Fastest/Easiest School

[evanmonast]

Until recently I've only considered UMPI as a potential school but more and more I'm starting to think I wouldn't enjoy my time there. English and writing essays isn't necessarily my strong point and I find myself kind of nervous about the 11-15 page final assignments that account for the totality of your grade for any specific course. Even with the option to submit a draft it freaks me out. 

I have close to zero knowledge about any of the "Big 3" even surfing through threads on here it's a lot of information for me to digest at once. I just really need a degree to put my mind to ease. At first I had my mind set on Criminal Justice but that's just because I had already taken CJ classes and figured it'd be fastest to complete a CJ degree. As more time passes I'm caring less and less about what my degree is in as I know I will go for a post-grad and am already able to get my dream job. Just personal satisfaction at this point.

Credits I have already acquired

Readings in the Short Story - Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI)
Intro to Law Enforcement - CCRI
Criminal Law - CCRI
Criminal Procedure - CCRI
Constitutional Law - CCRI
Law and Society - CCRI
Criminology = CCRI
Criminalistics - CCRI
Intro to Theatre - CCRI
Composition I - CCRI
History of the U.S. from 1877 - CCRI
General Psychology - CCRI
Spanish - InstantCert
Social Psychology - Study
Intro to Meteorology - Study
Presentation Skills in the Workplace - Study
Intro to Psychology - Sophia
Visual Communications - Sophia
Developing Effective Teams - Sophia
Essentials of Managing Conflict - Sophia
Environmental Science - Sophia  
Art History I - Sophia
Art History II - Sophia
Intro to IT - Sophia
U.S. History I - Sophia
U.S. History II - Sophia
Human Biology - Sophia
Conflict Resolution - Sophia
Intro to Ethics - Sophia
Intro to Sociology - Sophia
Intro to Statistics - Sophia
College Readiness - Sophia
Ancient Greek Philosophers - Sophia

Please keep in mind that I would most prefer objective assessments as opposed to writing essays. I would go to WGU but I know they won't take most, if not all of my credits. I've heard TESU will take 113-114 credits but I've had a tough time finding what my credits would transfer in as. Long story short, I don't care what degree I get or from where, I just want a degree as soon as possible to put my mind at ease. I would have no issue taking more sophia/instantcert/study classes if need be I just want to avoid writing as much as possible.

[rachel83az]

Fastest and easiest, with exams instead of essays, would be TESU. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a CJ degree. That's almost impossible to complete at TESU. You can see valid degrees here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap

Your best bet with TESU would be to apply and send in your current transcripts. Since it appears you only have two transcripts, the cost would be $50. Another $50 for the Medical Terminology TECEP to fully enroll if you decided you like the evaluation. Unlike UMPI, you can continue sending in courses without permission. So, for TESU, we usually advise to apply and then enroll ASAP.

[evanmonast]

I am certainly intrigued, what is the Medical Terminology TECEP? I don't at all mind getting my degree in something other than CJ in fact it's probably for the best that I don't. Since TESU is exam based, can I test out of a course in one day if I already know a sufficient amount about the subject?

[rachel83az]

When you apply to TESU, you only get two "free" evaluations of your transcripts. In order to continue sending credits to the school, you must become a fully enrolled student. One way of doing this is to pay for a TECEP. If you actually want to take one of the exams (listed here: https://www2.tesu.edu/listalltecep.php ) then you can do so. But the easiest way to become fully enrolled is to pay for the 1-credit Medical Terminology TECEP (which is $50) and then either not take it or take it so you know what to expect from the proctoring experience.

TESU itself isn't exam based, but you can choose a degree that utilizes more exams than papers by choosing courses from Davar, Coopersmith, and some Study.com courses. Possibly some LawShelf courses, but that hasn't been tested yet.

Then, you have a choice: do you only want to take the capstone & cornerstone at TESU or do you want to do a 16-credit-term? Only taking the capstone & cornerstone means that you'll have to pay the residency waiver fee of approximately $3200. If you do a 16-credit term, you can take the capstone, cornerstone, PLA-100, and 3 other courses or ePacks ( https://www2.tesu.edu/listallc.php?type=EP ). The ePacks are exams that cost the same as a full TESU course and count towards residency.

[evanmonast]

I'm unfamiliar with Davar and Coopersmith, I'm assuming they're the same type of thing as Sophia/Study? Is 16 credits in a term reasonable or would that be hard to do? I'm not too worried about the residency waiver if it means I only have to do a capstone/cornerstone.

[bjcheung77]

In addition to UMPI BAS - If you have energy, money, time, then TESU is a perfectly good option as well. You just need to decide, if you want to fork out the cash for the residency waiver fee or take 16 residency credits at TESU. You can transfer in all 114 credits with TESU BALS and finish the cornerstone/capstone with them. Another option is Excelsior BSLA, transfer all 113 except for Info Lit, cornerstone, capstone...

[evanmonast]

I truly am at a standstill. I really really want to avoid essays so only having to do 16 credits at TESU would be great especially if I don't have to write essays for those. On the other hand I'm not made of money either so any time I can save the better. This is so tough.

[rachel83az]

I'm unfamiliar with Davar and Coopersmith, I'm assuming they're the same type of thing as Sophia/Study? Is 16 credits in a term reasonable or would that be hard to do? I'm not too worried about the residency waiver if it means I only have to do a capstone/cornerstone.

16 credits in a term is completely doable; especially if you do ePacks instead of courses. But, if you don't mind paying the residency waiver, I wouldn't worry about it. Just get your degree done and move on.

With Davar and Coopersmith, they give you some study materials (usually, a powerpoint deck) to review. When you're familiar with these materials, you can schedule an exam. Coopersmith uses ProctorU only. With Davar, you can choose RPNow (the same proctor as Study.com uses). 

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Co...Consulting
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Davar_Academy

[allvia]

@evanmonast  - If I recall correctly, you're also active military, correct?  TESU is very military friendly.  You can TECEP your residency, and tuition is reduced for the must complete at TESU courses (there are 2, cornerstone and capstone) - https://www.tesu.edu/military  - and there is no fee to apply for military (at this time). I'm sure others here can give you more information on the military benefit and TESU.

[ROYISAGIRL]

I noticed when you put up your credits you didn't include your JST/CCAF credits. I don't believe you said which branch or job you do in the service, but those may help fill in some spots.