Long Time Lurker, First Time Poster...Personal Plan & Progress

[wkshasta]

Hello all!
Thank you for all the help already! I've been able to find out so much information and get a head start with all the former posts on here. Finally posting on here to become an official part of the community and because I finally found a question that I haven't been able to find an answer to...but first the addendum & template....

Your Location: Colorado, United States
Your Age: 28
What kind of degree do you want?: Any Bachelors, opting for UMPI's BLS, Minor in Management
Just need to "check the box" for a degree
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 
Aim's Community College:
COM 125, Interpersonal Communication - B 3 Credits
MAT 108, Technical Mathematics - A 3 Credits
PHI 113, Logic - A 3 Credits
ENG 121, English Composition 1 - A 3 Credits
ASL 101, Basic Sign Language 1 - A 3 Credits

Using the transfer equivalencies portal, only ENG 121, English Composition 1 will transfer to UMPI.
Effective Transfer Credits: 3 

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
Sophia Learning
Introduction to College Mathematics - 99% 3 Credits
Ancient Greek Philosophers - 98% 3 Credits
Introduction to Ethics - 97% 3 Credits
Visual Communications - 98% 3 Credits
Spanish 1 - 97% 3 Credits
Environmental Science - 96% 3 Credits
Anatomy & Physiology 1 - 96% 3 Credits
Anatomy & Physiology Lab - 100% 1 Credit
US History 1 - 98% 3 Credits
US Government - 97% 3 Credits

Effective Transfer Credits: 28
Any certifications or military experience? No
Budget: Whatever it takes, obviously would like to keep it as low as possible but willing to pay if it makes it faster & easier
Commitments: Just recently quit my job to go through a "pivot phase." Starting flight training soon, and will probably have to start a part-time job in a month or so.
Dedicated Time to Study: Full-time
Timeline: ASAP! Hoping to max out my 90 transfer credits by the end of the year in time to apply for the Spring 1 Term at UMPI and graduate this spring in 1 or 2 terms
Tuition Assistance/Reimbursement: N/A

Now that that's taken care of I'll get to my question...
I'll begin by saying that while I'm always graded well on written assignments, I absolutely loathe them and they slow me down tremendously. Trying to finish up my GenEd requirements and I've already scheduled the Intro Sociology CLEP test later this week to avoid the two Touchstones in the Sophia Intro to Sociology course. Now that Sophia's Art History 1 has a Touchstone (which needs corrected on the Simplified GEC wiki btw) I saw on another thread that someone said to just take Art History 2 as it fills the 2E requirement as well. So, the question that I haven't been able to find an answer to is....can I actually do this? Or when I go through the transfer evaluation at UMPI are they going to tell me that I need Art History 1 in order for Art History 2 to count? I've enrolled in Art History 2 at Sophia, so I figure the worst that happens is I'm told "No, you absolutely have to take Art History 1," and Art History 2 will simply fall to an elective. I'm not looking for a "freebie" degree as it unfortunately seems some people are, so I'm willing to do whatever work necessary to achieve this goal and move forward in my life. However, I'm also willing to skip "extra" written assignments/Touchstones if I don't "need" them.

Hopefully that all makes sense, and again thank you for all the help you fine people provide! 
Maybe one day I can be cool like you 

Edit to add:
FWIW, on Sophia it is noted that Art History 1 is NOT prerequisite for Art History 2

[klone]

Based on the information from UMPI's Transfer Equivalency page, it appears that Art History II will fulfill the GEC requirement.

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Secondly, I understand this might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe a Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree may not hold much value. While it might help you meet certain requirements, it's important to pursue a degree that offers tangible benefits and can open doors in your career. In my opinion, a degree in a more specialized field, such as a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BABA), would be a much better choice. Business knowledge is versatile and applicable across industries, giving you more opportunities for career advancement and practical skills that are in demand. Even if you're primarily seeking to "check the box" with a degree, choosing one with broader utility will provide greater long-term benefits.

[ss20ts]

At 28 years old, I would not recommend the BLS degree. I would recommend the BABA instead. You're very early in your career and the BLS will not help you the same as a BABA would. If you were 40 or had 10+ years experience in your field, the BLS would be fine. I say this as someone who graduated from UMPI with both degrees.

[Hackingat40]

I would maybe look into the BAS from UMPI if you are waiting till spring to start UMPI. You could work on getting an AAS and transfer into UMPI. If you have previous experience in the field of management The BLS would be ok but the BAS sounds better and add something like MIS or PM as a minor so that will open doors for you in the future. If you plan on going to a masters degree the bachelors wont matter too much later on in interviews but will currently help with a check the box situation or to pass application bots. This will also prove to future employers you have self drive and willingness to learn new things.

[ss20ts]

I would maybe look into the BAS from UMPI if you are waiting till spring to start UMPI. You could work on getting an AAS and transfer into UMPI. If you have previous experience in the field of management The BLS would be ok but the BAS sounds better and add something like MIS or PM as a minor so that will open doors for you in the future. If you plan on going to a masters degree the bachelors wont matter too much later on in interviews but will currently help with a check the box situation or to pass application bots. This will also prove to future employers you have self drive and willingness to learn new things.

Get an AAS from where before January? A BABA is going to look better than a BAS - which is not a common degree - for someone who is 28 years old and relatively new in their field.

[Hackingat40]

I did mine through Pierpont Tech. What I am doing is awaiting conferral of the AAS which is December but starting my BLS at UMPI this month. Once AAS is conferred I can submit to UMPI to change the BLS to BAS.

This poster also stated they just want a check the box degree. At 28 I was a regional training manager for restaurants without a degree. They also did not state what field they were recently in before the pivot phase to start flight training either so they may have a few years experience based on their need for a check the box degree.

[wkshasta]

Thanks for the quick replies! For the record, my previous line of work was operating heavy equipment in the heavy civil construction (i.e. mass excavation projects). I chose the BLS, but I will look into the BABA a little further because I understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of people wonder if the BLS will be taken seriously, but a lot of advice was that it will depending on the situation and especially in "check the box" situations. Like I said, I do sincerely appreciate the input and promise to look a little more into it and give it some more consideration before I get too far in my degree plan.

Again FWIW, the specific door I'm knocking on, the advice I received was to go get a Bachelors and check the box. My GPA will be weighted a little more than the field of study. Specifically the advice was, "I'd rather you have a 4.0 in Basketweaving than a 2.8 in Engineering." (Obviously a 4.0 in Engineering would be even better lol) This is also what led me to the BLS, being able to cherry-pick a majority of the classes to help myself out in this regard. 

Hope that helps!

[ss20ts]

I did mine through Pierpont Tech. What I am doing is awaiting conferral of the AAS which is December but starting my BLS at UMPI this month. Once AAS is conferred I can submit to UMPI to change the BLS to BAS.

This poster also stated they just want a check the box degree. At 28 I was a regional training manager for restaurants without a degree. They also did not state what field they were recently in before the pivot phase to start flight training either so they may have a few years experience based on their need for a check the box degree.

Pierpont is no longer an option for a quick AAS. That door closed on October 4th.

It's easy to move up to management in restaurants without a degree. Not so much in the corporate world.

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Thanks for the quick replies! For the record, my previous line of work was operating heavy equipment in the heavy civil construction (i.e. mass excavation projects). I chose the BLS, but I will look into the BABA a little further because I understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of people wonder if the BLS will be taken seriously, but a lot of advice was that it will depending on the situation and especially in "check the box" situations. Like I said, I do sincerely appreciate the input and promise to look a little more into it and give it some more consideration before I get too far in my degree plan.

Again FWIW, the specific door I'm knocking on, the advice I received was to go get a Bachelors and check the box. My GPA will be weighted a little more than the field of study. Specifically the advice was, "I'd rather you have a 4.0 in Basketweaving than a 2.8 in Engineering." (Obviously a 4.0 in Engineering would be even better lol) This is also what led me to the BLS, being able to cherry-pick a majority of the classes to help myself out in this regard. 

Hope that helps!

Between the BLS and the BABA there's really no difference in what you'll be able to do when it comes to your GPA. You get out what you put in.

[wkshasta]

I did mine through Pierpont Tech. What I am doing is awaiting conferral of the AAS which is December but starting my BLS at UMPI this month. Once AAS is conferred I can submit to UMPI to change the BLS to BAS.

This poster also stated they just want a check the box degree. At 28 I was a regional training manager for restaurants without a degree. They also did not state what field they were recently in before the pivot phase to start flight training either so they may have a few years experience based on their need for a check the box degree.

Pierpont is no longer an option for a quick AAS. That door closed on October 4th.

It's easy to move up to management in restaurants without a degree. Not so much in the corporate world.

---

Thanks for the quick replies! For the record, my previous line of work was operating heavy equipment in the heavy civil construction (i.e. mass excavation projects). I chose the BLS, but I will look into the BABA a little further because I understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of people wonder if the BLS will be taken seriously, but a lot of advice was that it will depending on the situation and especially in "check the box" situations. Like I said, I do sincerely appreciate the input and promise to look a little more into it and give it some more consideration before I get too far in my degree plan.

Again FWIW, the specific door I'm knocking on, the advice I received was to go get a Bachelors and check the box. My GPA will be weighted a little more than the field of study. Specifically the advice was, "I'd rather you have a 4.0 in Basketweaving than a 2.8 in Engineering." (Obviously a 4.0 in Engineering would be even better lol) This is also what led me to the BLS, being able to cherry-pick a majority of the classes to help myself out in this regard. 

Hope that helps!

Between the BLS and the BABA there's really no difference in what you'll be able to do when it comes to your GPA. You get out what you put in.

Understood. 

I believe the thinking behind this is that the BABA class structure is a little bit more rigid, and the BLS is...well liberal studies...and there's a ton of electives that are up to me to choose to fill the credit hours. So, am I going to do better/finish a little bit faster in the random areas of study that interest me or in the classes that I feel like I "have" to take? 
I agree wholeheartedly that the BABA - Management & Leadership sounds way better than BLS - Management and is probably a better option for most people who are hoping to use the degree, but in this scenario is it actually going to do any better for me specifically...I'm not sure. 

Thank you again for the feedback, I truly do appreciate every word

[ss20ts]

There's not a lot to choose from at UMPI for electives though. You'd have to take UL business or history/poli sci classes for the most part. So a BABA is better for someone in their early career than a BLS. The BLS isn't even commonly known degree. Also don't think that because courses are part of a liberal studies major that they're easier than any other major. You're still taking the exact same classes. I have a BLS along with 3 minors so I had more than enough business UL courses. Then I came back for my BABA. The BABA gets my foot through more doors than the BLS and I have decades of experience. My guess is that everyone's heard of a BA and few have heard of a BLS. I have an MBA and people still bring up my bachelor's degree which is odd but hey whatever.