Overwhelmed Newbie! Where to start?

[CiggyTardust]

Hello all!  First of all I want to thank you all for the wealth of information that you've all contributed to here.  It's been quite an eye-opener and an inspiration.  Here's my situation:  

I have 36 credits under my belt so far.  Over a decade ago I dropped out of school and now I want to finish by testing out (CLEP is what I'm most familiar with but I'll go with whatever is most expedient, cost effective and fast).  I've been combing through this forum trying to make sense of it all and I'm a bit overwhelmed.  From what I can gather in "The Basic Approach," my best bet is to get an evaluation from TESU (this seems to be the most recommended option of the Big 3 here) by submitting my transcript and seeing where to start.  From there I'll be able to see what transfers and what I still need to complete my Bachelor's degree.  At this point I haven't settled on a degree yet but know I just want to get it done ASAP.  It's held me back long enough.  I'm generally great at tests but hate attending traditional classes so this looks to be my best bet.  Here are my main questions for you folks:

1) Am I correct that obtaining an evaluation from TESU is the best first step?
2) Can I pick any BS or BA from TESU or am I limited to certain ones?  
3) I've seen that I can enroll now or wait and enroll later.  Not sure of the pros and cons of either approach but I do want to get started on this journey ASAP.  What does locking in a catalogue mean exactly?  Will I have to pay tuition if I enroll first?

Thanks for any help you can offer!  I plan to be an active part of this community in this new year.   

P.S. my unofficial transcript is attached if that's helpful

[Ideas]

Only some of the degrees can be tested out of. That means some of them are quicker and cheaper than others. It may be worth the extra time and money if you want a certain degree. The cheapest and quickest is usually the BA in Liberal Studies. The BS in Business Administration is popular.

[davewill]

Yes, you can by all means go ahead and apply to TESU and send them your transcripts. However they will take at least a month after they receive your transcripts, so you want to dig in on things you know you need while you wait.

Looking at your credits, you can really go in any direction. The BALS is the most flexible, however if you have business experience, the BSBA can be nearly as quick. Both of those can be fully done with alternative credit (test out). Some others can also be done, some with a couple of courses from regular schools, but still online. If we know what interests you, we can better guide you.

[cookderosa]

It looks like you earned credits from 2 colleges if I'm reading that right. If that's true, you'll need to request an official transcript from BOTH (or all) colleges and send them to TESU for evaluation.

Welcome to the forum! It is overwhelming at first, but between today and the time TESU evaluates your credits, you'll probably already have more credit to add

[mysonx3]

With regard to what degree you can get, you can get any degree from the big 3 and take significant advantage of alternate credits, but, as others have mentioned, some degrees will be more difficult than others. The best way to find out about a specific degree is to ask. There's a good chance the degree you're looking at has been discussed on here, or if not there are people here who are knowledgeable enough to be able to eyeball the degree requirements and tell you what the sticking points will be.

[dfrecore]

I wouldn't necessarily recommend TESU, if you haven't decided on the degree you want first. My recommendations are BALS or BSBA at either TESU or COSC (the price for BALS or BSBA is the same if starting from scratch at either school; either way you go, COSC will be cheaper, but TESU may be a bit easier to get free credits), or a degree from WGU if you want IT, Business, or something else. But I think choosing the degree is a better first step than spending $75+ on an evaluation. Here's my advice:
1) Choose a degree
2) Choose a school, or at least narrow it down to 2 choices
3) I can do a recommendation for which school would be cheapest from there, including a degree plan for you (free)

THEN, you can decide which school you want. But until you spend some time looking at the schools and degrees, it's best not to apply just yet.

Also, since some of your credits are transfers, as cookderosa said, you need to post the courses you earned from that first school separately. All of the courses labeled "ELEC" will need to have the original info - it's not helpful to call a course "elective" and hope you can get info on it.

Post your credits in a little more user-friendly manner to get more help:

School A (including quarter-system or semester-system)
Course #, course name, Number of credits, grade if less than a C

School B (including quarter-system or semester-system)
Course #, course name, Number of credits, grade if less than a C

This will make it easier for us to give better advice on which school to go to.

[CiggyTardust]

Post your credits in a little more user-friendly manner to get more help:

School A (including quarter-system or semester-system)
Course #, course name, Number of credits, grade if less than a C

School B (including quarter-system or semester-system)
Course #, course name, Number of credits, grade if less than a C

This will make it easier for us to give better advice on which school to go to.

Thanks for all the helpful replies, everyone.  I will say that my main priority is just getting the credential--subject doesn't matter much to me.  A general approach like Liberal Arts seems like it would work well for my career needs at this point as my advancement opportunities are only due to lacking the piece of paper.  If BSLA is fastest, easiest and potentially most affordable, I will go with that.  Now @dfrecore, thank you for offering to help with a specific plan.  I went ahead and tried to simplify my coursework as much as possible below.  Basically I attended Taylor University back in 2004/2005 and transferred to Daytona State College in 2016 for their AA program.  All grades are above D with the exception of two.  Let me know if this makes sense:

School 1:  Taylor University - Semester System (2004-2005)

Course:  BIB 110, Biblical Literature I, 3 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 3 Credits

Course:  CAC 125, Sem I New Majors Orientation, 1 Credit
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 1 Credit

Course:  CAS 120, Interpersonal Communication, 3 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 3 Credits

Course: IAS 101, New Student Orientation, 1 Credit
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 1 Credits

Course: POS 222, Comparative Politics, 3 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as: CPO 2001, Comparative Government, 3 Credits

Course:  CAM 150, Basic Reporting for Media WR, 3 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 3 Credits

Course:  CAS 110,  Public Speaking, 3 Creditsr
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  SPC 2608 Oral Communications/Research, 3 Credits

Course:  COS 104, Computing & Info Concepts, 2 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:   ELEC 2999, Elective/AA Degree, 2 Credits

Course:  ECO 202, Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 Credits
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ECO 2013, Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 Credits

Course: Eng 110, Expository Writing, 3 Credits, Grade of D
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ENC 1101 Introduction to Composition
Repeated in 2016: Not included in GPA

Course:  IAS 252, Develop Processes Leadership, 1 Credit, Grade of D
Transferred to Term Summer 2016 as:  ELEC 2999, Elective AA Degree, 1 Credit

School 2:  Daytona State College (Summer 2016)

Program:  Associate of Arts AA Degree

Course:  ENC 1101, Introduction to Composition, 3 Credits (Replacing D Grade Eng 110)
Course:  MAT 1033, Intermediate Algebra, 4 Credits

Total Credits earned:  33 (I thought it was 36 but it's actually 33 I think)

[bjcheung77]

I would recommend deciding on a degree, applying and getting your credits sent over to TESU if they're your first choice. It won't really matter if you haven't decided on the BALS or BSBA, as almost 90 credits can be used for either degree - 60 form the general education credits alone. You have 27 Free Electives for the BALS that can be in anything you want as long as it's not developmental courses. While waiting for the evaluation, work on the FREE courses and your general education courses that apply to either degree.

[CiggyTardust]

I would recommend deciding on a degree, applying and getting your credits sent over to TESU if they're your first choice.  It won't really matter if you haven't decided on the BALS or BSBA, as almost 90 credits can be used for either degree - 60 form the general education credits alone.  You have 27 Free Electives for the BALS that can be in anything you want as long as it's not developmental courses.  While waiting for the evaluation, work on the FREE courses and your general education courses that apply to either degree.

Thank you!  I've pored over your resources and it's all been super helpful.  Are all the free resources listed here up-to-date and applicable to BALS at TESU?  I am leaning toward the Liberal Arts degree right now.  

Also, what would you say the main differences are between CLEP testing vs. online testing?  I live close to several testing centers so it wouldn't be an issue getting to them.  Ideally I want to test out of as much as possible (as testing is my strength) and avoid coursework through all this.

And would you say I should sign up for ACE and begin banking credits right away or can that wait?

[allvia]

If testing is your strength and you live near a CLEP center - I say CLEP as much as you can, especially since Modern States allows you to take them for free (https://modernstates.org).  All are LL, but a good selection of Gen Eds and/or Free Electives for the BALS.

Online testing is done remotely via webcam proctoring, so you don't have to leave the house.  The options start at $9 per class/exam (LL credits - ie: onlinedegree) and tend to land around $100 per course/exam (LL & UL ie: Study.com) - although some degrees outside the BALS and BSBA do have requirements that currently require most costly options.