UMPI BABA - Questions, Help Needed

[mram1]

Thank you!

Sure! I wanted to edit my first post to make the spreadsheet available to download, but I think I'm allowed to edit a post only once.

So here is the downloadable spreadsheet.

Also, thanks for the recommendation on the courses... I'll follow your advice.

That spreadsheet is freaking awesome! If you wouldn't mind answering some of my questions though, I would totally appreciate it!

I have 6 questions:

1. Does UMPI care about whether you take a lower level course to satisfy upper level courses (like Sophia)?
2. This looks like a lot of courses to take. I have a General Studies AA degree, but how hard are the courses to get out of the way?
3. 30 credits must be completed at UMPI, but will they accept most of my credits to fulfill GEs and electives? 
4. Do they accept most Sophia/Straighterline credits? 
5. Should I talk to one of the advisors before applying to see my options?
6. I'm not too quantitatively-minded, but where should I take the financial/math courses?

I'll attach my redacted transcript, but I also have Writing for Mass Media and the Pr. of Management CLEP. 

I'm trying to figure out if UMPI is worth it. I probably have to take Calc 1, Spanish 1, En. Comp 2, Chemistry?, and some others, but in the BABA Management/Leadership concen., there is about 59-62 credit hours as well. My AA isn't utilized as effectively then since I technically have to take extra courses to make up for what GE/electives I didn't cover. I don't want to follow this path and realize that it's not feasible. I'm 20, so I got roughly 2 years to do this in my mind. Sorry for the long post. Any help would be appreciated!

[bjcheung77]

@mram1, I've split your post into a new thread from here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Leadership
You should fill us in with the details from the addendum/template: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

1. UMPI has specific transfers from course providers, they evaluate things differently, it can come from LL into UL, doesn't matter.
2. You're an A student! These would be easy for you to complete.  BTW, your transcript shows AS Liberal Studies.
3. Yes, 30 Residency Credits, they will take your credits everywhere, in the Major/Concentration, gen ed, and electives.
4. Any ACE credit provider, I usually get people to follow through the plans we have, courses are from the ones we recommend.
5. No, before you apply, you're just speaking with sales (educational consultants) not staff.
6. We have degree plans in place on the WIKI, you should fill us in with the addendum/template details.

[rachel83az]

That spreadsheet is freaking awesome! If you wouldn't mind answering some of my questions though, I would totally appreciate it!

I have 6 questions:

1. Does UMPI care about whether you take a lower level course to satisfy upper level courses (like Sophia)?

Sometimes, yes. It depends on the class/requirement.

2. This looks like a lot of courses to take. I have a General Studies AA degree, but how hard are the courses to get out of the way?

At a quick glance, you've got most of the GEC courses out of the way. Not all of them, but probably most of them. You need to fill out your own spreadsheet to confirm. 

3. 30 credits must be completed at UMPI, but will they accept most of my credits to fulfill GEs and electives? 

Yes. They accept up to 90 credits in transfer from sources they deem acceptable. This includes RA credit, Sophia, Study.com, Saylor, and even StraighterLine. We don't recommend StraighterLine for UMPI, however. Almost everything a UMPI student needs can be completed at Sophia, with Study.com being the place to pick up some specific credits (I.E. courses in Accounting, Marketing, History, etc.)

4. Do they accept most Sophia/Straighterline credits? 

Yes. For Sophia, see https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...quivalents

We don't have an equivalent page for StraighterLine because it's generally not worth it for UMPI students to utilize that provider. If the transfer credit on your transcript is from SL, it's safe to assume that they'll transfer very similarly at UMPI. 

5. Should I talk to one of the advisors before applying to see my options?

Oh goodness, no. Pre-enrollment, we can help you much better than the third-party sales staff can. Sales staff can't answer basic questions. After enrollment, you'll be dealing with actual UMPI staff and they'll be able to help you then.

6. I'm not too quantitatively-minded, but where should I take the financial/math courses?

You have College Algebra. You're done there. For Business Math (and other math-related finance courses), you'll probably want to take it at UMPI when not offered at Sophia. Even if it adds an extra course or two, UMPI should have eliminated exams. These courses should have word problem/project type assignments that may be easier for you to complete than math exams on Study.com.

I'm trying to figure out if UMPI is worth it. I probably have to take Calc 1, Spanish 1, En. Comp 2, Chemistry?, and some others, but in the BABA Management/Leadership concen., there is about 59-62 credit hours as well. My AA isn't utilized as effectively then since I technically have to take extra courses to make up for what GE/electives I didn't cover. I don't want to follow this path and realize that it's not feasible. I'm 20, so I got roughly 2 years to do this in my mind. Sorry for the long post. Any help would be appreciated!

You do not need Calculus 1. That's an optional way to get out of taking Business Math at UMPI. Business Math should be way, way easier than Calculus for you.

Spanish I: Take at Sophia.
English Comp II: Take at UMPI
Chemistry: No. You have Biology + Lab, so take Environmental Science at Sophia. Unless you really enjoy Chemistry, Environmental Science will probably be easier/faster.

[dfrecore]

Most of your GEC is completed, and of course your Free Electives are done. So you just need to get your courses at Sophia (best option for speed/cost) for the remaining GEC and then the Business Core.

Sophia
Spanish or French
Environmental Science or Chemistry (ES is easier for most)
Intro to Business
Financial Accounting
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics

Study.com, max 7 out of the 8 courses listed (the more you take, the easier you'll have it at UMPI - but you have to weigh the costs before deciding on anything):
ACC 301: Applied Managerial Accounting
BUS 303: Management Information Systems
BUS 304: Leading Organizational Change
BUS 209: Mentoring & Leadership Development in the Workplace
BUS 306: Strategic Human Resources Management
BUS 309: Digital Marketing & Advertising
BUS 307: Leadership & Organizational Behavior
BUS 312: Advanced Operations Management

This will leave you the remainder of the Business core and minor, plus English Comp II to take at UMPI. Make sure you have 10 courses to take.

[mram1]

* Hope I did this right 

Your Location: New York, United States
Your Age: 20
What kind of degree do you want?: Aiming for BABA in Management & Leadership from UMPI, but I sort of want the easiest/quickest path to a good degree. Maybe Poly Sci., or as a very last resort, the Psych degree or one of the BLS degrees.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: Monroe Community College = 37 credits        Erie Community College = 6 credits
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 

Sophia Credits: 6

• College Algebra – 93%
  
• Intro. to Ethics – 96%
  

CLEP Credits:  21

• 2022-06-02     Human Growth And Development      71
  
• 2022-06-07     Introductory Sociology           70      
  
• 2022-11-19     Western Civilization I             71
  
• 2022-04-05     Principles Of Marketing           67     
  
• 2022-04-14     Introductory Psychology        71     
  
• 2023-07-26     Principles Of Management      65      
  
• 2021-07-06     College Composition Modular  72
  

Total Credits Completed: 70

Any certifications or military experience? Project SAVE Certification Completed (Violence Prevention Training), Fall 2021 + Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment Certification Completed, Fall 2021

Budget: I have a lot of financial aid from my uncle, but I'd like to go the cheapest route possible. However, I will consider spending more for easy and fast. I’m aiming for no more than 15K (safely).

Commitments: (Explain more below) Working out, praying/religion, community involvement. I live with my parents currently. I have a part-time job, but I am not on the schedule as I was planning on doing full-time school. I only work a couple short shifts anyway. However, I need free time for the reasons below.

Dedicated time to study: I don’t really know how long I’m planning to study for because I just had a mental health crisis that made me drop out of the university I was planning on attending. I’m really not in great shape, and I have very serious anxiety, but I so badly want my Bachelor’s. I’m okay with taking my time (and I will need to), but I also have some cognitive delays/ADHD that my primary doctor informed me of. I’m going to try to get medicine, but this path is kind of my last resort. I estimate that I can spend around 4 hours every weekday and on the weekends probably like 4 hours total. This comes to around 24 hours a week, but maybe a little less.

Timeline: Obviously, I want to finish quickly, but that is of less importance than keeping my mind sane. I would like to aim for the 2-year mark, but an extra summer is fine. Honestly, I’d be ok with doing it in 2.5-3 years, but I really have to make sure it doesn’t take a toll on my mental health with being inside/isolating too much and/or trying to cram.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: As I mentioned, my uncle has been very generous, and technically, I have around 50K being offered for my education! But I also want to do a Master’s. I’ve taken many CLEPs, but they cause me severe anxiety, so writing is sometimes preferable (assuming it’s not incredibly heavy). Once again, I’m probably not the average student. I’ve struggled with mental health and just doing school, but there is a lot of implicit pressure around me to choose a good degree and get the diploma. I’m definitely not a quantitative person and I hate math. However, I also feel overwhelmed by longer papers with analytical requirements. That might not be very helpful, but I will say that a big reason why UMPI is attractive to me is the structure allowing for ample time, less pressure, and more qualitative assessments. In this context, I lean more towards competency-based education.

Comments: Thank you all for this amazing forum. It’s incredibly generous to offer your time and energy to help your fellow neighbors in their educational pursuits. *My final question would be whether or not I should take the financial/accounting/math courses from UMPI as opposed to Study.com since they are more about testing your knowledge qualitatively.* Price isn't exactly a factor atp. I hope I have provided enough information. I saved @ktll spreadsheet template for the BABA Management & Leadership Degree and made some adjustments for my own circumstances. I don’t know if it’s completely correct, but I am new to this forum so maybe you guys can do your thing and let me know what needs to be done! Thanks so much!!

Spreadsheet link

[dfrecore]

The only change I see is that you also need a 2E course - easily done with Art History I or II at Sophia. The rest of my info from post #4 stands.

[bjcheung77]

@mram1, great work with the addendum/template update, that's a very good picture of your scenario.  I would focus on what dfrecore mentioned, continue with Sophia.org and complete those first before moving onto Study.com, make sure to go at your own comfy pace.  In regards to the timeline, I don't think you'll need even a year to finish this, take the time to learn/understand the material, if I have to hazard a guess, it'll take you a couple months for Sophia, another couple/triple months of Study.com, and two sessions of UMPI if you max those credits (take 5 courses each session).

[mram1]

The only change I see is that you also need a 2E course - easily done with Art History I or II at Sophia.  The rest of my info from post #4 stands.

Thank you so much for you intel on this! It's been really helpful! If you don't mind, I have 2 more questions: 


1. Would it be better to take some of the Study.com courses at UMPI since I heard Study is a pain for proctoring and is also really difficult. 

2. I applied for the January 1st session (I will probably do later), and an enrollment specialist named Renee wants to talk to me. Is this a good idea or is she one of the pushy staff? 

Thanks!

[rachel83az]

1. The proctoring on Study.com is actually pretty lenient. Follow the rules (i.e. don't cheat) and you'll be fine. It's a recorded proctor, not a live proctor. The live proctors are the difficult ones that make you do nonsense things even before you start the exam. Things like trying to get you to stop your neighbor from mowing his lawn, upending full glasses of water, etc. Study.com doesn't do that kind of thing. As for difficulty, that depends. Before there were lab sciences on Sophia, SDC was the go-to to avoid the dreaded UMPI science class. Same with SDC's Spanish. In most cases, SDC can be really easy if you know what you're doing. Whether or not they're always easier than UMPI is up for debate.

2. Enrollment specialists are the sales staff. I don't think Renee is actually UMPI staff but is actually one of the 3rd party sales people that UMPI uses.

[mram1]

1. The proctoring on Study.com is actually pretty lenient. Follow the rules (i.e. don't cheat) and you'll be fine. It's a recorded proctor, not a live proctor. The live proctors are the difficult ones that make you do nonsense things even before you start the exam. Things like trying to get you to stop your neighbor from mowing his lawn, upending full glasses of water, etc. Study.com doesn't do that kind of thing. As for difficulty, that depends. Before there were lab sciences on Sophia, SDC was the go-to to avoid the dreaded UMPI science class. Same with SDC's Spanish. In most cases, SDC can be really easy if you know what you're doing. Whether or not they're always easier than UMPI is up for debate.

2. Enrollment specialists are the sales staff. I don't think Renee is actually UMPI staff but is actually one of the 3rd party sales people that UMPI uses.

Ok, thank you. Yes, the woman is sending me emails and has been almost harassing me, so I may just call her and tell her that I am not interested right now, but wanted to at least apply. Nothing is for certain, but I really hope my other prior credits are correct as transferring in as GECs and electives. From what I've looked at, UMPI should accept most of my credits to fill those requirements. I wish I could get a transcript evaluation tho. However, you guys at degreeforum have been super helpful in telling me which courses to take and not to take at different places. Thanks so much!