paying out of pocket is twice as much if not more expensive. I am seeking some legal recourse in cancelling my contract with The college network, if unsuccessful I will sell their questionable literature on eBay.
Dear pmedic2rn,
I am sorry and surprised to hear about your experience on the Health Safety exam, especially since you say you had already had success on other exams. You are correct that we are not affiliated with Excelsior, but they have reviewed and deemed our materials to be sound.
Regardless, I would like to help you, but I am unable to locate you in our system at this time. I ask that you either respond to me in this forum or contact the manager of our Customer Care Unit. Her name is Heather and she can be reached at 1-800-634-1443. Tell her that you are calling at my request after posting on ultimatenurse.com and she'll do whatever she can to help you out.
Christiangal wrote:Let me warn you all, please, AVOID the college network. I joined over 4 years ago and I still don't have my RN. I have been lied to and drained financially. They lie in the seminar. The "study guides" do not prepare you for the tests. I had to buy additional study materials. The college does not endorse them. Once you finally enroll in the college there is a long waiting period for clincial, while you continue to pay annual fees. I wish I had never done this program. Please, take my advice and don't sign up. You'll regret it.
:frustrated:
I am more than frustrated; this company needs to reimburse all of us for the time, energy, and money spent on this crap!!! I can't believe all I have went through; I am done with it. I feel like I was set up for failure; Study Guides!! ha!!!!! they suck!!!! the college network is a false hope for all of us trying to raise a family and get our RN!!!
I have mistakes in the college networks books and had to call them!! This is an outrageous program setting people up who are trying to raise a family and further their career!!! i am a 4.0 student; not in this program!!! the study guides do not correlate with excelsior tests!! this is an outrage and I am sorry for anyone who has been TAKEN!!!!!!!!
College Network, How dare you? How dare you come on here and act as if we're stupid. Your materials are not sound and are not endoresed by Excelsior College. I've compared marerial that Excelsior College reccomends that students study and I have looked at the bibliography page in TCN books and they are different. Instead what The College Network does is to use irrelevant and inconsequential material from other sources and not from where the college network recommends. Its wrong. So explain to me now, a student is taking excelsior college nursing exams using the college networks material (which is not supported/endorsed, goes to take the exam and fail. Houston, we've got a problem, so now we troubleshoot. By golly I think I've got it. The student failed the exam, because if improper studying material that differs from that of the college material recommended be studied. In short, for the college network to call their material "sound" is a lie and couldn't be any further from the truth. The proof is there, EVERYONE. Compare the material to be studied from Excelsior Colleges content guide to the bibliography pages of any college network material and you will see that they dont match. TROMYLPN, I do empathize with you as I am a paramedic and I have taken many exams and never failed and was shocked greatly, however we cant blame ourselves for failing nor should anyone else. We are not stupid, retarded or illiterate, its all to be blamed on the college network and their imitation and non-genuine literature.
pmedic2rn wrote:College Network, How dare you? How dare you come on here and act as if we're stupid. Your materials are not sound and are not endoresed by Excelsior College. I've compared marerial that Excelsior College reccomends that students study and I have looked at the bibliography page in TCN books and they are different. Instead what The College Network does is to use irrelevant and inconsequential material from other sources and not from where the college network recommends. Its wrong. So explain to me now, a student is taking excelsior college nursing exams using the college networks material (which is not supported/endorsed, goes to take the exam and fail. Houston, we've got a problem, so now we troubleshoot. By golly I think I've got it. The student failed the exam, because if improper studying material that differs from that of the college material recommended be studied. In short, for the college network to call their material "sound" is a lie and couldn't be any further from the truth. The proof is there, EVERYONE. Compare the material to be studied from Excelsior Colleges content guide to the bibliography pages of any college network material and you will see that they dont match. TROMYLPN, I do empathize with you as I am a paramedic and I have taken many exams and never failed and was shocked greatly, however we cant blame ourselves for failing nor should anyone else. We are not stupid, retarded or illiterate, its all to be blamed on the college network and their imitation and non-genuine literature.
Dear pmedic2rn,
I wasn't trying to upset you. I was trying to help you. Also, I did not state that our materials are endorsed by Excelsior. I stated that Excelsior has reviewed our materials and deemed them to be sound and sufficient to pass the exams. For Health Safety we currently have a pass rate of 80%.
I suggested you contact us because sometimes with a few tweeks to your study plan and some assistance with study techniques may be all that is needed to help you be successful on future exam attempts.
tromylpn, I would make the same suggestion to you. Contact our Customer Care Unit and see what they can do to help you out. It is our sincerest hope that we can assist you in earning your degree.
Pass rate of 80% is unbelievable. I had to spend about $700 for book and a next $350 for more books, the books excelsior recommend their students to study before taking the exams. I intend on finding some legal recourse in the matter. Its not right, and not fair....I've to pay $14k for material that cant even help me pass my exams.....UNFAIR. And to all of you, deal directly with Excelsior, and find ways of Clepping your pre-requisite courses without the college network. Or like the rest of us you have a $14k (more or less) debt over your head, and still have to spend more out of pocket.
pmedic2rn wrote:Pass rate of 80% is unbelievable. I had to spend about $700 for book and a next $350 for more books, the books excelsior recommend their students to study before taking the exams. I intend on finding some legal recourse in the matter. Its not right, and not fair....I've to pay $14k for material that cant even help me pass my exams.....UNFAIR. And to all of you, deal directly with Excelsior, and find ways of Clepping your pre-requisite courses without the college network. Or like the rest of us you have a $14k (more or less) debt over your head, and still have to spend more out of pocket.
Dear pmedic2rn,
As previously recommended, please contact our Customer Care Unit. Ask to speak to the manager. Her name is Heather. We do not want you to feel as if you have wasted your time or your money. Remember, your purchase includes the assistance of Academic Support. Take advantage of it and give us a call. Let's see if we can work together to get you back on track.
Rico, you should talk to your customer care staff. They were not helpful at all when I called. I tried to find out who I could contact to talk about improving the writing of the study materials and they wouldn't give me another number. Not only that, but the person I spoke with completely blew me off.
I am not someone who had trouble passing the exams. I got A's. But I was SO frustrated with the amount of time it took to decipher TCN's texts that I kept buying other textbooks. As I said in my first post, the materials that TCN gives out are only aimed at passing tests, when the goal should be to produce a knowledgeable nurse who can think on his/her feet, and solve problems that do not present them self in a multiple choice format.
At one point I got so frustrated with the materials that I started actually marking it up and editing it for conciseness and clarity.
If anyone else has luck with finding some justice with the College Network, please let me know.
Glorificous wrote:Rico, you should talk to your customer care staff. They were not helpful at all when I called. I tried to find out who I could contact to talk about improving the writing of the study materials and they wouldn't give me another number. Not only that, but the person I spoke with completely blew me off.
I am not someone who had trouble passing the exams. I got A's. But I was SO frustrated with the amount of time it took to decipher TCN's texts that I kept buying other textbooks. As I said in my first post, the materials that TCN gives out are only aimed at passing tests, when the goal should be to produce a knowledgeable nurse who can think on his/her feet, and solve problems that do not present them self in a multiple choice format.
At one point I got so frustrated with the materials that I started actually marking it up and editing it for conciseness and clarity.
If anyone else has luck with finding some justice with the College Network, please let me know.
Glorificous,
All complaints about the materials are logged and passed on to the appropriate party. If you would like to provide me with your email address so that I can locate your account, I would be more than happy to have someone from our Customer Care Unit contact you and address your concerns. My guess is that you initially spoke to an Academic Advisor regarding your concerns and I think our Customer Care Unit may be better equipped to satisfy your concerns.
The materials are written by PHDs and subject matter experts in their respective fields. The materials are also subject to a rigorous editing process. As a matter of fact, we have an entire department dedicated solely for that purpose.
Our materials are designed for the purpose of passing the exams required by the school. It is the school/degree-granting institution that designs the curriculum and is charged with the task of producing a knowlegeable nurse who can think on his/her feet.
I am glad to see that you have had success on your exams. And again, I would be more than happy to see that your concerns are addressed to your satisfaction.
Only way to find some sort of justice is to speak to the local congressman/politician. Thanks to the college network I am going to have to spend another fortune on books. Their literature is flawd!!!!!!!! The best way to pass the exams is to do the following, have Excelsior mail you the manual (publication request) for the particular exam, example Health Differences, and buy the books that they recommend to study from. In the manual (publication request) there is a break down, of what to study from what book. This is the only way to be successful in passing the exams. I prefer taking directions from Excelsior, since it is their exam thats being taken than having any more dealings with the college network. The college network aims to condense the material (inappropriate material) and does not adhere to the way Excelsior writes their exam. For example, with Excelsior they tell you that 30% of the exam is based on Oxygenation and what chapters from what books to read. When you take the exam, and get your score its exactly as it was said. You see the breakdown, for example if 30% of the exam was based on Oxygenation and for the exam you passed 25% it counts towards the rest of your grade. The college network doesnot do this, the college network makes useful binders of information that isnot even pertinent to what is going to be on the exam. AGAIN, the college network isnot affilitated with Excelsior. Your best bet is to deal directly with Excelsior instead of a non-authentic, knock-off, imitation 3rd party fraudulent College Network. Now, some of the material they produce were somewhat good to know, but not good enough to pass the exam. Their degree of material is unacceptable. So if you want success deal directly with Excelsior. If you want a few tricks to also deal with the pre-requisite courses without dealing with the college network I figured some out.
pmedic2rn wrote:Only way to find some sort of justice is to speak to the local congressman/politician. Thanks to the college network I am going to have to spend another fortune on books. Their literature is flawd!!!!!!!! The best way to pass the exams is to do the following, have Excelsior mail you the manual (publication request) for the particular exam, example Health Differences, and buy the books that they recommend to study from. In the manual (publication request) there is a break down, of what to study from what book. This is the only way to be successful in passing the exams. I prefer taking directions from Excelsior, since it is their exam thats being taken than having any more dealings with the college network. The college network aims to condense the material (inappropriate material) and does not adhere to the way Excelsior writes their exam. For example, with Excelsior they tell you that 30% of the exam is based on Oxygenation and what chapters from what books to read. When you take the exam, and get your score its exactly as it was said. You see the breakdown, for example if 30% of the exam was based on Oxygenation and for the exam you passed 25% it counts towards the rest of your grade. The college network doesnot do this, the college network makes useful binders of information that isnot even pertinent to what is going to be on the exam. AGAIN, the college network isnot affilitated with Excelsior. Your best bet is to deal directly with Excelsior instead of a non-authentic, knock-off, imitation 3rd party fraudulent College Network. Now, some of the material they produce were somewhat good to know, but not good enough to pass the exam. Their degree of material is unacceptable. So if you want success deal directly with Excelsior. If you want a few tricks to also deal with the pre-requisite courses without dealing with the college network I figured some out.
Dear pmedic2rn,
I would guess you are speaking of the content outlines provided by Excelsior. We use those to prepare our materials. Our authors and subject matter experts review the content outlines and cover those topics extensively to be sure that all the necessary information is provided to pass the exam.
Also, you are correct that we are not affiliated with Excelsior for the ASN program, but we do have a collaborative agreement for their BSN program.
It is not necessary to purchase additional materials. I again ask that you provide me with your contact information or call 1-800-634-1443 and ask to speak to Heather, Customer Care Manager. It is my earnest intent to provide support and assistance.
pmedic2rn wrote:Only way to find some sort of justice is to speak to the local congressman/politician. Thanks to the college network I am going to have to spend another fortune on books. Their literature is flawd!!!!!!!! The best way to pass the exams is to do the following, have Excelsior mail you the manual (publication request) for the particular exam, example Health Differences, and buy the books that they recommend to study from. In the manual (publication request) there is a break down, of what to study from what book. This is the only way to be successful in passing the exams. I prefer taking directions from Excelsior, since it is their exam thats being taken than having any more dealings with the college network. The college network aims to condense the material (inappropriate material) and does not adhere to the way Excelsior writes their exam. For example, with Excelsior they tell you that 30% of the exam is based on Oxygenation and what chapters from what books to read. When you take the exam, and get your score its exactly as it was said. You see the breakdown, for example if 30% of the exam was based on Oxygenation and for the exam you passed 25% it counts towards the rest of your grade. The college network doesnot do this, the college network makes useful binders of information that isnot even pertinent to what is going to be on the exam. AGAIN, the college network isnot affilitated with Excelsior. Your best bet is to deal directly with Excelsior instead of a non-authentic, knock-off, imitation 3rd party fraudulent College Network. Now, some of the material they produce were somewhat good to know, but not good enough to pass the exam. Their degree of material is unacceptable. So if you want success deal directly with Excelsior. If you want a few tricks to also deal with the pre-requisite courses without dealing with the college network I figured some out.
Hi PMEDIC2RN, Sorry you have had such a bad experience. I have been thinking about going the TCN route; Have you followed the tcn guy's advice and contacted them the way he recommended? I am very interested in the results if you have. Also, I live in california and they will not accept Excelsior, but I was thinking of using their books and then transfering the results to Indiana State University. California will accept ISU credits towards BSN. Any ideas how to start doing that? How does one know what Excelsior courses to study to get credit at ISU? Thanks. I am sure in the end you will make it to BSN.
Lvnguy wrote:Hi PMEDIC2RN, Sorry you have had such a bad experience. I have been thinking about going the TCN route; Have you followed the tcn guy's advice and contacted them the way he recommended? I am very interested in the results if you have. Also, I live in california and they will not accept Excelsior, but I was thinking of using their books and then transfering the results to Indiana State University. California will accept ISU credits towards BSN. Any ideas how to start doing that? How does one know what Excelsior courses to study to get credit at ISU? Thanks. I am sure in the end you will make it to BSN.
Be aware that you can do the ISU program in CA without going through TCN, so you can save a lot of money. The TCN produced modules to study for the ISU tests that you want to test out of can be purchased elsewhere but can be difficult to find. They can be found used on ebay as well as from students who are finished with them by looking on forums such as this one or on yahoo groups. You would need to contact ISU directly to find out what tests can be used to meet their course requirements. But don't be put off by their advisors who will try to get you to call TCN instead of answering your questions.
Lvnguy wrote:Hi PMEDIC2RN, Sorry you have had such a bad experience. I have been thinking about going the TCN route; Have you followed the tcn guy's advice and contacted them the way he recommended? I am very interested in the results if you have. Also, I live in california and they will not accept Excelsior, but I was thinking of using their books and then transfering the results to Indiana State University. California will accept ISU credits towards BSN. Any ideas how to start doing that? How does one know what Excelsior courses to study to get credit at ISU? Thanks. I am sure in the end you will make it to BSN.
Dear Lvnguy,
ISU refers potential students to contact TCN because we have an exclusive partnership to promote and produce CSMs (Customized Study Materials) for their LPN to BSN program.
Once enrolled, your previously completed course work would be evaluated and you would be notified of the remaining courses required to complete your degree. You would also be provided with ongoing support and instruction in completing all the phases of the program. Up to 67 semester hours toward this degree may be earned through transfer or test-out, so if you have previously completed college course work this may be a good option for you.
Well....I just made an appt to speak with a 'program advisor'. I'm beginning to wonder if I should call and cancel, now that I've read all of the comments about The College Network. The lady on the phone said it would be through Excelsior...I'm confused. Are they one in the same?
dentex10 wrote:Well....I just made an appt to speak with a 'program advisor'. I'm beginning to wonder if I should call and cancel, now that I've read all of the comments about The College Network. The lady on the phone said it would be through Excelsior...I'm confused. Are they one in the same?
Denise,
The College Network and Excelsior College are not one and the same. The College Network is an educational services company that provides materials and support to assist you in passing equivalency examinations.
Excelsior College is the degree-granting institution. Essentially, you are earning your degree from Excelsior College with the assistance of the materials and academic support of The College Network.
The Program Advisor will be able to answer all these questions for you, but if you have any in the meantime feel free to ask.
The College Network and Excelsior College are not one and the same. The College Network is an educational services company that provides materials and support to assist you in passing equivalency examinations.
Excelsior College is the degree-granting institution. Essentially, you are earning your degree from Excelsior College with the assistance of the materials and academic support of The College Network.
The Program Advisor will be able to answer all these questions for you, but if you have any in the meantime feel free to ask.
Sincerely,
Rick
The College Network
Hi Rick,
Please allow me to make a point of clarification regarding the context of this ongoing discussion.
I realize that this quoted reply, like the others you've made here to students who have engaged the services of TCN, has to do with issues around study guides and services provided by TCN and not Excelsior University.
Your phrasing of your statement that Excelsior is the "degree granting institution" and TCN provides educational materials could be misunderstood to mean that Excelsior does not provide the students with academic support and specific study materials for each exam when in fact,they do. Excelsior students are aprised of this at the time of their enrollment and each year after when they pay their student activity fee which by the way, pays for those very things.
In the cases that we're reading about on this Forum, the students have purchased services from TCN to be used in addition to, or instead of, those services provided by Excelsior and they have had difficulties.
As a representative of TCN,You have been diligent about addressing their concerns, but I felt it necessary to be sure the readership understands that those issues are with TCN and not Excelsior and while some choose to use TCN, it is not required or necessary to successfully complete the degree.
It sucks that everyone got sucked into something they now regret. I used old College Network study guides with very few adjucts and passed all tests except (old) NC3 the first time. However, If I had to recommend a path to a new student, I would tell them to buy the actual textbooks that Excelsior recommends and read them. Yes, it will take a long time but that really is the best way to get the most education out of the program. You can always go on ebay and get old College Network and Rue study guides for under $100 each and this will help in your studies. I did this, then resold the books after I passed. This way, you really won't pay anything for them. Some books I used were over 5 years old but they still helped me out. Those study guides helped me, but I am glad I didn't pay $5K for them. That is ludicrisp...not to be confused with Supersugarcrisp.:nurse-haha:
Good luck everyone. I am always happy to hear it when an Excelsior student is successfull in taking a test. I know how hard the program is. People that have not gone through it do not really understand the challenges.
i wanted to comment on avoiding the college network. first off i would like to start out by saying that i was lucky and did not end up oweing the 5000 plus dollars that my friend owes now. i am in the same program she is in at excelsior college but did not go through the college network. i have found that it is possible to get the same degree she is pursing with the same school without having to waste my money on the 7 nursing modules the college network has to offer. i decided to go and get a rn fundamentals book, pharmacology, mother and baby, peds, community nursing, mental health, med surg, and nursing diagnosis book. i am study nursing concepts one and will be taking the test with excelsior soon. i was about to sign on the dotted line until i read about how TCN was not needed to register with excelsior. so i went on to excelsior's site at excelsior.edu read the nursing course content guide found all the necessary book titles ordered one at a time and started studying from there. i have to go through the same rigorous program but without the added debt of TCN. for my friend she is stuck paying them for the next 3 or 4 years. we are at the same point in the program and i started two months later than she did. if you are thinking about doing excelsior's program their are groups on yahoo.com that offer study guides, notes, encouragement from other students and more information than u could possibly imagine to help u pass. it can be done.:)
You can find used study guides from the publishing companies, TCN, Rue, Chancellor's, on ebay for very little if you want to try them without the $5000 debt. And don't forget another good resource: Flashcards: The world's largest library of printable flash cards. It is also free. There are lots of ways to skin the EC cat without getting $5000 or $6000 in debt unnecessarily.
I am an ADA RN. I joined the College Network last year, and have had no issues with them. They gave me back money for classes I did not need, and really worked hard to make sure I only took the classes I needed. I have already passed 2 exams, and that is being a single mom with 2 jobs. The exams were not the easiest, but it does help to have experience and some prior nursing background. I have always done well on exams too. I really think all you people complaining really need to take some personal responsibility. It is always easier to blame others for your own short-comings. I would recommend College Network only to those who are disciplined and able to learn on their own.
I just want to thank all of you. I met with an "advisor" for The College Network today but didn't sign anything. I used the excuse that I had to talk it over with my hubby. Of course it sounded great and I was really excited about it. My friend, however, signed up with them today. When I got home I told my hubby about it and he started re-searching and found this thread. I started reading all of the horror stories and called my friend. She is canceling everything tomorrow and I'm never talking to another person from there again. Thank you so much! You guys are life savers! I wish you didn't have such bad experience though.
I've returned to educate and protest The College Network. First, however I have a few words for potential individuals who might sign up with The College Network. When dealing with such a controversial entity as The College Network it helps to be an informed consumer, one of the mistakes I made was not actually researching and viewing the opinions and reviews of others. A site like this, where various opinions and likes and dislikes are posted is an excellent source. The College Network is a fraudulent and dishonest institution that preys on unknowing people who wish to pursue and/or advance their position in healthcare, primarily nursing. The material supplied by The College Network Material is below the educational standards to be a nurse. I do personally recommend, you contact Excelsior College directly and purchase the materials thy endorse. After all, it is an Excelsior College exam your going to be taking and it makes perfect sense to heed the advise of the writers of the exam. The College Network, compiles material from all other insignificant sources and claims that it will help you pass the exam, I can attest that its false. For example, if your going to take Health Differences exam, Excelsior College sends you a booklet with a breakdown of scoring i.e. Fluids & Electrolytes 30%, etc. Therefore, DONOT rely, use or in anyways deal with The College Network in regards to Excelsior College nursing examinations. Lets look at it from an analogy perspective, apples to apples and oranges to oranges. You cant match an apple with an orange because their characteristics are totally different. If you sign up with The College Network, get ready to spend exorbitant fees which you could have saved simply by dealing with Excelsior College directly. **MN RN** Nice to know you were successful, however I'm an A+ person and I'm also a paramedic and I've never failed any of my state/city exams. So when I fail an Excelsior College nursing exam, there is reason to go back and see what the problem was, and the problem was The College Network. You see I studied the material from The College Network which was inaccurate and not uptodate and contained a bunch of crap I didnt even need to know and that was no good, however now I'm on track and I have all the material from Excelsior College. So when it comes to blaming anyone for shortcomings its well derived.
Is there anyone out there who liked the college network and actually graduated form the LPN to BSN program? I would really like to get in touch with you and ask questions...Thank you...
Robert F wrote:Rule of Thumb: If the organization is not accredited by your state's board of regents or other educational administrative bodies, do not go for it. There are tons of "know-nothing" options out there for education, I detest them. Before signing up, call some local employers and tell them you are a graduate from the specific program seeking a job: Is their response favorable?
If it isn't a valid Technical School, Community College, or University--don't ever trust it.
Gotta second this, i know too many people who are out $$$ and still have nothing to show for it. I know one woman who failed a portion of her EC program, and now the tests she's taken count for nothing now, she's now going to a CC. And also, none of the EC, Rue, etc. portions are counted for at any colleges in this area.
I signed up last year in September. I only have received ONE book. I have called and called and still no books. I'm paying some bank that they have contracted with. No books, but by God if you are late on those payments they sure let you know. I did get a call back ONCE but she ended up hanging up on me. When I did try and return her call, I was re-routed to another person and I found myself saying everything all over again. Nothing was resolved. I'm thinking about going to a lawyer and filing a civil suit. With everything that I have read, I believe I have one. They pump it up and make it sound so easy. I have no problems studying, I've always been a straight A student, it is THEY who did not follow through with their end of the contract. I will post this ALL OVER my facebook and I will even build a web page!!!:nurse-soapbox::bite me:<------college network!!!!
Marie_LPN wrote:Gotta second this, i know too many people who are out $$$ and still have nothing to show for it. I know one woman who failed a portion of her EC program, and now the tests she's taken count for nothing now, she's now going to a CC. And also, none of the EC, Rue, etc. portions are counted for at any colleges in this area.
Sounds like way too much of a gamble to me.
Which leads me on to another point.
Transferability of credits:
If you are wishing to pursue higher education later on, it is imperative that you first contact local university and community college transfer coordinators to ensure that you can transfer credits. 99% of colleges will not accept credits from Excelsior programs, etc.
An RN or LPN license is the basis upon which transfer programs are created. They are not looking at the course work completed. They are looking at the licensure you hold. Therefore, if you do not finish one of these programs and test for your license, you have likely wasted more than 2 years.
I am going to try and do a write up on "10 things to consider when choosing a nursing school".
As previously recommended, please contact our Customer Care Unit. Ask to speak to the manager. Her name is Heather. We do not want you to feel as if you have wasted your time or your money. Remember, your purchase includes the assistance of Academic Support. Take advantage of it and give us a call. Let's see if we can work together to get you back on track.
Sincerely,
Rick
The College Network
You people are a joke!!! We all have wasted our time AND our money. In these tough times with people being laid off, people cannot afford to waste money on your nonsense, uncaring ways, and lack of follow through. I've spent about....ohhhhh.....$2400 on ONE book because you and your fraudulent collegues decided, "hey let's get these schmucks to pay the money upfront,". I'm reporting you to this financial institution from which you extracted money that I'm obligated to pay back. bite me:
I am a LVN in San Francisco California. I want to use TCN for LVNto BSN program. But after I read all the comments you guys post on here. I decide not to go this route but instead of to LVN-RN bridge program in my local community college. I am not a fool for this money scam and thank you so much for you guys give me that many information. I do not like people pretend to help me to reach my goal (salesman) but they only care about is just how much they can get out of your pocket. I am not falling in this trap thanks to many helpful people post on this site.:cool-nurse:
MaryCoffia wrote:Is there anyone out there who liked the college network and actually graduated form the LPN to BSN program? I would really like to get in touch with you and ask questions...Thank you...
All I can say is RUNNNNNN!!!!! Do NOT do this. You will be better off just taking a class here and there at your local campus. These people are a JOKE!! It's way over priced, there is no follow through. The only time I have EVER heard from them is when the bank called because they haven't received a payment and they patched me through.
I'm usually a quiet person, but I'm fed up with scams like this taking advantage of LPN's who want more out of their careers, and promise this and that.
I'm getting scared now i just started the program a week ago, after 3 days you can't the money back i almost spend ten thousand dollars i'm a brand new lpn, i just hope everything work out fine.. I will keep update what will happen. If anyone one here who finished the college network program please share your experience
I'm getting scared now i just started the program a week ago, after 3 days you can't get the money back i almost spend ten thousand dollars i'm a brand new lpn, i just hope everything work out fine.. I will keep update what will happen. If anyone one here who finished the college network program please share your experience
nidhin wrote:I'm getting scared now i just started the program a week ago, after 3 days you can't get the money back i almost spend ten thousand dollars i'm a brand new lpn, i just hope everything work out fine.. I will keep update what will happen. If anyone one here who finished the college network program please share your experience
Hi nidihn,
Last I knew, TCN doesn't offer a degree, they sell study guides only. Unless you're enrolled in a nursing degree program, you shouldn't expect much from the hard earned dollars you spent there. Are you enrolled in the Excelsior program? If you are, use their study guides and concentrate on completing their objectives.
thanks for your reply, i didn't enroll excelsior yet, but i will, the thing is if I canceled my college network program because their policy you wouldn't get your money after three days so let's see how it's work anyway i will keep update and thank you again for your reply
nidhin wrote:thanks for your reply, i didn't enroll excelsior yet, but i will, the thing is if I canceled my college network program because their policy you wouldn't get your money after three days so let's see how it's work anyway i will keep update and thank you again for your reply
Hi Nidhin:
It's better do your RN by LVN to RN rout form your local college since It's cheaper and more "REAL". But since you are trapped with the College Network, good luck with your study.
Hmmmm, makes you wonder how many other people have been sucked into their trap. Would be interesting to see what the Better Business Bureau and others have to say about them.
Nobody here has has ever reported checking with the Better Business Bureau. You know, I've been watching this thread about The College Network for a long time and read many posts written by very unhappy people. In fact, there have at best, been indifferent but never positive comments about the company.
I will look into what the Better Business Bureau has to say about TCN and share what I find.
Rick, are you still out there? We haven't heard from you in awhile.
I have read positive comments on another nursing site. However, I believe that most of the positive comments are written by people that are not going to admit that they paid several thousand dollars for nothing useful.
Well, here I am, back with news. The Better Business Bureau currently has TCN listed with an A rating. Yeah, I was surprised, too.
I skimmed through the rating system which is a little lengthy but in effect, a company receives an A+ until proven otherwise. This means that as legitimate negative feedback is posted and the company doesn't follow through to satisfaction according to their own policies, their rating slips. Of course, this is a volume based system so in this case, it is possible that many complaints haven't been filed. One can view complaints on the BBB website and from what I saw, the infractions listed are consistent with those seen here in this thread
So, the take home message is this. When dealing with a company, REALLY read and understand contractural agreements before committing. If you have a complaint, make sure it is legitimate then according to their policy, file it in a timely fashion. Follow up in a timely fashion BUT allow a reasonable time for the company to effect a resolution. If that resolution is according to THEIR policy, you must accept- like it or not. See "fine print."
As an aside, If you deal with a company and things start goung south, start keeping a journal of all interaction with the company. When you make an entry, record date, time and name of individual with whom you speak and a summary of the conversation. Be especially sure to note what promises are made and what the expected timeframe is. This way you have all your ducks in a row if you have to get rough.
Finally, if the company doesn't meet their obligations, file a complaint with the BBB.
Problem is the BBB doesnt have any real authority. They can rate a business for future consumer information but they cant make a business do anything. Back in the day, I had a business and over the years had two customers go to the BBB. When the BBB called me about it I didnt even return the calls and it had no affect on our rating at all.
While it may be true that the BBB has no real authority, they do have power. Anyone who keeps track of your mistakes and makes public record of them is a force to be reckoned with. Your rating may not have been affected because there weren't enough complaints. Two unsatisfied customers is a pretty good track record.
A friend of mine is a paramedic and said he could not have finished his RN course any other way than thru The College Network. He is doing his clinical next month. It only took him about 1 year and he worked really hard. But HE DID IT using the college network. Guess it's just not for everyone, but sure was for Jim.
After alot of months of thinking about it and reading different posts online, I have decided not to go with TCN. It may be a great deal and may work the way they claim but I cant take a chance spending that kind of money to find out.
If TCN had at least a partial refund policy or something along those lines, I would do it in a heartbeat. The fact that they are unwilling to give any kind of refund is a HUGE red flag.
No refund is akin to a company not standing behind their product, no warranty... To force people to pay for the whole course even if you don't use it tells me that, in part at least, it is a scam.
I am saving my money to go to a brick and mortor school. I may take some of the pre-reqs online (very expensive but at least a sure thing) but in the end I am going to go to a real school for BSN.
I am actually VERY disapointed because I had hoped to be able to go online. Having to go to a regular school definately sets me back a couple years.
Lvnguy wrote:After alot of months of thinking about it and reading different posts online, I have decided not to go with TCN. It may be a great deal and may work the way they claim but I cant take a chance spending that kind of money to find out.
If TCN had at least a partial refund policy or something along those lines, I would do it in a heartbeat. The fact that they are unwilling to give any kind of refund is a HUGE red flag.
No refund is akin to a company not standing behind their product, no warranty... To force people to pay for the whole course even if you don't use it tells me that, in part at least, it is a scam.
I am saving my money to go to a brick and mortor school. I may take some of the pre-reqs online (very expensive but at least a sure thing) but in the end I am going to go to a real school for BSN.
I am actually VERY disapointed because I had hoped to be able to go online. Having to go to a regular school definately sets me back a couple years.
LVNguy,
Check out Excelsior University. You know that TCN is not necessary to complete their Nursing program, right? Excelsior has their own study guides and student advisors. It's what I did and the only class I had to take "brick and mortar" style was Sociology. The rest was self paced with syllobus and exam when I was ready. No papers. No online assignments. No instructors to schedule meetings with. Just the textbook reading. I don't know if you would save money anymore- I did, but there is definitely potential to save a lot of what would be classroom time.
There are enough red flags with the college network for most people to scrutinize it more carefully.
The scary part is that I see their advertisements all over the web, including Google Adsense which almost every webmaster uses or wants to use.
When in doubt, look elsewhere. I think there is plenty of reasonable doubt demonstrated here. I won't be posting or linking to any of their sites on my network. Have to see if I can filter them out of Adwords/Adsense.
In California the only online school we are allowed to use for LVN to BSN is ISU.(for a degree/license) There are no online LVN to RN classes accepted. I was hoping to use TCN to get the general education credits CLEPed as well as a few of the nursing subjects.
I can not afford to take ISU or Ivy Tech general education classes online because they are almost $300 a CREDIT and was hoping TCN was going to save me some money. But I am just whining.. I will still be able to go to school one way or another.
I guess no matter where you enroll, you have to commit to the program. I have done the test-out thing in the past and it was awesome. Saves so much time and time is money in nursing!
nursinghumor wrote:There are enough red flags with the college network for most people to scrutinize it more carefully.
The scary part is that I see their advertisements all over the web, including Google Adsense which almost every webmaster uses or wants to use.
When in doubt, look elsewhere. I think there is plenty of reasonable doubt demonstrated here. I won't be posting or linking to any of their sites on my network. Have to see if I can filter them out of Adwords/Adsense.
A couple of things that come to mind from my perspective.
First, you CAN filter them from adsense now with the new beta category/site/advertiser filtering.
I agree there are some questions raised by people unhappy with the College Network and I will not be addressing any individual complaints however it seems like to me that a program serving as many students as they do is going to have SOME people who are unhappy.
Whether they are valid concerns or not...that would be up to each individual case. I am sure a number of them are.
But I think the College Network is getting a bad rap here because people are searching for info about the college network and often entering in negative search terms when they are finding this site.
That tells me that we are getting an extremely disproportionate number of visitors coming here with opinions that are already negative about the college network whereas people who are HAPPY with the College Network are not going to go out searching for a forum to sing their praises. They just go on about their business.
This opinion also comes from my experience with our reviews section. Happy Travel Nurses rarely go to the reviews to write something good about their employer unless they are asked to. But pissed off nurses who are looking to complain will seek out an avenue to do so.
I would say that if there is a disproportionate number of complaints for one company versus all of the others, then there is likely a problem. I can't say that in this case because The College Network is really the only one being discussed.
Also, if you look in our reviews section, (and many OLD OLD reviews have been removed because they are no longer relevant after so many years) you'll see more negative reviews for the BIGGER companies because they've got WAY more employees. They may also be bad companies, but it's hard to really tell.
I would like to hear from students/nurses who have had GOOD experiences with the college network to get their side of the story.
Lvnguy wrote:In California the only online school we are allowed to use for LVN to BSN is ISU.(for a degree/license) There are no online LVN to RN classes accepted. I was hoping to use TCN to get the general education credits CLEPed as well as a few of the nursing subjects.
I can not afford to take ISU or Ivy Tech general education classes online because they are almost $300 a CREDIT and was hoping TCN was going to save me some money. But I am just whining.. I will still be able to go to school one way or another.
Western Governors University just started a new LVN to BSN program in SoCal. You should look into it. Western Governors University
cali510 wrote:Western Governors University just started a new LVN to BSN program in SoCal. You should look into it. Western Governors University
Thanks. I called them and they do have a new program but they do not offer any pre-reqs online. They have to be completed elsewhere. The clinicals have to be completed with the school taught by one of their instructors but the nursing classes themselves can be done online.
At the moment they are in Socal but said they are going to be coming to Norcal in a couple years and at about that time expect to be offering prereqs and general ed classes online.
A couple of things that come to mind from my perspective.
First, you CAN filter them from adsense now with the new beta category/site/advertiser filtering.
I agree there are some questions raised by people unhappy with the College Network and I will not be addressing any individual complaints however it seems like to me that a program serving as many students as they do is going to have SOME people who are unhappy.
Whether they are valid concerns or not...that would be up to each individual case. I am sure a number of them are.
But I think the College Network is getting a bad rap here because people are searching for info about the college network and often entering in negative search terms when they are finding this site.
That tells me that we are getting an extremely disproportionate number of visitors coming here with opinions that are already negative about the college network whereas people who are HAPPY with the College Network are not going to go out searching for a forum to sing their praises. They just go on about their business.
This opinion also comes from my experience with our reviews section. Happy Travel Nurses rarely go to the reviews to write something good about their employer unless they are asked to. But pissed off nurses who are looking to complain will seek out an avenue to do so.
I would say that if there is a disproportionate number of complaints for one company versus all of the others, then there is likely a problem. I can't say that in this case because The College Network is really the only one being discussed.
Also, if you look in our reviews section, (and many OLD OLD reviews have been removed because they are no longer relevant after so many years) you'll see more negative reviews for the BIGGER companies because they've got WAY more employees. They may also be bad companies, but it's hard to really tell.
I would like to hear from students/nurses who have had GOOD experiences with the college network to get their side of the story.
I'll answer this with some trepidation for two reasons. 1. My daughter got her RN in New York through the College Network. 2. I have since become a TCN program advisor. I don't want to take on the world here, but I wouldn't have started working for them if my daughter's experience had been anything less than positive.
I read this and other threads before deciding to respond with just a couple of thoughts.
They ALWAYS tell you it might be 6 months before you get your clinical appointment. It almost never is. I told my daughter to sign up for ALL the test sites (including Wisconsin and Dallas). She was going to get at least a $10 an hour raise (2 year LPN). That's a $10,000 raise over 6 months. You can afford to travel for that kind of money. First opening came up a week later. 3 hours away. $200 for a motel and some gas. Not anything TCN has any control over anyway.
The most honest statement on one of the threads was 'College Network books for sale. Never opened'. Besiders being illegal, that's the one way TCN doesn't work. There's academic support. Guaranteed passage. And the refund policy is like marriage. If there's no committment at the beginning it's probably not going to be a long term deal anyway.
Again, we're biased, because it worked for us and for lots of other people. So if you go looking for free advice, why not get it from people who've been successful in your state?
Sorry. I got up there on my soapbox for a minute.
Old Mr B wrote:I'll answer this with some trepidation for two reasons. 1. My daughter got her RN in New York through the College Network. 2. I have since become a TCN program advisor. I don't want to take on the world here, but I wouldn't have started working for them if my daughter's experience had been anything less than positive.
I read this and other threads before deciding to respond with just a couple of thoughts.
They ALWAYS tell you it might be 6 months before you get your clinical appointment. It almost never is. I told my daughter to sign up for ALL the test sites (including Wisconsin and Dallas). She was going to get at least a $10 an hour raise (2 year LPN). That's a $10,000 raise over 6 months. You can afford to travel for that kind of money. First opening came up a week later. 3 hours away. $200 for a motel and some gas. Not anything TCN has any control over anyway.
The most honest statement on one of the threads was 'College Network books for sale. Never opened'. Besiders being illegal, that's the one way TCN doesn't work. There's academic support. Guaranteed passage. And the refund policy is like marriage. If there's no committment at the beginning it's probably not going to be a long term deal anyway.
Again, we're biased, because it worked for us and for lots of other people. So if you go looking for free advice, why not get it from people who've been successful in your state?
Sorry. I got up there on my soapbox for a minute.
Hi "Old Mr. B"
Please allow me to clarify this point again because it's been awhile since the subject came up. Your statement alludes to the idea that TCN is essential for the completion of a nursing program. While many seem to have found it helpful, it is not required.
Well, TCN dropped the ball...........I stopped paying them and now my credit is in shambles. Their collection agency wants $2400 up front to settle. I'm gonna just call CNN and go public with it, my credit might be screwed because of them but so will their reputation of being fraudulent and taking advantage of those who wish to pursue their nursing career. Everyone I will keep you posted about how this pans out. Take care & be well.
