Excelsior vs. Charter Oak vs. Athabasca University

[Lydia]

In regards to flexibility, has anyone compared (or completed) the BS Libreal Studies degree from Excelsior with the one from COSC? Which would you say is more flexible? Also has anyone completed or attempted to complete the COSC BS in Liberal Studiesd or Individualized Studies and completed a n approved Concentration Plan?

What about Athabasca University? Has anyone applied there and had their transcripts evaluated? I was thinking of going this route as well, but I'm having difficulty finding people who can give me a first hand account. I dont want to shell out $280 (application& evaluation fee) for no reason.

I'm trying to finishe as soon as possible. I have a lot of applied professional credits in the Healthcare field (which was my major when I went to FAU). Excelsior only gave me credit for 30 of them, as elective credits. Thus, I currently have about 110 credits, yet with Excelsior, I need 27 more. I figured with Athabasca or COSC I'd be done faster. What do you think?

Oh, and on a side note, how long does the graduation process take for COSC?

I know, I know, loaded questions.... Any opinions would be appreciated.

[crshore]

I finished all of my degree requirements at COSC...just waiting for that diploma on June 1! I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

I don't have any experience with Excelsior (have heard many good things about the school), but Charter Oak has a Liberal Studies concentration and an Individualized Studies concentration. Both appear to be very flexible. Here's a link describing the concentrations and requirements: Bachelor's, Baccalaureate Degree - business administration, health, child studies My concentration was in Psychology, so do not have personal experience with Liberal Studies or Individualized studies, but many of my fellow classmates have gone this route and loved it.

If you need 27 credits from Excelsior, you're probably going to need a similar number from Charter Oak. With Charter Oak's graduation process, you can graduate within 60 days of completing your degree requirements. They confer degrees six times per year.

I'm sure someone can give you more info about Excelsior. Let me know if you have any other Charter Oak questions!

[twosidneys]

I finished all of my degree requirements at COSC...just waiting for that diploma on June 1! I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

I don't have any experience with Excelsior (have heard many good things about the school), but Charter Oak has a Liberal Studies concentration and an Individualized Studies concentration. Both appear to be very flexible. Here's a link describing the concentrations and requirements: Bachelor's, Baccalaureate Degree - business administration, health, child studies My concentration was in Psychology, so do not have personal experience with Liberal Studies or Individualized studies, but many of my fellow classmates have gone this route and loved it.

If you need 27 credits from Excelsior, you're probably going to need a similar number from Charter Oak. With Charter Oak's graduation process, you can graduate within 60 days of completing your degree requirements. They confer degrees six times per year.

I'm sure someone can give you more info about Excelsior. Let me know if you have any other Charter Oak questions!

Hi,

I am a dad that graduated from Excelsior in 1988. My 2 youngest children are working to get their B.A. degrees at a young age. Charter Oaks is more favourable to early admission (16). My daughter turns 16 in February. She does have the information literacy course from Excelsior that she passed before they realized that she was young! We will transfer that to Charter Oaks. Although we are Canadian, we are working and living in Vietnam which means that we can only test out during the summer. Taking conventional courses is not easy either since it is not easy to get a proctor here that our initial university (Canadian) will accept. Thus it is still easier to get all of the courses via CLEP, Dantes, and ECE. We would be looking at a concentration in liberal studies or individualized studies but I am worried as to whether we can make the concentration work with challenge exams. That is the question that I primarily need help with - the concentration in liberal studies or individual studies at Charter Oaks. Your help, or that of your friends, would be appreciated. My email address is wonderfulschool@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Sidney

[crshore]

Feel free to ask here or PM me with any questions, and I will try to help. Unfortunately, most of my liberal studies/individualized studies classmates graduated last year, and a couple are taking time off, so I'm not in touch with most of them right now.

The core of the liberal/individualized studies concentration is obtaining 36 credits in your concentration, with a minimum of 15 at the upper level. When you've reached 60 credits, you write something called a Concentration Proposal Plan and submit it to faculty for review. This is where you explain how your credits (taken and planned) will fit into a cohesive, "coherent program of study" (from their web site). As soon as you enroll, your advisor starts to help you develop your course of study, and you stay in touch with him/her the whole time you're pursuing your degree. They don't just throw you to the wolves and expect you to start fitting everything together when you hit 60 credits, thankfully!

You can always shoot an e-mail to Charter Oak admissions, too. They're usually very forthcoming with information.

[BrandeX]

Hi,

I am a dad that graduated from Excelsior in 1988. My 2 youngest children are working to get their B.A. degrees at a young age. Charter Oaks is more favourable to early admission (16). My daughter turns 16 in February. She does have the information literacy course from Excelsior that she passed before they realized that she was young! We will transfer that to Charter Oaks. Although we are Canadian, we are working and living in Vietnam which means that we can only test out during the summer. Taking conventional courses is not easy either since it is not easy to get a proctor here that our initial university (Canadian) will accept. Thus it is still easier to get all of the courses via CLEP, Dantes, and ECE. We would be looking at a concentration in liberal studies or individualized studies but I am worried as to whether we can make the concentration work with challenge exams. That is the question that I primarily need help with - the concentration in liberal studies or individual studies at Charter Oaks. Your help, or that of your friends, would be appreciated. My email address is wonderfulschool@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Sidney

How are you handling tests (clep/dsst) in Vietnam? That has been something I have been unable to figure out how to take here in China. The only thing I have found is one Uni that adminsters GRE subject exams (most are the general test)

[twosidneys]

How are you handling tests (clep/dsst) in Vietnam? That has been something I have been unable to figure out how to take here in China. The only thing I have found is one Uni that adminsters GRE subject exams (most are the general test)

I have the same problem. Basically, we are storing up our knowledge and will be writing exam after exam back in the States/Canada this summer - not a good way to do it but there is no alternative. We are writing one GRE Subject exam in Hanoi this Saturday - a bit too early but it is here and we are taking a shot at it. The closest place to write a CLEP is Manila and I haven't explored that. I haven't found anywhere to do Dantes or ECE.

Sidney