Excelsior

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Abner, Nov 24, 2007.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Hello, I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.


    I have a few questions about Excelsior:

    *If a Clep/Dantes/ECE or any other type of acceptable test is failed, how long must one wait to retake?
    *From past consensus, I believe the liberal studies path to a Bachelor's is the most flexible, correct? (I had this in my notes per the infamous Coach Turner)

    My wife has a RA A.A. in liberal studies. She has between 80-85- credits from a CC. So far, she has only taken the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP. Her math appears to be taken care of. She left off with Math 100, Liberal Arts Mathematics, which is transferable to a 4 year Cal State University. Also, of interest, she took English 221, American Literature.

    Comments would be much appreciated. I was thinking of requesting the $75.00 evaluation for her past credit. Or is there an advantage to wait and have he take more CLEPS and DANTES? I figure it would be easier to have a set game plan after receiving the $75.00 evaluation, and I don't mind spending the $75.00 smackers.

    Thanks in advance,

    Abner

    P.S. We/she has pretty much decided on Excelsior. I have heard they are very flexible as far as transfer credits.
     
  2. ShotoJuku

    ShotoJuku New Member

    For me, EC was a great fit. They accepted ALL of my previous credits.

    As for exams, if one should fail (mostly unlikely) you have six months to wait before taking it again.

    Good Luck!!
     
  3. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Do you think it is a good idea to request an evaluation? For $75.00, I am thinking it will take some of the guess work out of randomly taking DANTES/CLEPS. What do you think?

    Thanks,

    Abner
     
  4. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    By all means-- $75 to find out how well the program fits is nothing compared to blowing $1000+ on a program only to find out it didn't work for you.
     
  5. ShotoJuku

    ShotoJuku New Member

    Most certainly, it's a good first step - Good Luck!
     
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    For CLEP it's 180 days, and that's a CLEP requirement.

    More so than Charter Oak? Just seeing why you all rejected the ol' alma mater there. ;)

    -=Steve=-
     
  7. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Hi Steve. I have been watching and participating in "The big three" threads for years now. One thing that always seems to be repeated in regards to Excelsior is "flexible". I get the impression Excelsior is slightly more flexible than COSC as far as awarding credit. I have no factual basis for this impression, just a hunch. Also, prior to receiving my B.S. from California Coast U, I had all my past credits evaluated at COSC. At that time I was a student at the University of Iowa. COSC awarded me less credit that UOI! I asked the counselor to review the eval again, and he did. Same thing. COSC has great customer service, and were very friendly however.

    I just have a good feeling about Excelsior. I think my wifes credits and back ground will lend themselves well toward a Bachelor's. That is not to say we would not have an evaluation done at COSC as well. I think ECE is a starting point, if the amount of credits sounds reasonable, she will probably just go with them! At this point, Kim just wants a buckskin for no particular reason.

    Finally, once I am done with my MBA, I will probably take advantage of ECE's policy regarding possible transfer of NA credits. It is listed on their new website. The process of appeal must be done, but I plan to test it out. I would probably go for the Bachelor's in liberal studies.

    See y'all,

    Abner
     
  8. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Question for anybody who wants to answer

    Howdy,

    Would the Bachelor's from ECE in liberal arts be a B.S. or a B.A.? Do they give you a choice? Or is a liberal studies degree automically assumed to be a B.A.? I am thinking ahead when we fill out the ECE evaluation application. Please advise. I am assuming the liberal studies degree would automatically be a B.A.

    Thanks,

    Abner
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I know that Excelsior potentially offers more credit for GRE Subject Exams, but Charter Oak explicitly uses Excelsior's schedule for credit for technical certifications, so I can't imagine they'd be that far apart. Still, I can see why you might want to limit the number of evaluations you do when they're not free!

    -=Steve=-
     
  10. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    Having researched TESC, COSC, and Excelsior before choosing a BA in Liberal Arts for myself, TESC is the most flexible with degree requirements. There really is no contest. Just look at the lack of an upper level requirement for one, which makes it so much easier to finish the entire program with standardized tests.
     
  11. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Ha, you have given me something to think about Vincey. I've gotta run out the door, but off hand, how much is the credit evaluation at TESC? I may do one for Excelsior and one for TESC. Please advise.

    Thanks,

    Abner :)
     
  12. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    You may elect the BA in Liberal Studies (more liberal arts coursework) or the BS in Liberal Studies (more applied professional coursework); whichever meets your needs better.

    The primary difference between the BA and BS at Excelsior College is that the BS allows you to use more courses from the category "applied professional" than does the BA.

    The issue with 80+ hours at a community college is going to be that she's going to need 30 hours at the upper level and those CC courses won't meet that requirement.

    Also be aware that some significant changes are happening at Excelsior.
     
  13. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Hi Coach,

    In lieu of the changes at Excelsior, what do you think of Vincey's comments:

    "Having researched TESC, COSC, and Excelsior before choosing a BA in Liberal Arts for myself, TESC is the most flexible with degree requirements. There really is no contest. Just look at the lack of an upper level requirement for one, which makes it so much easier to finish the entire program with standardized tests".

    Please advise. I would appreciate any and all comments. I am trying to make help Kim make the best possible decision.

    Thanks,

    Abner
     
  14. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Vincey,

    Please see this link:

    http://tesc.edu/1673.php

    It looks like the first years annual enrollment tuition is $2,300.00 for out of state, and $1,995.00 for subsequent years. Am I looking at this correctly? I guess the thing to do if we decide on TESC is to have the evaluation done, finish all of the requirements, then enroll. Do you have any tips to offer? Please advise. I am trying to look at all angles.

    Thanks,

    Abner
     
  15. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I suspect she could pursue the most available degree (likely the BA), but switch later to the more demanding one (the BS).

    For mid-career professionals, I can't imagine where this would be an issue for employment purposes. It might matter if she decided to pursue a master's in her chosen area of concentration, if any. For example, some master's or doctoral programs in Sociology might expect the BA, not the BS.
     
  16. June

    June New Member

    I chose TESC because of the ease of getting those upper level credits. For example, that Analyzing and Interpreting Lit CLEP your wife took is worth 6 upper level credits. The 200-level English lit should also transfer as upper level.
     
  17. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Ah, good stuff! Thanks! Keep these types of comments coming folks! The more info. the better. Please don't be shy, please post even if it seems unimportant. I am trying to get as many comments as possible, then I am going to print them out on hard copy to file away and compare.

    June, am I correct on the fees for an out of state student? The link I pulled up (see earlier posts) states the first year is $2,300.00, and subsequent years are $1,995.00. Also, I figured I/we would request an evaluation of my wifes credits, knock them out, then formally enroll so everything could be completed within the first year. What do think?

    Thanks! :)

    Abner
     
  18. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Annual Enrollment Tuition
    First Year Subsequent Years
    New Jersey residents* $1,275 $1,115
    Out-of-state residents $2,300 $1,995
    International $3,140 $2,710

    Table 1. Enrolled Options Plan (TESC - Tuition and Fees)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 26, 2007
  19. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    My wife and I both picked Excelsior as the most flexible and cost effective of the three (EC, TESC, and COSC) for our needs. It's important to note though that we both had nearly completed the degree requirements for the BSLS and already had (or were getting) the upper level requirements.

    In my case, I finished my Excelsior BSLS with nearly 200 undergraduate hours and was using Excelsior mostly to consolidate coursework completed at a lot of colleges and exams taken over the course of 25 years.

    If I had not had the 30 hours upper level, I might have picked TESC as a more flexible option. On the other hand, I might have worried about using that degree with not many upper-levels to get into grad school. It's something to weigh out. Since the degree is in "liberal studies", almost any grad program she would apply to would have to do a transcript review. If it were in a specific major, it my fly by easier. I do know that TESC grads have gotten into grad schools though so it may be a non-issue.

    If I had been looking at completing 60 new hours, my decision process may have been different too. If you have to do new work somewhere, it's often easier (or as easy) to get the degree there.

    One of the advantages of the Excelsior BS in Liberal Studies is that it allows for application of coursework that isn't liberal arts. I had a large number of hours in business, technology, education, etc... that would have been lost in the BA.

    What you'll really have to do is print the degree requirements of each of the three colleges. Then mark off what she's already completed. Then create a reasonable plan for completing the remainder. If you can't find a way to complete a portion then that one is out. If one leaves you with many more hours to complete then it's out too. Find the one of the three that makes the process easiest and least expensive.
     
  20. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Coach,

    Please see this quote from June:

    "I chose TESC because of the ease of getting those upper level credits. For example, that Analyzing and Interpreting Lit CLEP your wife took is worth 6 upper level credits. The 200-level English lit should also transfer as upper level"

    Would this be the case with Excelsior?, or would they exclude this upper level credit because it was not taken at a university (they were taken at a CC). She also took Math 100 (at a CC) which is transferable to a 4 year Cal State. Please advise.

    Thanks,

    Abner

    P.S. It does seem up front Excelsior is cheaper than TESC, but then the flexibility of them taking upper level credit may make it worthwhile.
     

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