Should COSC Lose Stand Alone Category Here?

[SophiaPrincess]

COSC's should be removed from the Big 3 and lose their stand-alone section here at DegreeForum.  Too many anti-student changes of late.  Not transfer-friendly.  COSC accepted just 46 Sophia credits out of 95 towards a bachelor's in business. Other universities to whom I applied, accepted between 81 and 87 credit hours. COSC reinstituted application fees and doesn't accept transcripts via Credly. 

COSC is a small school and accepts few transfer students. UMPI, Liberty University and UMGC are far more transfer-friendly. Liberty and UMGC accept huge numbers of transfer students. Big 5???

[ARG]

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

[davewill]

What made them part of the "Big3" and has kept WGU, UMPI and others out of it is the ability to transfer in 114 credits. Technically, that's still true, but practically, it seems out of reach.

Removing the sections here at the forum is problematic because it raises the question of what to do with the historical posts. Plus people DO still consider and even go there. It could be moved into a subforum or just lower on the main menu, I suppose.

[rachel83az]

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

How many of those 114 credits were RA?

[allvia]

COSC may not be a good fit for most people (currently, as things change), but as davewill pointed out, they still meet the criteria that makes them a Big3. As a reminder, those schools that are (more) popular here in 2023, are not a Big3 (by criteria) are 'simply' alt credit friendly - UMPI, SNHU, LU, PUG, UMCG, WGU, etc. It is only recently that this forum has opened up to offer Specific College Discussions to non-Big3 schools (when justified). There are still only three Big3 schools (EU, COSC, TESU) and that has remained constant.

[Kab]

COSC if still accept 114 should stay in the place it is, but we should be aware that you will need a lot of RA transfer credits (and Upper Level at that).
What appears to be clear by now is that they are not alternative credits friendly as they where in the past.

[Duneranger]

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

UMPI is having issues though now, they can't keep up with demand. More students flooding in without staffing increases will cause a quality drop.

[ARG]

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

How many of those 114 credits were RA?

I had taken 7 classes at a local community college, so 21. I also have licensure and certifications in real estate, certified nursing assistant, marketing, and substitute teaching. They did send me an email stating I'd get 9 credits for the real estate. I also have 37 Sophia classes and a few on Straighterline too. It was a terrible experience going back and forth between lack of communication and repeatedly asking me for information they already had. There was some annoyance with me following up or asking questions and I felt that they were overwhelmed and/or unorganized. After three of us who know each other and what our transcripts look like, all being told we'd get like 40-60 transfer credits when we all attempted to go for the 114 they are "known" to offer, was a waste of time. While I haven't received my official evaluation from UMPI either at this point, I did run my info through the forum and feel a lot more confident with the communication and process with the school up to this point. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but achieving the max 90 credit transfer into UMPI will likely happen for me, and my two friends who moved on from COSC.

---

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

How many of those 114 credits were RA?

I had taken 7 classes at a local community college, so 21. I also have licensure and certifications in real estate, certified nursing assistant, marketing, and substitute teaching. They did send me an email stating I'd get 9 credits for the real estate. I also have 37 Sophia classes and a few on Straighterline too. It was a terrible experience going back and forth between lack of communication and repeatedly asking me for information they already had. There was some annoyance with me following up or asking questions and I felt that they were overwhelmed and/or unorganized. After three of us who know each other and what our transcripts look like, all being told we'd get like 40-60 transfer credits when we all attempted to go for the 114 they are "known" to offer, was a waste of time. While I haven't received my official evaluation from UMPI quite yet, I did run my info through the forum and feel a lot more confident with the communication and process with the school up to this point. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but achieving the max 90 credit transfer into UMPI will likely happen for me, and my two friends who moved on from COSC.

---

I agree! I had a terrible experience with COSC and withdrew my application last week. Terrible communication, repeated emails, a bit of attitude, and coming in with over 114 credits, I was looking at about 40 on transfer. I was very confused and thought I met everything to take their two classes. In addition, I referred two other people to them to do the 114 transfer and they had the same experience. We've all applied to UMPI.

UMPI is having issues though now, they can't keep up with demand. More students flooding in without staffing increases will cause a quality drop.

I'm taking their growth and bandwidth issues into consideration, however there's no denying their great reputation for being a fantastic school. I have to say that the amount of times they respond to my emails promptly while this flood of growth is all taking place tells me these people care and work from a great existing foundation. It's no wonder people want to be here and thanks to social media, it's not a sleepy small town secret anymore. I'm confident they will scale as smoothly as possible and through the bumps will communicate. Communication has been key for me. Being part of the larger University of Maine system should give them support in their growing infrastructure as well. I have a little fear of missing out with this school myself, so I'm really looking forward to going here.

[bjcheung77]

That's right, basically, COSC is one of 3 that allow max transfer towards their degree, 114 along with TESU, 113 for Excelsior. I think we should just leave it as is, there can be options to add additional institutions if needed, the same way we added UMPI and Pierpont into the list...

In regards to UMPI, growing pains, they'll slowly yet surely make it better over time. I wouldn't mind recommending them as they still take the 90 credits alternative credit and 30 residency requirements, even though the system changed, it still is possible to finish in 2 sessions.

[davewill]

I would also add that things change. For a while it was Excelsior that was on the outs, and COSC was popular. COSC could be an approved alt provider away from being a solid choice for some degrees again.