04-12-2018, 02:20 PM
Hi all,
When I was working on my CLEP/DSST credits and applying to Excelsior, I was pretty worried about how my degree and educational history would look to graduate schools. Just in case there are others who are concerned about that, I wanted to let you know that having graduated from EC in January I recently got accepted to the counseling psychology programs at both Fordham University (GSE) and Columbia University (Teachers College), so it can be done!
Some things I learned / pointers / potential obstacles:
1) Take at least 2 classes with actual professors and/or do some ongoing volunteer work that will allow you to make a connection with someone who can write you a really solid (i.e. non-generic) letter of recommendation. I had one pretty generic letter of rec from a professor, but one very good letter from someone I did volunteer work with.
2) Take the GRE even if you are not required to. So many of my CLEP/DSST credits were pass/fail and I'm pretty sure getting good GRE scores served to alleviate any concerns that I might have done the bare minimum to pass those tests.
3) In your statement of purpose (in addition to all the usual pointers) make your non-traditional education an asset. Talk about what it taught you beyond the course content, how it made you a better more self-directed learner, and how those skills will help you succeed in graduate school.
Anyway, thank you all so much for all the support and feedback about your experiences with exams and Excelsior, it made a huge difference in my education and sort of my whole life!
Best of luck!
When I was working on my CLEP/DSST credits and applying to Excelsior, I was pretty worried about how my degree and educational history would look to graduate schools. Just in case there are others who are concerned about that, I wanted to let you know that having graduated from EC in January I recently got accepted to the counseling psychology programs at both Fordham University (GSE) and Columbia University (Teachers College), so it can be done!
Some things I learned / pointers / potential obstacles:
1) Take at least 2 classes with actual professors and/or do some ongoing volunteer work that will allow you to make a connection with someone who can write you a really solid (i.e. non-generic) letter of recommendation. I had one pretty generic letter of rec from a professor, but one very good letter from someone I did volunteer work with.
2) Take the GRE even if you are not required to. So many of my CLEP/DSST credits were pass/fail and I'm pretty sure getting good GRE scores served to alleviate any concerns that I might have done the bare minimum to pass those tests.
3) In your statement of purpose (in addition to all the usual pointers) make your non-traditional education an asset. Talk about what it taught you beyond the course content, how it made you a better more self-directed learner, and how those skills will help you succeed in graduate school.
Anyway, thank you all so much for all the support and feedback about your experiences with exams and Excelsior, it made a huge difference in my education and sort of my whole life!
Best of luck!
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