When should I enroll in TESU?

[camjenks]

I'm just starting out. I have completed 5 cleps so far, and I have a rough schedule to do about 1 a week and then move on to study.com classes. I'm hoping to have everything finished by December. If I hit some bumps in the road and it takes me longer, it's no big deal. My question is: When should I apply/enroll in TESU? Do I need to find their cutoff dates and make sure I get in at the right time? I know the study.com residency waiver ends in June so I was thinking I would apply and enroll around June, do the study.com courses about the same time, and then finish up whatever else I needed to complete the degree. What would you all recommend for my situation and what do I need to be aware of before proceeding?

[dfrecore]

At TESU, it's better to enroll early - they take a while to evaluate your credits, but it doesn't cost anything to be enrolled (no fees assessed per term like EC or COSC).

The Study.com affiliate membership discounts have nothing to do with enrollment however. You will get the cornerstone waiver, which is worth a month of signing up right there. But, the discounts only work if you actually use them - which means that the discount on tuition is only good if you register for a course before 6/30/18 (like your capstone) and the discount on the residency waiver is only good if you pay it before 6/30/18. If you aren't ready to take the capstone (or at least register) by the deadline, then you won't get that benefit. Ditto with the RW.

[camjenks]

At TESU, it's better to enroll early - they take a while to evaluate your credits, but it doesn't cost anything to be enrolled (no fees assessed per term like EC or COSC).

The Study.com affiliate membership discounts have nothing to do with enrollment however.  You will get the cornerstone waiver, which is worth a month of signing up right there.  But, the discounts only work if you actually use them - which means that the discount on tuition is only good if you register for a course before 6/30/18 (like your capstone) and the discount on the residency waiver is only good if you pay it before 6/30/18.  If you aren't ready to take the capstone (or at least register) by the deadline, then you won't get that benefit.  Ditto with the RW.

Thanks! I'll apply soon. I'll knock out my study.com courses well before June so I can get the waiver. Follow-up question: Can I take my capstone before I have met all the other credit requirements, or does it have to be the last one? I would probably feel comfortable taking the capstone early so I can get a discount if I can do that and still finish up the rest of my credits after.

[jsh1138]

I'm currently taking classes at TESU and if I had it to do over again I would have done absolutely everything I was going to transfer in first, then started at TESU, instead of doing classes at TESU while I did a few on the side. just my .02

[dfrecore]

I took the capstone recently, and could have easily done other courses alongside it. It wasn't as much of a big deal as I thought it would be.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have just done everything a long time ago, and not waited!!!

You can easily take 1-2 Study.com courses, apply to TESU as a Study.com affiliate member, register for whichever capstone course you want to take by 6/30 (so anything up through the August term should work), and continue to knock out the courses you want/need to do.

This is assuming that you are taking everything via alternate means, rather than having to take a bunch of classes in a semester-based format (which it didn't sound like you did).

And yes, you can register for the Capstone without having all of your credits done.

[davewill]

Catalog changes usually take effect July 1. It's not unusual for other policy changes to be announced in Apr-May. I'd go ahead and apply to get in ahead of all that. Becoming an applicant locks in your catalog for a year. Before the year is up, you would need to take a course or TECEP to become enrolled and continue the lock. It sounds like you'd be taking your capstone well before that, anyway (and you really should start it by the June term to get the current Study.com discount). If not, TECEPs are inexpensive and there's almost certainly some that you could use in your degree path.