OK, folks - could use some advice here on this one. Yesterday, I received my score report from my recent sitting of the DANTES Principles of Finance exam. OF course, I was elated, because that is one step closer to the end of my degree! However, upon closer inspection, I realized that the DSST/DANTES folks somehow screwed up my social security number. On the score report, instead of seeing something like "123-12-1234", I see "F00-00-3901". WTF? Now obviously, you can't enter in a letter (such as "F") on those Scantron "circle-in-the-bubble" forms. So I have no idea what happened here. So, I went back to an older DANTES score report of mine, to see what the social security number was there. Lo and behold, it was wrong, too (albeit it by only one digit, but still). Now my concern, of course, is that TESC won't give me credit for it when they receive it (as there will be no SSN match). Then, I thought, "but they apparently did it before" (on my older DANTES test). I assume that before, TESC couldn't get a social security number match, so they just did a name match on all actively enrolled students, and matched my score report up that way. My first instinct is to call either DANTES or TESC, but I don't want them to think I am somehow trying to pull a "fast one" on them (who knows?). My proctor could vouch for me, of course, as I have taken all of my tests with her thus far (2 dozen?). I really REALLY don't want to retake this test - lol. Perhaps I am overanalyzing it. Personally, I don't care - as long as TESC gives me credit for it. Any advice? Cheers.
Excelsior has 3 (or so) different ways to match the DANTES exams with their own records: 1. the social security no. (which I for example don't even have), 2. your name, 3. your birthdate. If one of them matches, it's all right. I reckon TESC will act pretty much the same way, so don't worry... Cheers, m.
Get it in writing Hey Uni, Sorry to hear about your snafu. Having experience with TESC, I would highly recommend that you get on the phone with your TESC adviser, write down his/her name, and document your conversation. As Master mentioned, I think you can get it resolved rather easily, but with TESC, I would cover your back. They mis- classified my grades and cost me a chance to graduate on time. So get busy, and be proactive. You might also contact your Dantes proctor, and ask what is the correct procedure to remedy this. You've come too far to let this slow down your graduation. Document, document document. Congrats on passing the exam, How much more to go???
Congrats!!! Well done Uni. You have inspired and helped countless learners with your testing odyssey. I have enjoyed reading your thread and following your progress. Thanks for taking the time to post and keep us updated, it's been fun. Did you ever make a final decision on your MBA? What's next?
Thanks I had originally planned to do the Ellis/NYIT MBA - still will, probably, but the wife and I have our first child on the way, so priorities are shifting a bit. Not sure when I'm going to be able to get to it. Most likely I will start it, but just do a little here or there, rather than power my way through it like I did with the BSBA. Cheers.
This happened to me last year. I called Dantes and they said to fax the following information to 609.720.6800: Your Name Incorrect Social Security Number Correct Social Security Number Your Signature They also said to send the information to the school's address as well. Excelsior posted the grade to my transcripts, even with the wrong SSN, prior to any action on my part. Angela
Hi Angela. How long after you received the DANTES score did it take approx. until Excelsior posted the grad to your transcripts? All the 4 weeks they were annnouncing? Cheers, m.
If, for any reason, just phoning or faxing, as others have advised, doesn't work (and I'm not sure I'd ever trust that it would), then I prescribe: Ultimale wrote, "document, document, document." Better advice I cannot imagine. Call it overkill, but in this life I handle all situations like this one as if I might eventually have to show it to a judge... whether or not I actually believe it would ever come to that. You will need to be very formal about it. You'll first need to do some research and make sure you know to precisely whom you're going to need to send your written request (or demand, if you want to word it that strongly) that the records be corrected. You'll want to send it to someone pretty high up in the food chain at DSST, with a copy to whomever at TESC handles such things. So the first step is to find out who those people would be. Other than for that purpose (and that purpose alone), stay off the phone. You'll need to find someone at TESC who has the power to attach a copy of whatever you send him/her to some underling with a directive to fix it and right now. Then you'll need to copy what you send that person to the boss of whomever at TESC makes sure that exam credits go where they're supposed to go. I'll leave to you to find out who those people are (along with their titles and addresses... and be sure you get their names spelled right). Secondly, you need to create an affidavit -- actually, two of them -- just like people do for court. It's not difficult. General affidavit forms are available at the local office supply; or, better yet, example affidavits are everywhere on the web. If you'd like to be pointed at precisely the affidavit form you'll need, just PM or email me and I can direct you. The first affidavit will be from you. In it, you'll first swear under penalty of perjury that you are, in fact, you (giving your name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, and any other accurate numbers which uniquely identify you to either DSST or TESC or both); and further reference the signature of the notary public affixed to the document, and which notary public verified your identity as part of his/her duties as required by law before s/he may witness an affidavit as further evidence of your being who you say you are. Then you'll swear that you have, indeed, taken "the following DSST/DANTES exams," and then you'll list them along with the dates and places taken, the scores you received, and if there's any kind of serial number or other code which uniquely identifies the specific exams you took as yours, include those, too. Then you'll swear that while your social security number is whatever it is (and you'll list it again), "the following exams results have on their faces the incorrect social security numbers," and then you'll list only those, along with a statement of your belief that the foregoing exam result documents must be corrected to reflect your correct social security number, and then re-issued to both yourself and to TESC so that there will be no possibility that you will not receive proper and appropriate academic credit. Finally, you'll point out that the potential harm to you that could result from this error should be self-evident; and you'll swear that such is the depth of your fear of being so harmed that only an immediate (within 30 days) correction of your DSST and TESC records to reflect your accurate social security number, and a re-issuance of a new, replacement set of DSST exam results documents will adequately remedy the situation. Be sure to write the sworn statement of the notary such that s/he is swearing not only that s/he witnessed you're signing the affidavit, but also that s/he adequately established your true identity first; then take the affidavit to a notary public and execute it in his/her presence and with his/her witness, then pay him/her the ten or twenty bucks (or whatever it costs in your state) to affix his/her signature and seal. The second affidavit would be from your DSST proctor(s). If there's more than one, then you'll need an affidavit from all of them. You prepare it (i.e., don't make them do any work other than reading it and signing it before a notary public). Remember that the proctor's affidavit should be written as if s/he had actually put the words on paper (in other words, as with your own affidavit, use the word "I," as if s/he were saying the words, even though you're writing them). S/he will first swear, under penalty of perjury, that s/he is who s/he says s/he is, including full legal name, address, phone number, and any other information which might uniquely identify him/her to DSST or even to TESC, if that's appropriate; and further reference the signature of the notary public affixed to the document, and which notary public verified the proctor's identity as part of his/her duties as required by law before s/he may witness an affidavit as further evidence of the proctor's being who s/he says s/he is. The s/he should swear as to employment or vocation or whatever it is that makes him/her an appropriate proctor. Then s/he should swear to having been your proctor for whatever exams s/he was same; and then should be listed precisely which exams s/he proctored for you, including the dates and places taken. Once again, be sure to write the sworn statement of the notary such that s/he is swearing not only that s/he witness the proctor's having signed the affidavit, but also that s/he adequately established his/her true identity first; then you, the proctor and the affidavit go to a notary public and have said proctor execute it in said notary's presence and with his/her witness, then pay said notary the ten or twenty bucks (or whatever it costs in your state) to affix his/her signature and seal. Repeat as necessary for however many proctors there are. The third document (or the fourth or fifth or whatever number it becomes, depending on how many second, third and fourth, etc., documents the proctor affidavits become), is your demand (or, if you don't want to be that forceful, then your "request") letter, to which you will be attaching copies of the aforementioned affidavits. The letter will be from you, and you should make it the best and most professional looking document you have ever produced. If you don't have one, create a nice little letterhead sort of thing for yourself at the very top... nothing fancy, but with slightly larger and bold letters, maybe centered... whatever. Just make it professional-looking. Then, using a Courier New or Times Roman font, 11 or 12 point, begin the body of the letter. If you're unclear as to the elements, consult a high school typing course text book; and use what the text should call "the modified block" style (it just looks nicer). Address it to whomever your earlier research told you was the right person to send it to at DSST, including his/her title and full address as the letter's "inside address." Beneath the inside address, indent and type: RE: Request for correction of social security number If you want it to be more forceful, use the word "demand" instead of "request." Then, in the body of the letter, simply spell it out using an economy of words. Indicate that you've taken however many DSST exams you've taken, and that though you should have noticed before, you have, nevertheless, only now noticed on some of your results documents that your social security number is incorrect; and then list precisely which exam results documents bear the inaccurate social security numbers. Then call to the addressee's attention that you have executed (and attached) a sworn affidavit, under penalty of perjury, which both verifies your identity as well as attests both to which exams you've taken, as well as which of those bear inaccurate social security date. Then, further, point out that you have obtained (and attached) sworn affidavits from your proctor(s) attesting to precisely which DSST exams you took in their presence as further proof of which exams you have, in fact, taken. Then, finally, request (or demand, depending upon which approach you've decided) that your records be corrected to include your correct social security number (and then indicate right there what that is); that new exam results documents be issued to both you and the appropriate person at TESC (whose name you will both include in the body of the letter, and also in the "cc:" field beneath your signature at its end); and that DSST should do so within calendar 30 days of its receipt of your correspondence. Thank the addressee, in advance, for his/her help, and indicate that you look forward to hearing from him/her with confirmation that the corrections have been made and that the corrected exam results documents have been re-issued within 30 days. Make a copy of the letter for yourself and for the person at TESC. Put the original letter and copies (not the originals) of the affidavits into an envelope addressed to the person at DSST; and a copy of the letter and copies of the affidavits in an envelope addressed to the person at TESC; and keep a copy of the letter and the originals of the affidavits for your file. Send the letters to DSST and TESC registered, return receipt requested through the U.S. Mail. If it doesn't work (of course it will... but if it doesn't), then you'll have powerful documentation showing that you did everything you could before finally having your lawyer write DSST a threatening letter... which letter would, of course, include copies of the above; and which copies will make DSST's lawyer advise DSST to stop screwing around and just fix the problem before it gets sued over it. Just a suggestion.
I took Drug and Alcohol Abuse on 3/21 and it was listed on my transcript status page on 4/7 I took World Religions on 11/2 and it was listed on my transcript status page on 11/22 Angela
Angela's advice seems to be paying dividends (no pun intended, given the subject matter of my DANTES course - lol). I called them and they told me to basically do what Angela suggested (FAX them a letter stating what I needed corrected). Cheers.
Unixman, I just called Ellis to inquire about the MBA program and they told me I had to be working for at least 3 years since my undergraduate degree. Since I am not graduating from TESC until April '06 this won't work. I told the guy that I've been working for 20 years and he said he would see about some sort of special dispensation and call me back. Did you have this problem with admissions? MBAbound
Weird - they never mentioned anything like that to me ... Of course, I was accepted about a year ago, so perhaps their policies have changed since then.
Yep. Basically, they accepted me "conditionally", pending my completion of TESC. Basically they told me I could take up to 2 courses without being "fully matriculated" (i.e. completing my undergrad and officially enrolling into the MBA). Cheers.
What Angie said. The same happened to me and I was told to do the same thing and Dantes fixed it and sent out new transcripts to me and the school fairly quickly. Why the Ellis/NYIT MBA? Just curious. William Parker 25th ID (L)
Essentially: decent school (NYIT as compared to a more no-name school), quick terms (6 week semesters), 100% online, can get a specialization in Management of Technology. Always good to meet a fellow vet! Cheers.
6-week terms, that is quite a workload (to me anyway, lol). I am currently attending Morehead State University (MBA) and while the terms are standard semesters and can get a little long, I usually do not get overwhelmed, usually lol... I am still active duty, stationed here at Schofield. I was also stationed at Stewart, 2nd BDE 3rd ID. This is most likely the last semester I will get in before I return to Iraq, but I will be able to finish when I redeploy back to Hawaii before I retire from the Army. Congrats on the baby on the way. William
Congrats on your academic pursuits! I look forward to joining the MBA ranks soon ... of course, if I can get past these two niggling final courses for my TESC undergrad - lol. Mmmm .... Hawaii. There are worse gigs. Ah, a fellow Marne-man. I was 1st BDE, back when they were in Schweinfurt, Germany (where the 1st ID is now). Good luck in Iraq, mate. Keep your head down and your powder dry. Indeed! Thanks ... Cheers.
