Chemistry: Straighterline vs. CLEP

[jadae@wgu.edu]

I am currently asking Iowa State University if they will accept Straighterline's Chemistry for their CHEM 163, which is Basic College Chemistry. I am currently taking the CLEP BIO exam, which I am far more confident in.

Which would you rather take, and why?

If I fail the CLEP Chem by one point, I have to wait 3 months to apply to the program that I want. Because I took a lot of horticulture, botany, geology, and soil science, I was allowed to skip Bio and Chem during college. However, when a class is a prerequisite for a masters, then that is a whole other story. So I am now faced with taking them. I am highly confident in biology, but the type of chemistry in college chemistry and the type of chemistry in classes like soil science do not overlap very well. So I am not that confident in basic chemistry at all.

Also, if they reject my idea about Straighterline, does anyone have any ideas with even stronger accreditation? My main concern is time efficiency. If I want to finish the masters degree, then I need to be efficient. And I do not want to waste 3 to 6 months on one prerequisite.

The funny thing is, I have all the really difficult prerequisites done, that people generally loathe. Like statistics. Whew.

If anyone has anything to say, please inform!

[dfrecore]

Study.com has Chemistry, it was created as a study resource for the CLEP. So that's another way you can study for the exam.

Rio Salado College (AZ) has several Chem classes with optional labs - they have an 8-week term starting on Monday.

CSU-Pueblo Independent Study has a chem class and an optional lab.

BYU Independent Study has a chem class with no lab.

[jadae@wgu.edu]

Thanks. The cost of most of these classes really adds up. I will attempt the CLEP first. Still waiting on a response about Straighterline, which is the most efficient I can find, before I look into more options. The difficult thing about a lot of these places is that they require prereqs for Chem 1 ! The math pre-reqs are fine. Some ask for high school chemistry within 5 years. LOL! And some ask for their own Chem pre-req course. At that point, I may as well take it in March at my local community college, since it will be cheaper and quicker. I find it odd that I seem to be the first to inquire about this predicament, or maybe my searching skills are not that great.

Thanks again.

[jadae@wgu.edu]

Iowa State University is looking into adding Straighterline's Chem 1 and Chem 1 Lab to transfers! Here is hoping to success. I'll let you all know when I find out.

[sanantone]

You should change your username. On any forum, there are spammers, scammers, hackers, and mentally ill people.

[jadae@wgu.edu]

Thanks, I didn't realize it was an issue somewhere like this.

I tried to, but there isn't an option I am seeing.

[jadae@wgu.edu]

Well, I got my answer. They will accept the SL class, but as a generic chemistry credit. So, in this case, CLEP is far superior. Generic credits are a win and a loss at the same time!

Sad.

[jadae@wgu.edu]

I am still a bit upset and frustrated with this topic. I finished the Bio Clep with no problem, but I was well-educated in the topic.

Iowa SU has not responded to whether or not SL is a sealed deal or not, and I am tired of emailing them for a non-answer.

NMJC seems like the best choice, but its 4 months away from starting its new semester. So... I could get credit 2/3rds of a year from now. Not practical at this age.

It seems like my best bet is to take Straighterline, then take CLEP. Am I right to assume that SL would help me in understanding the relationships I need to know? My CLEP is scheduled for tomorrow, but I am going to cancel it. Even if I pass it through sheer memory, I don't UNDERSTAND the concepts in a holistic way. What good does that do me if I need to understand some related graduate level genetics concepts?

So, do any of you think taking Chemistry SL first, then taking the Chemistry CLEP, is the wisest choice?

[jadae@wgu.edu]

Oh, the other thing is that I do not know what to NOT study. Chemistry is vast. 40 Khan videos and 30 some Crash Course videos later, and it is like, "So, which of these actually apply........?" Unlike the Bio Clep, what is required is less clear, since far less people have commented back about it.

[dfrecore]

Study.com's Chemistry course was actually created to help pass the Chem CLEP, so that might actually be a better option than SL. Someone on this forum has a 20% off coupon code (very recent) that you might want to look for.

Rio Salado College has online courses (General Chemistry included) that start regularly, looks like their next start date is 3/7. You can choose whether you're doing an 8-wk or 16-wk term as well. It's $215/cr hour, but could be worth the cost if you just want to take the darn class and get it over with!