Trying to decide among the Big 3

[Shawn A]

I realize this is a tired old question here, and I have thoroughly searched the site and found many answers, but I'm asking it again because things change and situations differ, so here goes:

I'm posting my situation here that maybe some advice will be offered to help me make a decision whether to attend TESC, COSC, or EC this coming fall.

I am 44, never finished a BA, but worked my way up the career ladder without it. Now it's time to finish it, and I just got a Pell Grant for the upcoming school year and will attend full-time starting in fall.

I have 106 credits:
-- 54 from a regionally accredited community college (all lower level credits).
-- 52 from military education while serving in U.S. Army (lower level except for 6 upper level credits).
Looks great!! 106 credits means you are close "upper level" and "lower level" are determined by the college you attend, so that assumption isn't in stone. I have known TESC to drop classes down, so without an evaluation, it's just 106.

Got accepted at Liberty University, and their evaluation indicates I'll need to take 18 more classes to finish a BA there. I am hoping to shorten that through one of the Big 3, if possible. CLASSES or credits? 18 classes is ridiculous- that's an additional , 54 credits....that can't be right. 8 credits OTOH is a slam dunk.

I am not concerned with major or concentration, only the fastest route to the BA. A bachelors degree in General Studies or Liberal Studies would suit me just fine. However, I am a professional journalist of 20 years, so a concentration in Journalism could be a possibility too. I wonder if life experience credits can assist here. Life experience (also called Prior Learning Assessment), generally, are a waste of time. I won't go into why unless you are seriously interested.

My question is, based on this info, can anyone suggest which school may offer the fastest option for me? I realize there is likely to be no definitive answer, but I'm tossing this out there in hopes for some insight from those who've already traveled this road. [COLOR="red"] First of all, using CLEP for your gen eds means that they are all fast. It takes 90 minutes to complete a 1 semester course (if you pass) so, as you can see, speed is relative.

Any one degree vs another FOR YOU is going to be due to your prior credit. So, asking which degree is fast isn't the right question, the right question ask which degree is the most efficient to complete FOR YOU. Anyone coming in with >100 credits has a unique situation. For someone starting TODAY with zero, this is an easy question to help with. For you, you need to sit down and spend a month doing a careful analysis of all the options and how your credits plug in.

Take a look at the link in my siggy line called "do your own unofficial evaluation" as a first step. With >100 credits, you are at high risk for credit duplication- which means that an exam or class you take might not count! Also, depending on your chosen major, you may need to take classes simply because exams are not offered.
So, you are close- very close. Be patient with the planning stage, and then rock it out. I know you want to know the length of time till completion, but you can't ask that until you know what you have left to complete.

One last thing, a PELL grant requires taking 6 credits per term. Your award will be divided by the number of terms you complete. So, if you were to take the minimum courses for the maximum award- you'd need 3 semesters @ 6 credits each =1 year. That might not be necessary. IF the credits you end up needing are available through CLEP, you can pay out of pocket. IF the credits you need are via classroom, then your schedule should be grouped in blocks of 6.

Do you feel like typing out your list of courses? I can help you do an evaluation if you include the ALPHA-NUMERIC for each course and the number of credits eg. BIO101, 4 cr. Read my link first though.[/COLOR]

Just wanted to clarify one thing that Jen stated about Pell. Students do NOT need to be enrolled for 6 credits for Pell. As long as the student is DEGREE SEEKING and meets the income eligibility, Pell will pay for 1 class at a time. My CC was notified of this during our last Financial Aid Audit from the DOE.

Shawn