Why Charter Oak State College is better than Thomas Edison State College

[sanantone]

Oh Boy! I hope this forum doesn't start playing the "my school is better than yours" nonsense. I fully support anyone's decision on which one is best FOR THEM. I orignally had a degree plan and was ready to hit the send button on my application to COSC. I delayed and ended up finding out that TESC met my degree requirements better since they accepted my business cleps as upper level and accepted my CCAF credit as upper level Management credit. This worked out for ME, but I won't go claiming either one is better than the other.

Everyone, I'm sure Kitten Mitten's meant to post "Why COSC is better than TESC for ME".

Kitten (love Sunny by the way), try to understand that people take where they went to school personal. You had some good points which was completely lost when you indirectly attacked the school choice of members on here. COSC can be much cheaper and better for some students, excelsior for others and TESC for the rest, and (surprise), a non-Big 3 school may be a better choice for others.

Good luck, and get that degree done!

Exactly. I applied to all of the Big 3, and TESC ended up being the best choice for me even before the Per Credit Tuition Plan existed. I had a lot of credits to transfer in that got more favorable treatment at TESC. The other two schools have been better choices for others because they have different situations. That's why members here often recommend applying to all of the Big 3 if you can afford it and have a significant number of credits to transfer.

Someone should go into your wiki entry and correct some of the inaccuracies. It is easy to tell which DSSTs, CLEPs, Straighterline courses, and TECEPs are upper level because everything that is coded 3XX or 4XX is upper level. TESC gives you the exact prefix and numerical code that will be applied.

DANTES
Thomas Edison State College: All TECEPÂ Tests
CLEP - College-Level Exam Program
Thomas Edison State College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine

[KittenMittens]

Name is completely irrelevant especially if you have experience in your field then the degree is more a plus. The school name is not a hiring deciding factor. I've never seen an ad for a job that says, "University of ___ preferred".

Every little bit counts. Even bain4weeks.com brings up the point that a lot of people were complaining about Regents College going to Excelsior College. There's a little finesse to it, but name matters a lot more than people think. In a bureaucratic/hierarchical organization like the state, it shouldn't matter too much, but to say there is absolutely no significance to name is not right. Your personal name, the brand of clothes/shoes/TV/etc. have a big impact on reputation –*we all know that, but all of this comes down to personal discretion –*for me, and I think I can speak for many, Excelsior doesn't sound as good as TESC or COSC, but of course, that's my own personal opinion on that.

[Prloko]

Name is completely irrelevant especially if you have experience in your field then the degree is more a plus. The school name is not a hiring deciding factor. I've never seen an ad for a job that says, "University of ___ preferred".

While your statement is true, try placing ITT Tech or Everest College on your resume. You'll be lucky if the resume gets some utility as an imaginary basketball for recycle bin free throws.

Is it fair? No, but its an unfortunate state of affairs.

[soliloquy]

The short of it is that the best of the big three depends on your particular needs and your strengths and weaknesses as a student. The decision is not black and white and I graduated from COSC.

[Prloko]

Every little bit counts. Even bain4weeks.com brings up the point that a lot of people were complaining about Regents College going to Excelsior College. There's a little finesse to it, but name matters a lot more than people think. In a bureaucratic/hierarchical organization like the state, it shouldn't matter too much, but to say there is absolutely no significance to name is not right. Your personal name, the brand of clothes/shoes/TV/etc. have a big impact on reputation –*we all know that, but all of this comes down to personal discretion –*for me, and I think I can speak for many, Excelsior doesn't sound as good as TESC or COSC, but of course, that's my own personal opinion on that.

There is some truth to your statement. I'm sure my resume has been overlooked by some because it said TESC on it rather than Georgetown or NYU.

[KittenMittens]

Also, there are problems with your assumption that COSC is superior for the majority of students because you're assuming that the majority of students are comfortable with testing. Most of the students at the Big 3 complete the overwhelming majority of their degrees using coursework. Many people are uncomfortable with high-stakes testing. For those who want to take most of their coursework at the Big 3, TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan is the cheapest.

I’m referring specifically to people who want to use a combination of taking relatively easy/“doable” credit exams + “easy” Penn Foster/Aleks/etc. cheap courses. Of course, if a student wants to complete a degree mainly through taking traditional courses, then more power to them – but I feel like most people here on the forums are looking for the quickest, cheapest, and easiest ways to getting the degrees (which are through instantcert flash cards, forum advice, practic exams, with some supplementary/referential materials i.e. google, wikipedia, random textbook, etc.)

[Exfactor]

Excelsior College is a non-profit college, and one of the oldest distance learning schools in the United States with over 40,000 students. The school is not even ran like a for profit, so for you to place Excelsior along with the likes of for-profit schools when Excelsior graduates can be found in more places than Charter Oak State College graduates, its just hilarious.

Whats your major, by the way?

[KittenMittens]

There is some truth to your statement. I'm sure my resume has been overlooked by some because it said TESC on it rather than Georgetown or NYU.

Practically speaking –*all 3 are not going to make you the CEO of a Fortune 500 company (maybe you never know!) and an NYU, or Harvard degree clearly show the rigor you went through. But if all you need is a degree and your employer/prospective employer doesn't care too much (this applies especially to state, federal, and military jobs), then it doesn't matter too much imo.

[bluebooger]

You do have to study harder for TECEPs, but if it means saving over $2,000 over your COSC plan......

OP says -- TESC charges you $3,279 annually

OP says -- "It's cheaper (For me it was $500 –$1,500)"

so OP paid at a max of 2779

and you say "but if it means saving over $2,000 over your COSC plan."

so you're saying a TESC degree can be had for $ 779 ?

what am I reading wrong ?

[KittenMittens]

Excelsior College is a non-profit college, and one of the oldest distance learning schools in the United States with over 40,000 students. The school is not even ran like a for profit, so for you to place Excelsior along with the likes of for-profit schools when Excelsior graduates can be found in more places than Charter Oak State College graduates, its just hilarious.

Whats your major, by the way?

I think you should re-read what I wrote more carefully. I didn't compare the education, or the credentials of Excelsior College to for-profit schools like Devry, Kaplan, or University of Phoenix, I specifically compared the NAME. Just like how a Hyundai or Kia don't have the brand name of a Honda or Toyota and the reputation, but they are now known for being extremely well built, reliable cars. I think you guys are reading too much into the name game – and not the more technical points several of which have been brought up by others. And I did my undergraduate degree in India in Economics and Political Science (though we followed the British System so our grading was different, and college there is only 2 years not 4 years). I had about 60 credits transferred in through WES –*and needed to finish another 60 credits through the States. I will be receiving my B.S. in Business Administration.