Newbie, advice on BSIS/Admissions (David Williams, help?)

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by bigbadbuff, Jun 25, 2002.

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  1. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    Newbie to the board, 26 years old, employed full time, have been considering online schooling for a while now. I have taken distance ed courses via the internet and cassette tape and found msyelf liking it better than the classroom- and at this point in my life it would be very difficult for me to attend a regularly scheduled class, so online learning might be for me. I am 5 classes shy of an Associate's in Business Adminstration thru my local community college... This fall will be my first time taking classes in 2 years... my study habits were horrible back then, consequently my cumulative GPA is 1.8 and my curricular GPA is 2.3. I have since grown up and have become very good at studying, taking and passing lots of Microsoft and Comptia exams, so I know I'm ready for what lies ahead. Now, I just have to plan it. What I want most from the college I go to is:

    1) A name school (no offense to anyone, but I would rather go to a "brick and mortar" school with online degrees than an online college.
    2) Relatively inexpensive (U of P, etc. are absolutely ridiculous)
    3) BS in IS or IS Management offered
    4) Excellent word of mouth
    5) Excellent communications setup between professor and students
    6) Not terribly picky about accepting transfer credits

    I have considered many schools only to take them off my list for one reason or another... the few that have stuck on are UMass and FSU. FSU I don't think I have a chance in hades of getting into (wouldn't meet their minimal requirements and I believe Florida is really tough on out of state'ers)... UMass has sounded terrific in every aspect so far. I believe I can meet the minimal requirements after a few more classes, but I wonder if they are like most schools in that their admissions policy might be light but only high GPA/SAT students get in? I guess I have the following questions for the board:

    1) Can someone with my predicted GPA, only around 2.0 or slightly higher (even though I may graduate with a curricular GPA of high 2s, all schools only care about cumulative which will be low for me), get into UMass or some other schools offering the curriculum I stated? I know what the minimals are but as I said earlier sometimes that doesn't really matter when they can pick and choose.
    2) How is UMass about accepting transfer credits? I have been taking the same Gen Ed requirements most majors would have, and have mostly Bs and Cs, 2 Ds I believe. The Ds would not transfer I assume? That would be fine with me but me not having to retake a lot of other classes I've already taken and passes would be important to me.
    3) Any recommendations on other schools I should look at that fit all/most of what I am looking for?


    Thanks very much in advance, sorry for being long winded.
     
  2. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Hello, If your low grades were in areas that a CLEP or DANTES credits can replace I would immediately do this and have the original grades expunged. This could boost your GPA for more options in the future. Hille
     
  3. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    I am not sure what those are... does UMass or other top online schools accept what you're speaking of?
     
  4. Gary Rients

    Gary Rients New Member

    CLEP and DANTES are exams that you can take for college credit; they are credited by schools just as if you had taken one or more college courses. You should talk to your advisor at your community college about the exams and have your CC transcribe the exams for you. Most schools (even prestigious schools) will accept at least some of the exams as credit for specific courses, and almost all schools will accept them as transfer credit if they have already been transcribed by another school. Each school should have a section in their catalog detailing their policy regarding which CLEP and DANTES exams they'll accept, and how many credits they allow you to earn in that manner. Many schools also have this information on their web sites. Here are some links to pages about the exams:

    College Board: CLEP for Students
    (Click on "Exam Descriptions" for information about the specific exams offered.)

    DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Test)
    (Click on "Fact Sheets" for information about the specific exams offered.)

    This may be a really good way for you to earn some extra transfer credit quickly and inexpensively. Another thing to consider is that Excelsior College offers credit for Microsoft and CompTIA exams, as well as accepting CLEP, DANTES, and other exams, including their own, for graded credit. If you test well then you may want to consider going this route in order to finish a bachelor's degree quickly and inexpensively, and then spend the time and money that you saved to get a master's degree from a more prestigious school. If you would prefer to take courses rather than doing a degree mostly by exam then the UMASS BS degree would be a good one, and I've heard nothing but good things about their online programs.

    I really wish that someone had told me about these exam programs when I first started college...
     
  5. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    thanks Gary, some good info there. I will look into the exams and see what they're all about.
     
  6. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    ok, I have spent a good chunk of the morning looking at CLEP and DANTES threads... and there are 2 testing centers in my area. But I have 2 questions:

    1) How would doing CLEP exams help me at this point? I am looking for ways to boost my GPA (granted along with if possible geting rid of the Ds and Fs that are figured into my GPA), and apparently CLEP exams are no longer graded, just pass/fail... and since I am not interested in the Big 3 I don't see how they would help me get into another school easier.

    2) Anyone know what UMass' policy is concerning these exams? Doing a college search on CLEP's website shows they are an institution that accepts CLEP exams as credit, but UMass' website says nothing about this. I guess I could just call and find out if they do in fact accept them and if there's a cap on the # they accept.
     
  7. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Good Morning, I don't think the grade of F is factored into your GPA since no credit was received. I would personally would take all tests that are available to replace a D grade or grades. The Clep and Dantes scores that are not graded will factor into your credit accumulation and not your GPA, just credit received. If you have some higher grades then there would be a significant jump in your GPA. I would also talk with your advisor in your current college. He should be able to start the process of forms it takes to have a grade deleted. Since your transcript is a legal document this will take more then a day or two to complete. Good Luck with this journey. Hille
     
  8. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    sorry for the constant questions, but this is all very new for me and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I have a few Ds on my transcript, in classes like Sociology, Economics, Calculus, etc. If I went and passed the CLEP tests for these (assuming there ARE clep tests for these), it would take the D off of my transcript by replacing it with what? Is that all automatically done or would I need to have my community college involved in this the whole way? I would love to do whatever possible to up my GPA and take off any blemishes on my transcript- suggestions on how to do this?
     
  9. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Hello, Don't feel bad about any questions. Here is an example. If you received a D in Economics. You replace this with a Dantes or Clep. The course will not reflect a grade just a credit value. If you had a transcript of 3 B grades and one D on a 4 point scale your GPA would be 2.55 for 12 credit hours. When this D is replaced your GPA would be 3.0. This is the way TESC calculates. I am not sure if this is standard in all states but my guess is yes. Even if your school calculates the test as a C your GPA comes up to 2.75. If you have replaced 3 lower grades your GPA will be even higher. Again, I urge you to do this before you continue. Hille
     
  10. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    so I guess my next step would be to talk with my community college and see if they will accept CLEP exams as replacements? My CC is listed on the CLEP website.
     
  11. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Hello, I think you are moving in the right direction. This might feel like a backstep, but it is not. If you do the repair this summer and get the transcript shaped up you will save yourself much aggravation in the future..See my many, many posts about my husbands GPA dilemma.. . Please keep your post updated on progress. Although this seems complicated I would break it down in written form for yourself and your advisor. Hopefully, they will not be threatened by your knowledge and assist you to fast tracking this process. I don't think there is a limit on the amount of CLEP tests you can take in one day. I would also check to see if your CC offers end of semester exams for their currently enrolled. This could also be an option. I am curious how many credits can be transferred to your next destination. If they accept more then the standard 60 I will give you some additional suggestions. It will all fall into place. Hille
     
  12. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    I believe the few schools I am considering will not accept more than 60 credits. I will have to look at my transcript when I get home, but I would imagine that I have at least 3 classes with Ds that are negatively affecting my GPA. I would assume since these are all mainstream classes (i.e. economics, etc.) that I could take CLEP exams to replace the D with credit for passing thru CLEP. Wow, if my CC lets me do that with a few classes that would make a real difference for me. I have a lot of research to do with all this but it will pay off tremendously if I can go this route! I just hope UMass, VCU, etc. actually take CLEP exams as credit for passing the class in question satisfactorily.
     
  13. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Good luck on this quest. Don't accept a no from your advisor. Just because they haven't handled a situation like this doesn't mean it's not a go. Many people don't know about getting grades expunged or forgiven. I learned about it on this forum. Keep cool. It is a lovely 98 here today. Hille
     
  14. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    Hi Hille

    I am confused. Has there been other posts on getting grades expunged? Like many people I have a couple grades that are really dragging down my gpa but was unaware of this possibilty. I assume it has to be on a case by case basis and will vary between both institutions and administrators. Any posts you can reference to or suggestion you can make? Many thanks.
     
  15. wfready

    wfready New Member

    Hille,

    I wasn't aware of grade forgiveness either (I have heard of failing grades being replaced by passing grades acheived in the very next semester but not replacing bad grades w/ CLEPs). How would you do that w/ an assessment college such as TESC? Would you give them the CLEP transcript and tell them you want to replace the D grade with the passing CLEP?

    BR,

    Bill
     
  16. Hille

    Hille Active Member

    Hello, I could be wrong and read information elsewhere about the expunging old (Bad) grades. Bob, my husband took Eng 101 over with a TECEP. His old grade was replaced with the new one. This was part of his GPA repair. According to several of the schools I've talked to there are many who will forgive grades and expunge them. TESC is one of them. Many of the advisors are not aware of this policy. Since TESC is state funded I imagine the possibility to do this is an option at state institutions in NJ. His old school Marshall University refused to allow him to do this. The Regents BA in WV was also not helpful. From the schools I've looked at on the web many will not accept a transfer class with a D. I believe this means it would be taken over anyway. I would still go with the original plan of repairing old grades and having the old grade expunged. Sorry if this seems rambling. Our AC isn't working. Hille
     
  17. Gary Rients

    Gary Rients New Member

    Use your IT skills and do some searches! ;)

    This link (requires Acrobat Reader) will take you to the academic policies section of UMASS Lowell's undergrad catalog. It looks like they'll accept up to 30 credits from CLEP exams, and 90 credits total transfer/CLEP credit. However, they won't accept CLEP credit for courses that you've previously attempted and received a letter grade. Each school's policy will be different for this stuff. Your best bet is to email a UMASS advisor and see what their policy is. You can email a UMASS advisor at this email address. They should also be able to give you a decent idea of what you'll need in order to be accepted into the program. Odds are that if you meet the minimum requirements you will be accepted into their DL program, since it is through Continuing Studies and Corporate Education.

    FWIW, a grade of F probably will factor into your GPA (TESC is an exception since they won't transcribe an F and they have a policy allowing you have a D removed). It depends upon each school's (to which you are applying) policy for computing GPA, but often if you retake a course and get a higher grade then only the higher grade will be counted in your GPA. You probably won't have much luck getting low grades (including F grades) expunged unless you can show some sort of extenuating circumstances, and even then it would probably be difficult. Your best bet is to "overwrite" the bad grades with new ones, you just have to decide whether or not it is worth it. Most schools will not grant transfer credit for grades under a C though.
     
  18. Gary Rients

    Gary Rients New Member

    Oops, the email address for contacting a UMASS Lowell advisor is: [email protected].
     
  19. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    Thanks for the help Gary... trust me I've done plenty of searching on my own but I'm linked out today!! :) I will email an advisor next week when I get together all the info I will need to have answered.
     
  20. David Williams

    David Williams New Member

    Hi Buff,

    I'm getting into the game late so I'm not sure what else I can offer but here goes. 1) Do contact the admissions counselors as they are very helpful. If they cannot answer your questions contact Steve Tello who is an excellent resource and a very nice man. 2) I believe the university requirement for the degree is 30 hours taken at UML. 3) UML was extremely generous in awarding transfer credit although it was months before I received official notification. 4) I have no information about GPA requirements for transfer students. My overall GPA was around 2.0 although in the interim I did go on to graduate school where I learned to become a student if not a scholar. 5) I've never encountered a university expunging grades. This was certainly not the case at Ohio State where I failed and repeated two courses. The initial and subsequent grades appear on my transcript and the failing grades are computed into the GPA. 6) I've been very happy with UML and I encourage you to place it on your short list.

    Good luck and leave a post if you have any UML related questions I might be able to help with.

    David
     

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