Correspondence courses/CLEP Alternatives

[BobHormel]

Hey all,

I'm having a dog of a time trying to make time to prepare for the College Algebra 107 Clep. I won't launch into a tirade about how obnoxious it is that this is the ONLY class preventing me from aquiring my humanities degree... I'll stop right there.

Anyway, I have heard about correspondence courses that offer classes piecemeal within a very loose timeline - as in, you complete them section by section at your own leisure. Frankly, this sounds WAY more appealing to me than cramming for the CLEP so that I can focus on work and family, and spend my free time actually making progress instead of frustrating myself.

My University had these classes but they recently dumped them in place of semester length distance ed programs, which is NOT what I want. Does anyone have any recommendations for online programs that will allow me to easily transfer credits to my state university and that I can complete at my own leisure?

I would be eternally grateful for any help from someone who has done this before, there are a lot of junk websites out there and I am having a hard time sifting through seemingly legitimate websites...

-Bob

[GoodYellowDogs]

I don't know what your situation is or where you are going to school. I also was down to the wire when I finally took my required math. I took Excelsior's Everyday Math course. It's online and you can do it in 8 or 15 weeks (your choice). It's pricey - $1200 or so with the book. However, it is so doable. It was the only thing that got me my math requirement. I had tried, CLEP, Straighterline, and ALEKS.

I was afraid that they would make me take something else to meet the undergrad requirement for my Master's program, but they looked at the syllabus and approved it

[rebel100]

I'd look at the independent studies options at university of idaho, BYU, CSU Pueblo, or LSU

[Yanji]

If you haven't taken a correspondence/self-paced course before and are saying that you're looking to complete courses "at your own leisure", I think you need to give these courses a little more respect. Leisure quickly turns into pressure in these courses and before you know it, you'll be doing more cramming than you would be for the CLEP, not to mention the material and final exam/assignment will likely be far more substantial than the CLEP. Most CLEPs are very easy compared to a final exam in an equivalent course, so I think you should reconsider before registering for a correspondence course which will cost you far more time, effort and money than the CLEP. (Unless actually learning the subject is the goal, in which case time, effort and money become an investment)

[UptonSinclair]

There is an affordable alternative that will give you a structured self-paced study plan while preparing you for the CLEP. Spend some time working through the Aleks courses until you finish College Algebra. Then take the College Algebra CLEP. This provides a structured approach, lets you work on your weak areas, and does a pretty good job of preparing you for the CLEP. At $20 per month the Aleks courses are a great preparation for the CLEP even if they are not accepted for credit at your college.

Someone mentioned BYU. I was enrolled in this course for a few weeks and can tell you it is very rigorous. That isn't bad if you are planning to continue with higher level math, but it would not be a good fit if you are looking for a quick approach.