Please don't judge me!

[CollegeStudent7]

No, I actually didn't have any interest in testing entirely out, our goals for the degree are pretty different. I tested out of my straight gen eds and that's all. So it's 60/60 testing/classes. I love CJ, I am so glad I chose it I am actually loving the law side of it more than I expected, so I am considering law school, but we will see.

Hope everything clears up for you, I'm sure you can finish a degree no problem.

Oh that's cool. I just chose testing out as a main priority as I was under the impression that it would enable me to earn my B.A. in a matter of months. I'm quitting my POS job tomorrow, so I'll have time to really sit down and get on the phone with a TESC advisor. phew

God Bless you with law school...I couldn't do it.

[sayboom]

What is? She isn't exactly clear about that in her comment. I suspect because she really doesn't have any of this worked out. If she intends to enroll full time to get the full Pell, her "out of pocket" expenses will likely be more than $2k. If she's just talking about a few CLEPs, then yeah, that's small.

To totally hijack this with my own question, would the OOP expenses really be that much? I was thinking around 2k too. Honestly the fact I'd need to be enrolled full time to get the full pell wasn't even occurring to me even though I know how it works from experience at my CC. Alters my plan a bit but thankfully I'm still at the beginning planning stages and I don't mind the idea of taking 'real' classes instead of testing out. Anyways back to my question. If you do the comprehensive plan which is $7,190, signed up for 24 credits to get the full 5550 pell grant... that would leave you 1,640 unpaid. Obviously not including book costs in there or any outside testing you chose to do. Am I missing a catch to it? Does FA not go toward comprehensive, only the enrolled? I did the math last night I believe and the cost still is somewhere around the 7,000 range maybe a few hundred more for enrolled taking 24 credits.

[sanantone]

Hey san. I am looking to go full-time, even if it means me having to stop working. It just makes more sense from what I have seen. I can sacrifice a couple of months and have a Bachelors and open the doors to more interviews/jobs rather than drag it out.

Out of curiousity, how many credits did you try to get TESC to transfer and which ones did they not accept? Thanks for your information.

You're going to have to complete at least 24 credits to get the full grant. TESC courses are 12 weeks long. You probably won't be able to handle more than 4 courses at a time. The grant won't cover the entire tuition; you'll need a loan.

TESC didn't accept 4 of my courses. Two were duplicates because when I went to Axia College (which was at WIU and not University of Phoenix at the time), I took two writing courses that were not called English Comp. Colorado Technical University made me take Comp classes again and that created the duplicate at TESC because they accepted Axia's writing courses as Eng Comp I and II. They also didn't accept the two math courses I took at Axia College because they aren't at the college level. Axia College made everyone take basic math and a remedial algebra course regardless of the person's actual math level. I'm pretty mad about that because each course was $795 at the time. I had decent SAT scores and I had to waste $1590 on remedial math courses that can't be transferred anywhere.

I have taken no upper level courses and TESC gave me 15 upper level credits. I applied to all of the Big 3 schools and TESC gave me the best deal by a mile. Of course, things are different when you aren't transferring credits because you can take the specific tests you know the school will accept.

[sanantone]

To totally hijack this with my own question, would the OOP expenses really be that much? I was thinking around 2k too. Honestly the fact I'd need to be enrolled full time to get the full pell wasn't even occurring to me even though I know how it works from experience at my CC. Alters my plan a bit but thankfully I'm still at the beginning planning stages and I don't mind the idea of taking 'real' classes instead of testing out. Anyways back to my question. If you do the comprehensive plan which is $7,190, signed up for 24 credits to get the full 5550 pell grant... that would leave you 1,640 unpaid. Obviously not including book costs in there or any outside testing you chose to do. Am I missing a catch to it? Does FA not go toward comprehensive, only the enrolled? I did the math last night I believe and the cost still is somewhere around the 7,000 range maybe a few hundred more for enrolled taking 24 credits.

The enrolled option probably will be more expensive than the comprehensive plan when taking 24 credits, but I think that includes the graduation fees because I used TESC's tuition calculator. Unless you're a New Jersey resident, your grant is not going to cover the whole tuition. You'd have to pay the rest out of pocket on top of the money you'll spend on tests. I would recommend going to a local community college if you have one that offers online courses. I only pay $56 per credit at mine and I have thousands of dollars left over from the Pell Grant for books and testing.

[Mian]

To totally hijack this with my own question, would the OOP expenses really be that much? I was thinking around 2k too.

You might be right, but it really depends on the books required. Don't underestimate the cost of those books, you can't always find them cheap. 24 credits would likely be 8 classes since most are 3 credits each. Estimating each book at $100 puts you to $2440, and that may even be a conservative estimate.

I was floored when I saw the cost of these books lately. One class I had in late 2009 the required book was over $200!! I was lucky to find someone selling the international version on Ebay, but Ebay doesn't take kindly to that and their account was pulled shortly after I bought it, so I wouldn't count on that in my budget.

[Mian]

I would recommend going to a local community college if you have one that offers online courses. I only pay $56 per credit at mine and I have thousands of dollars left over from the Pell Grant for books and testing.

This is actually a better plan of you're just starting out. This way you can get up to 80 credits (TESC anyway) and use the grant money left over for testing and to enroll in TESC to finish your degree. Well, you may not be able to get that many credits on Pell, it does have a limit, I'm not sure what it is off the top of my head. Anyone know?

[sayboom]

Thanks for the input! finally found written on the TESC site last night that military spouses qualify for the in state tuition so I'm excited about that! I'm taking classes through my local CC right now actually. I should have 53 b&m credits by the end of the summer semester. I'm working on femas right now which should bring me up to 70 credits. Then hopefully some aleks and clep credits to get me closer to having 36 or less credits left for the comprehensive plan. I guess the cynic in me thinks it sounds too good to be true so I'm waiting to find a bad catch lol. Such as, maybe FA won't count toward comprehensive and only enrolled so I need to get down to 24 not 36 credits to save money.

Sorry for butting into your thread CS7 though you might have some of the same questions if you're planning to go full time on financial aid too.

[skyfall123]

I came to find out that TESC doesn't actually allow you to major in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. No biggie, but there ARE other things I'm interested in and I would like to explore my options. I swear on my LIFE I will not "bug" you guys again about this and I am done switching things up, but I TRULY had no idea that my "major" actually was not a major and if that's the case, I rather pick almost ANY Bachelors that I can test out of. Please don't judge me. I'm being totally honest and, based on what I already have (see signature), I just want suggestions on what you guys think the least difficult/quickest/most affordable Bachelors degree would be for me.

You were all VERY right about employers NOT caring about TESC, COSC, etc. being on your resume. They even ask you if it's online and assume it as well! They are TOTALLY cool with it. I haven't ran into ANY snobby comments about it at all. It seems to be the norm and I am no longer worried about that and I am going to not fret the diploma. If I was to go with Nat Sci/Math it's a Bachelor of Arts, for that, I'll just go with any Bachelors of Arts. I find MANY of the B.A. "majors" interesting" and I'm sure you all know which one of them allows for the most testing out of/SL/ALEKS, etc.

You were already given suggestions on the thread you started a month ago here
http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...kdown.html
Rather than take the approach that you are being criticized, why don’t you take the approach that you are being challenged.

Challenged to be honest with yourself. Do you have the FOCUS needed to study for and test out of any subjects? If you think you can, then maybe you should try one CLEP/DSST subject and see how long it takes you to master the information necessary to earn 3 credits. Then you can make an educated decision about how long it will likely take YOU to test out of 15-19 subjects required for a degree, and whether testing out is a quick and easy solution for YOU.

If not, then maybe you should go back to the plan layed out for you a month ago in this thread
http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...kdown.html
for BA Nat Science/Math which would require that you take 4-5 courses to earn the necessary 18 UL credits for the BA Nat Science/Math and fill out the rest of your GenEd with SL courses or a couple of CLEP/DSST exams.

It is possible that you are the type of person that needs the structure of a regular course. You may lack the FOCUS needed to gather information, study for and pass CLEP/DSST/ECE/TECEP exams. You won’t know until you attempt a CLEP/DSST. On the other hand you may have an uncanny ability to take and pass CLEP/DSST/ECE/TECEP exams at the rate of two or three per week.

Again, what you may take as criticism (justly or unjustly) might really be a simple challenge to put in a little bit of effort to see if you in fact are a good candidate for testing out, instead of making assumptions based on what others have done.

Good luck with whatever plan you decide on.

[marianne202]

I have stayed out of the CS7 drama, but I feel so compelled to respond to allow everyone to take a step back and realize that while all the opinions voiced here may be right on the money, this board is still a forum for support. That being said those that have been here for a long time have seen members come and go that take far more than they ever give back. Some because they are not serious or some just because they like the "power" they feel to pick fights or cause strife in the community. Think of this as a dysfunctional family at Christmas dinner!

I do see that a lot of members tried to help CS7 when she first arrived. But as it became obvious that she wasn't serious and committed, but kept posting relentlessly without taking any of the advice she was offered it has started to wear away at the generosity of those members that offered their time and help. I can understand that. But it is possible to ask questions, be unsure of your final degree, but still make progress, at a minimum taking Gen Ed classes that ANY degree will need. I finished 18 credits in one month and many here have done that in day or a week. So yes, some progress should be made by someone who is serious about the pursuit of their degree.

I can also understand if she has had medical problems, but that isn't an excuse for not progressing either. During the time I was finishing my AS degree and my BSLS, which took a total of 8 months for both. I was unemployed as the primary income earner (stress) and diagnosed with thryoid cancer. I had to have surgery last June and my medications are still not regulated. Heck, I have fallen asleep during DSST exams as a result! Since then I have finished my BSHS and am halfway through my MHA. I went back to work full-time a few months before I finished my BSLS in 2010.

I have two young kids at home as well, so while I don't find CS7's excuses valid for most of the people here as a reason to not be doing something constructive, she just may not be able to multi-task or she may just not be mature enough to take the leap or she may be a drama queen here for her own fun. Whatever the reason, I think everyone who has tired of trying to help, should be entitled to feel that way without being slammed. Everyone who wants to run to her aid now, feel free. But realize that saying any of her reasons are reason enough to not make progress are not going to fly here with those of us that are working through may adverse situations in our life but we are making progress and moving forward.

Maybe CS7 needs to be in a more traditional B&M school environment with counselors and advisors who can test her abilities and guide her through the maze of educational opportunities, but this forum is for the non-traditional students that must rely on the knowledge and guidance of those that have gone before, but there is a limit to how much you can expect people to give without seeing any type of benefit in the time spent.

I don't think I did anything any differently than most members here. I also like to think that I have contributed to helping many other members find their way to their degrees. I just think that since so much time is being invested in CS7's degree success by the members here, she needs to put forth at least the same amount of effort and I haven't seen that from any of her posts. At some point everyone needs a swift kick in the pants to get into gear and move on, I think that is all the members here are trying to provide.

Please keep an open mind and don't slam other members here for trying to provide constructive criticism. This can sometimes be more beneficial than any other advice one can give. I love this community and would hate to think someone who isn't using the community for its intended purpose and to their benefit would cause problems within the membership. We are here to support one another, even if the medicine is a little hard to take at times!

[CollegeStudent7]

I have stayed out of the CS7 drama, but I feel so compelled to respond to allow everyone to take a step back and realize that while all the opinions voiced here may be right on the money, this board is still a forum for support. That being said those that have been here for a long time have seen members come and go that take far more than they ever give back. Some because they are not serious or some just because they like the "power" they feel to pick fights or cause strife in the community. Think of this as a dysfunctional family at Christmas dinner!

I do see that a lot of members tried to help CS7 when she first arrived. But as it became obvious that she wasn't serious and committed, but kept posting relentlessly without taking any of the advice she was offered it has started to wear away at the generosity of those members that offered their time and help. I can understand that. But it is possible to ask questions, be unsure of your final degree, but still make progress, at a minimum taking Gen Ed classes that ANY degree will need. I finished 18 credits in one month and many here have done that in day or a week. So yes, some progress should be made by someone who is serious about the pursuit of their degree.

I can also understand if she has had medical problems, but that isn't an excuse for not progressing either. During the time I was finishing my AS degree and my BSLS, which took a total of 8 months for both. I was unemployed as the primary income earner (stress) and diagnosed with thryoid cancer. I had to have surgery last June and my medications are still not regulated. Heck, I have fallen asleep during DSST exams as a result! Since then I have finished my BSHS and am halfway through my MHA. I went back to work full-time a few months before I finished my BSLS in 2010.

I have two young kids at home as well, so while I don't find CS7's excuses valid for most of the people here as a reason to not be doing something constructive, she just may not be able to multi-task or she may just not be mature enough to take the leap or she may be a drama queen here for her own fun. Whatever the reason, I think everyone who has tired of trying to help, should be entitled to feel that way without being slammed. Everyone who wants to run to her aid now, feel free. But realize that saying any of her reasons are reason enough to not make progress are not going to fly here with those of us that are working through may adverse situations in our life but we are making progress and moving forward.

Maybe CS7 needs to be in a more traditional B&M school environment with counselors and advisors who can test her abilities and guide her through the maze of educational opportunities, but this forum is for the non-traditional students that must rely on the knowledge and guidance of those that have gone before, but there is a limit to how much you can expect people to give without seeing any type of benefit in the time spent.

I don't think I did anything any differently than most members here. I also like to think that I have contributed to helping many other members find their way to their degrees. I just think that since so much time is being invested in CS7's degree success by the members here, she needs to put forth at least the same amount of effort and I haven't seen that from any of her posts. At some point everyone needs a swift kick in the pants to get into gear and move on, I think that is all the members here are trying to provide.

Please keep an open mind and don't slam other members here for trying to provide constructive criticism. This can sometimes be more beneficial than any other advice one can give. I love this community and would hate to think someone who isn't using the community for its intended purpose and to their benefit would cause problems within the membership. We are here to support one another, even if the medicine is a little hard to take at times!

I just don't understand why you had to open a can of worms again and why this couldn't have been sent to my inbox. I understand being challenged and those who wish to help and don't expect anything of anyone, but sometimes it crosses the line into being immature and cruel.

I find it odd that you seriously wrote an essay about this and the thread had already moved way far past this. You're entitled to your opinions.

I hope that I'm in a position to help others, someday, and I know I will not act like a school aged child and gang up on them be rude with them and then cover it up as me giving them "tough love". We're adults and accountable for the way we behave and there are much bigger things to be upset about. I'm glad you were able to get that off your chest.