What should I do?

[LANIER]

I am 16 credits away from getting Associates.

Once I complete it, should I submit my transcripts to EC/TESC; or continue to take exams until I've "CLEP'd out" what I can for my Bachelors? Mainly to avoid annual fees and whatnot.

Will the exams recorded on my current transcript be enough for EC/TESC? Or will College Board have to send them in?

Thanks.

[alissaroot]

This is up to you. I do recommend that you continue taking exams while you wait for your eval, or while you are making your decision, so you don't lose time and momentum. If you go ahead and enroll at either school, you will have more access to help from the academic advisers as well as access to online resources such as a virtual library, publications, chats, discussion groups, etc. With your initial evaluation from either school, it will be a bit easier to plot out your testing plan to finish your degree. Also, at Excelsior or Charter Oak (not sure about TESC, but they probably do) hold on to your first evaluation for at least six months while you decide whether or not to enroll and then pay the enrollment fees. But if you do not think you can finish the last of your credits within one year's time, it is better to wait until you are sure you can in order to avoid the annual fee. All three schools do charge this annual fee:

Excelsior: $440-- https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_Coll...8_2009.pdf
TESC: $2115-- Thomas Edison State College | Enrolled Options Plan
COSC: $685-- Tuition for Affordable Online Degree Completion and Online Courses at Charter Oak State College

Excelsior and COSC allow a payment plan for this fee, however, and TESC will allow a three month extension for around $200 if you can finish up in that amount of time.

I had all my transcripts sent from college board and prometric, so I am not sure if the big three will accept them off of another school's transcript. I think they would since it would be part of your degree, but you can always just wait and see and if they don't, then you can have the extra transcripts sent. It would probably only take an extra two or three weeks for them to show up on your status report, and it's not very expensive, $20 or so per transcript.

[thatbrian]

First of all, you should avoid TESC like the plague because you wont receive a GPA from them unless you take a course directly from them. Also, their CS is not the best.

It's a good idea to enroll when you are less than 1 year from completion. (Leave yourself a little buffer though) This is to avoid paying more than 1 years worth of enrollment/student fees.

Good luck!

Brian

[jonasling]

thatbrian, wouldn't it be safer to just wait till about a month from completion? That way it'll give you maximum time on that one year enrollment fee if anything goes wrong. Just curious.

[thatbrian]

I think that enrolling and having an advisor approve your plan is a good idea, so you don't have a surprise with 1 mo left to go. I would enroll about 9 months before I planned on finishing (just my opinion).

thatbrian, wouldn't it be safer to just wait till about a month from completion? That way it'll give you maximum time on that one year enrollment fee if anything goes wrong. Just curious.

[jonasling]

Good point. Will any of the big three give an unofficial look at one's plan without enrolling?

[LANIER]

First of all, you should avoid TESC like the plague because you wont receive a GPA from them unless you take a course directly from them. Also, their CS is not the best.

Well, the only reason I am joining TESC is because I prefer to have a degree from a "state college", and the name Excelsior doesn't appeal to me... as shallow as my reasoning is.

As for the GPA, my scores aren't good at all. I take CLEPs for free, so I only study enough to pass, and I do. GPA never really concerned me... but I am assuming If I take a class or two through TESC, which I plan to, I can recover my would-be GPA from my poor (C's) test scores.

Customer Service... yeah. I'll definitely call a few times to gauge that one before giving them my money. I've heard a lot about it.

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="4"]Here's an unbiased opinion.....[/SIZE][SIZE="7"]EC[/SIZE]

[NAP]

Excelsior means "Ever Upward". That's growing on me.

[brothermike]

FYI...TESC does NOT count your CLEP/DSST test scores in your GPA, you just get credit for the class. I believe Excelsior does count these scores in your gpa.