Other good option for me?

[Ncerva]

Hello everyone,

I am planning on attending UMPI this fall pursuing a BA in History and Political Science with the focus in History. UMPI is pretty much the main University I have been learning about. It seems like I have all the GEC requirements besides 2D (creative expression). A for the major I would need to complete 9 more classes, which means I can finish at UMPI by completing10 classes. 

Is there another university that would fit well with what credits I have and accepts Pell grants as well? Is there an easier route to obtain a BA than the plan I have? 

My current job as an Interpreter for ASL offers a pay increase and stipend for obtaining a BA.  
Big thanks to anyone that has any advice or suggestions either for UMPI or another university 

Your Location: 

Central Valley, California, United States. 

Your Age: 
34 

What kind of degree do you want?: Looking at a quick degree in anything, open to suggestions. Currently leaning towards a History Degree from UMPI  

Current Regional Accredited Credits: 19 

Eastern Gateway Community College: 16 Credits-GPA 4.0 
ASL 1 (3) (PLA not sure if these will transfer 
ASL 2 (3) (PLA not sure if these will transfer )
English Comp 1-ENG 101 (3) A
English Comp 2-ENG 102 (3) A
Public Speaking-COM 101 (3) A
Succeeding in College (1) A

Cypress College: 3 credits-GPA 3.0 
ASL interpreting Practicum (3) B 

Pierpont BOG AAS: 
I recently sent in all my transcripts and am waiting for confirmation for AAS. I haven’t yet chosen an AOE, open to suggestions with what I have. I pursed the AAS mainly to receive a pay stipend and increase from work.  

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 

Sophia Credits: 48 
Human Biology (3) 89%
Biology Lab (1) 96%
Developing Effective teams (1) 82%
College Algebra (3) 90%
Essentials of Managing Conflict (1) 92%
Intro to Information Technology (3) 93%
Intro to Nutrition (3) 85%
Art History 1 (3) 90%
Art History 2 (3) 87%
Visual Communications (3) 92%
Workplace Communication (3) 95%
Intro to Business (3) 86%
Project Management (3) 87%
Environmental Science (3) 87%
Intro to Ethics (3) 87%
Macroeconomics (3) 82%
Intro to Web Development (3) 96%
US History 2 (3)  90%

StraighterLine Credits: 3
Western Civilization I (3) 80%

CLEP:
Spanish 1,2 (6) 57 
Humanities (3) 65 
History of U.S I (3) 65
Intro to Sociology (3) 72
Intro to Psychology (3) 60
Human growth and development (3) 65 
American Lit (3) 63
Analyzing and interpreting lit (3) 67
Biology (3) (6 at UMPI) 64 
Principles of Marketing (3) 71 
Principles of Management (3) 58
American Government (3) 53
Western Civilization II (3) 60 

Total Credits: 112 

Any certifications or military experience? 
2 ASL Interpreting Certificates (EIPA,ESSE) 
Also waiting on pass/fail results from the (NIC) certification exam. 

Budget: under $5000

Commitments: Honestly, just kids/spouse. I currently work full time and can work on my studies at work during downtime. All the coursework I have done so far besides 3 credits is at work during downtime. I can usually do  homework 2 or 3 hours a day at work and could do a little more when I get home. 

Dedicated time to study: I usually can do 2-3 hours a day and 1 or two more at night. Planning to start in the fall 2023.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I qualify for the max Pell grant $7395 for 23/24. 
Once I complete my BA my school district can pay for an MA if I wanted to pursue a teaching credential. 

[ss20ts]

Any reason you're waiting until the fall? If you apply today and get all of your transcripts sent right away you could start UMPI in July. File your FAFSA for UMPI today and get that application started!

[Ncerva]

Any reason you're waiting until the fall? If you apply today and get all of your transcripts sent right away you could start UMPI in July. File your FAFSA for UMPI today and get that application started!

Thanks for the reply. Working for a school district I have the summers off with the family and have some trips planned. Once fall comes around I can give school my full attention.

[rachel83az]

Regarding Pierpont, I would certainly talk to Nancy Parks about possible AoE choices. I see you took the Spanish CLEP, which is supposed to be difficult for people who aren't native speakers. Are you fluent in Spanish? If so, you could take an ACTFL exam or two to get an AoE in Spanish.

[ss20ts]

Thanks for the reply. Working for a school district I have the summers off with the family and have some trips planned. Once fall comes around I can give school my full attention.

You can still apply now for the fall session 1. This will give you plenty of time to get through the process and all of your transcripts be evaluated. It does take a few weeks for everything to be processed. It can be 3 weeks or longer so I'd start it now so you're not left trying to cram it all in. Some students have waited to the deadlines on the website and had to wait for the next session because they have not been admitted during those 2 weeks.

[davewill]

Thanks for the reply. Working for a school district I have the summers off with the family and have some trips planned. Once fall comes around I can give school my full attention.

You can still apply now for the fall session 1. This will give you plenty of time to get through the process and all of your transcripts be evaluated. It does take a few weeks for everything to be processed. It can be 3 weeks or longer so I'd start it now so you're not left trying to cram it all in. Some students have waited to the deadlines on the website and had to wait for the next session because they have not been admitted during those 2 weeks.

It will also let you find out if those two PLAs come in. If you find you can squeeze in a few more alt credits, you'd have time to do them. You don't want to waste time during the term with that.

[Ncerva]

Regarding Pierpont, I would certainly talk to Nancy Parks about possible AoE choices. I see you took the Spanish CLEP, which is supposed to be difficult for people who aren't native speakers. Are you fluent in Spanish? If so, you could take an ACTFL exam or two to get an AoE in Spanish.

That's a great idea, thanks I will look into the ACTFL. I didn't know Spanish but I practiced religiously for two months before the CLEP exam. Since then I have been practicing still, so all together 5 months now and feel almost fluent.

[rachel83az]

I'm not sure if 5 months is enough to get a lot of credits for each ACTFL exam, but there are technically 4 of them for Spanish. I would start with the cheapest and stop when you get to 15 credits of Spanish (counting the CLEP). Counting your Spanish CLEP credits, you should, theoretically, be able to get to that with just one or two ACTFL exams.

[ss20ts]

With 112 credits I don't know that I would take the ACTFL exams. You can only receive credit for 90 credits at UMPI. You still have to complete a minimum of 30 credits at UMPI. You already have CLEP Spanish 1 & 2.

[rachel83az]

With 112 credits I don't know that I would take the ACTFL exams. You can only receive credit for 90 credits at UMPI. You still have to complete a minimum of 30 credits at UMPI. You already have CLEP Spanish 1 & 2.

Right; this would only be for the AoE at Pierpont. It's relatively fast, easy, and cheap (assuming fluency) compared to some other possible options.