Another article about transfer problems

[davewill]

It's amazing that in the whole article, they don't mention that there ARE schools that will take their transfer credits or suggest that students shop until they find a school that will.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-new...ontext=amp

[Merlin]

It's amazing that in the whole article, they don't mention that there ARE schools that will take their transfer credits or suggest that students shop until they find a school that will.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-new...ontext=amp

The folks in this article seem like kids who are taking courses at local B&M schools and are not aware that there are other options. Many of them could transfer to one of the "big 4" schools (including WGU) and get most of their credits accepted but even if made aware they wouldn't consider it because those are online schools, and there are still a lot of people who believe that online degrees are worthless.

[sanantone]

It depends. For the nursing student, the Big 3 aren't an option. WGU is not an option in most states. There are, however, many, many nursing programs that will accept a microbiology course taken at any regionally accredited school.

It annoys me when people get paranoid about attending CCs because their "credits may not transfer." CCs almost always have articulation agreements with local universities, especially public ones. Some states even have laws that require public schools to accept credits from each other. People are just lazy and uninformed. 

My sister wanted to speed up earning her degree by taking community college courses over the summer, but she changed her mind because "the credits may not transfer." Not only could she have gotten these courses pre-approved at her university, but Texas law requires them to accept those credits. She never enrolled at the CC even though I told her this.

Now that she sees that I make more money than her with my online degrees, she's considering getting one to go into accounting. Before, she was telling me that I should forget about the credits I earned online and start all over at a brick and mortar.

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By the way, that lady and the author are idiots. You can't expect to use 15-year-old science credits as prerequisites.

[mysonx3]

2018: the era when people are totally fine with conducting their entire social and dating lives through the internet, but balk at the idea of taking an online class.

[cookderosa]

Ugggghhh. How frustrating!!! It breaks my heart to hear these kinds of stories because "transparency" should be par for the course, but it's not!!

People don't even know what they don't know- and what to ask - and that there are options at every turn. I could dissect her mistakes till the cows come home, but it's not just her. You read this kind of story time and time again. I was surprised that she "only" spent $25,000 playing wack-a-mole with her credits.

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People are just lazy and uninformed.... She never enrolled at the CC even though I told her this.

See, I think you've hit the nail on the head - it may seem like people are lazy or uninformed, but even when presented with valuable information from someone they can trust (a sister with multiple degrees) there is still a hesitation to go against the grain. I think most people are encouraged and rewarded by society / schools / parents to be compliant and agreeable. If you're the rebel who does his own thing, it's hard to understand why everyone else doesn't do that too, but I think it's the rebel that's the exception- not the student in the story.

[vetvso]

I have discussed this with current students, ex-military, and even my own children. The system has a form of brainwashing that is solidly in place, and they see what I have done as much harder than just sitting. Most won't act but some do and I help those people who are willing to take action. My kids did do CLEP, DSST, and AP while in high school but once in college, they have been hesitant.

[dfrecore]

I will say that this is the most difficult thing I deal with in helping kids plan out the transfer from a CC to a 4-yr state school where there are articulation agreements! It's not "hard" per se, but it's complicated here in CA.

Step 1) you have to make sure that you are looking at the right template to get your credits completed at the CC to meet the requirements for a simple transfer - and there are 3 options; the IGETC form used by UC schools (9 University of CA schools); the CSU Advising Guide is used by CSU school (23 schools with the name "state" in them); and the AA/AS form for someone who just wants to get an AA/AS/AAS. They vary in the number of credits, and are between 34-39cr, meaning that you're pretty open for the remaining 21-26cr to get the 60cr required before you can transfer.

Step 2) you have to make sure that the courses you are taking for your intended major will also transfer. My daughter's friend saw that she could take Speech OR Small Group Comm for the Oral Comm requirement at her local CC, and it would transfer to the college she wants to go to. BUT, Speech is a requirement for her major - so she could have taken Small Group Comm, and it would have transferred, but then she would STILL have to take Speech at the 4-yr school. This part requires the use of the major form from the 4-yr school, to make sure it lines up with the CC transfer guide, including using ASSIST (an online tool to make sure the courses you take line up with the courses you need). It's a great tool, but it doesn't have everything for sure.

Step 3) you have to make sure that these line up with the courses you need for your major if you have one at the CC.

It's really a matter of taking the first sheet, crossing out anything that doesn't work from the 2nd sheet, and then adding in anything else from the 3rd sheet. Like I said, it's not rocket science - but it is complicated, and I've been doing it for years and it still takes me a while to map out a degree plan for someone wanting to do it. It really narrows down the course list for some degrees. Let's not even mention that when you need a course to remain a full-time student, but can't get what you need because they are full, or don't offer a course this semester, or whatever...and you might end up taking a course just because you need the credits (kid in this example plays soccer for the school, so HAS to maintain a certain number of courses each semester).

When I sit down and explain everything to them, the kids always say "Oh my gosh, how come no one has explained this to me???" It's not that they're dumb or naive or anything like that - it's just that no one at the CC tells them how it works, and it's like the blind leading the blind. It's ridiculous.

[cookderosa]

I will say that this is the most difficult thing I deal with in helping kids plan out the transfer from a CC to a 4-yr state school where there are articulation agreements! It's not "hard" per se, but it's complicated here in CA.

Step 1) you have to make sure that you are looking at the right template to get your credits completed at the CC to meet the requirements for a simple transfer - and there are 3 options; the IGETC form used by UC schools (9 University of CA schools); the CSU Advising Guide is used by CSU school (23 schools with the name "state" in them); and the AA/AS form for someone who just wants to get an AA/AS/AAS. They vary in the number of credits, and are between 34-39cr, meaning that you're pretty open for the remaining 21-26cr to get the 60cr required before you can transfer.

Step 2) you have to make sure that the courses you are taking for your intended major will also transfer. My daughter's friend saw that she could take Speech OR Small Group Comm for the Oral Comm requirement at her local CC, and it would transfer to the college she wants to go to. BUT, Speech is a requirement for her major - so she could have taken Small Group Comm, and it would have transferred, but then she would STILL have to take Speech at the 4-yr school. This part requires the use of the major form from the 4-yr school, to make sure it lines up with the CC transfer guide, including using ASSIST (an online tool to make sure the courses you take line up with the courses you need). It's a great tool, but it doesn't have everything for sure.

Step 3) you have to make sure that these line up with the courses you need for your major if you have one at the CC.

It's really a matter of taking the first sheet, crossing out anything that doesn't work from the 2nd sheet, and then adding in anything else from the 3rd sheet. Like I said, it's not rocket science - but it is complicated, and I've been doing it for years and it still takes me a while to map out a degree plan for someone wanting to do it. It really narrows down the course list for some degrees. Let's not even mention that when you need a course to remain a full-time student, but can't get what you need because they are full, or don't offer a course this semester, or whatever...and you might end up taking a course just because you need the credits (kid in this example plays soccer for the school, so HAS to maintain a certain number of courses each semester).

When I sit down and explain everything to them, the kids always say "Oh my gosh, how come no one has explained this to me???" It's not that they're dumb or naive or anything like that - it's just that no one at the CC tells them how it works, and it's like the blind leading the blind. It's ridiculous.

that is really complex. I think you should move to North Carolina! LOL

[sanantone]

2018: the era when people are totally fine with conducting their entire social and dating lives through the internet, but balk at the idea of taking an online class.

The number of people taking online classes is growing (6.3 million in 2016), but I think people feel most comfortable with taking an online class at the school they're currently attending on campus. Most students are taking online classes at local, public schools. 

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/...ne-courses

[hallk33]

It's amazing that in the whole article, they don't mention that there ARE schools that will take their transfer credits or suggest that students shop until they find a school that will.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-new...ontext=amp

The folks in this article seem like kids who are taking courses at local B&M schools and are not aware that there are other options. Many of them could transfer to one of the "big 4" schools (including WGU) and get most of their credits accepted but even if made aware they wouldn't consider it because those are online schools, and there are still a lot of people who believe that online degrees are worthless.

Until I stumbled across this forum, I had no clue how many alternative forms of credit there were.
I'm transferring from a school that was an excellerated quarter system but everywhere, even the Big 3, has treated my credits as semester so they are valued at 2/3rds.
I'm glad to have found a school that will help me finish my degree but I think that in general we need to have more conversations about the overall value and cost of four year degrees. I don't even want to think about how much money I could have saved if I had known there were more options for earning credit than AP tests when I first started this journey.