Just starting questions

[justlearning]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading through the forums and have gotten most of my questions answered but have a couple I'm not sure of.

-I have an associates nursing degree currently from a cc. When I send my transcripts will I be told what will transfer without actually enrolling?
-Once I receive this information can I start taking the clep, dsst etc and send the completed results to them without paying the enrollment fee? I'm hoping to do this as economically as possible and would prefer not to pay a second year of fees. Once sent, how long will they actually be kept before I must enroll?
-My degree is from 20 years ago and I read for the TESC business degree they want 10 or less. I'm not sure if that is for all credits or just for business credits?

I hope these are questions that someone can help with. I know they are rather specific. I chatted with Excelsior but was rather put off. They didn't want to answer any questions, just kept saying to send in my transcripts and money for answers. They also kept directing me to take some ece classes rather than clep or dsst. (I had said I wanted to take a couple tests before enrolling since I've been out of school for so long) It was a little frustrating.

Thank you much!

[bldclot2]

-I have an associates nursing degree currently from a cc. When I send my transcripts will I be told what will transfer without actually enrolling? Yes, as long as you pay the application fee, which is about $75 or so.

-Once I receive this information can I start taking the clep, dsst etc and send the completed results to them without paying the enrollment fee? Yes, they will hold on to transcripts for about 6 months.

I'm hoping to do this as economically as possible and would prefer not to pay a second year of fees. Once sent, how long will they actually be kept before I must enroll? 6 months, but I've heard that you can call and have that extended. Also, you can start taking CLEP/DSST before you even apply, just work on your degree plan and post it on the forum and the great folks here can help you workout kinks. What degree are you seeking?

-My degree is from 20 years ago and I read for the TESC business degree they want 10 or less. I'm not sure if that is for all credits or just for business credits? Probably for Business and computer credits, but the only way to find out is getting an evaluation.

[justlearning]

Thanks for your reply! I've been pouring over this site, and the big 3 to determine what will be best. I am interested in a BSBA, most likely from TESC. I'm still wavering on that though. What I think will still be needed (without actually having my transcripts sent over yet) is:

Managerial Business Communications (3) Tesc guided study course, not sure if there is another way to do this, prefer to not take a course.
Macroeconomics (3) clep
Microeconomics (3) clep
Precalculus Mathematics or Quantitative Business Analysis (3) clep
Principles of Statistics (3) dsst
Principles of Finance (3) dsst
Business Law (3) intro from clep or dsst business law 2, not sure which would qualify
Business in Society or International Management (3) tecep
Business Policy (3) tecep
Computer Concepts and Applications/Introduction to Computers/CIS (3) dsst
Introduction to Marketing (3) clep principles of marketing
Principles of Financial Accounting (3) clep
Principles of Management (3) clep
Principles of Managerial Accounting (3) straighterline
Money and Banking dsst
International Finance tecep
Marketing Research tecep
Human Resources Management dsst
Introduction to Operations Management tecep
Organizational Behavior tecep or dsst
Principles of Supervision - DSST
Intro to Business - DSST
Management Information Systems - DSST

Again, without having my transcript already there this is the best I can come up with. There are a couple that I'm just not sure which test is best to use.

[sanantone]

Give TESC a call and ask about the age-limit for credits.

Managerial Business Communications can be done through Straighterline.
Business Law I will work. Might as well go for the easier one.

[marianne202]

Just curious as to why the shift to business from medicine. You may get more mileage out of Excelsior's degree in healthcare management if you plan to stay in medicine but on the business side instead of the patient care side. This would enable you to use your nursing credits towards electives then add business related classes as well as use CLEP/DSST/ECE's for a faster, cheaper completion. This may give you more mileage out of existing credits. They also have a the new healthcare mgmt / MBA bridge if you want to go that route, which again may be faster than starting fresh with TESC. I also know EC will take old credits, as they took some of my EMS / business and english courses from the early 80's. EC is great to work with once you get an advisor, but I have heard their new "sales" offices are really putting students off since they are not actual academic advisors just sales people for the most part. Without a cursory review of your transcript and knowing your degree plans I wouldn't trust anything any school told you about courses you would need to complete or what they would accept in transfer. In that respect I think the $75 is well spent to get an actual academic eval. With that being said, remember until you officially enroll you are not locked into a degree and eval, so things are subject to change. I agree with getting as much done as you can before you officially enroll, but you can do the eval either way. Good luck!

[justlearning]

Ok, spoke with TESC. They were so much more helpful and friendlier than Excelsior

It appears they will accept credits older than 10 years with the exception of computer and business classes. I have none of those so everything should transfer if applicable to the degree.

sanantone, by business law 1 do you mean the introductory business law from clep? I can't seem to find a business 1 anywhere.

marianne202, thank you for your well thought out reply. i am just tired and rather burnt out with nursing and looking for something different. This is my struggle. Get a degree that will help to advance me in nursing/hospital setting or simply do something different. I am leaning toward the business degree just to have another direction to go.

I am really looking for a degree that interests me but can entirely, or very close to it, be completed with clep, dsst etc. Between job, kids, homeschooling, house, husband etc life is full.

I had pretty much decided on TESC since there is no capstone and I may also do the Associates degree with FEMA classes. I will send my transcripts over for an evaluation and see where it goes. I was told by TESC that they only allow 2 evaluations per $75 fee so not to send over any clep or dsst to them until I enroll. An evaluation is good for 6 months and I will want the second one before I enroll to make sure I am taking the right classes. If I send a clep or dsst it will count as one evaluation. Not sure if this matters or not. I may do the same for Excelsior since it may be much cheaper to do the degree there. Not sure about that either with the capstone requirement.

It is a little overwhelming simply trying to figure out the process.

[sanantone]

Sorry, I meant Introductory Business Law, which is the equivalent of Business Law I at colleges that call it that. It should be easier than taking DSST Business Law II.

Excelsior now has sales people? That sucks. What they could improve upon is answering more questions and providing more information without requiring enrollment. The evaluation I got from them was almost useless.

[marianne202]

Justlearning, it is overwhelming to go through the sea of information here and on the school websites. I truly wish the schools had better informed, more friendly front line employees. You have to realize they deal with hundreds of people a week and most are just wasting their time since they will never enroll, just trolling for info. If you take that into account and grab the bull by the horns you can do a lot of the legwork yourself along with the helpful people here. First look at the degrees that interest you the most based on your long-term goals then look at the required courses at each school for those degrees. You will move fastest and most inexpensively if you maximize your exisiting credits and can test out using knowledge you already have. Find the one that offers you the best course load and options based on your knowledge and areas of expertise. From what I know only liberal studies degrees will allow you to virtually test out, with the exception of the required capstone course. Courses with specific core courses required will need specific classes. I know EC offers their core courses a few times a year. I was able to complete my BSHS while testing out, working full-time and juggling family life with kids. I was also commuting two hours a day and doubling up my degrees at the same time. I was working on my BSLS and BSHS and towards the end of my BSHS I was in grad school working on coursework in both programs. It is doable. I took ECE's when possible and since the cost of those exams has dropped it is much more affordable than when I took them. If cost and time are factors you best bet is to get evals done at the schools with programs of interest and see who will give you the most in transfer credit, who will take the most CLEP/DSST's for the specific program and who has the best course offering schedule. Some schools will only offer a course once a year, so if you miss that offering you may have to renew your enrollment while you wait for it to be offered again. Just keep these things in mind as you plan your path and you should find ways to finish the program of your choice on your budget and schedule. Good luck!