Two Capstones and Cornerstone in one term? TESU BUS-421, LIB-495, & SOS-110.

[CanICode]

Well after about 3 months of pure focus I am closing in on my goal. I have finished up almost my entire CS degree besides some gen eds and I have a just a few more business classes left. I have 43 classes done. Woot! Now I have to decide how hard it will be to do 2 capstones + the cornerstone in one semester. I will be graduating with:

1. ASNSM in Mathematics
2. BACS in Computer Science
3. BSBA in Finance & Computer Information Systems

I'd like some input from people on taking two capstones at once. Has anyone here done this? How much work was it? My biggest concern is getting a 4.0 on these three classes is non negotiable. I have to accomplish that. Is that doable? How hard are the courses? Is there anything I can do that will improve my chances of finishing everything and not getting snagged up? Anything I should know before I try to do this?

[dfrecore]

For the BSBA Capstone, my advice is to just pick a freaking topic and get started. I wasted SO much time trying to decide between the 3 options, and in the end, it did NOT matter.

The midterm is hard, but they do tell you what to study - and I would actually practice the essays, at least once each - that was what I didn't spend enough time doing.

I bought the book ahead of time (maybe a couple of weeks) and kept up with the reading and papers on a weekly basis - I read and took notes on Monday, wrote my discussion posts on Tuesdays, and did my Case Studies on Wednesday - and had no trouble maintaining that schedule the whole time. It was only at the very end, when I kind of freaked out about the final paper, that I wasted time that I shouldn't have - and then got really sick and had to ask for an extension.

Speaking of, don't forget that you can extend a course if you need to (there are rules). That's a very good strategy if you start to get overwhelmed. I'd finish the cornerstone as quickly as possible so that you can focus on the capstones, and allow yourself to postpone ONE of the capstones if you needed to. But there's a very good chance that you will be able to do all 3 courses easily if you focus and make it a priority.

[davewill]

Also remember if you EVER have to turn in an assignment late, get permission from the mentor ahead of time. If you miss a deadline WITHOUT notifying the mentor, school policy requires them to dock points. If you get permission, they are able to give you full credit (and always did for me).

[spohara]

Working full time with a 1 year old, I found just the LIB-495 capstone to be tough to manage time wise. If you don't have a busy life, I'd guess the 9 hours is doable even working full time, but don't expect much in the way of "fun time" while doing it. If it is all you're doing, then I'd guess 100% doable. Not sure what the BSBA capstone consists of (also didn't do the cornerstone), but if there is any way to take a topic and dual purpose it - one writing a business plan (if thats what you do in the BSBA) and the other one doing the theoretical side of the same general idea - it might ease the burden of context switching since you'll be thinking about the same topic, just different context. Might even be able to reuse sources. Just spitballing, no idea what the other capstone actually entails.

[allvia]

I would not recommend doing them at the same time. For the BSBA the mid-term (know the lists!) and the paper is more than enough work; especially since for TESU these courses are where you're getting your overall GPA - attention matters.

[natshar]

I think a big thing is how much else you have on your plate? Do you have a job? Partner? Kids? Do you manage your household (chores, shopping, etc)? Do you have an active social life and volunteer commitments?

Is your job flexible (ie retail, food service) where you just change your availability and work less hrs? Can you ask your roommate/partner/kids/parents to take on some household duties temporarily? Would it be possible to temporarily dial back on social and volunteer obligations?

People on this board have taken all these at once it can be done. But there are only so many hrs in a day so dont stretch yourself too thin.

Another tip would be get as far ahead as you in SOS-110 at tge beginning while the capstones are still easy.

Also I don't know if you want more on your plate, but you really felt motivated and wanted to save money. You could take the 1cr 4 week easy pla-100 and then two suepr easy epack courses. (Something like Computer Concepts which I believe is basic MS office, etc). Epacks are more self-paced and offer more flexibility. Just an idea, but if you'd even struggle with 3 classes then adding 3 more classes even if they are a cakewalk probably wouldn't help.

[LevelUP]

Well after about 3 months of pure focus I am closing in on my goal. I have finished up almost my entire CS degree besides some gen eds and I have a just a few more business classes left. I have 43 classes done. Woot! Now I have to decide how hard it will be to do 2 capstones + the cornerstone in one semester. I will be graduating with:

1. ASNSM in Mathematics
2. BACS in Computer Science
3. BSBA in Finance & Computer Information Systems

I'd like some input from people on taking two capstones at once. Has anyone here done this? How much work was it? My biggest concern is getting a 4.0 on these three classes is non negotiable. I have to accomplish that. Is that doable? How hard are the courses? Is there anything I can do that will improve my chances of finishing everything and not getting snagged up? Anything I should know before I try to do this?

If you did two capstones in one term, you would have some bragging rights since I don't think anyone has done that yet

Tips On How to Get Straight A's

1. Follow the rubric
   
2. Know the APA format
   
3. Study 15-20 hours for the midterm exam
   
4. Pick good professors known for easy grading
   
5. Use Grammarly or something similar
   

If you score too low on the midterm, it becomes mathematically impossible to get straight A's. I got a B on my midterm since I only studied for 7 hours. I should have studied double that, and as a result, I was completely lost on one of the essay questions.

When I started, I was spending 3 hours doing just one discussion forum response. At around the halfway point, I got the responses in under one hour. Usually, professors give 100% points for discussion, so you can save some time there and work on other things.

As far as time is concerned, I would budget 40 hours for the cornerstone and 80 hours for the capstones, give or take 20 hours.

Writing the liberal arts capstone ahead of time can save up to around 20 hours.

Reading the business capstone book ahead of time can save around 10 hours. I wouldn't overdo it, though. Just reading the first four chapters is enough.

If you do make a perfect 4.0, you'll make the President's List, and your name will be published on TESU's website.

[CanICode]

Well after about 3 months of pure focus I am closing in on my goal. I have finished up almost my entire CS degree besides some gen eds and I have a just a few more business classes left. I have 43 classes done. Woot! Now I have to decide how hard it will be to do 2 capstones + the cornerstone in one semester. I will be graduating with:

1. ASNSM in Mathematics
2. BACS in Computer Science
3. BSBA in Finance & Computer Information Systems

I'd like some input from people on taking two capstones at once. Has anyone here done this? How much work was it? My biggest concern is getting a 4.0 on these three classes is non negotiable. I have to accomplish that. Is that doable? How hard are the courses? Is there anything I can do that will improve my chances of finishing everything and not getting snagged up? Anything I should know before I try to do this?

If you did two capstones in one term, you would have some bragging rights since I don't think anyone has done that yet

Tips On How to Get Straight A's

1. Follow the rubric
   
2. Know the APA format
   
3. Study 15-20 hours for the midterm exam
   
4. Pick good professors known for easy grading
   
5. Use Grammarly or something similar
   

If you score too low on the midterm, it becomes mathematically impossible to get straight A's. I got a B on my midterm since I only studied for 7 hours. I should have studied double that, and as a result, I was completely lost on one of the essay questions.

When I started, I was spending 3 hours doing just one discussion forum response. At around the halfway point, I got the responses in under one hour. Usually, professors give 100% points for discussion, so you can save some time there and work on other things.

As far as time is concerned, I would budget 40 hours for the cornerstone and 80 hours for the capstones, give or take 20 hours.

Writing the liberal arts capstone ahead of time can save up to around 20 hours.

Reading the business capstone book ahead of time can save around 10 hours. I wouldn't overdo it, though. Just reading the first four chapters is enough.

If you do make a perfect 4.0, you'll make the President's List, and your name will be published on TESU's website.

Are there any awards a student can earn if they are only taking 3 graded classes at tesu?

Also, all of your tips seem very doable. Thank you.

[CanICode]

If you did two capstones in one term, you would have some bragging rights since I don't think anyone has done that yet

If you do make a perfect 4.0, you'll make the President's List, and your name will be published on TESU's website.

Ayyyyyyy got em both. I get the grades back within 10 days but I think I will get 99+ in all 3 of my TESU courses.

LIB-495 Capstone
BUS-421 Capstone
SOS-110 Info Lit

I do NOT recommend GS for BUS-421. There were 11 extra papers that were 10x the work of forum posts. I took them because the only professor doing OL in the term had some super questionable reviews.

Anyways, just need to finish up some odds and ends and I am done. I am now deciding if I want to the extra few weeks to get the finance attachment over CIS.

[bjcheung77]

@CanICode, Great job! Hmm, I guess for those reading, when you take the BUS-421 Business Capstone, maybe find a term that has an online option instead of the guided study. It really depends on the student I guess, some like the discussion posts, some like the extra writing of papers...