Adult Learner - looking for a solid route for a degree

[whisb]

Hello,

I am looking to earn a degree, first an associates and then a bachelors. I have 6 credit hours, two years a Spanish in HS.

For me the CLEP, study.com, and my local community college seem to be the best way to earn an associates degree, and not spend $30k. (please advise)

Are these sites legit and are they accepted (credits) by a local community college?

How can I do this faster? (I might be able to CLEP/DSST a few courses, but I would be honest by admitting I am not a 130 IQ person)

Is there a place where I can visually plan out the classes and tests I need to earn a degree?

[alzee]

Hello,
Are these sites legit

yes

and are they accepted (credits) by a local community college?

Depends on which one.

[whisb]

I hear people mention free prep for clep tests... Where would I find these?

[Prloko]

I hear people mention free prep for clep tests... Where would I find these?

I would advise you search this site as all your questions have been answered numerous times.

For a quick answer

Free
this forum
free-clep-prep.com
your local library
degreeforum.wikia.com

Nominal Cost
Peterson.com
Instantcert.com
DSST practice exams

There are others if you search the site. How much CLEP you can transfer depends on the school. Some will accept all but 15, others much less, the "Big 3" mentioned on this site will accept 90-100% in transfer. Good luck!

[KayV]

To begin, you might consider investigating your local community college first, since in-district prices and opportunities for Pell grants and other aid might be better. You can search for CLEP on your local college's website to get an idea of which exams they accept.

Which major are you interested in? What are your goals for your degree?

[dfrecore]

Your local CC will probably not accept study.com, SL, or other ACE-approved courses. My local CC will take CLEP and DSST, but nothing else.

Everyone else here is right, you need to find out from your college what courses they will accept. Usually, if they accept CLEP or DSST, they will have something on the website that tells which courses they'll accept, what areas they will apply to, how many credits you will get, etc.

For instance, my local CC will accept the American Government CLEP for credit, but it will not completely fulfill the "Government & Institutions Requirement"; you also have to take the US History II CLEP or course to complete that requirement. They will not accept the College Composition CLEP, you have to take the course. There are more DSST exams they won't take; importantly, they will not accept any of the exams that are ACE-recommended as UL credit! Says "not applicable for Associates Degree".

So you really just have to go to their website, search for CLEP and DSST (or DANTES), and see what they will accept, and how that will fit into a degree plan there. Then figure out what you want to take, and start studying for them. Also, find out the maximum number of credits the school will take (there's usually a maximum listed somewhere).

[bjcheung77]

I hear people mention free prep for clep tests... Where would I find these?

My advice for now is to decide on a degree and a plan of action is pretty much what you want to do at this point...
As if you chose the Big 3 or another college/univ, if they accept ACE, CLEP/DSST,UExcel/TECEPS, it'll be cheaper/easier/faster to complete than those that dont.
In the US alone, there are at least a couple thousand or more that will accept these type of credit by exams, or ace recommended courses.

Update: Please take some time to read through the forum and wikia. Did you get a chance to read the Beginners Guide?

[cookderosa]

Hello,

I am looking to earn a degree, first an associates and then a bachelors. I have 6 credit hours, two years a Spanish in HS.

For me the CLEP, study.com, and my local community college seem to be the best way to earn an associates degree, and not spend $30k. (please advise)

Are these sites legit and are they accepted (credits) by a local community college?

How can I do this faster? (I might be able to CLEP/DSST a few courses, but I would be honest by admitting I am not a 130 IQ person)

Is there a place where I can visually plan out the classes and tests I need to earn a degree?

Since everyone is giving you great advice already, I'll hit on the other question you're hinting at- and yes, average people can CLEP out of classes. I'm a pretty poor test taker, I have always struggled with memorizing (heck, 9 times out of 10 I'll get at least one of my kid's birthdays mixed up with another....) but my strength is that I'm a kick-butt classroom student. Many people do the opposite, they test exceptionally well, memorize well, or have some other strength/weakness ratio. So, as you consider the path to earning credit alternatively, you'll have a lot of options, narrowed only by the school you decide to use them in and your ability (and bank$). For me, testing can be exhausting, so I tested hard core for 6 months and then took classes for a year. Other people can do all their testing in a year or less- still others do classes online using companies like Straighterline. The point is that each uses a different muscle, so my suggestion (after finding out what you can use at your college - or choosing a college based on who accepts the most credit) is to try out a few credit sources. You might even want to try a few classes online or in person at your local community college. The options are astounding.
Welcome!

[whisb]

Thank you for all the insight and advice. I looked of the beginners entry and I did not see an organized conversation - I will go back and read it again.

My objective it simple, I think, to just get a bachelors degree. The challenge I see is that all the adult completion programs that are local to me are for learners that have 60 credits or more. The one school (local) that offers a under 60 credit option wants a $1,000 dollars per class. I have six credit hours. So, I really just want to obtain the 60 lower level credits I need to join the completion program locally. I am open to suggestions for online/distant learning for sure. My struggle is I just need to figure out (I bet from the big three) where I can clep out from alot of the classes and transfer and associates degree (from the big three) to a local school?

Does that sound like a plan?

The degree is Organizational Leadership - I work in employment and recruiting.

Video and visual learning is my strength - does study.com for like this?


Edit - I just noticed that the forum reads list most current first - Sad. I am a pro scanner I guess. The Beginners Guide has loads of links. Thank you.

[davewill]

...So, I really just want to obtain the 60 lower level credits I need to join the completion program locally. I am open to suggestions for online/distant learning for sure. My struggle is I just need to figure out (I bet from the big three) where I can clep out from alot of the classes and transfer and associates degree (from the big three) to a local school?

Does that sound like a plan?

Unfortunately, not. The problem is that you don't transfer degrees, just credits*. If the program you're targeting will not accept the alternative credit, earning an associate's will not cause them to do so. If you really want to use that local program, you'll have to understand and abide by their rules, earning credit they will accept. Do you know what kinds of credit they will accept?

*There are cases where an associate's is accepted this way, called a block transfer agreement, but this is a special case. For instance, NJ public 4 year schools are required to accept an associate's earned at NJ community colleges as completing 60 units.

P.S. The rules change once you earn your bachelor's. Grad programs don't use your existing credits, they just require that you have your bachelor's degree for acceptance... plus other requirements. That's not to say they can't get stuffy about alternative credit, but they usually don't.