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

[KittenMittens]

You would not by a Hyundai because you think the name sounds cheap? That doesn't sound very smart. Schools with the best reputations have them because they are selective, most have been around for over 100 years, they produce high-quality research, and they hire the best professors. It has nothing to do with how their names sound. Employers would have a bias toward students who graduated from Stanford because they know that Stanford is a high-quality school that only admits the best students.

Yes, absolutely! Of course, not solely because of the name alone, and due to its reputation nonetheless. Having a $40,000 Hyundai Azera may be a better car but because of the lack of "brand factor" it will depreciate more than say a Mercedes or BMW, even if I know the Hyundai is a better deal when I can buy a Mercedes or BMW that may be less powerful, have lower quality materials, smaller, etc.

You're missing the whole point that I'm making about the college name game that even bain4weeks.com describes here –*The College Name Game - BA in 4 weeks . Tell me do you think George Bush Jr. or John Kerry, or Kennedys or Hillary Clinton (*cough* her husband) get to their levels... is it because of education or brains alone? How did they get into Yale or Harvard? Was it become of merit alone? Extremely unlikely.

If there are no other factors available, and all you've got is just the name of the college, would you go to "Mango College" or "Birmingham College"? There are certain buzz words that have an affect on people and how they perceive things. There are polls on what words politicians should use (anyone watch House of Cards Season 3 regarding this ) to interest watchers, as well as what baby names are the most popular.

How you say something matters as much as what you have to say as well. A man who dresses like a bum could be a neurosurgeon, but on first impression, you may think that the slick looking well-dressed doctor is a better doctor. Yes, impressions certainly count. Now as far as whether or not Excelsior College sounds "good" or "not" is not my real concern, though I personally think the name "Excelsior College" is a little odd –*it reminds me Al Gore from South Park saying, Excelsior! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otOARxAOp2g ), but to each his/her own.

[KittenMittens]

So many factors in this decision are based on an individuals unique position that it would be very egotistical for me to think that I knew the best program for someone else, without knowing their situation, goals, etc.

The program I designed is what I think is the best bang for buck “overall” for a student looking to take the most accessible exams, have a structured program (because TESC like you mentioned has horrible advising and no structured table of how some exams will be transferred in; COSC has been very good on that point –*what’s on the exam list is what you will get).

I’m comparing COSC’s program versus TESC’s “Enrolled Option” program. TESC’s “per credit” option is the cheapest, but is much harder for most to complete successfully without dedicating more time (simply because of the absence of student feedback, practice exams, and review materials like instantcert). In this case, COSC is cheaper. I should have made that point more clear.

B.) Easier is too subjective to even comment on intelligently. So suffice it to say, it may or may not be easier.

Eh, if the exams I listed are not “easy” enough as you correctly state that it is subjective, I’d say that if students can’t pass exams like the DSST in Substance Abuse, or UExcel Human Resource Management, or ALEKS through enough prep, or definitely the Penn Foster courses, then none of these programs are for them. This program is for someone who feels they are competent, feels they are of at least average proficiency, capability, and confidence in their academic ability. That leaves a lot of discretion to the individual, and that’s all it is.

Fema credits mean nothing to me. I have so many easily obtainable general ed and free elective credits that were cheap and quick that I have no need to study a subject that I have no interest in. If this is related to an interest that the student has or a focus of their major -- by all means they should use them. However, with the tons of available ACE/NCCRS credits and CLEP options, I've found it extremely easy to fill the free-elective and general education credit slots.

I didn’t personally use FEMA credits either, but it’s nice to know that a student still has that option if they have any gaps in credits.

I would say in my experience Excelsior has a significant advantage over TESC from an advising standpoint, but that for me TESC accepted many sources I had as upper level credit, where Excelsior would not.

Yes, Excelsior has good advising, but they are pickier than the other two in what courses can be transferred in, and more expensive. Charter Oak has good customer support too, and they too accept many sources of upper level credit, though maybe not as many as TESC. If a student is able to figure out what coursework can count as upper level through TESC then that works too though it's a nuisance for many.

[Exfactor]

Uh –so far in this thread all you've done is made ad hominems and blatant attacks based on racism and stereotyping based on whatever preconceived notions you have about India. I'm curious what you think about blacks, or Chinese too...

But more importantly, you're criticizing someone from with a liberal arts degree, from a no name/lower tier college... that is not something to really be that boastful about. It sounds like to me you're more upset more than anything else, and that's fine, just don't think your degree is or is going to be seen as any better than anyone else from the other 2 schools.

When did I say my degree was better than that from the other schools. You created a bait thread of nothing but nonsense, with no actual facts to back up any of your claims. You are the one that created a thread stating how superior COSC is, did you not make a thread, trying to prove to us all why COSC is better? Oh, but Excelsior is lame right... so much for that lame school with a lame name... when a degree from COSC is no better than one from Excelsior... which sort of makes such lame also. Sit and spin. Yet, your criticizing the name of a school, while you're seeking a degree from a no-named school. You are obliviously pressed.

But didn't you make ad hominems attacks against Excelsior? You can't have it both ways.

[mednat]

I’m comparing COSC’s program versus TESC’s “Enrolled Option” program. TESC’s “per credit” option is the cheapest, but is much harder for most to complete successfully without dedicating more time (simply because of the absence of student feedback, practice exams, and review materials like instantcert). In this case, COSC is cheaper. I should have made that point more clear.

Which TECEPS have you taken? I've found every one I've taken to be very manageable.

[Prloko]

I don't think I ever indirectly attacked the school choices of members – maybe that was the perception given how some here are peculiarly sensitive about the degree, all I said was that for me, I felt that Excelsior College sounded lame. More importantly, I said that Excelsior College generally was more expensive than TESC, and COSC, and pickier on their requirements.

My post was about picking a degree that had the best bang for the buck. I believe that Sanantone's degree plans are the cheapest, but probably too difficult for the typical person – mainly because there is an absence of practice exams, forum advice, and instantcert review materials. I could do it, but I don't want to spend the time going through textbooks for that. If Excelsior College had, what I thought was the best bang for the buck as far as price, convenience, and ease overall, I would have gladly picked them instead. The name game was not a primary factor in my recommendation. More importantly, all three degrees are regionally accredited, and they're not probably going to make you the CEO of a fortune 500 company, or CEO of a Facebook like company, or a high level executive on Wall Street –*and the name differences marginal, but it's at least something for some people who are peculiar about things like that to think about – and there's no harm on that.

I am sure that my advice will help people because I know several other posters have done the same program, and credit for the original program goes to burbuja0512 for designing it. If it doesn't apply to your particular situation then more power to you, and if it does, then great!

I was actually trying to take your side. I was merely pointing out that word choice, especially the written word with context can cause this very situation. As i stated, indirectly (as you didn't mean to) as supposed to a direct attack.

Once again, I wish you the best on your endeavor. Burbuja parlayed her COSC degree into a very successful career, and I'm sure it will add utility and satisfaction for you as well.

For everyone, stop taking this so dang personal.

And with that, i will take leave from this thread.

[SweetSecret]

Most people will not be doing the “per credit” option like you because they won’t take 8 credit exams through TECEP. The data shows that again on instantcert.com (they show the pass rates for each subjects and more students at this point in time are taking UExcel exams for whatever reasons)

This isn't really a valid argument given how many TECEP exams are available versus how many InstaCert has flashcards for & collects back passing rates on. For example, many people here have taken & passed the PSY270 Psychology of Women exam, but InstantCert doesn't have that data.

[KittenMittens]

When did I say my degree was better than that from the other schools. You created a bait thread of nothing but nonsense, with no actual facts to back up any of your claims. You are the one that created a thread stating how superior COSC is, did you not make a thread, trying to prove to us all why COSC is better? Oh, but Excelsior is lame right... so much for that lame school with a lame name... when a degree from COSC is no better than one from Excelsior... which sort of makes such lame also. Sit and spin. Yet, your criticizing the name of a school, while you're seeking a degree from a no-named school. You are obliviously pressed.

Your use of gifs to demonstrate your points, by the way, are rather... interesting. I've already stated that Excelsior would have been viable from a price/utility standpoint if it had more lax policies on transferring credits in, and their price which is generally much higher. You're still hounding a minor issue which I've already addressed in previous posts as well demonstrating your preconceptions of people of the Indian subcontinent. And for the record, you get what you pay for – you're condensing a 4 year degree into possibly less than a year mainly through exams in degrees that are generally fluff (liberal arts, general studies, etc.). Most of us are getting the degrees mainly for career promotion/$$$ reasons (why else are we spending several thousands on a degree?) – in the end you do get what you pay for. You get a regionally accredited degree from ANY of these institutions but none of them are exactly name brands by any means. But for the purpose of getting a regionally accredited degree, it suits its purposes for many of us. Best of luck to you!

[KittenMittens]

This isn't really a valid argument given how many TECEP exams are available versus how many InstaCert has flashcards for & collects back passing rates on. For example, many people here have taken & passed the PSY270 Psychology of Women exam, but InstantCert doesn't have that data.

If that's the case, there should be more student data for those exams. The forum posts for most/all the TECEP exams is scarce/non-existent compared to CLEP, DSST, and UExcel. That is important.

Ok, so then for this exam, what exactly do people recommend to do to pass it? That information isn't out there in the open – it's in the wild. The main concern with TECEP exams is that you have to rely on traditional resources like a textbook where you may have to read chapters and chapters. I've read and personally experienced situations where you could study for credit examinations for a few hours or a few days and get a pass or even high pass on materials. Having at least a defined program where there is enough student input, practice exams, and review materials which are all condensed methods of studying is always going to be superior to reading a textbook as far as getting passable credit for an exam in the least amount of time. If there are TECEP exams like the one you mentioned that are that easy and/or structured, then there's no problem with that!

[videogamesrock]

Is itt and Everest RA accredited?

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.

[videogamesrock]

If name of the school is important the go to an Ivy League school.

I'm also a firm believer of it's not what you know but who you know.