EC or TESU

[ragkrish]

Hi all,

I would like to do a BA/BS in Psychology using the alternative credits (multi source) option. I have gone through various posts about this but its not clear which way to go. I have some courses done at a college around 2010 that I would like to transfer over as well as some PLA credits, if possible.

My preference is TESU but it looks like Excelsior is more open to alt credits and transfers, plus the cost seems to be less than TESU. Also, someone was mentioning that TESU is becoming stricter about credit transfers from certain sources. If so, is it better to go with EC? If someone can suggest or give ideas about this, it would be greatly appreciated.

I have also started creating a game plan for Excelsior but noticed that there are already some sample TESU game plans.

Thanks

[lacussucceed]

Hi ragkrish,
Could you post a list of your exisiting credit?
Any reason for you not to consider COSC?

[dfrecore]

Assuming you bring in 114cr (and use a discount at TESU only):
TESU - app fee, cornerstone, capstone, residency waiver, grad fee = $5,422
EC - app fee, enrollment fee for 1 year, cornerstone, capstone, tech fees, grad fee = $4,690
So a difference of $732, not a lot in the big scheme of things.  And if you go beyond a year at EC, then you pay an additional $495/yr.

A big difference is that TESU only requires 18cr of UL, all in the major (including the capstone), while EC requires 18cr of UL in the major (including the capstone) but then an additional 12cr of UL in other parts of the degree (30cr UL total).

But the main thing I would say is that we have a lot less info on EC, so it's a bit harder to plan. Looking at it (below), the issue I would have is the "intermediate" - I'm guessing this means 200-level and above, but since it's unclear what they bring courses in as, it's really hard to figure out ahead of time if a course will work for that.

PSYCHOLOGY COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Core Requirements
General Psychology/Introductory Psychology
Statistics
Research Methods/Experimental Psychology/Experimental Desgn
History and Systems/History of Psychology/Psychological Foundations

Intermediate and Upper-Level - minimum of one course in each area:
Biological and Physiological Foundations
Developmental Perspectives
Social Influences
Abnormal Psychology
Cognitive Bases
Electives
Psychology Capstone Course

[ragkrish]

@lacussucceed, let me gather some info on that. Its been awhile and it was in the area of digital design, so courses like web design, adobe suite, print media, etc. Also, just going through their websites and what people are discussing, EC or TESU made sense. Other than that, no particular reason, plus TESU also sounds better in terms of a "University" -

@dfrecore, thanks a lot for your reply. Having looked at EC in detail, I had started creating a game plan and when it came to the Psy courses, it became confusing. The reason I picked EC initially was because it seemed cheaper. But after reading some more, it looks like TESU and EC are about the same. In which case, I guess I am starting to lean towards TESU, but don't know much in terms of a game plan, as I have to look in depth on how to approach them.

And in terms of credit transfer, its not going to be much anyway, probably a few credits, so its not much of a factor in the decision making. Given that most of the credits would be obtained in the normal way (clep, dsst, SL, Sophia...), of the two institutions, which direction would make sense?

Thank you

[Life Long Learning]

Apply to all three and get the best deal!

[dfrecore]

Apply to all three and get the best deal!

I completely disagree.  If you want to apply to all 3, great.  BUT, you need to base your choice on how much it will cost to COMPLETE YOUR DEGREE!  If TESU takes 30cr and EC takes 60cr, that means nothing if it will cost $4000 to complete the degree at TESU and $8000 to complete it at EC.

Always decide based on the future and not the past!

[bluebooger]

> If TESU takes 30cr and EC takes 60cr, that means nothing if it will cost $4000 to complete the degree at TESU and $8000 to complete it at EC.

I assumed that's what "get the best deal" meant

[lacussucceed]

> If TESU takes 30cr and EC takes 60cr, that means nothing if it will cost $4000 to complete the degree at TESU and $8000 to complete it at EC.

I assumed that's what "get the best deal" meant

Yes, the best deal should win on the overall cost, not (just) credits transferred.

[ragkrish]

Thanks for the information. I have contacted EC & TESU. Lets see how things pan out. I also have a international BA Sociology degree, but its a pretty painful process to get it evaluated. So, I think I am just going to skip that step.

[Life Long Learning]

Apply to all three and get the best deal!

I completely disagree.  If you want to apply to all 3, great.  BUT, you need to base your choice on how much it will cost to COMPLETE YOUR DEGREE!  If TESU takes 30cr and EC takes 60cr, that means nothing if it will cost $4000 to complete the degree at TESU and $8000 to complete it at EC.

Always decide based on the future and not the past!

Money is just one factor of many.  Time to complete, cost, degree major are all important factors.  My time is money also.  Apply to all three as until they tell you its all guessing!  I did apply to all three and I am glad I did.  I got the "degree major" I wanted (HSEM) with the fewest credits needed (4 SH) and in one term (time savings).  The cost was only the third item of importance!  I would have taken the best deal for me from any of the three of the Big 3.  Sadly, COSC did not have an HSEM degree but I wanted to know in general from them and I did also apply to them.  Excelsior and TESU both have HSEM degrees.  TESU wanted 27 more credits and EC only 4 SH for the same degree.  I would have never known if I had not applied to all 3.  I would have paid Excelsior 3-times the cost as my time is valuable.  Everyone is different! Don't limit yourself as you do have three excellent choices in the Big 3.