Penn Foster questions

[gus]

I was going to take the following subjects in the form of exams (CLEP/DSST/ECE):
College Algebra
Princples of Statistics
Principles of Finance
College Writing

I'm wondering if I should go with Penn Foster instead and would like to weigh the pros and cons. I'd appreciate any feedback on the following questions:

1. How long would the equivalent courses take and would it be too much to take them all concurrently?

2. I was looking at the ACE website for credit recommendations, all of these subjects seem to be 3 credits worth, any one can confirm? I was also unable to find out if these courses would be letter graded at Excelsior?

3. Are there any drawbacks, taking these courses instead of CLEP/DSST/ECE exams, like for example being all lower level - would that be a problem for admissions into a graduate program?

I've read in one of the threads that Excelsior will take the lower level credit for the core subjects, but I'm not sure if this will affect admissions into graduate schools.

My apologies if these issues have been raised before.

[gcalvin]

I would say try the exams first. You can always take the course if the exam doesn't go well. Having said that, only you can know whether you have the knowledge to make a decent effort at the exam.

Of the exams you listed, I've only taken one -- CLEP College Algebra. I scored a 76, but I definitely used all the time available. I studied algebra in high school thirty years ago, so I needed a little review, but it mostly came back to me. If you can score over 60% on the Official Guide practice exam, then go ahead and take that one.

I took ECE Statistics rather than DSST. I definitely had trouble in some areas of the exam, but managed to score an A anyway. I worked through Statistics Demystified which you can read online at books.google.com. It was an easy and quick read, and great for what it covered, but it was weak in a couple areas. If you're just looking for a pass on the DSST, it's probably good enough to get you through.

I haven't taken Principles of Finance yet. I will probably do that one in a couple weeks. It is an upper-level exam, so I don't expect it to be easy. This may be one where you're better off just doing the Penn Foster course.

I just received Penn Foster Financial Accounting, and I have Managerial Accounting on back order. I intend to study with the Penn Foster material, and then take the DSST Financial Accounting exam, since I don't like waiting for results. It's a little bit expensive, but the course fee is not much more than you might pay for a good textbook. I did the first lesson yesterday, and the materials are very nice. Since there is no Managerial Accounting exam, I'll have to use the Penn Foster for that. I just hope it gets here quick!

[skyfall123]

I took both Technical Math 1 (College Algebra) and Financial Mgmt from Penn Foster. If you do a site search on both Penn Foster and Technical Math you should pull up quite a few threads that go in depth for each subject. They show up on your transcript officially as a P with no effect on the GPA, and they also show the letter grade (unofficially) in parenthesis after the course, same as the CLEP scores.

I personally liked the Penn Foster program. It contained little fluff and allowed you to go at your own pace. To speed up the process, line up a proctor and send in the form as soon as you receive your materials. It does not have to be a college test center, just a non-relative with a associates degree...I used my sons girlfriend who recently graduated from UCF. Technical Math took me a little over a month since I had to retake the final and Fin Mgmt took less than three weeks.

Each course cost $165 plus $20 for the proctor fee.

If you haven't completed the Information Literacy requirement yet, then I would definately go the Penn Foster route for that. It will cost you just $75.

The fact that I completed the Fin Mgt requirement through Penn Foster vs. the UL DANTES test was a non-issue in getting an Excelsior Business degree.

[gus]

Thank you guys for the feedback! It's good to know that you've had such positive experience.

Gcalvin - I saw your scores in another thread and I must say you put mine to shame (and I thought my scores were relatively good)!

Geezer - Thanks for the IL tip. Unfortunately, I already have it in my bag (for $250)

So far, Penn Foster looks good and affordable, but I still wonder if there will be any implications when applying to graduate schools (the fact that Penn Foster is not regionally accredited, although the courses have ACE recommendations).

Thanks again for all the feedback!