Struggling to find the right school(mid-30s with GED)

[jaytea89]

I dropped out of high school 17 years ago and my transcript was not pretty. I was a "gifted" child, which of course means I was just told "You can do anything" with no direction...while simultaneously dealing with CPTSD thanks to a chaotic childhood. So I chose to do nothing and spent my 20s "enjoying" life(killing brain cells) while trying to recover and get my head on straight. Now I feel I am finally in a place mentally(although not financially, that's college life) to start pursuing a formal education. 

I just got my GED yesterday, scored "college ready" on math and science, and "college ready + credit" on social studies and language arts. I was only 1 question away from "college ready + credit" on math and science so I plan to retake those for a higher score. That's 10 potential credits(LA is only potentially worth 1, the others are 3 each). If money and my transcript weren't an issue, I would go to Indiana University(I'm a state resident) for their B.S. in Animal Behavior, so keep that in mind as my "ideal" major. I'm likely going to have to jerry-rig a degree specialty using electives, which is fine.

My career goal is something related to wildlife rehabilitation, working with captive animals at zoos, or anything along those lines. A degree isn't always required for these jobs, but I want to increase my options and have my applications stand out to give me a better chance at success. I'm also starting an internship at a local wildlife rehab next month where I'll be added to the owner's permit as an assistant. 

I want to take as many online courses as I can to save money. I've already purchased 2 StraighterLine courses, but one is just "Student Success" which I know is unlikely to transfer. I bought it because I think it will give me a lot of valuable information to help me do well in my actual college courses. I have a bunch of courses in mind from SL that are common requirements or relevant to my goals, I will list them near the end.

My plan was to attend Ivy Tech for an A.A. in General Studies and then transfer into a major elsewhere, but I'm not sure how many ACE credits they will take(if any). Indiana Tech offers a similar degree and my SL courses are guaranteed to transfer. Ivy Tech has a partnership with other local schools that "guarantee" the transfer of my A.A. credits, one such school is IUPUI with its B.A. in Biology and Individualized Major programs. Not sure how easily the Indiana Tech degree will transfer to other colleges, but I assume at a similar rate. Indiana Tech has a B.S. in Biology where I might be able to use electives to specialize in wildlife. I've also looked into Unity College for their B.S. in Animal Health and Behavior, which is fully online. Unity has a 100% acceptance rate but they seem to have gone downhill in recent years. I'm also not confident at all that my ACE credits would transfer since they're not even a member. I've looked into the "Big 3" but none of those schools have the specific degree I'm after or a way to piece together the specialty I want.

The primary thing holding me back from my desired degree at IU is the fact that it's 2 hours away, I can overcome the other hurdles. Tuition at IU is one of the lowest for me because I live in Indiana, but I would have to either drive to classes or get a larger loan to cover housing expenses, in addition to either walking/biking everywhere or renting a car. My major needs to be able to be done either fully online or in Indianapolis.

Here's a list of my desired StraighterLine courses:

-American Government
-English Composition I & II
-College Algebra(already purchased)
-Precalculus
-General Calculus I
-Intro Biology
-Intro Psych
-Intro Sociology
-Intro Statistics
-Intro Philosophy
-Intro Religion
-Intro Environmental Science
-Microbiology


Sorry for making my first post a barely coherent wall of text. Higher education is even more of a nightmare to navigate than I originally thought. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 



tl;dr High school dropout wants to go to college in his 30s and work with wildlife, send help.

[allvia]

TESU offers a 'BA in Biology' (https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/biology). Although not all credits for the AOS can be earned through the alternative course/credit providers (ACE/NCCRS) commonly talked about here, I believe there is a forum wiki page for it to help direct you in completing it. I'm certain a few others here can direct you better on that specifically. I know a few have done the 'ASNSM in Biology' combined with a different TESU Bachelor that can be done through alternative credit methods (examples - BSBA, BALS - Natural Sciences/Mathematics). Welcome to the forum, I suspect you've arrived where you need to be to gain knowledge to achieve your goals. I would recommend that you put more focus on moving forward with your degree goals, than improving your GED category scores (as having the GED is all you need to move to the next step - so congratulations!)

[davewill]

If you really want to go to Indiana University, don't discount the community college transfer route. Even if you don't do a full two years, it can put you in a completely different pool of applicants and significantly reduce the overall cost of your degree.

You might also want to go ahead and apply even though you don't think your application looks good. As a more mature student, they may evaluate you differently than you think. Also the good GED scores may outweigh your transcripts simply because they are more recent.

Note: I don't know anything about Indiana's CC transfer system. It may turn out to be less than ideal, but I'd certainly look into it.

[jaytea89]

TESU offers a 'BA in Biology' (https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/biology). Although not all credits for the AOS can be earned through the alternative course/credit providers (ACE/NCCRS) commonly talked about here, I believe there is a forum wiki page for it to help direct you in completing it. I'm certain a few others here can direct you better on that specifically. I know a few have done the 'ASNSM in Biology' combined with a different TESU Bachelor that can be done through alternative credit methods (examples - BSBA, BALS - Natural Sciences/Mathematics). Welcome to the forum, I suspect you've arrived where you need to be to gain knowledge to achieve your goals. I would recommend that you put more focus on moving forward with your degree goals, than improving your GED category scores (as having the GED is all you need to move to the next step - so congratulations!)

I did look at that one, my main issue with the TESU BA in Biology(along with the one at Indiana Tech) is that they're very rigid in the main requirements and have courses that won't benefit me much longterm. TESU does allow for more electives though, so that is a better option at least. I just don't want to load up on too many courses that won't have practical use in my career. I'll have to snoop around here some more to see what others have managed to put together and what I can learn from them. 

As far as my GED scores, it's not too much of a focus for me, but if $30 for a retest can potentially get me 3 more credits that seem worth 2nd attempt. I'll retest math once I'm halfway through my college algebra course and then it should be a breeze. Might retest science, might not. 

If you really want to go to Indiana University, don't discount the community college transfer route. Even if you don't do a full two years, it can put you in a completely different pool of applicants and significantly reduce the overall cost of your degree.

You might also want to go ahead and apply even though you don't think your application looks good. As a more mature student, they may evaluate you differently than you think. Also the good GED scores may outweigh your transcripts simply because they are more recent.

Note: I don't know anything about Indiana's CC transfer system. It may turn out to be less than ideal, but I'd certainly look into it.

If I do go to IU it will definitely be with at least an A.A. in hand already. IU is "cheap" for me because I live in IN, but Ivy Tech still costs less than half of that($150 per credit vs. ~$385). I have looked at their transfer policy and it does seem fairly generous when it comes to transferring from regionally accredited schools, but I can't find any info about any alternative ways to earn credits. Really, I need to find out if both Ivy Tech and IU will accept any of the ACE credits I'm hoping to get.


I was also thinking maybe if I did want to shoot for IU I could push myself for a high SAT to make my application look better, or do you think that's unnecessary? I wouldn't be starting at IU until fall 2025 anyway so I have time to work on some things.


Also realized that IU is about 45 minutes closer than I thought, so that changes my thought process a little too. 



I appreciate the responses!

[davewill]

TESU offers a 'BA in Biology' (https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/biology). Although not all credits for the AOS can be earned through the alternative course/credit providers (ACE/NCCRS) commonly talked about here, I believe there is a forum wiki page for it to help direct you in completing it. I'm certain a few others here can direct you better on that specifically. I know a few have done the 'ASNSM in Biology' combined with a different TESU Bachelor that can be done through alternative credit methods (examples - BSBA, BALS - Natural Sciences/Mathematics). Welcome to the forum, I suspect you've arrived where you need to be to gain knowledge to achieve your goals. I would recommend that you put more focus on moving forward with your degree goals, than improving your GED category scores (as having the GED is all you need to move to the next step - so congratulations!)

I did look at that one, my main issue with the TESU BA in Biology(along with the one at Indiana Tech) is that they're very rigid in the main requirements and have courses that won't benefit me much longterm. TESU does allow for more electives though, so that is a better option at least. I just don't want to load up on too many courses that won't have practical use in my career. I'll have to snoop around here some more to see what others have managed to put together and what I can learn from them. 

As far as my GED scores, it's not too much of a focus for me, but if $30 for a retest can potentially get me 3 more credits that seem worth 2nd attempt. I'll retest math once I'm halfway through my college algebra course and then it should be a breeze. Might retest science, might not. 

If you really want to go to Indiana University, don't discount the community college transfer route. Even if you don't do a full two years, it can put you in a completely different pool of applicants and significantly reduce the overall cost of your degree.

You might also want to go ahead and apply even though you don't think your application looks good. As a more mature student, they may evaluate you differently than you think. Also the good GED scores may outweigh your transcripts simply because they are more recent.

Note: I don't know anything about Indiana's CC transfer system. It may turn out to be less than ideal, but I'd certainly look into it.

If I do go to IU it will definitely be with at least an A.A. in hand already. IU is "cheap" for me because I live in IN, but Ivy Tech still costs less than half of that($150 per credit vs. ~$385). I have looked at their transfer policy and it does seem fairly generous when it comes to transferring from regionally accredited schools, but I can't find any info about any alternative ways to earn credits. Really, I need to find out if both Ivy Tech and IU will accept any of the ACE credits I'm hoping to get.


I was also thinking maybe if I did want to shoot for IU I could push myself for a high SAT to make my application look better, or do you think that's unnecessary? I wouldn't be starting at IU until fall 2025 anyway so I have time to work on some things.


Also realized that IU is about 45 minutes closer than I thought, so that changes my thought process a little too. 



I appreciate the responses!

If you only looked at the Biology degree plan on the TESU website, I suggest you also look at the one on the Wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The TESU degree plans list individual courses and make it look like those are the only courses you can take, when in actuality, they will accept a wide range of bio courses in the Area of Study (AOS). If you have specific courses you want to take, you can run them past us or past TESU advising and they will likely work.

Unfortunately, I rather doubt your alternative credit is going to transfer to UI. You will likely have to choose between that route or the alt credit, DIY degree approach.

[jaytea89]

If you only looked at the Biology degree plan on the TESU website, I suggest you also look at the one on the Wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The TESU degree plans list individual courses and make it look like those are the only courses you can take, when in actuality, they will accept a wide range of bio courses in the Area of Study (AOS). If you have specific courses you want to take, you can run them past us or past TESU advising and they will likely work.

Unfortunately, I rather doubt your alternative credit is going to transfer to UI. You will likely have to choose between that route or the alt credit, DIY degree approach.

After checking out that wiki it does look more customizable than I originally thought, but it does still require some physics classes that aren't required in the animal science majors I had been looking at. Still sounds like it would be worth at least talking to them though. 

I was thinking the same thing about the ACE credit transfers. It would be nice if I could get IU to at least accept the absolute basic stuff like College Algebra, Introductory Biology, etc., but I'm not expecting much.

I did find a lot of interesting info while browsing around though! New Mexico Junior College(your link lists it for some of the TESU BA) has AA and AS degrees for general education that can be done online, and it ends up being a bit over $2000 cheaper than Ivy Tech for the degree. Seems like it will be transferrable to IU or Unity. I also learned about TEL Learning and how their online courses award RA credits from one of their partner schools and costs only $67 per credit. Is that too good to be true or is it worth looking into more? I also found Outlier which costs twice as much(still cheaper than community college) and has courses transcribed by University of Pittsburg, but I think the information about them on the wiki might be outdated.

[bjcheung77]

@jaytea89, Amazing introduction! Wow, this is a great first post, I see you have thought this over and are on the right path... There are a few things that's missing in your very informative thread. I suggest you complete the template and last post addendum as it will give us a great idea of your budget, commitments, study habits and more. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

Questions: Have you thought about going into either being a Vet Technician or a Vet Technologist and branching out to Wildlife Rehab?  You're a dozen years younger than me, when I was your age (or younger probably), I actually wanted to do something very similar.  Do you really need an Animal Science, Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Management, or Zoology bachelors degree? Would an AAS or a BAS from a Nationally Accredited institution work for you?

You're correct, Unity's programs are expensive, they're interesting to say the least but out of my budget recommendations.  Here are two webpages from Unity and two other pages on Learner.org and WikiHow introducing the profession Wildlife Rehabilitator, it'll give you a good overview. In short, any bachelors degree should or will do 'check the box'.

Unity #1: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Unity #2: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Learner.org: Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: Education & Requirements (learn.org)
WikiHow: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (wikihow.com)

In addition to the programs you mentioned above, depending on your budget, commitments, energy, time you can place into your studies, you may want to do things differently: 1) Pierpont AAS BOG emphasis Biology  2) UMPI BLS (any minor), it has 60 credits for electives, you can take anything such as continuing with more Biology or similar courses  3) Get an externship at a Wildlife Rehab facility

Another less desirable & viable yet workable option, if you have more energy, money, time, you can do the following: 1) Ashworth or Penn Foster AAS Vet Tech  2) Penn Foster BAS Vet Technology  3) Externship at a Vet Hospital.  Both the Associates/Bachelor degree are AVMA accredited online programs, but you will need to find your own externship without any assistance from either institution.

Here's an example organization in my state of WA that has internships & externships, you should also check their Licensed Vet Tech position they currently have available and compare the requirements/salary, etc with your state of Indiana.  Link: Internships and Externships | PAWS , PAWS | Progressive Animal Welfare Society Job Posting | PAWS

[slaterjack]

Oh that's right he could do the PP emphasis in biology. That could be a great path to explore.

[jaytea89]

@jaytea89, Amazing introduction! Wow, this is a great first post, I see you have thought this over and are on the right path... There are a few things that's missing in your very informative thread. I suggest you complete the template and last post addendum as it will give us a great idea of your budget, commitments, study habits and more. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

Questions: Have you thought about going into either being a Vet Technician or a Vet Technologist and branching out to Wildlife Rehab?  You're a dozen years younger than me, when I was your age (or younger probably), I actually wanted to do something very similar.  Do you really need an Animal Science, Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Management, or Zoology bachelors degree? Would an AAS or a BAS from a Nationally Accredited institution work for you?

You're correct, Unity's programs are expensive, they're interesting to say the least but out of my budget recommendations.  Here are two webpages from Unity and two other pages on Learner.org and WikiHow introducing the profession Wildlife Rehabilitator, it'll give you a good overview. In short, any bachelors degree should or will do 'check the box'.

Unity #1: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Unity #2: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator - Unity College
Learner.org: Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: Education & Requirements (learn.org)
WikiHow: How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (wikihow.com)

In addition to the programs you mentioned above, depending on your budget, commitments, energy, time you can place into your studies, you may want to do things differently: 1) Pierpont AAS BOG emphasis Biology  2) UMPI BLS (any minor), it has 60 credits for electives, you can take anything such as continuing with more Biology or similar courses  3) Get an externship at a Wildlife Rehab facility

Another less desirable & viable yet workable option, if you have more energy, money, time, you can do the following: 1) Ashworth or Penn Foster AAS Vet Tech  2) Penn Foster BAS Vet Technology  3) Externship at a Vet Hospital.  Both the Associates/Bachelor degree are AVMA accredited online programs, but you will need to find your own externship without any assistance from either institution.

Here's an example organization in my state of WA that has internships & externships, you should also check their Licensed Vet Tech position they currently have available and compare the requirements/salary, etc with your state of Indiana.  Link: Internships and Externships | PAWS , PAWS | Progressive Animal Welfare Society Job Posting | PAWS

Ah, yeah, that is much better formatting. I'll add some of that to my initial post in a bit.

To answer your first question, I have no desire at all to work or study in any vet related field, even temporarily. I'm trying to avoid nationally accredited schools because I want as many options as possible for transferring. I also would rather not have a generic biology degree if it can be avoided unless it can be customized into a "concentration in animal science" type deal. I don't really care if it shows up like that on my diploma/transcript, just as long as I can take some courses relevant to my goals...and not have to take a bunch of physics classes lol.

Arizona State does have an online bio major that lets me choose the 5-6 required courses from a list that includes animal behavior, animal physiology(with a matching lab), vertebrate zoology(also with a lab), and only requires 1 physics course. It's my most expensive option so far, but I'll be getting my general education courses at a community college through a "general studies" degree, so only half the degree would be taken there.

Pierpont is significantly more costly than Ivy Tech(and even Unity) unless I use alternative credits and I'm really not sold on that method so far after what I've been reading up on today. I'm not unwilling to piece together a degree with alt credits so long as I can focus on the area I'm wanting to, but it's not my preferred option. UMPI is very affordable but their online course selection doesn't have anything I'm looking for. Those 62 electives would get wasted on classes I don't really want to take.

As I said in my first post, I really want to go to IU, but I'm not sure that will be an option. They're one of the few colleges to offer an animal behavior major and it's considered to be the best in the country from what I understand. I know I won't be able to get the exact same degree elsewhere, but I want to take as many similar courses as possible if I can't go there. I specifically want to focus on this area because I know I want to be doing something with my career where that particular degree will be relevant in terms of applicable knowledge. Internships are definitely on the table, I actually start my first one at a local skunk rescue next weekend!  

I've looked into wildlife rehab/care requirements in the past so I'm a little familiar with what's needed(though of course it varies). This has been a field that has been on my mind off and on for a good while, I've just recently decided it's time to actually push myself further and do something other than seeing videos and thinking "Damn, I would love to do that for a living." 


I'm still looking and taking in any information given to me. I'm prepared to not sleep much this week while I try to digest all of this. I'm on like, hour 20 of today and 90% of that has been looking into all of this college related shit lol.

---

Since I can't edit my OP I'll go ahead and plop this here:

Your Location: Indianapolis, IN
Your Age: 34
What kind of degree do you want?: This or as close as I can get. BA/BS in Biology/Zoology that allows me to specifically focus on animal health and behavior. 
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 0 but I own Student Success and College Alegra from StraighterLine and plan to finish those. 
Any certifications or military experience? No
Budget: Under $50k out the door, possibly way less. Loans will be taken out. 
Commitments: The lease on my townhome, part-time DoorDash, part-time internship.
Dedicated time to study: Until my brain melts.
Timeline: Quick is preferred. Rushed is completely undesirable. 4 years max.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: Waiting on FASFA to tell me.

[rachel83az]

If you only looked at the Biology degree plan on the TESU website, I suggest you also look at the one on the Wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The TESU degree plans list individual courses and make it look like those are the only courses you can take, when in actuality, they will accept a wide range of bio courses in the Area of Study (AOS). If you have specific courses you want to take, you can run them past us or past TESU advising and they will likely work.

Unfortunately, I rather doubt your alternative credit is going to transfer to UI. You will likely have to choose between that route or the alt credit, DIY degree approach.

After checking out that wiki it does look more customizable than I originally thought, but it does still require some physics classes that aren't required in the animal science majors I had been looking at. Still sounds like it would be worth at least talking to them though. 

I was thinking the same thing about the ACE credit transfers. It would be nice if I could get IU to at least accept the absolute basic stuff like College Algebra, Introductory Biology, etc., but I'm not expecting much.

I did find a lot of interesting info while browsing around though! New Mexico Junior College(your link lists it for some of the TESU BA) has AA and AS degrees for general education that can be done online, and it ends up being a bit over $2000 cheaper than Ivy Tech for the degree. Seems like it will be transferrable to IU or Unity. I also learned about TEL Learning and how their online courses award RA credits from one of their partner schools and costs only $67 per credit. Is that too good to be true or is it worth looking into more? I also found Outlier which costs twice as much(still cheaper than community college) and has courses transcribed by University of Pittsburg, but I think the information about them on the wiki might be outdated.

TEL Learning is, indeed, $67/credit. But they've not been very responsive lately. I would try maybe one course from them to see how it goes before signing up for multiple courses.

I would NOT recommend Outlier. The catalog codes that UPittsburg gives the classes from Outlier are totally different than the classes that are offered by the university itself. Picky schools will probably not transfer them at all. A couple of people here have reported difficulty transferring Outlier Calculus because of the different catalog numbers.

Instead, I would recommend Arizona State University Universal Learner classes. Each one is $25 + a $400 transcription fee (transcription fee only due if you pass the class AND want it transcribed). As far as anyone outside of ASU is concerned, your transcript will show that you took the course(s) from ASU itself. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ar...al_Learner