Struggling to find the right school(mid-30s with GED)

[davewill]

TESU offers a 'BA in Biology' (https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/biology). Although not all credits for the AOS can be earned through the alternative course/credit providers (ACE/NCCRS) commonly talked about here, I believe there is a forum wiki page for it to help direct you in completing it. I'm certain a few others here can direct you better on that specifically. I know a few have done the 'ASNSM in Biology' combined with a different TESU Bachelor that can be done through alternative credit methods (examples - BSBA, BALS - Natural Sciences/Mathematics). Welcome to the forum, I suspect you've arrived where you need to be to gain knowledge to achieve your goals. I would recommend that you put more focus on moving forward with your degree goals, than improving your GED category scores (as having the GED is all you need to move to the next step - so congratulations!)

I did look at that one, my main issue with the TESU BA in Biology(along with the one at Indiana Tech) is that they're very rigid in the main requirements and have courses that won't benefit me much longterm. TESU does allow for more electives though, so that is a better option at least. I just don't want to load up on too many courses that won't have practical use in my career. I'll have to snoop around here some more to see what others have managed to put together and what I can learn from them. 

As far as my GED scores, it's not too much of a focus for me, but if $30 for a retest can potentially get me 3 more credits that seem worth 2nd attempt. I'll retest math once I'm halfway through my college algebra course and then it should be a breeze. Might retest science, might not. 

If you really want to go to Indiana University, don't discount the community college transfer route. Even if you don't do a full two years, it can put you in a completely different pool of applicants and significantly reduce the overall cost of your degree.

You might also want to go ahead and apply even though you don't think your application looks good. As a more mature student, they may evaluate you differently than you think. Also the good GED scores may outweigh your transcripts simply because they are more recent.

Note: I don't know anything about Indiana's CC transfer system. It may turn out to be less than ideal, but I'd certainly look into it.

If I do go to IU it will definitely be with at least an A.A. in hand already. IU is "cheap" for me because I live in IN, but Ivy Tech still costs less than half of that($150 per credit vs. ~$385). I have looked at their transfer policy and it does seem fairly generous when it comes to transferring from regionally accredited schools, but I can't find any info about any alternative ways to earn credits. Really, I need to find out if both Ivy Tech and IU will accept any of the ACE credits I'm hoping to get.


I was also thinking maybe if I did want to shoot for IU I could push myself for a high SAT to make my application look better, or do you think that's unnecessary? I wouldn't be starting at IU until fall 2025 anyway so I have time to work on some things.


Also realized that IU is about 45 minutes closer than I thought, so that changes my thought process a little too. 



I appreciate the responses!

If you only looked at the Biology degree plan on the TESU website, I suggest you also look at the one on the Wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

The TESU degree plans list individual courses and make it look like those are the only courses you can take, when in actuality, they will accept a wide range of bio courses in the Area of Study (AOS). If you have specific courses you want to take, you can run them past us or past TESU advising and they will likely work.

Unfortunately, I rather doubt your alternative credit is going to transfer to UI. You will likely have to choose between that route or the alt credit, DIY degree approach.