Questions Regarding Post-Degree Credits

[SuZQ2]

Hi All,

Having finally completed my degree a few months ago, I find I'm still in "study mode" but not ready to think about/commit to a Masters Degree. However, I've been seriously thinking about taking a few courses "just for fun" to expand my knowledge in a subject I really enjoy (literature).

Does anyone have any experience with doing this? I was considering a couple of the Shmoop lit courses, but wondered what one does with these credits? Do you bank them with ACE? Do you ask to audit courses for no credit?

My $64,000 question is this - what happens if you actually FAIL a post-degree course and then decide to attempt another degree in the future? Do you need to disclose these credits along with your actual degree? I don't want to jeopardize my current GPA - (Yup, I'm a worrier :eek.

Thanks so much! eeya:

[Mamasaphire]

SuZQ2, I love your question(s)... I'm almost to the same point myself, and am interested to see what the answers are

[davewill]

If you didn't pass, you would just not put the course on your ACE transcript. If you take courses at an accredited university, then, yes, you would have to send in those transcripts. From a non-accredited source like SL or Shmoop, you wouldn't.

[AJ_Atlanta]

As I recall there are tools out there for colleges to look up your past performance from out colleges. It's obviously not %100 but honesty is always the best policy (I took my ethics class) and I would list any college classes.

Other classes, like SL or ACE ones not so much

[cookderosa]

Hi All,

Having finally completed my degree a few months ago, I find I'm still in "study mode" but not ready to think about/commit to a Masters Degree. However, I've been seriously thinking about taking a few courses "just for fun" to expand my knowledge in a subject I really enjoy (literature).

Does anyone have any experience with doing this? I was considering a couple of the Shmoop lit courses, but wondered what one does with these credits? Do you bank them with ACE? Do you ask to audit courses for no credit?

My $64,000 question is this - what happens if you actually FAIL a post-degree course and then decide to attempt another degree in the future? Do you need to disclose these credits along with your actual degree? I don't want to jeopardize my current GPA - (Yup, I'm a worrier :eek.

Thanks so much! eeya:

hummm.....good questions.

I have some post-degree loose credit. A handful of grad classes through Harvard Extension, a ton of sciences from Ocean County College, DSST, and an ALEKS math. These are all just existing - they aren't anywhere. My ALEKS is on my ACE, but I don't know. <shrug> I would expect, that like credit earned BEFORE you enroll, you'd also have to disclose - so yeah, GPA might be a factor. Of course, all the ACE classes and tests would be flat pass/fail for the majority of schools, so that wouldn't be a big deal. You'd have to have them put onto a transcript by a school that did grades for it to do anything to your GPA (I think EC still does grades for some DSST but not sure, I also think COSC does grades for SL)

EDIT to add: I agree with Dave, if it's from a college that's an entirely different situation than if you took an ACE class from a business. Those are NEVER part of the clearing house - only colleges.

I'm a huge school nerd, always learning too, but if you give Jennifer some homework - she's gunna need a grade to go with it....and then she's gunna want a degree.

[clep3705]

As I recall there are tools out there for colleges to look up your past performance from out colleges. Other classes, like SL or ACE ones not so much

Let's you have some degrees. You never use financial aid. You did FERPA blocks. You take a random course from a community college somewhere. You decide to get another degree at your 10th or 15th or whatever institution. What difference does it make if graduate school number 2 or 3 or 4 isn't told about the course in Esperanto you took at the University of Connecticut? I object to in loco parentis.

Or what if you return to do further graduate work to a previous institution for more graduate work after taking that Esperanto course? Technically you have to update your file by sending transcripts of all college work done since your last attendance. I'm in and out of two graduate schools and I don't provide updated transcripts. One graduate school doesn't even know about me attending the other one.

For a third graduate school, I told them I wasn't willing to provide transcripts from all of the schools I attended and wouldn't pay them any tuition if they insisted. They decided I only needed to send relevant transcripts. I know, this is an incredible story, one where common sense prevailed at an academic institution!

I understand the principle that if you have multiple F grades that maybe you aren't college material and that the college's resources would be squandered on you. But on the other hand, if the F grades were in Esperanto and Klingon from decades ago, what relevance is there? Your proposed graduate program in quantum physics doesn't need to know about the F in Esperanto. Okay, the F in Klingon might be relevant.

Much like there are consumer credit protections, it seems like you should have a right to know what the National Student Clearinghouse reports about you.

[SuZQ2]

Thanks, everyone for the insightful responses!

It sounds like if I take any courses/exams at a college, they must be included on a future transcript. Anything from non-traditional sources such as Shmoop, etc., would not.

While I don't see myself seeking a higher degree anytime soon, I always like to keep the door open. I'd hate to effectively ruin my 3.8 GPA by flunking a class in "Klingon 101" (great example, clep3705!).

[Life Long Learning]

Well said and I agree!

Much like there are consumer credit protections, it seems like you should have a right to know what the National Student Clearinghouse reports about you.

[videogamesrock]

Some schools like Rio Salado College give you the option to choose a grade of Pass instead of letter grades. I just took intro to Linguistics and chose the P option. P/F grades won't hurt your GPA. I believe AMU/APUS is another and NA schools could be a other option if your grad school doesn't recognize NA credit.

[videogamesrock]

A FERPA block will purge you from the NSC within 6 weeks.