Going back to school at 29 for CS with only freshman year of college completed

[RejuvenationOclock]

Your Location: Central Virginia, USA
Your Age: 29
What kind of degree do you want?: Would like to knock out an associate’s somewhat quickly, then get a bachelor's in CS.
Current Regional Accredited Credits:


School Name Total Credits: #


Virginia Commonwealth University
BIOL 101 BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS 3.00 B
CHEM 101 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I 3.00 B
CHEZ 101 GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB I 1.00 A
CLSE 101 INTRO TO ENGINEERING 3.00 B
MATH 200 CALCULUS ANALYTIC GEOMETRY I 4.00 A
UNIV 111 FOCUSED INQUIRY I 3.00 A (this is basically English/reading)
CHEM 102 GENERAL CHEMISTRY II 3.00 A
CHEZ 102 GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB II 1.00 A
CLSE 102 METHODS IN CLSE 1.00 B 
CLSE 115 INTRO TO PROGRAMMING 3.00 C
MATH 201 CALCULUS ANALYTIC GEOMETRY II 4.00 B
UNIV 112 FOCUSED INQUIRY II WI 3.00 A 


All of these were from Fall 2013-Summer 2014



Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
None


Budget: I’m still paying off my original student loans so cheaper is better. Would also prefer knowing costs upfront (like if a course is advertised $500, it’s $500, not $500 plus a $200 homework website account and $250 book)
Commitments: I work full time M-F.
Dedicated time to study: I can study during the week after work and on the weekends.
Timeline: Would like to finish relatively quickly, but I’m new to this whole thing so I don’t have a definite timeline in mind. At the very least I’d like to get my associate’s quickly, and maybe at that point reevaluate the plan and see if I need to adjust anything.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I don’t believe I’d get anything from my work. I also have a decent income so I don’t know that I’ll get any FAFSA grants, but I’ll apply anyway.


Introduction: Hello, I started with biochemical engineering at VCU in Fall 2013. The first year went pretty well (other than I had to retake one class (Chem II) over the summer). I had to take out some big loans for the first year, but thought I’d sorted things out for my second year to where my expenses would be mostly covered. Unfortunately, I misunderstood my loan/grants situation, and had to come up with over $10K that semester. I tried not buying the textbooks, skipping classes trying to work, but the end result was I got the money but didn’t pass the classes. I decided I’d get a job and save up a year or two, then come back.

Well it’s been 10 years, and I was able to work my way up to a decent job, but I’d still like to finish getting a degree. While I enjoyed chemistry, I’ve been mostly considering computer science, as it’s a bit of what I already do, so it gives me better flexibility to move up, and in general seems more flexible in the job market than chemical engineering. 

I’m not sure if my old credits have expired, so I understand I may have to start fresh. While my main goal is a bachelor’s in CS, I’m open to finishing off an associate’s in chemistry or math if it could be done somewhat cheap, since I already did half the material.

I think I’d like to move quickly to get an associate’s, just so I can finally say I got a degree, and then take a little more time for the bachelor's if required. I’m hoping for a decently inexpensive path, but I don’t want a diploma mill either. Also, I greatly prefer being able to see full costs upfront.

Any help is greatly appreciated; I’m also very open to whatever other advice you may have, or other sites that may be of help. Thanks

[jg_nuy]

Hi there,

It seems like BA in Computer Science (BACS) at Thomas Edison State University might be a good match. You could do the bulk of your classes via Sophia and Study dot com. You could do the Pierpont AAS BOG on your way. For both, you are in good shape with RA credits, since you already have 30.

Here is the link to the Pierpont AAS BOG:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC

Here are the plans that my son is following for the double degree BACS and the BS Computer Information Systems (Business Administration department):
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...z_version)

[davewill]

Should be no problem with credits expiring. You would start with getting credits at Sophia and Study.com. Both of those are pay by the month, so how much it costs depends on how fast you work. There aren't any extra expenses, all of the study materials are included. Study.com does charge extra if you want to finish more than 5 courses in a month, but if you're doing that, you're probably saving money in the long run by paying for fewer months.

There are two ways you can go with the BACS at TESU, depending on whether you want to take a 15 credit single term to save money, or just pay an extra fee.

Fees:
$50 Application Fee
$298 Graduation Fee
$1635 Capstone
$500 Cornerstone at EdX
$3,354 Residency Waiver
=======
$5837

$50 Application Fee
$298 Graduation Fee
$4,299 15 Credit Flat Rate Term (includes Capstone and Cornerstone and fulfills residency requirement)
=======
$4647

Depending on what courses you pick at TESU, you may have some books to buy or rent, but they are generally not expensive.

[bjcheung77]

@RejuvenationOclock, Welcome to the board, you can do a double associates if you wanted and a double bachelors degree instead of just a single bachelors... Heck, if you have the energy, time, you can add a cert or more. The fee would be similar to the flat rate tuition mentioned, the way to slice things would be different, 2 capstones, plus the cornerstone, and 2 easy e-packs. This will get you the AS Math, plus a BACS, and a BSBA with an AOS of your choice...

[LevelUP]

TESU seems like the best fit.

WGU has CS, but they don't like taking old credits, which means you have to start with 0 credits, which adds time.

SNHU has CS, though it costs more and takes more time. (8 to 10 months once enrolled)

Generally, the advice is to make a spreadsheet of your degree plan, then start knocking out courses with Sophia.

[RejuvenationOclock]

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking my short term plan is to go the pierpoint AAS, as I could potentially be graduated by May if I understand it correctly, and then I'll focus on TESU. So to make sure I don't misunderstand, I believe my plan for the exact moment is

1. Sign up for Sophia and take enough classes to get to 60 credits (the 32 I have from VCU will still count). They also have areas of emphasis, so I should decide if there is one I want, and work towards that.
Pierpoint won't accepts credits from Sophia if I already took it at VCU (such as Bio 101), but is there any harm in retaking the class just to refresh my mind on the material?
The classes I failed my sophomore year won't count against me, correct?
There's no harm in exceeding 60 credits, correct?
I can only be in 2 classes at once, but I can knock out several/month is there a limit on how many credits I can earn a month?

2. Follow the application process outlined in the wiki.
I need to start this by April if I wish to graduate by May.

3. Reevaluate where I'm at and see if TESU is the one I want to go with.

Does this all seem like a correct approach?

Thanks again guys.

[jg_nuy]

Looks good. Just would recommend getting your Pierpont application started soon and not wait until April, as you can continue to send in credits as you work in Sophia until you're up to the 60 required. No harm in exceeding 60, 90 or more with either Pierpont or TESU. You will want to hit the Pierpont requirements for any missing classes first: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC

No limit on Sophia on how many classes you can take in a month, the limit is just that you can have 2 open at a time - if you have a class open with a touchstone (essay or project), you will want to have one without a touchstone so you are not stuck waiting for grading without being able to take classes. If you are waiting for 2 classes to be graded, you can also contact Sophia support to open a third class.

You will want to concentrate on one provider at a time - e.g. Sophia, then study dot com if you work on classes through them. You can bring in up to 90 credits via ACE/NCCRS such as Sophia, study dot com and sources like Coopersmith. That is in addition to the RA credits that you already, as you can have up to 114 credits transferred into a degree at TESU, if you choose to take just two classes at TESU and pay the residency waiver as mentioned above by davewill. It will be closer to 105 total max into a degree if you choose to do the 15-credit term for the flat rate tuition.

Good luck!

[RejuvenationOclock]

Hey guys,
So I've completed the first few steps, getting enough credits and having the transcripts forwarded to Pierpont (they wouldn't accept my copy of my VCU transcript by email, so I had to pay VCU to send a copy). I had VCU send that transcript on 3/4, and Sophia sent their transcript on 3/9. The student records still show nothing, does this seems like an unusually long time for it to be processed? I'm not too worried about the Sophia ones, as the wiki says it should take a month, but it also said the VCU ones ought to have only been a few days.

I just wanted to check that I'm not missing anything, thanks.

[bjcheung77]

There may have been a mix up, Sophia.org and ACE/Credly sends it electronically and thus, they get it immediately, but it all depends on when they want to take a look. On the other hand, VCU and some institutions may send it by snail mail and those will take a month, so I think it's the reverse... All in all, patience my friend, as it's a waiting game...

[RejuvenationOclock]

Hello again,
I’ve made some progress so I have some updates (as a reference for anyone else) and a few questions.

First, the Pierpont BOG AAS: I had the last of my credits show up on my portal the other day, and am now filling out my application for graduation. Overall, the Sophia classwork wasn’t difficult, and I was able to get the credits I needed in a month, so only one billing. I did have to check back a few times because classes I sent in weren’t getting added, but all in all pretty straightforward.

Now, I am looking at the TESU BA in CS and BS in CIS plan outlined here:
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
And a few questions have come up:

I saw there is a 2 degree max, and as the second degree is now just a BS instead of a BSBA, I’m wondering if it might be more useful to have one degree in business and one in computer tech, instead of a BA and a BS both in computer tech. Ideally, I think I would opt to change the BA in CS to a BSBA in something, so I would have a BS in Computer Information Systems and a BSBA in operations management (or something else, haven’t fully considered what major yet), but the guide explicitly says you can’t do the BS and BSBA together. Am I looking at this the right way, or is there another way I might do this?

The guide mentions getting an Associate’s degree if you don’t opt to get 2 Bachelor’s. If I do pursue 2 bachelor’s, does getting an associate’s add/change anything?

The flat rate term covers one semester of at least 15 credits, so if I needed/wanted to take more than 5 TESU courses that semester, they are covered, correct?

If I end up not finishing a course, and have to retake it the following semester, what would that cost me?

The pierpont guide laid out the entire process of applying, submitting courses from Sophia, etc. Will it be largely the same; should I apply and start knocking out Sophia courses, etc. and sending them in? Would it be wise to have all the other sitework completed before I start the TESU classwork, to make sure I know exactly what I need?

How are the classes themselves?

Thanks for any assistance, I’m excited for this.