My IT Journey

[nicklepickle95]

Hello, everyone, I'm a long time lurker on this forum who finally decided to come out into the open with my first post. I'm currently finishing up my BSAST in IT degree from TESC (finishing in December), using all CBE/online courses, and I figured I'd start a thread with some information on the TESC IT degree. First of all, here's my degree template. Everything on here has been approved by TESC and is on my academic eval, so you should be able to trust it:

I. General Education Requirements 60
A. Intellectual and Practical Skills 15
English Composition I (ENC-101)
College Comp Clep
English Composition II (ENC-102)
College Comp Clep
College Algebra (MAT-121) or above
Precalculus Clep
Higher Level Mathematics above College Algebra
Calculus Clep
Computer Concepts (CIS-107) or above
TECEP

B. Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World 20
Psychology or Sociology
Sociology Clep
Statistics (STA-201)
Statistics DSST
Technical Writing (ENG-201)
Technical Writing DSST
Physics I or Chemistry I
SL Physics I w/lab
Physics II or Chemistry II
SL Physics II w/lab
Second Science
Astronomy DSST

C. Personal and Social Responsibility 9
Diversity/Global Literacy
World Religions DSST
Responsible Ethical Leadership
Ethics in America DSST
Ethics or Diversity Elective
Human Cultural Geography DSST

D. General Education Electives 16
Humanitites Clep
Social Sciences & History Clep
Western Civ. I Clep
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (half)

II. Area of Study: Information Technology 45
A. Information Technology Core 33
Foundations of Information Technology
TESC course
COS-330: Computer Architecture
TESC course
COS-213:C++ Programming
TESC course
COS-241: Data Structures
TESC course
COS-352:Operating Systems
TESC course in progress
CIS-311: Database Management
TESC course
CIS-351:Software Engineering
TESC course
CIS-301:Management Information Systems
MIS DSST
MAN-435roject Management
TESC course
Network Technology
TECEP
Current Trends and Applications of AST
Starting TESC course in October

B. Information Technology Electives** 12
Clovis Community College course--Database Design, evaluated as CIS-299
Clovis Community College course--Network Fundamentals, evaluated as CAP-216
C Programming--TESC course
Introduction to Computing DSST

III. Free Electives 15
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature Clep(other half)
American Literature Clep
English Literature Clep


I figured I'd go through all my tests/courses and give my thoughts on each one, with recommendations for study resources (kind of like what Westerner did-- http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...urney.html). Here goes:


Analyzing and Interpreting Literature--took 6/25/13 with score of 78

Like most people, I had no problems with this Clep. It's really not that hard to answer questions about literary passages. If you want an idea of what the real teast will be like, go over the Clep official study guide practice test. It's basically identical to the real test. The only thing I really studied for was the literary terms. Stuff like similes, hyperbole, etc., would be worth going over. Don't take this test for granted, though. I have a friend who used REA and IC and only passed wtih a 53.


English Literature--took 7/2/13 with score of 71

It's hard for me to remember exactly what I used to study for all of these tests, since I took most of 'em over a year ago. I do remember not being able to find anything for English Lit, as there is no REA and the Idiot's Guide is a joke. The one book I highly recommend is Barron's EZ-101 Study Keys for English Literature. It's only $4 used on Amazon, and it's worth every penny. Other than that, Wikipedia and any English Lit textbook you can find would be great. This test is already half A&I Lit, though, so you don't have to study much. Oh, and I also used a book about Shakespeare I found at our library that gave a synopsis for each play. Know all the plays, their plots, and their main characters.


American Literature--took 7/9/13 with score of 73

I thought this Clep was a lot harder than English Lit, simply because there's more material. More authors, more books, and no easy A&I Lit questions. However, there are a lot more resources--including REA, a great Idiot's Guide (why'd they get it right with American but not English? *sigh*), and another Barron's Study Keys. I think IC also just came out with flashcards, which I would have used if I could have. Once again, I really don't remember how I studied for this test. All I remember is being confused by the material that covers the 20th century. It's very, very depressing, as you have to study an endless procession of disallusioned pessimists such as Jack London and Ernest Hemingway. Just grit your teeth and study anything that looks sordid, pessimistic, and disallusioned.


Sociology--took 7/17/13 with score of 62

I remember even less about this test. I think I just used the REA book, Wikipedia, and a lot of common sense on it. REA was really spot on with everything, so I didn't really have to work hard to get a 62.


College Composition--took 7/17/13 with score of 68

I actually took this test the same day I took Sociology. I'd already learned all of the grammar and writing needed for College Comp in high school, so I more or less took it cold. I quickly found that day that I loved taking multiple tests in one day, and I did so for the rest of my testing. So I took World Religions the same day as Ethics in America, Humanities with Social Sciences & History, and so on. Anyway, back to College Comp--since I really didn't study for it, I can't really help anyone with it. I believe there is a REA for it, as well as IC flashcards, so those might be helpful. I would also suggest looking through the official Clep study guide practice test, since it has pretty clear instructions on how to write the two essays.


Humanities--took 7/22/13 with score of 61

I really took a gamble on this one by only using IC and not REA. I signed up for IC and started working on Humanities on a Saturday night and took the test Monday morning. Stressful and dangerous, yes, but it worked. Regardless of whether you use REA or not, you absolutely have to use Wikipedia on this one. Look up any artist, composer, or writer you find and skim through their Wikipedia article. It also helps to be able to recognize famous works of art, so look those up too. Oh, and I think I used the Comex book for this--my mom found it at a curriculum sale. It was kind of ehhh--I don't really trust it. If you have it, by all means use it, though.


Social Sciences & History--took 7/22/13 with score of 70

As you probably know, this is a really broad test, like Humanities, that covers a lot of areas. If you plan to take the Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, or Human Cultural Geography tests, or any history tests, take them before you do this, because then you won't have to study those areas twice. IC says they have flashcards for SS&H, but all give you is links to their Sociology, Psychology, etc. flashcards, so if you don't want to study 500 flashcards, don't bother with them. I think I just used the REA book, which was really good. It went over just about everything that was on the test. I have a strong background in history, though, so this test was easier than it probably should have been. Once again, if you're taking any history tests, take them before SS&H.

That's it for now. I'll be back later with more reviews on tests and courses.