Charter Oak State College

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by philosophy, Jan 6, 2004.

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  1. philosophy

    philosophy New Member

    I have heard that in order to complete the requirements for a degree with Charter Oak, that you must do an essay. Has anyone had experience with this? What are you required to write in order for this essay to be accepted? Any information is appreciated. Thanks.
     
  2. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

  3. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I wrote an essay for my degree. The first draft was rejected because I was told it was too much like a resume. The second copy was accepted. It is not very hard as long as you stick to the topics needed and do not get off track like I did the first time.
     
  4. cmt

    cmt New Member

    I just sent mine in, if you do not see me post about why it was rejected then it will have been accepted and fairly easy.
     
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Let me know how it turns out. Do you feel the copy of my essay help?
     
  6. cmt

    cmt New Member

    I think so, it certainly gave me an idea what they were after and what they were not. I tried not to focus too much on my work history like you first one. If it is rejected, it will not be for that.
     
  7. RKanarek

    RKanarek Member

    N.B. One must do a "concentration proposal", which includes an essay, for a Charter Oak State College (www.cosc.edu) Bachelor's degree. A COSC Associate's degree does NOT include an essay, other than that which might/would be required by the necessary english class(es).
     
  8. jlindseyjr

    jlindseyjr New Member

    I read the section in the handbook regarding the concentration proposal and their logic escapes me. The essay is supposedly used to judge a person's ability to express his/her ideas. If that were the case, wouldn't it make more sense to require it before having completed 6 credits in English Comp.? Then, of course, there is the Concentration Proposal review fee of $280. Why not just raise the tuition? This is still the most economical means of acquiring a degree, but, as with every commodity, prices will skyrocket as demand rises. Maybe I'm just cynical, but it's only been a couple of weeks since I discovered the existence of the "Big 3," and already the costs/requirements have increased.

    John
     
  9. Mel

    Mel New Member

    They require you to pass your 6 credits of english so you know how to write - they do not want a person reviewing your concentration proposl to have to wade through your gramatical mistakes; they want it well written.

    The point of the essay is to show that you understand what you are learning, and can communicate that effectively. If you are using a non-traditional concentration such as individualized studies, you must show how your courses fit together, and why that particular cluster of courses should be considered a concentration. You do this by demonstrating how the courses are related, and how you will benefit from those courses as a group. I could take loads of individual courses and earn hundreds of credit hours, but still not have a coherent program (maybe 3 or 4 courses from each of 20 different subject areas?) It is fine to combine traditional subject areas, as long as you can show how they work together.

    I am combining courses from Political Science, Psychology, and Management in my concentration, because each of those areas provide benefits to what I am currently doing. It makes more sense to me t take courses that I can use, rather than something I will probably never use - the cheapest and fastest route for me would be to take a few upper level psychology courses, but I am not interested in those tht I do not already have credit for.
     
  10. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    Anyone know if the proposal would be required for who would enter COSC with credits sufficient to complete a degree?
     
  11. DulciMark

    DulciMark New Member

    Yes, even if you already have all the credits required for a bachelor's degree, you still need to write a concentration proposal essay. From the COSC web site:

    "It is through the essay that you convince the faculty reviewers that your concentration is more than a collection of assorted credits. The essay allows you to explain how the various credits in your proposed concentration relate to one another and to your educational needs and personal and/or professional goals. "

    More info on writing the concentration proposal can be found here.
     
  12. duff

    duff New Member

    Decimon:

    The "paper" is required of everyone for the BA/BS regardless if you have all your credits or not. This is at least true for the Individualized Studies and Liberal Studies concentration.

    My wife entered the program with 128 credit hours and all she had to do was complete the essay to show that 128 hours from 4 different schools "fit" together to form a degree.

    Duff
     
  13. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    DulciMark and Duff,

    Thanks. I might have a problem as my personal and professional goals are never fixed. At the age of 58, that's not likely to change. :)

    Guess I'd have to be...inventive.
     
  14. cmt

    cmt New Member

    The fee is no longer in effect, but as for the rest of your statement - I couldn't agree more. I debated this with them and received no logical answer :rolleyes:.
     
  15. jlindseyjr

    jlindseyjr New Member

    I can agree with this requirement if for the purpose of justifying the mixing and matching of credits that wouldn't normally mesh; however, COSC has at least 20 "stock" concentrations to choose from.
     
  16. Mel

    Mel New Member

    Consider that COSC doesn't transfer your F's, and you can remove your D's as well, it is possible to fail out of a traditional campus, taking certain courses repeatedly, yet be able to graduate from COSC. Because you don't have to take any of your courses through COSC, they want a requirement where THEY do the evaluation of your work. That is what the concentration proposal is for.

    From the link above:

    "The essay is the key element of the proposal. Faculty wants to be sure that Charter Oak State College graduates can communicate their ideas in writing. "

    In other words, COSC is puting their reputation on the line by awarding you a degree. While your credits must come for Acredited sources, they don't really have any way of knowing the quality of your work. It is possible to pass the English Composition CLEP or introductiory Composition classes without being able to write well. They want to be sure you do write well enough that they are comfortable with you representing them as a graduate.

    That is also why they want you to wait until you have passed your Composition credits and have completed at least 60 credits - at that point you will be better prepared to write that essay.
     
  17. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    I don't have any problem with having to write this proposal in the next couple of months. It made sense to me since I'm stringing together credits from nursing, psychology and business management. As a matter of fact, it has caused me to look much closer at what I'm doing. I want my group of credits to make as much sense to an employer or graduate school as they do to me. Without having to explain why this all works together, I might have just selected a mess of credits to just get the degree. This has made me more considerate of what I'm doing. It's a small price to pay to get a coherent degree that will more likely get me into a masters program, if I can ever figure out what kind of a masters I want, nursing, psych, or business, just don't know yet.
     

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