Questions about testing

[KravGirl]

Hi everyone! I am 19 years old and was homeschooled from 3rd grade through my graduation at 16 years old. I've taken a couple of years to try different jobs to find out what I'd like to do as a career, and finally decided on Nutrition Science.

I started looking at regular universities first, then realized there was no way
I could afford to do all 4 years there! I then began looking at community
college for my Associate's Degree first, then continuing with a University after that. As I was preparing to join a community college, I realized that I could probably CLEP for a lot of subjects if I studied for them - I want to spend the LEAST amount of time around college atmosphere as possible. As I was preparing to study for the tests, a homeschool family told us about CollegePlus.org - where you use CLEP/DANTES to get your degree by studying for each test, then immediately testing and gaining credit for it to apply it towards your degree. I know there is some Lab work that will probably be required for me to do at a local college, but if I could do the majority of it through testing it would be so much better for me!

Has anyone used this site (or a similar one) or does anyone have any advice on the matter? I realize you could do it without the site (therefore avoiding the 'tuition'), but I'm a full time nanny as well as very active and I stay pretty busy when I'm not watching the kids, so I don't have the time to plan or get the resources necessary for it without assistance.

Thanks for any information anyone has for me!

[Kelsey]

Hi! I am 19 years old, have been homeschooled my entire life, and am currently enrolled with CollegePlus! I started their program just over a year ago and have 60 credits already using the CLEP/Dantes tests! I am exactly halfway through with my bachelors degree! I have had some friends that have taken a lot of CLEPs for credit without being enrolled in CollegePlus!, but when they went to transfer those credits to TESC (Thomas Edison State College) it took a lot of hassle and time and extra money and they almost couldn't get in! This is the college that CollegePlus uses because they do accept all CLEP/Dantes credits! I would highly recommend at least talking with an advisor from CollegePlus and seeing if they can help you! I am not sure with your degree how it would work since you will be required to do some lab work and such, because with my degree in Finance, after I finish testing out I will just take my last credits that I need for my degree online! But I highly suggest CollegePlus! They are really wonderful people who work with you however you learn best and they really want you to succeed and be the best that God has for you in your life! I hope that this helps you some! And since I am enrolled with them I have a promotional code that will give you a discount. If you decide to use them just message me and I would be glad to give it to you! Blessings ~Kelsey

[KravGirl]

Thank you so much! I will definitely message you if I decide to use it - sounds like a good program so far from the reviews I've been getting!

[MaieJaie]

Um, CollegePlus is RIDICULOUSLY expensive!!!

Per their website, "From start to finish, obtaining a bachelor’s degree through CollegePlus! costs $10,000–$15,000." CollegePlus! - What it costs

CollegePlus is a little sketchy, too. They use a ".org" website, which would imply that they are a non-profit organization, but they're actually just a for-profit business. That should raise an eyebrow and make you think twice.

Instead, why don't you take a look at the Big Three, as we call them on this site--Excelsior College, Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College--and plan out your degree yourself. If you need help studying for a CLEP/DANTES/other exam, then you can join InstantCert.com for $20 per month.

The majors that CollegePlus works with do not include Nutrition Science.
CollegePlus! - Majors Why work with a company that won't support your educational goals?

If you download the college's catalog, you can plan out your degree yourself. If you have any questions while doing so, you can post them on this forum and we'll help you.

I would urge you to reconsider using this business. You can get the same assistance here on this forum without spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily.

[Ruddigore]

Um, CollegePlus is RIDICULOUSLY expensive!!!

Per their website, "From start to finish, obtaining a bachelor’s degree through CollegePlus! costs $10,000–$15,000." CollegePlus! - What it costs

CollegePlus is a little sketchy, too. They use a ".org" website, which would imply that they are a non-profit organization, but they're actually just a for-profit business. That should raise an eyebrow and make you think twice.

[...]

I would urge you to reconsider using this business. You can get the same assistance here on this forum without spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily.

I have to agree: CollegePlus is quite expensive, considering what they do. It's really just a specialized counseling service. While I do know of some people who have greatly benefited from the use of CollegePlus -- but who knows if they would have been fine without it. The bottom line is, if you are completely unmotivated yet you want a degree like this, CollegePlus, Verity, or some form of accountability will become necessary. But chances are, if you've made it this far, KravGirl, you are at least somewhat motivated to achieve your goal without a CP counselor calling you up every week or so.

I'm not trying say that CollegePlus is useless. It can be very helpful, but if you do decide get it, at least wait until you've taken a few tests so that you have a better idea of your need for such a program. Or at least get your generals out of the way!

By the way, I'm 19 years old and a long-time homeschooler as well. Almost half my college career is completed thanks to IC, my parents, my library, and Wikipedia!

[MelB8tz]

The bottom line is, if you are completely unmotivated yet you want a degree like this, CollegePlus, Verity, or some form of accountability will become necessary. But chances are, if you've made it this far, KravGirl, you are at least somewhat motivated to achieve your goal without a CP counselor calling you up every week or so.

I'm not trying say that CollegePlus is useless. It can be very helpful, but if you do decide get it, at least wait until you've taken a few tests so that you have a better idea of your need for such a program. Or at least get your generals out of the way!

Right on! I'm the same age as all of you. CollegePlus is excellent and I have several friends who are using them. Note that they are truly there to mentor, motivate, and help your progress. If I could have their help, I'd probably go for it. But I've decided to do it on my own, to save the money. $2,000 or whatever is an awful lot of CLEP tests, and I'd rather use that money to take tests and fail every one of them, and then know what to study for the second time around. But that's just me

So far I've passed every CLEP and DSST and am inching my way closer to 60 credit hours by December (started in late July, so that's 5 1/2 months time). I'm very excited, and give almost all the credit to these forums. They are a lifesaver to the do-it-yourselfer. The information in these forums is gold, and all you need to CLEP out of your first 1-2 years of college, or get your entire degree. For me, I read through college catalogs (esp. TESC's since I'm going with them) and read forum posts, collaborating all the information until I understood the layout of it all, and how basic it really is--once it finally makes some sense. Reading all the success stories here is enough to give you plenty of confidence that this truly CAN be done!

Granted, it sounds like you are looking for a more specific degree which will be more specialized than those getting a general BA or BS like most of us. But if you're motivated to mount your horsey and get on this stuff, you can definitely do it yourself. But you have to want to

So, Godspeed! Find your motivation, figure out your resources, and good luck! You can do it, for sure! No matter what you choose.

Personal rant: I love doing things solo, going against the flow, and figuring stuff out. There is so much fear in our culture of needing "trained professionals" to do things, needing "counselors," "teachers," "professional midas guys to change your oil." It's a farce. We are called to be excellent. Knowledge--knowing book stuff--is one thing. It's intellectual dependance on books, teachers, etc. But education--now that's something big. Education is using the knowledge we've gained, big or small, to develop ourselves and our own perspective instead of taking someone's word for it. Education is intellectual independence. Education is the curiosity and inclination to figure life out with the brain God's given us. The degree we're all going for is just a piece of paper; the route we took to get it? That's big. Way to be guys, keep it up.

[Scholar Interrupted]

CollegePlus is indeed ridiculously expensive. If you don't mind spending a little extra money for the convenience of knowing your school of choice will accept the credits you're earning toward the degree of your choice, why not just go ahead and enroll with the school itself? I'm not sure about TESC, but with Excelsior, you'd pay a $400 annual student services fee ($1,200 the first year for enrollment) in exchange for a full evaluation of your credits and the services of a faculty advisor who can help guide you. I assume CollegePlus provides something beyond those services, but for test feedback and finding the right study materials, you're far better off here on the IC boards and with a $20/month IC membership. You sound like a very mature, well-educated, and disciplined adult who should have no trouble getting her degree without paying through the nose. Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[KravGirl]

Thanks everyone who has replied so far! Nice to hear from so many people!

I will definitely check out the 3 colleges mentioned and see if I couldn't plan it out myself. This forum seems to be a great place for motivation and information, so I think I might be able to do this after-all!

I didn't realize that the Counselors at CollegePlus! were there for mainly that reason - I thought they would be a lot more involved - more like an instructor/professor. That would indeed be a wonderful thing if you aren't very motivated, but I can motivate myself most of the time, especially when it's something I'm excited about!

All of the information I've received in this post alone has been immensely helpful; I can't wait to get deep into the forum posts and get even more info!

Thanks again everyone, God bless!