Advice needed with Admission and Foreign Transcripts. TESU.

[portia8]

Hi! I'm not sure how all of this works but I was recommended to do a TESU degree by my uncle when I informed him I wished to do a fully online degree in a relatively short amount of time. I want to know if I would be considered from admission at TESU for  Bachelors of History with my foreign transcripts. I did my exams with Cambridge through a combination of A Levels and IGCSE in South Africa but you aren't awarded a 'highschool diploma,' you're awarded the certificates per subject that you take. Any advice on how I should proceed to apply and any tips on the TESU history degree through study.com/Sophia courses would be greatly appreciated.
(My grades in IGCSE and A Levels for context:                                  IGCSE: Spanish, A, 89%. English, A, 83%, History, A, 88. Maths, D, 58%, Biology, D, 58%.                                                                              A levels: History , A, 89%. English, B, 73%.)
Any advice at all of admissions and such would be greatly appreciated, I really have no idea what I'm doing but would really like to get stuck into my degree in the new year as I am 20 and am anxious to get started! Thank you very much in advance!

[rachel83az]

I'm not familiar with how things work with the South African school system. You say you don't get a diploma but do you at least get a "leaving school certificate" of some kind? If not, you may need to get your "high school transcripts" (the A Levels and IGCSE) evaluated by an accepted institution. WES is one but there are others. It would be a good idea to have this done as soon as possible so that you can apply to TESU. If they are going to update their catalog, they'll do so on January 1st and already being a student means that you won't have to deal with any changes to which classes are or are not required.

History happens to be one of the more difficult degrees to get. One of the best sources for certain credits is a DSST test that is not currently available (because of the pandemic) to students who are not also members of the American military. This can result in the degree being a bit slower and/or more expensive than it would otherwise be. It doesn't necessarily mean that you should choose a different degree but it is something to be aware of.

While you are waiting for your evaluation, the best thing to do would be to sign up at Sophia and take everything EXCEPT College Readiness and the Foundations courses. This advice applies to any TESU degrees now. But, for a History degree, completing all of Sophia will grant you just over 80 credits and mean that you're about 2/3rds of the way towards completing your degree.

[portia8]

I'm not familiar with how things work with the South African school system. You say you don't get a diploma but do you at least get a "leaving school certificate" of some kind? If not, you may need to get your "high school transcripts" (the A Levels and IGCSE) evaluated by an accepted institution. WES is one but there are others. It would be a good idea to have this done as soon as possible so that you can apply to TESU. If they are going to update their catalog, they'll do so on January 1st and already being a student means that you won't have to deal with any changes to which classes are or are not required.

History happens to be one of the more difficult degrees to get. One of the best sources for certain credits is a DSST test that is not currently available (because of the pandemic) to students who are not also members of the American military. This can result in the degree being a bit slower and/or more expensive than it would otherwise be. It doesn't necessarily mean that you should choose a different degree but it is something to be aware of.

While you are waiting for your evaluation, the best thing to do would be to sign up at Sophia and take everything EXCEPT College Readiness and the Foundations courses. This advice applies to any TESU degrees now. But, for a History degree, completing all of Sophia will grant you just over 80 credits and mean that you're about 2/3rds of the way towards completing your degree.

Thank you so much for your reply I really appreciate it! I had no idea that the history ba happens to be one of the more complex ones to study, I'm not entirely set on a subject so I'm open to changing if it makes the process easier. I was homeschooled in south africa and took my exams at a Cambridge testing station so I dont have a diploma. Would having my transcripts evaluated be essential before I can start the application process? The prospect of having to fork out 100 dollars per certificate to have it evaluated is quite daunting. I have seen on the forum that some people have mentioned how they dont require your transcripts as long as you dont want credit for them but perhaps they are misled or it doesn't apply to foreign transcripts.

I was going through the forum and saw that COSC also has as a Bachelor of General Studies in History and that COSC may be more affordable in the long run in comparison to TESU. Would you happen to have any advice on this matter? Truly thank you for your advice so far.

[rachel83az]

You can always apply to TESU and see if they ask you for your transcripts. Thinking about it, if you lead by sending in credits from Sophia (you'll need everything EXCEPT college readiness and the foundations courses) then there's a good chance that they won't care.

COSC is definitely not recommended for students who are starting at 0 credits. Especially international students. You need a total of 30 RA credits (credits from an actual college), though only 6 need actually come from COSC itself. They also require a science with a lab. The minimum cost for the 25 credits you'd actually need would be $1667 at TEL Learning. COSC also doesn't accept nearly as many credit sources as TESU. This means that it could be marginally less expensive initially at COSC but it'll almost certainly be more expensive in the long run for most degrees.

The easiest degrees to get at TESU are probably liberal studies and psychology. A business degree of some kind is also pretty easy. Computer science, English, and history trail behind. They're not impossible but they aren't easy either.

What I would do would be to sign up at Sophia. Complete at least 7 classes (21 credits) and apply at TESU. There are suggestions on the wiki regarding how to do Sophia classes: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sophia.org

The reason why you want to apply (and preferably fully enrolled) as soon as possible is because that locks in your academic calendar so that any changes that are made to the catalog itself on January 1st won't affect you.

If nobody else replies with a plan, I'll take a look later today to actually map out a history degree at TESU to see what gaps there might be. It may be that you just need to pay a bit extra for a non-Western history course instead of the cheaper DSST option. There are options. It's just a bit complicated.

[portia8]

You can always apply to TESU and see if they ask you for your transcripts. Thinking about it, if you lead by sending in credits from Sophia (you'll need everything EXCEPT college readiness and the foundations courses) then there's a good chance that they won't care.

COSC is definitely not recommended for students who are starting at 0 credits. Especially international students. You need a total of 30 RA credits (credits from an actual college), though only 6 need actually come from COSC itself. They also require a science with a lab. The minimum cost for the 25 credits you'd actually need would be $1667 at TEL Learning. COSC also doesn't accept nearly as many credit sources as TESU. This means that it could be marginally less expensive initially at COSC but it'll almost certainly be more expensive in the long run for most degrees.

The easiest degrees to get at TESU are probably liberal studies and psychology. A business degree of some kind is also pretty easy. Computer science, English, and history trail behind. They're not impossible but they aren't easy either.

What I would do would be to sign up at Sophia. Complete at least 7 classes (21 credits) and apply at TESU. There are suggestions on the wiki regarding how to do Sophia classes: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sophia.org

The reason why you want to apply (and preferably fully enrolled) as soon as possible is because that locks in your academic calendar so that any changes that are made to the catalog itself on January 1st won't affect you.

If nobody else replies with a plan, I'll take a look later today to actually map out a history degree at TESU to see what gaps there might be. It may be that you just need to pay a bit extra for a non-Western history course instead of the cheaper DSST option. There are options. It's just a bit complicated.

A lot of helpful info, thank you so much again for your help, I really have no idea what I'm doing and have been struggling to get into some sort of secondary education for quite some time. I definitely recognise the importance of enrolling before January however I am about to embark on the busy season for my line of work so I will be unable to dedicate much time for studying and don't really want to pay for anything that I am not actively doing right now. Perhaps I would be able to finish the 7 classes from Sophia in the next month between my job while only having to pay the 79$ monthly fee and then be able to enrol with TESU before January but only fully start studying in the new year. Do you think this is feasible or is it most cost-effective to only start putting in the subscriptions and such when I have more time to dedicate to studying? I'm definitely interested in the Liberal Studies option if it easier and more streamline as my main goal is to have a BA so I can go teach English in South Korea in the next year or so. Thank you as always for your advice and assistance and I hope you're having a fine day!

[rachel83az]

A lot of helpful info, thank you so much again for your help, I really have no idea what I'm doing and have been struggling to get into some sort of secondary education for quite some time. I definitely recognise the importance of enrolling before January however I am about to embark on the busy season for my line of work so I will be unable to dedicate much time for studying and don't really want to pay for anything that I am not actively doing right now. Perhaps I would be able to finish the 7 classes from Sophia in the next month between my job while only having to pay the 79$ monthly fee and then be able to enrol with TESU before January but only fully start studying in the new year.

Yes, this is fine. The reason for Sophia is to reduce the likelihood of them asking for your foreign transcripts. There's no guarantee, but you'll need to do Sophia courses anyway so you might as well bet on not having to get your transcripts evaluated! There are a number of Sophia courses that can easily be knocked out in a day or two. The best ones to start with would probably be:

• Human Biology
  
• Intro to Information IT (if you know how to turn on a computer, you'll probably finish this one in just a few hours)
  
• Environmental Science
  
• Approaches to Studying Religions
  
• Art History I (but not II yet; II is more time-consuming)
  
• Visual Communications
  

The grouping of Sociology, Psychology, Greek Philosophers, and Ethics could also work but a lot of people have issues with the Sophia ethics course so it's not the easiest way to start. You're welcome to complete any others you're interested in (like the US history) but hold off on English Comp, Public Speaking, and Business Law for now. These require essays that take more time/work and you might not be able to complete them in the month.

Do you think this is feasible or is it most cost-effective to only start putting in the subscriptions and such when I have more time to dedicate to studying? I'm definitely interested in the Liberal Studies option if it easier and more streamline as my main goal is to have a BA so I can go teach English in South Korea in the next year or so. Thank you as always for your advice and assistance and I hope you're having a fine day!

I think it would definitely be a good idea to lock in the catalog right now. Your application will be good for 12 months. As long as you fully enroll within that period, you're good. You don't have to do a bunch of stuff right now. You can definitely hold off on most of Sophia and credits from elsewhere. Just pay for the 1 month of Sophia and the TESU application fee.

Changing goalposts before you're able to apply could, in the long run, result in even higher costs. My degree is going to cost me about $1500 more than it would have if I'd kept the same catalog as when I started. Shifting goalposts mean I need a course that wasn't required a couple of years ago (the capstone used to be optional). It doesn't look like that same thing will happen again any time soon but you never know with universities. You can see a basic BALS plan here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ge...egree_Plan I'll do both History and English so you can compare and do what you are most interested in.

[rachel83az]

Good news! History seems easier than I thought after I filled in the slots: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The most expensive non-capstone/cornerstone class that is needed costs about $600 from BYU. Everything else can be filled in with Study.com/Sophia/Coopersmith.

[innen_oda]

Good news! History seems easier than I thought after I filled in the slots: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The most expensive non-capstone/cornerstone class that is needed costs about $600 from BYU. Everything else can be filled in with Study.com/Sophia/Coopersmith.

Wow, this is excellent - thanks for doing this up!
(Small note: Brigham Young University Independant Study - should 'independEnt' with an 'e')

[rachel83az]

Wow, this is excellent - thanks for doing this up!
(Small note: Brigham Young University Independant Study - should 'independEnt' with an 'e')

You're right, thanks! My spellchecker has been acting up and actually making me have to think! 

[portia8]

Good news! History seems easier than I thought after I filled in the slots: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The most expensive non-capstone/cornerstone class that is needed costs about $600 from BYU. Everything else can be filled in with Study.com/Sophia/Coopersmith.

Wow! I'll definitely look into that! Are the goalposts that you're referring to which bachelor I'll choose? I'm really not too concerned with doing the history one specifically if it's more expensive and time consuming, the liberal studies one seems to cover much of the same needes course as it is but maybe that is my misjudgment. I just wanted to ask a further question as I've been gleaning the forum for a few days and haven't come up with anything conclusive. Will it still be possible to do an entire TESU bachelor for roughly around 7k in the New Year? I know a lot of things have gotten more expensive and I really.missed out on Sophia being free earlier this year. And while I know it may be overkill, another big thank you, everything has been really helpful!!!!!