interesting info on TESC website

[cookderosa]

Yes, I also noticed that the majority of my classmates at COSC did not seem to be aware of the testing option. Both my husband and I graduated from COSC. When I met him he was working as an engineer at a medical device company when human resources sent around a sheet wanting everyone to list what degrees they held. Since my husband had not finished his last semester, he did not have a degree. We went back to his private (and very expensive) university to see what he would need to complete his degree. We were shocked to discover that they would not give credit for many of the courses he took with them! He then had all of his records transferred to Charter Oak where he found that he needed one gen ed course (history) to graduate. I remember him coming home from the test center mad as a hornet and convinced he failed the exam. He passed and graduated with high honors from COSC and even more importantly kept his job! So, does this mean he is inferior to those he works with because his degree is from Charter Oak and not University of Hartford?
I, on the other hand, love to test and used as many as I could toward my degree. Every student has a different story to tell and should be evaluated on what they bring to the table as far as experience, attitude, motivation, ect rather than just the school they graduated from. Just something to keep in mind you hiring managers....

This is my favorite kind of story to read!

[IrishJohn]

Wow, yeah this is shocking. Although even I only will have taken about 24 hours worth of tests but still, I assumed most everyone was doing it. They really don't advertise it at all. none of the brick and mortar schools I've been to ever advertised it either.

Probably because they make more money if you take the course instead of a CLEP or DSST exam.

[sanantone]

I accidentally found this PowerPoint on TESC's website that says only 9% of target students know about credit by exam. I need to go back and find the link to it since it's too big to upload.

[Ace_King]

Crazy... hey Sanantone any percentage of students who use 99 credits or majority of the credits with ACE or non-ra credits instead of testing? I fit in that category!!

[IrishJohn]

For my BA in History I completed 65% of my credits (79 total) through non-traditional sources (military training, ALEKS, CLEP & DSST). I was very happy to discover this forum and the Big 3!

[sanantone]

Crazy... hey Sanantone any percentage of students who use 99 credits or majority of the credits with ACE or non-ra credits instead of testing? I fit in that category!!

I don't think TESC tracks this.

[Katzepatra]

I have had a lot of people at my community college, specificly advisors, talk down to me just selecting classes when I insisted for online only classes. I even had to argue with a dean just to be approved for 3 classes in an accelerated session - the advisors said no one does that, its "too hard". I've also scared every advisor except 1 when I said I'm going to CLEP out of classes - the only advisor who wasn't afraid was this wonderful older woman who looked at me and said "dear, if you think it, you can do it and who am I to stand in your way."

The only person I've been able to talk to it prior to finding this forum was a very ambitious friend of mine - this 28 year old woman is currently in a doctorate program while working a full time job and part time job. She did the same thing while doing her double masters degree and she didn't test out of anything, in fact until I mentioned it to her she had no idea what CLEP was let alone every other credit earning method on this site. She's already trying to talk to me about grad school, something I wasn't considering due to price but after some of the recent postings I may look into it.

I feel like I've already learned so much from this forum and really wish I found in last year when I was going through so much trouble with my school. None of this feels strange at all, instead I feel like I'm making my college experience one that is meaningful to me at the pace and price that works for my life. That friend I mentioned owes 6 figures for her education so far and is doing grad school since her full time job is paying for half of it and it allows her to defer her student loans. I know we've gotten a bit off topic but really, the comparison between what people on this forum are doing/have done vs. what people like my friend do makes me wonder if traditional education is really the crazy idea.

Just for the record, I will be schedualing my first test with the assesment center this week - CLEP English comp. - I'm excited!

[cookderosa]

I have had a lot of people at my community college, specificly advisors, talk down to me just selecting classes when I insisted for online only classes. I even had to argue with a dean just to be approved for 3 classes in an accelerated session - the advisors said no one does that, its "too hard". I've also scared every advisor except 1 when I said I'm going to CLEP out of classes - the only advisor who wasn't afraid was this wonderful older woman who looked at me and said "dear, if you think it, you can do it and who am I to stand in your way."

The only person I've been able to talk to it prior to finding this forum was a very ambitious friend of mine - this 28 year old woman is currently in a doctorate program while working a full time job and part time job. She did the same thing while doing her double masters degree and she didn't test out of anything, in fact until I mentioned it to her she had no idea what CLEP was let alone every other credit earning method on this site. She's already trying to talk to me about grad school, something I wasn't considering due to price but after some of the recent postings I may look into it.

I feel like I've already learned so much from this forum and really wish I found in last year when I was going through so much trouble with my school. None of this feels strange at all, instead I feel like I'm making my college experience one that is meaningful to me at the pace and price that works for my life. That friend I mentioned owes 6 figures for her education so far and is doing grad school since her full time job is paying for half of it and it allows her to defer her student loans. I know we've gotten a bit off topic but really, the comparison between what people on this forum are doing/have done vs. what people like my friend do makes me wonder if traditional education is really the crazy idea.

Just for the record, I will be schedualing my first test with the assesment center this week - CLEP English comp. - I'm excited!

Advisors and admissions are the "sales force" that pump enrollment. You found the right place. Now you have two old ladies cheering you on!

[CLEP101]

I have to admit that I am a "Tester Outer" The less classes I have to take the better. It brought me faster into my Masters programs.
I didn't take a single class in a face to face brick and mortar college. I even took my English 1301 at my local Comm Coll, but online .
I tested out of everything except for my Associate, I took English 1301, College Math, and Bio. I also CLEPed English so I wouldn't have to take English 1302 at TESC.
For my first Bachelors, I only took 2 upper level courses, and for my Second Bachelors, I took 1 upper level course. Everthing else was test-out.
I could care less what anyone thinks of where I got my degrees, as long, as the schools are Regionally accredited is what anyone cares. I even spoke to the Dean of my local Community College and said as soon as I've reached 18 Graduate hours in History, I can start teaching at the Army base part time since I'm still active duty (100-200 level classes). She didn't care if the classes I'm taking are online either, as long as they are in one subject area.

[rebel100]

We had a really helpful guidance counselor at my daughters CC. He retired and we got this new guy, hip fella with dreads and all. We sat down with him at the first session and he starts realizing how we exploited CLEP exams. He got really interested and I tell him about the forum here, the potential savings...end of the meeting he takes MY card so he can call for advice on how to use CBE to advance his daughters education...pretty funny really.