One allows you to “design your own” fake degree certificate on-line… now what possible use could that be? Surely a fake degree certificate is supposed to look like an original degree certificate…. if it does not then how is it a fake?

Another more amusing site claimed that you could avoid several years of hard work and expense by buying a fake degree certificate from:

NON-ACCREDITTED and NON-EXISTANT colleges and universities

Now I did not use upper case there… that is how it is written on the site… they go on to say that:

Our easy-to-use on-line system means that you can have a degree sitting in front of you in minutes! Yes, a VALUELESS qualification in science, the arts, or business really can be yours…

Again stressing the point that this fake degree certificate is valueless… before moving onto the disclaimer:

Please note that this is a glib statement that cannot be substantiated and is not guaranteed….. accepts no responsibility for any humiliation or redundancy that may result.

That site was not actually that bad, at least they are honest.. however I also read that there are companies offering good quality forged degree and A level certificates on-line for just £165.

Supposedly the man behind the site has been questioned by police but never successfully prosecuted.

It is worrying that fake certificates are becoming more readily available, however I still do not thing they are much use. It is very easy to verify whether someone attended University, after all how do you invent three years of your life?

Ethics aside, I think fake degree’s are a complete waste of time and money… I don’t think they would fool an employer and if they do, the fact that you lied will always be hanging over you….

Information released under the freedom of information revealed the statistics which show that whilst most students try to cheat at coursework, 1,000 were found to be cheating in exams.

The most popular method of cheating in exams seemed to be the use of crib sheets taken in by the student.

Out of the fourteen thousand students caught cheating, just seventy seven were expelled from 60 Universities.

A total of 114 Universities took part in the survey of which the University of Greenwich reported the most severe problems with cheating, reporting that a total of 601 students were caught.

Whether this is because Greenwich University have a lot of cheats, or whether it is because they are better at catching them is no clear!

Of the 601 students cheating at Greenwich, 50 of them were caught in exams. The next Universities on the list were:

• University of East London with 515 cheats
• Wolverhampton with 360 cheats
• Sheffield Hallam with 344 cheats
• Sunderland with 321 cheats

I would imagine most of these were cases of plagiarism; certainly that was what people seemed to get caught for when I was at University.

Plagiarising work is not easy (not that I ever tried it). Universities routinely look ro matching text on the internet, and now, Universities are sharing databases of all past assignments to detect whether a particular piece of work has been plagiarised.

Even if you are using an old piece of work that only existed in hard copy a few years before at a different University, there is every chance it has been scanned and is now available to your own University.

I always viewed plagiarism as being more difficult than the work itself, in my opinion you are far better off just getting on with your studies and trying to learn something!

Today having a degree has become a basic requirement, made mandatory by most employers for quite basic roles. Consequently many more students go into higher education, and it is true that a degree will not give you the competitive advantage it would have thirty years ago.

Because of this it is necessary to get a first class degree if you are to distinguish yourself from the crowd. Beyond that you should consider a Masters degree, particularly if you are steering yourself toward a specific career, to which you first degree does not lend itself.

In terms of standards I think comparisons between today’s education system and that of thirty years ago are misleading.

A simple example would be some notebooks I saw in a museum a while back. I was amazed at how neat the handwriting was compared to my own, which is terrible At that point I immediately thought how standards have slipped!

Taking time to think about it, I realised that I rarely write by hand, I can touch type at a good speed and so good handwriting is of little value to me. If handwriting were important to me I would have practiced that instead of learning to touch type.

Similarly, my fathers mathematics was / is better than my own. Again, good mathematics are of less value to me than they were to my fathers generation, I have a calculator

Now I know there is no substitute for having good mathematical ability, but getting away with a calculator allows me to spend time learning other things my father knows little or nothing about.

There are many new degree subjects available today, computer science for example, which simply did not exist thirty years ago.

Priorities have changed, industry has changed, the economy has changed and so have the skills required to be successful.

I don’t think standards have necessarily slipped, they have changed. Changed for the better in some areas, for the worse in others, but ultimately are more appropriate for today’s environment.

Spend as much time as is necessary making sure you understand all the resources available to you, it is vitally important that you do this.

The main disadvantage of distance learning is the lack of interaction with other students. To overcome this, again find out what resources are available to you, for instance, does your course make use of IRC chanels (internet chatrooms) ?

Establish relationships with your tutors and fellow students as early as possible, again this is vitally important.

If your distance course does not already make use of it, sign up with a company that allows you to make IP phone calls. If you are not aware, IP telephony allows you to make calls free of charge over the Internet. As most distance courses are now online, it is also a convenient way to converse with other students, for example, if you are using a laptop wirelessly all you need to do is plug a headset into your laptop and you can talk whilst you work. Collaborating effectively in this way will prove a massive benefit.

You really need to form some kind of community with your fellow students and lecturers, look for these facilities when choosing your course, or identify alternatives yourself, in conjuntion with other students.

Aside from this, most elements of a distance learning course, or online course are the same as an attended course, so reading the other study tips contained in this site will be of benefit to you.

Another area you need to be more concious of than a student attending a course is time management, you will be responsible for organising your own time and structuring your day. Daily structure is vital for successful study.

You will need a higher level of motivation to complete a distance learning course also, establish a schedule and make sure you stick to it!

If you have to follow a reading list, make sure you order the books in good time. Some online courses may offer to ‘remote loan’ library books, prioritise this, make sure you receive your books in good time.

Consider buying your own copies of books, second hand books on Amazon or Ebay are very cheap and can be resold when you are finished.

See if your course has a second hand book store where previous students sell their books on to new students, again this is common across many establishements.

Make sure you fully understand what is required of you on your course, then, check in with your tutors as often as possible.

View time spent with your tutors online or otherwise as a valuable resource… compete for it if necessary!

I have already written a few articles on the pitfalls of signing up for an online degree, so I thought I should practice what I preach and research the institution a little.

Regis University have been in existence since 1877 and are therefore an established, accredited “bricks and mortar” institution.

If I were to take an Online Degree, this is exactly the kind of institution I would be looking for (I would personally avoid “online only” institutions).

For me, knowing that a University is an established bricks and mortar institution is simply a matter of risk avoidance, you can be sure who you are dealing with.

One thing that did concern me was the use of a .org domain for the website.

.org, .net and .info domains have a bad reputation for being used by scammers and are generally to be avoided so I contacted Regis University directly using details from another source and was told that the site is genuine.

This illustrates some of the checks that are necessary when selecting an online degree, you must always contact the University directly and cross check any information you are given. If I were to actually sign up for a course I would do a lot more checks, physically visiting them if possible.

Regis University have some good advice on offer for prospective online students. Highlighting the differences between attended and distance learning, Regis define a few pre-requisites for successful online study:

• Time Management Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Self Motivation
• Ability to work independently
• Comfortable working with technology (it is an online course after all!)

I would argue that these are essential skills for any student; however, these issues become a lot more acute if taking a course online, particularly the point about working independently.

In addition to information provided on their website, Regis University have a free guidebook available containing more information if required. They also have a number of (very flexible) options available for contacting them.
The courses offered online are vocational and are primarily aimed at those seeking professional / career development.

Many of the courses are run in association with professional institutions / organisations.

I have had first hand experience of working with some of these organisations and am sure these partnerships would offer real benefit to students both in terms of their learning and future employ-ability.

Employ-ability is really what these courses are about, and Regis University compliments its courses with a number of services specifically intended to assist students with their personal and professional development, such as individual career counselling, skills assessments, personality assessments, researching career options, assistance applying for and getting the right job.

Whilst many Universities offer some of these services, I think this is a more comprehensive list than many others offer, and demonstrates the commitment of Regis University to helping students earn their course fees back!

From what I can see, Regis University offer a well structured professional service, however, if you are considering taking an online degree with Regis University, do your own research and make sure it is the right institution for you.

If you are considering taking an online degree you need to be aware of fakes, failure to research the subject properly could lose you a lot of money!

There are a number of ways purveyors of fake degrees aim to separate you from your money, offering little or nothing in return!

Take your money and run! This problem is not confined to the realm of online degree’s but is a problem across the Internet. Criminals will create a legitimate looking website with the intention of harvesting credit card details from un-suspecting customers. This can result in identity theft as well as loss of money. Before paying any money, make sure you have done everything in your power to check the company is genuine, cross checking what the company tells you with information from official (government) sources. Also, see what protection your bank / credit card company offers in case of fraud. Credit cards often offer better protection against such scams than a bank will. This kind of approach should be taken when purchasing anything online.

Degree Mills sell fake degree certificates. They are supposedly replicas of degree certificates capable of fooling friends and employers. It is unlikely a customer will go into this kind of purchase unwittingly, most websites selling this kind of fake degree are open about their business. What I would say is that my degree certificate carries a hologram, and would not be easily forged. Secondly, if you attend a job interview with a fake degree in hand, you are likely to be asked questions about it, these will be difficult to answer if your degree is a fake! Penalties for using fake degree’s can be severe depending where in the world you live. Even if you pull it off and start work with a company having used a fake degree in the selection process, there is a good chance you will be caught at some point in the future.

I actually worked with someone who claimed they had a degree when they did not. After a period of over a year, a number of things did not add up, the person was asked to produce further evidence of their degree, could not and were dismissed.

Unaccredited Institutions allow you to ‘study’ and earn a degree with them, but, as the organisation is not accredited, the degree itself is worthless. Employers and other Universities (if applying for a Masters) will not recognise the qualification. This is possible the most dangerous type of fake degree on offer, as it is the one that seems most legitimate.

To avoid getting fooled by a fake degree:

• Check with government institutions to see if the organisation is accredited.
• Make sure that it is indeed that organisation you are talking to, not the owner of a fake website!
• Try different methods of contact, never rely solely on E-Mail, you should also phone and use the post.
• Be aware of the genuine cost of a degree at other Universities, this is what you should expect to pay. If the online degree you are considering is too cheap, it could well be fake.
• Be aware of the length of study time required to complete a degree (three years full time for a Bachelors degree in the UK). These times cannot be shortened, if you are offered a degree in a significantly shorter period of time, then it may well be a fake degree!

As distance study becomes more popular, the number of companies offering fake degree’s is only likely to increase, so make sure you do everything you can to protect yourself. Currently, online study can be a bit of a minefield!

That said, some people will end up with a third class degree, what you do next really depends on why you ended up with a thrid class degree.

You worked really hard but are not academically gifted:

Try and get a good reference from a lecturer stating what a hard worker you are. Employers value people who work hard, turn up on time, commit themselves and do the best job they can. Play on this as best you can in applications.

Dont dispair, you are still in the top 50% in terms of education and have an advantage over those who decided against a degree education.

As time passes, the specific grade will carry less meaning as work experience becomes the key factor employers are looking for, as opposed to degree results.

On that note, try and get into a good company at a lower level, i.e. if you fail to get in on a graduate scheme, see if you can get a job in a lesser admin role. If you are able to get a role in a decent company, your hard work will allow you to progress.

You have the ability but did not work hard at University:

Consider taking another degree!

This may sound like crazy advice, but, if you think you can change your ways, then getting a good Masters degree will allow you to draw a line under your poor degree result.

Both myself and the author of Getting A First (Insiders Guide) perfomed badly in courses prior to getting a first class degree. Both of us were consequently far more dedicated on our degree courses, and determined to put past mistakes behind us.

You are still at University and heading for a Third Class Degree:

• Get advice from your degree lecturer’s
• Consider switching degree courses
• Consider adding another year to your course to write an outstanding dissertation, thus drag your marks up
• Read and act on the advice found in the Study Tips section of this site, (and other related sites / books)
• Work like a maniac, quit your part time job, dont waste a second of your time!

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A “Prestigious Non Accredited University” seems a contradiciton in terms, nothing could be worse!

I hope these people are not actually able to take peoples money from them, it is a real shame that there are people out there trying to rip people off like this…

Well for a start the above question assumes you accept that a first class degree has lost its value, which I don’t.

OK, a degree education is less exclusive today than it was thirty years ago, so in that sense there is some truth in the statement.

However, today almost every employer asks for a degree, even for the most mundane job, just because they can, its expected.

So, if you flip the argument on its head, you are at a bigger disadvantage if you do not poses a degree than you would have been thirty years ago.

If standards really have slipped then where does that leave you if you do not get a first class degree or a 2:1 degree (upper second)?

In terms of getting a first class degree, I think most students are capable of achieving one if they are put the work in, and are smart about how they spend their time.

It is not enough to just work hard, you need to be organised. You need to do things that other students are not doing which will give you competitive advantage.

That’s what this site, how to get a first is all about, how to get ahead of your ‘competitors’ at University.

“Had a degree from the University of Life“

He was of course referring to the fact that whilst he did not have a degree he had a lot of life / work experience, which he believed was worth more.

To a point I have to agree with him, a degree is after all only a bit of paper, it does not ‘prove’ you can do anything useful in the ‘real world’ (I hate that term, just how many worlds are there, besides the real one?).

And he is right in that there is no substitute for hands on experience, and so, a degree from the ‘University of Life’ is certainly of great value (this person was successful, having a good job etc).
What I think this person missed was the fact that it is even better to have both, i.e. a degree and good life/ work experience, and that studying for a degree is, in itself good experience as, in order to do well you need to be self motivated, disciplined etc.

Also there is the question of transferability of work experience. Although the person who made the statement regarding the University of Life was in a good job, his skills were not transferable outside the organisation he was working in. I think that in spite of his strong experience he would find it difficult to find a similar role elsewhere without the paperwork (a 2:1 or 1s class degree) employers (often wrongly in my opinion) insist upon.