Going back to College

[cakesincups]

Hello!! I am fairly new to the boards and have read A LOT of information. I have 2 separate scenarios I would like to get some input on. I will post one here and start another thread for the other.

I am a 36 year old wife and mother of 2. I just signed up to go back to school to get my Bachelor in Business Administration/Hospitality Management. I want to open my own business. I started class this past Monday with South University Online.

I started checking in to the CLEP tests and I know that they will accept up to 60% transfer credits for my Bachelor. I want to CLEP as many courses as possible. I will do all of the basics like biology, college math, American government, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions or a course of study that they have done? Suggestions to get through as quick as possible including CLEP, DSST, and possible changing colleges.

Also...I have looked at South University and Strayer University's CLEP conversion list. All of South's conversions are one for one. With Strayer, I take the College Math and get College Math and a General Elective Credit, two for one.

I went to the College Board and looked at their list of CLEP exams and it shows 2 credits for College Math. I want to work SMARTER, NOT HARDER!

TIA,
Melissa

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="5"]Welcome Aboard Melissa!![/SIZE]

[cookderosa]

Hello!! I am fairly new to the boards and have read A LOT of information. I have 2 separate scenarios I would like to get some input on. I will post one here and start another thread for the other.

I am a 36 year old wife and mother of 2. I just signed up to go back to school to get my Bachelor in Business Administration/Hospitality Management. I want to open my own business. I started class this past Monday with South University Online.

I started checking in to the CLEP tests and I know that they will accept up to 60% transfer credits for my Bachelor. I want to CLEP as many courses as possible. I will do all of the basics like biology, college math, American government, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions or a course of study that they have done? Suggestions to get through as quick as possible including CLEP, DSST, and possible changing colleges.

Also...I have looked at South University and Strayer University's CLEP conversion list. All of South's conversions are one for one. With Strayer, I take the College Math and get College Math and a General Elective Credit, two for one.

I went to the College Board and looked at their list of CLEP exams and it shows 2 credits for College Math. I want to work SMARTER, NOT HARDER!

TIA,
Melissa

Welcome Melissa!
My husband and I are both chefs (trained at culinary school in the late 80's), but wanted more. He did his Bachelors of Restaurant Management online through New England Culinary just last year. It might be something you'd be interested in. You have to have an AA or AS degree- it can be in anything (which you could clep 100% of through TESC) and then you do the classes online in a 6 week format- one class at a time. It's 6 classes per year, so it takes 2 years- so if you CLEPped your AA degree (give or take 4-6 months) it would be relatively fast track.

The down side, is that NECI isn't regionally accredited, it's nationally accredited. This seriously won't make a bit of difference in industry, however, if you thought you would EVER want to teach at a community it could be a barrier (not always- depends on a few things). Not the case if you teach at a private school like Cordon Bleu, they all have NA degrees. I've been teaching at a community college for 17 years, I teach in both Culinary and Hospitality, so if you thought you "might" want to teach, I could walk you through the specific scenarios in which the accreditation matters.

The up side, is that NECI is a recognized school, people in industry know it- it's a B&M college that offers the bachelor's option online. So, I guess what I'm saying, is that no one would really know you attended your program on line. As you know (or will soon find out) degrees are wayyyyy dowwwwnnnnnn on the list of what counts for what in the industry. This is one of the fields that is built on a long tradition of apprenticeship, and still highly regards experience above all else. It's a "work your way up." So, if you haven't already, get a part time foodsevice job

Let me know if I can help you, and good luck to you!

[cakesincups]

Thank you for the welcomes!

Jennifer ~ What you and your husband have done sounds awesome!

Would you say a degree in Hospitality Management would be better than just a Management or Business Management degree? I guess I could get the BM degree and then take some Hospitality courses, maybe a minor. I see that TESC has Hospitality Management! I'll check it out now.

Do you know of any place for me to take culinary courses or instruction online? I understand its a lot of hands-on and I'm not looking to be certified, just an in depth instruction for myself. I am a baker, but I can't just through a recipe together and say its going to work.

Thank you!!

[cookderosa]

Thank you for the welcomes!

Jennifer ~ What you and your husband have done sounds awesome!

Would you say a degree in Hospitality Management would be better than just a Management or Business Management degree? I guess I could get the BM degree and then take some Hospitality courses, maybe a minor. I see that TESC has Hospitality Management! I'll check it out now.

Do you know of any place for me to take culinary courses or instruction online? I understand its a lot of hands-on and I'm not looking to be certified, just an in depth instruction for myself. I am a baker, but I can't just through a recipe together and say its going to work.

Thank you!!

I can't think of any online culinary - because those are labs. There are culinary theory type classes, but I wouldn't suggest those as necessary. You will NEED to be sanitation certified. You'll do that in your own state.

TESC's degree will require you take classes out side and transfer them back in- not idea, but not terrible. I have some resources where you can take single classes. The trick in that degree is where to get the 300/400 level classes (that's why I suggested NECI).

Remeber there is a difference between a management degree and a business degree. Business will include subjects like math, finance, accounting, and economics. Management teaches you how to manage people. If you are leaning toward ownership, I'd pick business. Management is trendy-changing-and learnable through seminars and trainings. In other words, you can always learn management on your own- not as easy to do with business.

[cakesincups]

Jennifer ~

What do you mean by, "TESC's degree will require you take classes out side and transfer them back in- not idea, but not terrible"?

Can you email me some resources "where you can take single classes".

TIA!
Melissa

[cookderosa]

Jennifer ~

What do you mean by, "TESC's degree will require you take classes out side and transfer them back in- not idea, but not terrible"?

Can you email me some resources "where you can take single classes".

TIA!
Melissa

I meant not "ideal." TESC only offers 1 class in that major- it's a 100 level intro class. So, if you want that major, you have to take classes at other colleges and transfer them into TESC. That sounds crazy- but it's because of the population they serve. TESC has MANY degrees like this. Why? Because the typical TESC applicant already has college credit- maybe from a few colleges, maybe from a decade ago. They are a "serving mid-career adults" college.

TESC is not the best choice for many majors- for exactly this reason. But, for some majors, TESC is absolutely the fastest-cheapest-easiest way to earn a bachelor's degree. Just depends on the degree. You'll notice I directed you away from TESC for the BA degree in Hospitality/Restaurant Management. That's because TESC doesn't offer those courses. This is a case where it's not the fastest, cheapest, or easiest. In fact, it'll be a pain in the rear. That's what I mean by "not ideal, but not terrible" because you can do it. I just don't see why you would. They do not employ a SINGLE PROFESSOR who has expertise in this field. They employ a mentor to facilitate a 100 level course. This is not where you go to learn this field. (if you already had 30 culinary/hospitality/restaurant/hotel credits and wanted to organize them into a degree, that'd be a different story)

Here is one resource for earning loose credit. These are mostly lower level, but many are ACE evaluated which means you can use them for a degree at many schools.
AHLEI - Hospitality Training and Management Training -

My original suggestions still stand. Either get an AA/AS at TESC and go to NECI or Sullivan - both options online, both have instructors from industry. OR go to your local community college for a face to face program and follow up with a BS online in business.....but somehow somewhere you have to get training from someone.

[cakesincups]

Jennifer ~

Thank you so much for working with me.

I see the following for TESC. Are these new classes or am I missing what you are trying to say??

* Analysis of Operations in Hotel and Restaurants
* Advanced Computer Applications to the Hospitality Industry
* Banquet and Catering Management
* Casino and Gaming Management
* Computer Application to the Hospitality Industry
* Convention and Meeting Management
* Developing Employees and Managers in Hotels and Restaurants
* Food and Beverage Management
* Food and Beverage Operations I*
* Food and Beverage Operations II*
* Hotel Design, Maintenance and Engineering
* Hotel Marketing
* Hotel/Motel Sales
* HMRI Accounting
* HMRI Operations I*
* Hospitality Law
* Hospitality Senior Seminar
* Labor Relations in Hotel and Restaurants
* Quantitative Tools for the Hospitality Industry

[cookderosa]

Jennifer ~

Thank you so much for working with me.

I see the following for TESC. Are these new classes or am I missing what you are trying to say??

* Analysis of Operations in Hotel and Restaurants
* Advanced Computer Applications to the Hospitality Industry
* Banquet and Catering Management
* Casino and Gaming Management
* Computer Application to the Hospitality Industry
* Convention and Meeting Management
* Developing Employees and Managers in Hotels and Restaurants
* Food and Beverage Management
* Food and Beverage Operations I*
* Food and Beverage Operations II*
* Hotel Design, Maintenance and Engineering
* Hotel Marketing
* Hotel/Motel Sales
* HMRI Accounting
* HMRI Operations I*
* Hospitality Law
* Hospitality Senior Seminar
* Labor Relations in Hotel and Restaurants
* Quantitative Tools for the Hospitality Industry

Those are classes they accept, not classes they offer. It might be easier to show you. Go to TESC and into the "student services" tab. There you'll find a registration link. Go to the bottom, follow the instructions to sign in as a "guest" and then you'll get their current course registration guide. You'll see the classes offered in each dept. This is pretty consistent, they offer most of these each semester. Thomas Edison State College

[videguy]

Melissa,
I just saw this thread and thought I would say Hi. I also attend South, I did most of it with classes online, a few transferred credits and a few CLEPs(taking American Government this week).
It has been an interesting 3+ years, but after the last CLEP and I finish a public speaking class I am taking at BYU. I will be finished.
My wife has a masters in hospital administration from UAB, it is certainly a good field to get into. Good Luck.