Personal conundrum...just thinking out loud.

[NAP]

Hi Mongoose!

I agree with Old Rusty Pipe. Look at the Big 3 and pick the degrees that interest you the most. Then figure out if you can get any of those within your timetable.

I also agree with Jennifer (Cookderosa) that you will have new opportunities that will present themselves when you complete your degree.

I think I have an idea that could help, but I may be misunderstanding something here. Are you saying that if you got 30 credits on the Literature GRE (12 Lower Level and 18 Upper Level), you would lose some of the Upper Level credits because you already have Lower Level (I assume) credits that would overlap with the GRE? If so, I don’t think this would be true.

I was surprised to see how Excelsior treats the credits as 2 separate components – LL and UL. Look at this post: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...#post45130 Alissa just earned the full 30 credits (12 LL and 18 UL) for the Psychology GRE. She had a duplicate Lower Level course worth 4 credits. Excelsior took the overlapping credit off of the Lower Level GRE credit so now her transcript says 8LL and 18 UL credits for the GRE.

Also, look at this post by Alissa: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...#post42647 Excelsior told her that the Literature GRE does NOT overlap with the Analysis and Interpreting Literature CLEP. Excelsior may also have told her that earning the full 30 credits on the Literature GRE would be enough for their Literature in English major, but I’m not sure if she had other classes that are counting towards that. You’ll need to verify that information for your situation.

The Literature GRE would be an inexpensive way to try for the UL credits in a topic you like. If you would get the full 30 credits (18UL) on the GRE, you would only need 12 more UL credits, 3 of which you would need for a depth requirement anyway, and it looks like you already have a certificate planned for the rest.

[mongoose65]

NAP, thanks for the excellent reply. I will double check with Excelsior about the LL/UL situation. They did confirm that I wouldn't duplicate the A&I Lit CLEP, but I have 12 LL credits transferred in from my B&M school. If they would cancel out 12 LL and still give the 18 UL that does change the equation a bit. For what it's worth, they told me I'd get 12 LL and 6 UL for the GRE Lit. I'll ask them to clarify.

On the other hand, I started studying for the psych GRE. I don't know if it's doable or not but I'm doing it anyway! Between Psych and Lit, they are both pretty boring! Is there a way to get credits for changing a diaper and watching the football game cause those were the biggest accomplishments of my weekend!

[barcotta]

Wow, Michael, we are "brothers from different mothers!" My own alter-ego out on the left coast! I am glad I started this thread or I would not have found your "degree journey" post which is enlightening.

I am in entirely the same boat. I did not need the degree, paid for it myself and have little patience for the red tape associated with school (even the red tape of "portfolio based assessments") that you wrote about.

Part of this game for me is to get the most credits for the least amount of money and fewest exams. I am going for the Psych GRE and a cheesy certification that costs $335 bucks and has the potential for 26 credits (29 but 3 are duplicated at EC) so I am gunning for 56 credits for $465 and 4 months of studying. Even if I don't max out on scores, it's still a good amount of credits just for doing above average. It's not exactly a free lunch as most know the Psych GRE is no picnic and the other exam is a 4 parter taken over 2 days with over 700 questions! The good part is it's 4 modules and passing any of them gets the credits for that module. They are ACE approved and I already cleared it with EC.

Like you, for what a cheap (like there is such a thing) MBA would do, it doesn't seem worth it and doesn't sound like much fun.

If I ever decide what I want to be when I grow up, I'll think about a grad program then. Hopefully one that will accept a smooth talker with a 2.5 gpa!!

Good luck on the GRE. I think that's a GREAT approach. I would have done the same thing had I realized how attainable a good result is. By the time I figured that out, I already had a bunch of psych CLEPS under my belt and didn't need any more credit in that area. Just use all your resources and absorb as much as you can over the next four months (I think you mean 4/09 as your target date in your signature...).

Make sure you keep us all posted on your progress and result. Good luck!

[alissaroot]

I also want to wish you good luck on the Psych GRE. You can do it!

Also, if you do find out a way to get credit for changing diapers, let me know because I have a lot of experience in that.

[Katterina]

I would say to go with the degree that sounds best to you, as they all seem to have similar utility. Will you have the same amount of personal satisfaction with a BA in Literature as you would a BA in Psychology or BA in Liberal Studies? This will be the major you will be listing on resumes, telling people about, and looking at when your diploma is hanging on the wall. If it makes no difference at all, I'd do whatever is quickest and jump into grad school.

Something to consider as well: EC offers "Areas of Focus" that are basically 21 credit concentrations that you can add to your degree. If they offer a Lit focus, you could do a BA Psychology or BA Liberal Studies with a focus in Literature if you still wanted that component recognized on your transcript.

I ended up switching from a BS Psychology major to a BS in Liberal Studies with focuses in Psychology and Health Professions. It was faster to complete and I concluded that either degree would have the same utility for me. Plus a BS Psychology and MS Psychology sounded a bit redundant to me.