Looking into language teaching related degrees

[davewill]

I would suggest using SpanTran as the most obvious source of a hopefully-favorable evaluation. But there is a list of evaluators that TESU accepts here: https://www.tesu.edu/admissions/apply-in...al-student

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out the options there. I've also been looking at all the top results on google for conversion-to-GPA (by country) to get a feel for how this could go. 

Assuming I have grades that fall between C and A in five or six classes (eligible grades for transfer),  can I expect most of those to be applicable to my degree in some way shape, or form? Or would a pass in, say, Physics 1 be virtually useless in terms of netting RA for an English degree? 

That is to say, is the credit valid regardless of the subject? Either way, it would be reasonable to assume that at least two or three of the subjects are likely to be equivalencies (the ones with good grades, as luck would have it).

Yes, in general it is all useful. Every degree needs general education credits, and has room for free electives. That Physics course can fulfill a science GenEd or at least an elective slot. If you had a ton of credit, then some of it might not fit, but with only 5 or 6 classes, I'm confident it would all find a home somewhere in your degree.

[rachel83az]

I agree with davewill. It'll all be useful in some way. As long as everything is C or better, it'll transfer. A C- or D might only go into electives, though. You can read the full grade transfer policy here: https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/current/...n-grading/

[aperantosbias]

Yes, in general it is all useful. Every degree needs general education credits, and has room for free electives. That Physics course can fulfill a science GenEd or at least an elective slot. If you had a ton of credit, then some of it might not fit, but with only 5 or 6 classes, I'm confident it would all find a home somewhere in your degree.

That's great to hear. Thanks for explaining this.

I agree with davewill. It'll all be useful in some way. As long as everything is C or better, it'll transfer. A C- or D might only go into electives, though. You can read the full grade transfer policy here: https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/current/...n-grading/

Also fantastic news. I was under the impression that grades lower than a flat C were pretty much ignored. It would of course be quite annoying if half of my courses (grades) were not eligible for RA, but it seems like a fair enough policy. And if google's best "conversion charts" are all seemingly in agreement (and based on reality rather than some weird conspiracy), I might be looking at all C's and up. Fingers crossed.

Uni #2 emailed me today asking for some info, so it seems like they will be able to send me my transcript without any hitches. From what I have gathered, I'll have to do some paperwork to get both institutions to make the documents official and send them along to an evaluation service. There may be another option that involves sending scanned copies (of the legalized documents) & opting for the evaluation service to contact my schools; I'm still working my way through the details involved.

One question I was having trouble investigating for myself is the following: I am assuming that foreign (I.E. Finnish) transcripts should be evaluated as well as translated by the evaluation provider, is this correct? Maybe the evaluation service is sufficient so I thought I would ask. Oh, and is there a particular reason why SpanTran may be regarded as an obvious suggestion? Just wondering if it was something general or if it had to do with TESU.

Everyone has been incredibly helpful in making all this preliminary work much less daunting, I am genuinely grateful.

[dfrecore]

TESU will take D grades and above - although you can't have anything less than a C in English Comp I or II, or in the AoS. So even if you took an English Lit course and got a D, you could still use it in the GE Humanities area. A C- or D in Physics would give you your GE Science area. A D in Math would still fulfill the Quantitative Literacy section. So you should be good to go. Bring ALL of your courses in and if you tell me what they are, I will tell you where TESU will put them.

[rachel83az]

I think you do need to have it translated, yes. SpanTran has a link to a preferred translation service, so you can get an estimate of cost beforehand.

SpanTran because I don't recall hearing anything bad about them (though I haven't googled to see what people are saying elsewhere). They should also have familiarity with evaluating transcripts from Spanish speaking companies. ACEI we know will be okay with emailed official transcripts (I don't remember if anyone contacted SpanTran about this). Other companies, like WES, have a bit of a god complex. They are very strict on how they receive transcripts and often provide unfavorable outcomes for students. In some cases, they have claimed that foreign graduate degrees from certain countries are only equivalent to a HS diploma or maybe an Associate undergrad.

[aperantosbias]

TESU will take D grades and above - although you can't have anything less than a C in English Comp I or II, or in the AoS.  So even if you took an English Lit course and got a D, you could still use it in the GE Humanities area.  A C- or D in Physics would give you your GE Science area.  A D in Math would still fulfill the Quantitative Literacy section.  So you should be good to go.  Bring ALL of your courses in and if you tell me what they are, I will tell you where TESU will put them.

Cool.  I'm mostly concerned with getting RA, so barring some terrible luck (C's somehow become D-'s), I should be OK like you said.

I think I'm just gonna get everything evaluated once I get in touch with the departments in charge of making the transcripts official. If they can send the documents directly by email that seems like it might be quicker or cheaper,  and SpanTran allows it.

I think you do need to have it translated, yes. SpanTran has a link to a preferred translation service, so you can get an estimate of cost beforehand.

SpanTran because I don't recall hearing anything bad about them (though I haven't googled to see what people are saying elsewhere). They should also have familiarity with evaluating transcripts from Spanish speaking companies. ACEI we know will be okay with emailed official transcripts (I don't remember if anyone contacted SpanTran about this). Other companies, like WES, have a bit of a god complex. They are very strict on how they receive transcripts and often provide unfavorable outcomes for students. In some cases, they have claimed that foreign graduate degrees from certain countries are only equivalent to a HS diploma or maybe an Associate undergrad.

You are correct. I found more information on the fees section of their site. It states that you can indeed have schools email your transcript to them directly (this counts as verification as well, I believe).

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Are there Sophia courses that almost always count towards a degree/English degree at TESU? I figure if there are a handful of subjects that are very likely to be on the list I get from an advisor in written form, I could start preparing for some of them beforehand. 

I have read that upon receiving a degree plan the subjects get "locked in" so to speak, and that it would still be best to run the Sophia courses I plan to do by said advisor to make sure they accept them/something probably won't change before I transfer them. Just wondering if there are any staple courses worth preparing for while I wait out all the pre-application stuff.

[rachel83az]

Never ever contact a TESU advisor about alt credit! (Exceptions for the direct question "will XYZ course work in ABC place for my degree?" when nobody else has reported a previous transfer.) They will get confused and they're only equipped to answer questions about courses that TESU itself offers. You'll get wrong answers.

There is no need to contact the advisors, either. We know where most Sophia courses go (there are a couple of newer courses that haven't yet been transferred to TESU). We know how Study.com works. We've got a good grasp of Coopersmith.

Check out the gen ed degree plan here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap
The English-specific plan here (no Sophia courses): https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
And the equivalency list here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/So...lency_List

English Comp I & II are a bit frustrating at Sophia. It's generally recommended to complete them at Study.com instead because it'll be faster/easier and with more consistent grading. If you do want to attempt them at Sophia, make sure to pair them with courses with 2 or fewer Touchstones (assignments). This way, you're not stuck doing nothing while you wait for grades in both open classes.

[aperantosbias]

Never ever contact a TESU advisor about alt credit! (Exceptions for the direct question "will XYZ course work in ABC place for my degree?" when nobody else has reported a previous transfer.) They will get confused and they're only equipped to answer questions about courses that TESU itself offers. You'll get wrong answers.

There is no need to contact the advisors, either. We know where most Sophia courses go (there are a couple of newer courses that haven't yet been transferred to TESU). We know how Study.com works. We've got a good grasp of Coopersmith.

Check out the gen ed degree plan here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap
The English-specific plan here (no Sophia courses): https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
And the equivalency list here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/So...lency_List

English Comp I & II are a bit frustrating at Sophia. It's generally recommended to complete them at Study.com instead because it'll be faster/easier and with more consistent grading. If you do want to attempt them at Sophia, make sure to pair them with courses with 2 or fewer Touchstones (assignments). This way, you're not stuck doing nothing while you wait for grades in both open classes.

Makes sense. I was under the impression that some of the equivalencies (or the subjects you will have to take at TESU) are liable to change until you get them locked in (sent to you, preferably in written form)...anyway, this is good.  I'll use those wikis to start working out a game plan. Thanks

edit: should I be selective about which of those I should choose and take before applying? Beyond the fact that some are easier than others/harder than their in-uni counterpart. And of course, keeping in mind that the ones with Touchstones should be done one at a time and paired with courses you can more or less breeze through. Are there courses in the GE part, for example, that might not count towards my degree, for whatever reason? Or are these lists (TESU BA example plan, TESU GE example plan, etc) fairly safe/stable?

[rachel83az]

At any time, TESU can change what they accept a course as. However, unless you've already finished it and transferred it in, the promise of an advisor doesn't mean that much.

This is why we advise TESU students to become fully enrolled ASAP by spending $52 on the Medical Terminology TECEP (but NOT taking it). Paying for the TECEP unlocks full enrollment, which means unlimited transcript evaluations. As long as you send in your newly completed courses every month or two, you'll be pretty well-insulated against any changes that TESU might make.

[aperantosbias]

At any time, TESU can change what they accept a course as. However, unless you've already finished it and transferred it in, the promise of an advisor doesn't mean that much.

This is why we advise TESU students to become fully enrolled ASAP by spending $52 on the Medical Terminology TECEP (but NOT taking it). Paying for the TECEP unlocks full enrollment, which means unlimited transcript evaluations. As long as you send in your newly completed courses every month or two, you'll be pretty well-insulated against any changes that TESU might make.

Thanks, this is perfect. Then it would make sense to go ahead and apply soon. Sending batches of courses every one to two months would leave my mind at ease regarding these last few questions. I didn't know you could send evaluations after enrolling, or that there isn't a limit. So in the event that I would have to wait a month or so for my transcripts to get legalized, sent, evaluated, etc., I'd still be able to take Sophia courses and send them in every month or two? I would of course avoid the ones that have a decent chance of being covered by one of my transcripts.