Most Efficient Use of Transfer Credits

[sara.nicole]

Hello, 

I found this forum through Reddit recently, and I am pouring through the posts to gain as much information as I can! For context - I had never heard of Sophia until finding this forum, so I am still fairly green. 

I have an associates degree in Human Services from Kaplan University (now Purdue), and need to obtain a bachelors degree to move forward in my next career step. What the bachelors degree is for is not relevant, but must be from a regionally accredited school. I jumped around a lot during my initial college career, so my credits are all over the place. The goal is to spend the least amount of money and waste the least amount of existing credits. I was considering a Bachelor of Professional Studies, as I was told I may be able to use some work experience for additional credits to move along a bit faster.  

Your Location: California, USA
Your Age: 33
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelors - any focus
Current Regional Accredited Credits:

Western Oregon University: 
Honors Western Literature ENG107H                    4 CH   Grade: A-
Intro to Economoic Geography GEOG106H            4 CH   Grade: A-
Pep Band 100                                                    1 CH   Grade A
Honors Philosophy of Western World PHL207H      3 CH    Grade B-
Archaeology ANTH215D                                      4 CH    Grade A
Honors Art CA102H                                            3 CH   Grade C
Substance Abuse CJ225                                      4 CH   Grade B
Honors Phil of Western World2 - PHL208H            3 CH    Grade C
NAT SCI:SEARCH/ORDER GS203H (with lab)         5 CH    Grade C
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY  PSY201                         4 CH     Grade C+
INTRO TO BUSINESS BA 101                               3 CH    Grade B
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY PSY202                           4 CH    Grade B-

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PSY 360                       4 CH   Grade B-
THEORIES PERSONALITY PSY 435                        4 CH   Grade C
SS: BEGIN BIBLICAL HEBREW HUM199                 2 CH    Grade A
FIRST YR LANG: ANC GREEK ML101D                    4 CH    Grade A
MALADJUSTED CHILD PSY463                               4CH    Grade B


Total Credits from WOU (with C- or Better): 60

Folsom Lake Community College
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING ACCT301                   4CH    Grade A

Total Credits from Folsom Lake: 4

Sierra Community College
ELEMENTARY FRENCH FRENCH 001               4CH   Grade A
BUSINESS CALCULUS MATH042                     4CH   Grade C

Total Credits from Sierra College: 8

Kaplan University: Associates Degree in Human Services
APPLIED SKILLS FOR HUMAN SERVICES HN205       5CH   Grade C+
ASSOC CAPSTONE FOR HS                                    5CH   Grade B+
COLLEGE COMP II CM220                                       5CH  Grade C
INTERPERSONAL COMM CM206                              5CH   Grade B
PREVENTION/CRISIS INTERVENTION HN220            5CH  Grade B
COLLEGE COMP I CM107                                        5CH   Grade C-
SURVEY OF SOCIAL PRBLMS HN200                        5CH    Grade C-
HUMAN BEHAVIOR HN144                                      5CH    Grade C-
HUMAN SRVS PRGM & PRFSN HN115                       5CH    Grade C
HUMAN BIOLOGY SC235                                         5CH    Grade C-
PSYCH PRGM & PRFSN PS115                                  5CH    Grade B-

Total Credits from Kaplan: 55

Total Completed Credits: 127

Note: I actually have a few more credits from Patten University and Walden University, just waiting on those transcripts. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

ETA: I was looking at BS in Early Childhood Studies – Tempo Learning (Non-Licensure) program at Walden University, as the classes seemed interesting and it's a self-paced program, however I believe I'd be wasting a lot of credits.

[rachel83az]

It looks like you have 12 UL credits in Psychology from WOU. (PSY 360, PSY 435, PSY 463) If those are all UL credits, and I don't see any others, you would just need 3 more UL credits in another non-professional liberal arts area (Sociology, Humanities, Math, etc.) to have sufficient credits for a BALS from TESU.

TESU will be where you have the highest chance of transferring in the most credits. They accept up to 114 credits in transfer. Most other places will only accept up to 90 credits. You can see TESU requirements here and start mapping your possible degree: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap

However, if you want to get a degree as cheaply as possible, UMPI is going to be your best bet. Although UMPI only accepts 90 credits in transfer, it's no good to look backward and try to not "waste" credits if UMPI is going to be easier and cheaper than TESU. TESU will cost about $5-7k. UMPI will cost about half that.

UMPI has a BLS in Educational Studies that might interest you. You can see plans here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI Without sitting down and mapping out the GEC requirements, I think you've met most of the requirements. You've certainly got the science and foreign language requirements met, and those are arguably the most important ones for UMPI YourPace degrees.

[davewill]

I agree. You should map out what it takes to get the degree at both TESU and UMPI, and make your decision based on what you have left to do. Probably TESU if you want to have the least amount of courses left to complete, and UMPI if you want the cheapest option. Also, note that the cheap price for UMPI assumes you can pass their courses quickly. If you need to be able to take your time, TESU may be a better fit.

[bjcheung77]

@sara.nicole, exactly what davewill and rachel83az mentioned... You've completed the template but missed the last post addendum where you provide extra details on your situation. It'll give more info in your scenario, if you have extra energy, money, time to get this done and your study habits, time commitments, etc.

In addition to what was mentioned, I suggest the UMPI BLS Educational Studies as that has 60 free elective credits vs 30 at TESU, and ladder to the Walden MS Early Childhood Studies. You're going to have to 'let go' the thoughts of 'salvaging/saving' credits and go for a 'medium' instead, this will allow you to actually finish.

Using the UMPI BLS option maximizes your number of transfer credits to 90, however, if you go the TESU or Excelsior route, you can try and salvage more credits there, but the cost may end up more, and be more time consuming. Again, you'll need to 'mix/match' your priorities, is it to finish faster or to salvage/save credits and finish more expensive, slower.

[sara.nicole]

@sara.nicole, exactly what davewill and rachel83az mentioned... You've completed the template but missed the last post addendum where you provide extra details on your situation.  It'll give more info in your scenario, if you have extra energy, money, time to get this done and your study habits, time commitments, etc.

In addition to what was mentioned, I suggest the UMPI BLS Educational Studies as that has 60 free elective credits vs 30 at TESU, and ladder to the Walden MS Early Childhood Studies.  You're going to have to 'let go' the thoughts of 'salvaging/saving' credits and go for a 'medium' instead, this will allow you to actually finish.

Using the UMPI BLS option maximizes your number of transfer credits to 90, however, if you go the TESU or Excelsior route, you can try and salvage more credits there, but the cost may end up more, and be more time consuming.  Again, you'll need to 'mix/match' your priorities, is it to finish faster or to salvage/save credits and finish more expensive, slower.

Thank you! I will update my post to add more details. I want to prioritize the FASTEST solution, as I have a lot of available time over the next few months to focus on pushing through classes. I have the funds to invest into the program, but would prefer to get it done under 10k if possible.

[davewill]

TESU might be the right choice, then. You have plenty of RA credits, so you could use Sophia to get the rest of the credits you need, start the cornerstone and capstone in April or May, pay the residency waiver fee, and graduate in September.

You could definitely go ahead and enroll at TESU and send in your transcripts. The procedure would be to do the online application for $50, register for the 1cr Medical Terminology TECEP ($52), and send in all of your transcripts. Once theyve gotten them all and evaluated them, you'll have a detailed academic eval that shows exactly how they fit into their program.

You're really close. If those missing credits are UL, you could only need the cornerstone and capstone.

Cost:

Application Fee             $50
Residency Waiver Fee      3,288
Cornerstone               1,680
Capstone                  1,680
Graduation Fee              298
                        =======
                          $6988

Plus whatever you end up spending on Sophia or other alt credit.

[sara.nicole]

TESU might be the right choice, then. You have plenty of RA credits, so you could use Sophia to get the rest of the credits you need, start the cornerstone and capstone in April or May, pay the residency waiver fee, and graduate in September.

You could definitely go ahead and enroll at TESU and send in your transcripts. The procedure would be to do the online application for $50, register for the 1cr Medical Terminology TECEP ($52), and send in all of your transcripts. Once theyve gotten them all and evaluated them, you'll have a detailed academic eval that shows exactly how they fit into their program.

You're really close. If those missing credits are UL, you could only need the cornerstone and capstone.

Cost:

Application Fee             $50
Residency Waiver Fee      3,288
Cornerstone               1,680
Capstone                  1,680
Graduation Fee              298
                        =======
                          $6988

Plus whatever you end up spending on Sophia or other alt credit.

This is insanely helpful, thank you! 

I just got the last of my transcripts in. I have 159 credits. TESU looks like the best route.

Total Credits Combined: 159
Total 100/200 Level: 130
Total 300/400 Level: 29

Can you explain a bit more about registering for the 1CR Medical Terminiology class?

[davewill]

This is insanely helpful, thank you! 

I just got the last of my transcripts in. I have 159 credits. TESU looks like the best route.

Total Credits Combined: 159
Total 100/200 Level: 130
Total 300/400 Level: 29

Can you explain a bit more about registering for the 1CR Medical Terminiology class?

It's a way to become enrolled without committing to taking courses at TESU. As an applicant, you only get two transcripts evaluated. By registering for the 1cr TECEP, you cheaply become an enrolled student for a year, have access to unlimited evals, and better access to advising. It's not necessary to actually take the exam. If you know you're going the TESU route, you could just register for (and take) the cornerstone instead.

You should go ahead and list all your credits, including the ones that were missing before. Then degree plans for both schools can be figured out.

[sara.nicole]

This is insanely helpful, thank you! 

I just got the last of my transcripts in. I have 159 credits. TESU looks like the best route.

Total Credits Combined: 159
Total 100/200 Level: 130
Total 300/400 Level: 29

Can you explain a bit more about registering for the 1CR Medical Terminiology class?

It's a way to become enrolled without committing to taking courses at TESU. As an applicant, you only get two transcripts evaluated. By adding on the 1cr TECEP,  you become an enrolled student and have access to unlimited evals, and better access to advising. It's not necessary to actually take the exam. If you know you're going the TESU route, you could just register for (and take) the cornerstone instead.

You should go ahead and list all your credits, including the ones that were missing before. Then degree plans for both schools can be figured out.

I can't seem to edit the original post, but here is my total list of credits. It's a bit embarressing seeing how many classes I took, to not have completed my degree.


Western Oregon University: 
Honors Western Literature ENG107H                    4 CH   Grade: A-
Intro to Economoic Geography GEOG106H            4 CH   Grade: A-
Pep Band 100                                                    1 CH   Grade A
Honors Philosophy of Western World PHL207H      3 CH    Grade B-
Archaeology ANTH215D                                      4 CH    Grade A
Honors Art CA102H                                            3 CH   Grade C
Substance Abuse CJ225                                      4 CH   Grade B
Honors Phil of Western World2 - PHL208H            3 CH    Grade C
NAT SCI:SEARCH/ORDER GS203H (with lab)         5 CH    Grade C
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY  PSY201                         4 CH     Grade C+
INTRO TO BUSINESS BA 101                               3 CH    Grade B
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY PSY202                           4 CH    Grade B-
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PSY 360                       4 CH   Grade B-
THEORIES PERSONALITY PSY 435                        4 CH   Grade C
SS: BEGIN BIBLICAL HEBREW HUM199                 2 CH    Grade A
FIRST YR LANG: ANC GREEK ML101D                    4 CH    Grade A
MALADJUSTED CHILD PSY463                               4CH    Grade B



Total Credits from WOU (with C- or Better): 60; 48LL, 12UL


Folsom Lake Community College
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING ACCT301                   4CH    Grade A


Total Credits from Folsom Lake: 4; 4UL


Sierra Community College


ELEMENTARY FRENCH FRENCH 001               4CH   Grade A
BUSINESS CALCULUS MATH042                     4CH   Grade C


Total Credits from Sierra College: 8; 8LL


Kaplan University: Associates Degree in Human Services


APPLIED SKILLS FOR HUMAN SERVICES HN205       5CH   Grade C+
ASSOC CAPSTONE FOR HS                                    5CH   Grade B+
COLLEGE COMP II CM220                                       5CH  Grade C
INTERPERSONAL COMM CM206                              5CH   Grade B
PREVENTION/CRISIS INTERVENTION HN220            5CH  Grade B
COLLEGE COMP I CM107                                        5CH   Grade C-
SURVEY OF SOCIAL PRBLMS HN200                        5CH    Grade C-
HUMAN BEHAVIOR HN144                                      5CH    Grade C-
HUMAN SRVS PRGM & PRFSN HN115                       5CH    Grade C
HUMAN BIOLOGY SC235                                         5CH    Grade C-
PSYCH PRGM & PRFSN PS115                                  5CH    Grade B-


Total Credits from Kaplan University: 55; 55 LL


Patten University
ACADEMIC STRATEGIES PSS100                                    3CH   Grade A
MANAGEMENT THEORIES & PRACTICES MGT303        3CH   Grade B-


Total Credits from Patten University: 6; 3LL, 3UL


Walden University
COMM SKILLS FOR CAREER DVLMP   comm1000                           1CH    Grade B
CONTEMPORARY COMM  psyc1001                                                5CH    Grade B
PSYCH AS A SOCIAL SCIENCE psyc1003                                       5CH     Grade C
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS PSCY 3004                                   5CH     Grade B
METHODS IN PSYC INQUIRY PSYC3003                                        5CH     Grade C
INTRO TO HUMAN SERVICES PSYC2010                                      5CH     Grade B


Total Credits from Walden University: 26; 16 LL, 10UL


Total Credits Combined: 159


Total 100/200 Level: 130
Total 300/400 Level: 29

[rachel83az]

I would apply to TESU for either a BALS or a Psych degree. Once all of your transcripts have been evaluated, you can use the "what if" tool to see if you are closer to the other degree. Then, go for whichever one you're closest to. If you go for the BALS, you might also want to check out the Psych certificate to see how close you are to completing that: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...Psychology If you have enough credits in the right areas, the certificate would be FREE when graduating with the BALS.

I'm not sure if the Management course counts for a BALS (I think so) or if it counts as not-psychology. A BALS requires UL credit from at least 2 different areas. If the UL Management course doesn't count as being in a different area, you'll need one more UL class to complete your degree. You can see a sampling of the UL credits that are available here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan I would pick one to take just in case. If you are fluent in French now, an ACTFL exam might be the easiest/fastest way to get UL credit. If not fluent, just pick something else.