General UMPI Questions

[NC Coach]

I've always had my sights on a History degree from TESU, and at the moment that is still the plan, although UMPI is starting to make a bit more sense in light of the 30 RA credit requirement (24 + 6 from TESU).

There are some general questions I'd like to ask:

1. Can you choose your order of classes or do you have no say in that?   The reason I ask is that I have read that the English courses are easier and less work at UMPI than Sophia, and also that many courses have essays.   So I'd want to have my English courses first just to be sure I'm totally up to speed in that area, which I think makes perfect sense but not sure how the advisor may feel.  Is this something you can work with your advisor to make happen?
   
2. I have no real desire to take a science lab, and at this time I have Biology from Sophia, which I think I read doesn't come in to meet the requirements of UMPI.    If you take Biology at UMPI, does that just make the Sophia course a waste of time or does it transfer in as something else?   Is there any better option for a lab credit with only the Sophia course and Straighterline's Environmental Science?  
   
3. Foreign language is not something I really want to do, at least not on a timeline at $1400 per term.   I'd choose Spanish over any other option.   I can essentially count to 10 in Spanish and say "I want some Taco Bell".      How difficult is the Spanish at UMPI if you are starting with nearly no knowledge, and are there better options where I can take my time and still bring in the credit?
   
4. Do you have to complete a course within a term?   For example if you are in the middle of a course and the term ends, do you just keep going into the next term with it?   Or if you don't finish by the end of the term do you fail?
   
5. Can you take terms off if something comes up and then resume your progress toward the degree later, or once you are enrolled do you have to keep paying every term until completion even if something comes up and you cannot focus on schooling for a while? 
   

I think these are all my questions at the moment and I appreciate all the info that has already been posted here.

[rachel83az]

Someone transferred in Instacert's Spanish to UMPI. If you wanted to get started on that before enrolling at UMPI, it'd be $20/mo. + the $15 (IIRC) test fee. After you enroll, you'd need to have permission to bring in the Spanish from outside.

[NC Coach]

Someone transferred in Instacert's Spanish to UMPI. If you wanted to get started on that before enrolling at UMPI, it'd be $20/mo. + the $15 (IIRC) test fee. After you enroll, you'd need to have permission to bring in the Spanish from outside.

Thanks for that info.   I assume that is only Spanish I?   I do feel that is an area I'd struggle and want to avoid it turning into a very costly situation.  

I see Straighterline has both I & II and I wonder if that would work?     I guess I could always do some kind of online training for free before taking an actual course.

[ss20ts]

I've always had my sights on a History degree from TESU, and at the moment that is still the plan, although UMPI is starting to make a bit more sense in light of the 30 RA credit requirement (24 + 6 from TESU).

There are some general questions I'd like to ask:

1. Can you choose your order of classes or do you have no say in that?   The reason I ask is that I have read that the English courses are easier and less work at UMPI than Sophia, and also that many courses have essays.   So I'd want to have my English courses first just to be sure I'm totally up to speed in that area, which I think makes perfect sense but not sure how the advisor may feel.  Is this something you can work with your advisor to make happen?
   
2. I have no real desire to take a science lab, and at this time I have Biology from Sophia, which I think I read doesn't come in to meet the requirements of UMPI.    If you take Biology at UMPI, does that just make the Sophia course a waste of time or does it transfer in as something else?   Is there any better option for a lab credit with only the Sophia course and Straighterline's Environmental Science?  
   
3. Foreign language is not something I really want to do, at least not on a timeline at $1400 per term.   I'd choose Spanish over any other option.   I can essentially count to 10 in Spanish and say "I want some Taco Bell".      How difficult is the Spanish at UMPI if you are starting with nearly no knowledge, and are there better options where I can take my time and still bring in the credit?
   
4. Do you have to complete a course within a term?   For example if you are in the middle of a course and the term ends, do you just keep going into the next term with it?   Or if you don't finish by the end of the term do you fail?
   
5. Can you take terms off if something comes up and then resume your progress toward the degree later, or once you are enrolled do you have to keep paying every term until completion even if something comes up and you cannot focus on schooling for a while? 
   

I think these are all my questions at the moment and I appreciate all the info that has already been posted here.

UMPI has specific degree programs. Your academic advisor selects your courses for you in the order the university wants you to take them. Every course is not offered every term, but they know when they'll be offered so it makes sense that they select your courses. 

I took English Comp II on Sophia and absolutely HATED it. The grading was AWFUL. It's a lot of writing. If someone wants to go to UMPI, I HIGHLY recommend taking their English courses. Far LESS work. I took English Comp II there and saved weeks of my life and only had 1 writing assignment. 

The only science class from Sophia that transfers is Environmental Science. I do recommend that because it will fill one of the GEC (UMPI's gen ed reqs). Human Biology does not. Other than that, I don't recommend taking science elsewhere unless you already have. The UMPI science courses will be less work and the lab will be easier. 

UMPI offers French and Spanish. A foreign language is required for all students at UMPI. The courses are not difficult. I just finished Spanish I this week. You can take Spanish I at InstantCert and transfer that in. There is no escaping the language requirement. 

All courses MUST be completed during the term. If you don't complete the course, you will receive an F and have to repeat the course. You're only allowed to have 2 open courses at a time. I fought for a third because I was waiting for a Final Assessment to be reviewed. That wasn't my first term either and I had a 4.0 so they knew I could handle it. I've completed at least 4 courses each term.

Yes, you can skip a term. You need to speak to your academic advisor about it though. They like to keep tabs on their students. You're not all off on your own like you are at the Big 3. Every course has a professor from the campus who you can reach out to for help. It's not like WGU who has CI's which aren't professors.

Feel free to pm me with any questions you have about UMPI. I'm happy to help. 

---

Someone transferred in Instacert's Spanish to UMPI. If you wanted to get started on that before enrolling at UMPI, it'd be $20/mo. + the $15 (IIRC) test fee. After you enroll, you'd need to have permission to bring in the Spanish from outside.

Thanks for that info.   I assume that is only Spanish I?   I do feel that is an area I'd struggle and want to avoid it turning into a very costly situation.  

I see Straighterline has both I & II and I wonder if that would work?     I guess I could always do some kind of online training for free before taking an actual course.

I would not spend the money or time on the StraighterLine Spanish courses. Everything you need for the class is given to you in the course content. This is how all courses are at UMPI. The professor gives you a ton of websites to learn from. You will spend far more time on StraighterLine courses. You will have far more assignments as well. 

[freeloader]

I can help with some of your questions:

1. I would say you have some say in the order. When I have finished a competency, I have sent a short list via email and asked “can I have one of these three added”. Those requests have always been accommodated. It is worth pointing out that every competency is not offered every term. I think they do try to work with people in their last term regarding this.

4. There is a withdrawal deadline roughly half way though each term. We receive an email telling us to consider withdrawing if we are going to be unable to finish the competency. I am not entirely sure, however, what happens if you don’t finish. Safe to say, it is frowned on.

5. I am only taking 1 term per semester, that is absolutely fine. You are supposed to email if you need to take more than 2 consecutive terms off. Not sure what happens, exactly, if you need to take more than 2 off. (This may be 2 or more terms, can’t find the reference to that).

[NC Coach]

---

I can help with some of your questions:

1. I would say you have some say in the order. When I have finished a competency, I have sent a short list via email and asked “can I have one of these three added”. Those requests have always been accommodated. It is worth pointing out that every competency is not offered every term. I think they do try to work with people in their last term regarding this.

4. There is a withdrawal deadline roughly half way though each term. We receive an email telling us to consider withdrawing if we are going to be unable to finish the competency. I am not entirely sure, however, what happens if you don’t finish. Safe to say, it is frowned on.

5. I am only taking 1 term per semester, that is absolutely fine. You are supposed to email if you need to take 2 or more consecutive terms off. Not sure what happens, exactly, if you need to take 2 or more off.

This is good info, especially your feedback on the first question.    Knowing they will accommodate if they can is huge for me.   As I mentioned in another response, otherwise it seems like micro-management and I just don't do well with that.    If it's my education, I want the freedom to do it in the order I want, subject to availability, of course.

[bjcheung77]

StraighterLine is expensive for the Spanish courses, that's the only set of courses I highly NOT recommend. Your first option should be InstantCertCredit for Spanish I, at $20+$15 proctor fee. If you can get access to a CLEP testing site, do the MS/CLEP option for FREE, at most it will net you 9 credits in Spanish, at the very least, 3 credits, so that would be the best bet. If you really want to learn at home, test online, and have a month to do so, take all 3 Spanish courses at Study.com, this will be slightly cheaper price than just one StraighterLine Spanish course, yet you get 3 completed for a max of 9 credits to boot!

[NC Coach]

UMPI has specific degree programs. Your academic advisor selects your courses for you in the order the university wants you to take them. Every course is not offered every term, but they know when they'll be offered so it makes sense that they select your courses. 

I took English Comp II on Sophia and absolutely HATED it. The grading was AWFUL. It's a lot of writing. If someone wants to go to UMPI, I HIGHLY recommend taking their English courses. Far LESS work. I took English Comp II there and saved weeks of my life and only had 1 writing assignment. 

The only science class from Sophia that transfers is Environmental Science. I do recommend that because it will fill one of the GEC (UMPI's gen ed reqs). Human Biology does not. Other than that, I don't recommend taking science elsewhere unless you already have. The UMPI science courses will be less work and the lab will be easier. 

UMPI offers French and Spanish. A foreign language is required for all students at UMPI. The courses are not difficult. I just finished Spanish I this week. You can take Spanish I at InstantCert and transfer that in. There is no escaping the language requirement. 

All courses MUST be completed during the term. If you don't complete the course, you will receive an F and have to repeat the course. You're only allowed to have 2 open courses at a time. I fought for a third because I was waiting for a Final Assessment to be reviewed. That wasn't my first term either and I had a 4.0 so they knew I could handle it. I've completed at least 4 courses each term.

Yes, you can skip a term. You need to speak to your academic advisor about it though. They like to keep tabs on their students. You're not all off on your own like you are at the Big 3. Every course has a professor from the campus who you can reach out to for help. It's not like WGU who has CI's which aren't professors.

Feel free to pm me with any questions you have about UMPI. I'm happy to help. 

---

I would not spend the money or time on the StraighterLine Spanish courses. Everything you need for the class is given to you in the course content. This is how all courses are at UMPI. The professor gives you a ton of websites to learn from. You will spend far more time on StraighterLine courses. You will have far more assignments as well. 

Thanks for all the info!  Somehow my reply to you got all mixed up with another response so adding this again.  Edit to add:  I see now that if you respond to multiple posts quickly, it combines them.   You learn something every day.  

I have Environmental Science from Straighterline.   After my last post I found a Straighterline to UMPI equivalency guide.   It appears that one will transfer in, but there is no lab for it.  

There are a number of things I like about UMPI, and a number of things I do not like at all.   I do NOT like not being able to pick your class order, even though I do understand that not all courses are offered every term.   You should still be able to pick your order from those offered, the way pretty much any other college works.    It seems like micro-management to me, and I am strongly opposed to that.   LOL

I guess for now I'll keep knocking out what I can at Sophia (possibly minus the English courses based on your feedback) and re-evaluate once those are pretty well all completed.    Thank you again for taking time to respond.

---

StraighterLine is expensive for the Spanish courses, that's the only set of courses I highly NOT recommend.  Your first option should be InstantCertCredit for Spanish I, at $20+$15 proctor fee.  If you can get access to a CLEP testing site, do the MS/CLEP option for FREE, at most it will net you 9 credits in Spanish, at the very least, 3 credits, so that would be the best bet.  If you really want to learn at home, test online, and have a month to do so, take all 3 Spanish courses at Study.com, this will be slightly cheaper price than just one StraighterLine Spanish course, yet you get 3 completed for a max of 9 credits to boot!

Oh, that sounds like another possible option for sure.   I like the extra credits as well.   Thanks for the info.

[dfrecore]

If you really want to do a lab science outside of UMPI, Study.com has Bio w/lab, the lab is virtual and $40. So you'd pay the $199 for 2 courses (of which Bio w/lab would be one), and then $40. They also have Spanish I & II there, it might be less worth than SL, but I'm not sure.

Other inexpensive options for science labs: TEL has 3 of them, Bio, Chem & Physical Science. It looks like you have to take a science with lab, they might not allow Sophia Biology and then TEL Bio Lab, not entirely sure. I don't think these are fast courses though. If you wanted to take a science w/lab, it would be $267. I'm not sure it would be worth doing.

[NC Coach]

If you really want to do a lab science outside of UMPI, Study.com has Bio w/lab, the lab is virtual and $40.  So you'd pay the $199 for 2 courses (of which Bio w/lab would be one), and then $40.  They also have Spanish I & II there, it might be less worth than SL, but I'm not sure.

Other inexpensive options for science labs: TEL has 3 of them, Bio, Chem & Physical Science.  It looks like you have to take a science with lab, they might not allow Sophia Biology and then TEL Bio Lab, not entirely sure.  I don't think these are fast courses though.  If you wanted to take a science w/lab, it would be $267. I'm not sure it would be worth doing.

Thanks for the additional info.   I truly thought I was done with science classes when I completed the biology after having the environmental science also.    Oh, well.   For now I'm just going to keep knocking out what I can with Sophia.   I still have quite a ways to go, and we have been so busy at work for the past year that it is hard to find much time right now to do anything.