choosing not to tansfer a course

[homeschoolmom1]

If somebody takes a course at a University as a non degree seeking student, then enrolls at COSC, but does not want to transfer the old course, is that ok? Or is there somehow an obligation to disclose all of the courses taken in the past?

[jsd]

You're supposed to send in ALL transcripts. Whether you can ask them to leave a class out after you've sent in a transcript is something someone else will have to offer because I'm not that familiar with COSC.

[homeschoolmom1]

Aha. So you cannot pick and choose the transcripts. Too bad.That means to be really careful with the classes you enroll in.

[davewill]

Schools send data to the National Student Clearinghouse and your new school will check there. If they find you've attended a school, but haven't sent a transcript (or a new enough one), they will take action. I remember a number of folks who were accepted to GT OMSCS who had their registration frozen because of "trivial" classes taken they forgot to send transcripts for. In the case of TESU, this probably won't bite you until it comes time to graduate and they audit your credits.

It's partly being careful about what courses you take, but the real issue is awareness of drop deadlines and incomplete procedures. Many people get in trouble because they get sick or behind and don't drop a course in time to get a W rather than an F or WF. They also get sick and fail to apply for an incomplete, which would let them finish the course later. My daughter did that with an entire semester. She was able to finish the courses after she got better, saving both the tuition and her GPA.

[homeschoolmom1]

I had no idea. Thanks a lot. Just to be sure, this also applies if you only take a single course without seeking a degree, for example with Harvard Extension School or American Public University?

[davewill]

Yes. Even that tennis course you took for fun 20 years ago at your local CC counts. I sent in my UCSD Extension transcript even though the courses on it were not for college credit, just so it could not come back to bite me.

Edit: Part of this is also to enforce delinquent accounts. If you don't pay your old school, they won't send a transcript. Your new school won't graduate you without one and you're forced to deal with it. That parking fine from 1995 can still get you...

[dfrecore]

Edit: Part of this is also to enforce delinquent accounts. If you don't pay your old school, they won't send a transcript. Your new school won't graduate you without one and you're forced to deal with it. That parking fine from 1995 can still get you...

Yes - they're all helping each other to make sure that someone can't go to School A, take out a bunch of student loans, never pay them back, and then just start over at School B 10 years later.  Nope.  Can't do that.  Once you owe money to a school, they're going to put the word out to all the other schools that you're a deadbeat, and hold that transcript/diploma hostage.

BTW - I'm not saying that this is a bad thing - they need something to hold over you.  But it's a bad thing if you want to try to do it yourself.

For those who aren't in the same boat, you're kind of lumped in with the bad actors.

I think a better thing to do is to take courses through a MOOC instead.  No grade, no student loans, nothing to come back to bite you later.  Prices are usually good too.

[homeschoolmom1]

Unless you need the credits to complete a degree (like discrete math or computer architecture for a computer science degree), the MOOC route may be better. I even wonder if it is possible to just take a bunch of MOOCs, get verified certificates and then do PLA based on that.

[MNomadic]

Unless you need the credits to complete a degree (like discrete math or computer architecture for a computer science degree), the MOOC route may be better. I even wonder if it is possible to just take a bunch of MOOCs, get verified certificates and then do PLA based on that.

It is possible in theory, but it is not quite as simple as showing tesu your verified cert and getting credit. If you look at the pla process and people here who've used pla, it requires a lot of documenting everything about your learning.

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Davewill has some great info about pla in his signature.

[davewill]

Unless you need the credits to complete a degree (like discrete math or computer architecture for a computer science degree), the MOOC route may be better. I even wonder if it is possible to just take a bunch of MOOCs, get verified certificates and then do PLA based on that.

Yes, it's possible, but if you can simply take a test or online course for credit instead, it's usually easier to do that than to do PLA. See the links in my sig for PLA information.