A Brief Education on Education Verification
An education is a journey, not a destination. The importance of staying aware and engaged in order to achieve the fullest potential of your degree will carry lifelong weight. If you feel like your degree is only useful to employers who need proof, you are right. If a certain employer needs your degree to increase their chances in the job market, they may not be able to hire without verification from an accredited institution with which you have an affiliation.
That's why it's important for college students and soon-to-be college students to make sure that any schools listed on their resumes are legitimate institutions before handing off cards or sending transcripts off for verification from those schools (or requesting transcripts).
Here are a few signs you may be working with a fraudulent institution:
1. The school is too good to be true. No school is perfect, and the con artists behind fraudulent schools know that. They use this idea to draw in students, who pay up front and then find themselves facing financial troubles when they graduate and can't get a job with their "diploma". If the low price tag or free tuition sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
2. The school's address doesn't make sense. Fraudulent institutions often list an address that doesn't exist or is not accessible by other forms of transportation, making it impossible for the "school" to exist as listed. If you see a school with an address that doesn't make sense– a post office box, a UPS store, or a shopping center–don't be afraid to ask questions.
3. The website doesn't make sense. If the site looks too good to be true, it probably is. There are also many fraudulent schools that use websites as their main calling card, but don't really exist at all! Make sure you check out the links on the site for contact information and other verifiable information before committing to any school without doing your own research.
4. There are only real students on Facebook or Twitter accounts used as verification sites for the school/university. This is another great indicator that you may be working with a fraudster. Many students use Facebook to connect with friends and family and to keep in touch with the world. However, if you notice that the official Facebook pages for the "school" all have a lot of fake names and pictures on them, it might be a great hint that this is a scam.
5. The school has fake classes offered or other offerings which seem suspicious. Some schools will offer classes which have very similar titles, numbers of students enrolled, or topics of study as another college– but not the other way around. If a school has a class for "Psychology 101" and one for "Invention 101", it's probably not from the same university.
6. The school is too good to be true. The final red flag that you might be working with a con artist is when you start receiving offers from job recruiters for jobs that seem too good to be true! Expect job offers and internships to come from your educational institution, but don't take them at face value!
7. They want to move you up in the world without doing any legwork of their own. There are many scams on the internet looking to steal your information. Be careful who you choose to send your bank account information to, and always be weary of offers from people claiming to be from the school stating that they want your money immediately–unless you hear from them first!
8. There are no course offerings online, but there is a website for the "school" in question. This can be an indicator that you're most likely working with a fraudulent school. If there is no online offering for a class at the school you're working with (and there is no such class offered by any other institution), it's best to assume that these classes do not exist at all and do not offer an education at all.
Remember that doing your own research is the best way to avoid being scammed. If you feel like you're working with an illegitimate institution, before deciding to sever any ties with that school, do your homework! Check out their website, read through all of their course descriptions and offerings, and ask questions. If something seems off at any point during this process, contact both your school and the fraudulent one for more information before making a decision.
You may never have to use your education verification, but if you do need it for a job application or other reason, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Useful resources for finding schools of your interest:
www.monster.com/colleges
www.college-consultant.com
www.plansuccessnow.com
www.ihealtheducationcambridge.co.uk
www.college-frauds.org
www.petitionspot.com
www.topcollegesonline.com
www.collegechoice.net/search-schools
http://collegeonlinereviews.com/
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/user-ratings/College-Listings_c/College-Directory_c/Web_Link_School_Directory_c/pst1 http://findcollegesonline.org http://www2.edupassportal.org/edupassportal/ http://collegesearch.ed.gov
http://www.collegenames.com/ http://www.collegeprowler.com/ http://infofinder24.com/index_us_school_search_engine.html https://apps2.tn.gov/AppsVIPSearchEstimateSchoolCosts https://www3.ncsu.
Conclusion
Remember, college is not just about your title. It's also about finding an education that you can be proud of and that will prepare you for a career and life after you graduate! Y ou are a valuable student that deserves the best, so don't settle for anything less.
Most colleges and universities are legitimate institutions with reasonable costs, but many are not. Thankfully there are ways to keep yourself safe from being scammed by unscrupulous schools!
Stay tuned for more college topics to come, including everything from financial aid to housing on campus.