What's the deal with NAU?

[ss20ts]

Because I want to make my application more competitive by having more graded courses.

Application to what?

[atmoex]

Because I want to make my application more competitive by having more graded courses.

Application to what?

I plan on applying to graduate school for a master's degree after graduating from UMPI.

[ss20ts]

Because I want to make my application more competitive by having more graded courses.

Application to what?

I plan on applying to graduate school for a master's degree after graduating from UMPI.

Do you already know where you want to go to grad school? Many schools and programs aren't competitive.

[atmoex]

Because I want to make my application more competitive by having more graded courses.

Application to what?

I plan on applying to graduate school for a master's degree after graduating from UMPI.

Do you already know where you want to go to grad school? Many schools and programs aren't competitive.

Yes and I've already emailed them. Some of them responded that they just want an accredited degree (obviously with a high GPA), but some of them stated that the less transfer examination credits I have (such as CLEP, ACE etc) the more competitive I will be. Other universities state at their website that they require a high GPA based on the upper 60 credits. So this is why I decided to take 60 graded credits at UMPI.

I plan on doing 60c on Sophia and 60c on UMPI in 12 months. Is this unreasonable?

[dfrecore]

It's difficult for me to see how someone can ask for "prestige" alongside "affordable" and "fast" and "accepts 60cr of ACE." If you're just saying you don't want online only, that's not really "prestige" as much as it is your personal preference (which I get).

UMPI will be your best bet as not online-only (although they may see that you've never lived in Maine and figure it out); and is affordable IF you're fast.  With wanting to take 60cr there, that's certainly not going to be as fast and affordable as you can make it though, so you may want to bring in more credits if that's your ultimate goal - I'd bring in 90cr+.

You're right, I can't have it all. However, please note that I also stated that I would sacrifice cost for the name of the university. Also, replace "prestige" with "well/better known".

I plan on doing the degree (60c ACE, 60c RA) within 12 months. Is this unreasonable?

Why do you want to take 60 credits at a college? You can transfer in up to 90 credits at UMPI.

Because I want to make my application more competitive by having more graded courses.

Most schools in the US are not well-known.  The best you can hope for is not well-known for being BAD - otherwise you'll be fine.  There are more than 4,000 colleges in the US, you will only have ever heard of a small handful - obviously the biggies which ARE prestigious (think Ivies, and BIG state schools, things like that); everything else will not be well-known, and the best you can hope for is that they may have the name of the state in them, which will make them known after you say it; University of Maine Presque Isle is a good example, the person you are talking to will immediately know that it's a state university in Maine, and have no idea where Presque Isle is or know anything about it, unless they lived in Maine or a nearby state.

I would figure out where you want to go to grad school to see if you even NEED 60 graded credits in order to get accepted.  You may not, in which case you'll have taken much more time and spent more money to get those graded credits than you needed.

For sure you'll get at least 30 graded credits, and I'm going to guess you will be fine with that.  But always check first.

[bjcheung77]

OP. There is a reason for the Beginners Guide post #28 and also this thread https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

From skimming through your previous posts, you're jumping from Computer Science to Business... so, you technically, haven't made up your mind on the degree/school. Sure, you might have your mind put on UMPI and a Business degree, but which concentration is it? So, to help everyone better instead of asking you the questions, please provide more details so we can help you better...

My only question to you is, which grad schools have you asked? List it and tell us what program, otherwise if it's a Masters in Computer Science and you're going for a BABA, you ain't getting into any of them without the prerequisites, you just need to make sure all your boxes are checked off from the requirements list, it's that simple, really it is...

[atmoex]

Most schools in the US are not well-known.  The best you can hope for is not well-known for being BAD - otherwise you'll be fine.  There are more than 4,000 colleges in the US, you will only have ever heard of a small handful - obviously the biggies which ARE prestigious (think Ivies, and BIG state schools, things like that); everything else will not be well-known, and the best you can hope for is that they may have the name of the state in them, which will make them known after you say it; University of Maine Presque Isle is a good example, the person you are talking to will immediately know that it's a state university in Maine, and have no idea where Presque Isle is or know anything about it, unless they lived in Maine or a nearby state.

I would figure out where you want to go to grad school to see if you even NEED 60 graded credits in order to get accepted.  You may not, in which case you'll have taken much more time and spent more money to get those graded credits than you needed.

For sure you'll get at least 30 graded credits, and I'm going to guess you will be fine with that.  But always check first.

You're right, it makes sense - it's impossible for everyone to know a specific college with so many higher education institutions in the US. UMPI sounds great. Regarding the graded credits, please see below.

OP.  There is a reason for the Beginners Guide post #28 and also this thread https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works  

From skimming through your previous posts, you're jumping from Computer Science to Business... so, you technically, haven't made up your mind on the degree/school.  Sure, you might have your mind put on UMPI and a Business degree, but which concentration is it?  So, to help everyone better instead of asking you the questions, please provide more details so we can help you better...

My only question to you is, which grad schools have you asked?  List it and tell us what program, otherwise if it's a Masters in Computer Science and you're going for a BABA, you ain't getting into any of them without the prerequisites, you just need to make sure all your boxes are checked off from the requirements list, it's that simple, really it is...

Indeed, I've spent so much time searching for information, reading the forum and e-mailing universities with my questions and I admit that I've missed some posts here in this forum that I should've read as a beginner. I was in a rush as I had to defer my studies in my current institution and I wanted to make sure I make the right choice.

I am interested in both finance and computer science. After having spent a lot of hours thinking about it, I've decided to give finance a shot. So it is Business undergraduate (BABA) and Finance Master's (MSF). I would keep CS as a plan B, as I've already got some personal experience and it's not something that I'd completely rule out. However, finance is my first choice. As some of you may already know, finance is a very competitive field and prestige in this case unfortunately matters which is why I even considered a prestigious Master's in the first place.

Now, I'm not just going for any prestigious Master's as some of them are cash cows with no job prospects. More specifically, I've researched which MSF programs place the most students in the field I want to work (think UTAustin, UVirginia, Columbia etc), I've e-mailed six of them and admittedly, the majority of them responded that as long as it's from an accredited institution, they would accept it. However, the university which is my first choice (and with the most job placements for these roles) stated that the less transfer credits from examiantions I have (such as CLEP, ACE etc) the more competitive I will be. Some other notable universities mention on their website that they evaluate the GPA on the basis of the 60 upper-level credits. And this is why I decided to get at least 60 RA credits.

So I have to decide how many credits I am actually going to do. While only one university said that I'd be more competitive with more graded credits and despite the fact that the undergraduate degree is only one part of the equation, wouldn't it still be better if I only did 60 ACE credits?


Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your opinion and your advice. I really appreciate it.

[bjcheung77]

Ah, yes. UT Austin and the others you have mentioned are selective schools. Yup, getting the 60 credits would be my recommendation as well, you don't need to get them from a "big university", so either a small community college or university would do. Did you check out the ASU/ONU/Portage/TEL courses? If you're good with exams, you can try UExcels, but I wouldn't risk getting a low GPA for the cost...

UMPI is a great option to get the lower/upper level GPA you're looking for, but I would slice it differently. Go for a BLS with a MIS concentration, then a BABA with Accounting major - get as many Finance courses in there as possible. I would see what courses are needed for entry into those programs and take the required pre-req's if needed. Stick with your current plan, 60 ACE/60 UMPI...

[Vle045]

I enrolled in NAU but have not completed anything yet. I was able to have my credits evaluated without having to send official transcripts until I decided to apply. To me, that is a huge bonus because I have credits with 3 different colleges plus some Sophia credits. I would suggest contacting NAU to see what they say. Since I already have a degree, ACE credits wouldn’t really benefit me too much. So I can’t say what they may or may not take. If it’s not on the list, you can talk to your counselor and they can see if they can get it accepted. The courses all have a basic flow. You can do a pre-test if you know the material already, or submit it blank. You only have to do a certain amount of assignments and you can pick and choose the sections you do. I didn’t run into anything that is proctored. If you want an A, you can basically do a paper, or skip it and get a B. I am oversimplifying, of course, and there are slight variations depending on the class.

[ss20ts]

UMPI is a great option to get the lower/upper level GPA you're looking for, but I would slice it differently.  Go for a BLS with a MIS concentration, then a BABA with Accounting major - get as many Finance courses in there as possible.  I would see what courses are needed for entry into those programs and take the required pre-req's if needed.  Stick with your current plan, 60 ACE/60 UMPI...

This advice isn't the way I would go. Here's why. You would need to completely finish the BLS and graduate. You have to wait for your degree to be conferred before you can apply for a second bachelor's degree. I also had to ask permission from a few people at the university to be able to go back to for my BABA which I am doing now. I also need to complete an additional 30 credits aside from what I've already completed. UMPI only has 1 finance course. I'm only back because they added a marketing concentration. It wasn't an option when Iw as a student last year. I think you're better off just completing the 60 credits and getting your BABA and then going onto grad school.