Best program for a somewhat unique situation

Hello everyone I read in the introduction that it was ok to include your intro. in your first question so I thought it'd be easier to have my intro. with my question. I apologize if that's wrong or if my question is in the wrong section.

My name is John I am 20 from NJ. H.S. Graduate with 18 community college credits. I just recently learned about online distance learning, regular college bores me, sitting in a classroom for 3 months to earn 3 credits what a waste of time.

Now to my "somewhat unique situation" I am joining the army on November 2 2010, and if possible would like to complete my Bachelors degree before I ship out. It would give me a higher rank when I join and the possibility of going to Officer Candidate School. I have read reviews on your forums about the "big3" and really need advice on the best school for fastest degree possible. I am looking to test out of as many classes as possible.

Iam fairly smart but no genius. Iam good at cramming(that's how I got thru h.s.)lol. Iam unemployed right now so I can put maximum time into studying and cramming. I have an interest in psychology but if for some reason a different major is easier or quicker I don't mind, I plan to further my education down the road I just want to complete my bachelor's for enlistment purposes.

I'll list my completed courses: intro to psych,intro to sociology,contemorary moral issues,world religions,U.S. History1,U.S. History2.

I greatly appreciate anyone who read all of that and is willing to offer some help to a future soldier.

 

Hi John,

First, thank you for making the decision to serve our country.

Okay, so you have a little less than 5 months to complete around 102 credits. This is possible, but it will take some hard work. I would suggest that you test out of your remaining requirements using a combination of CLEP and Dantes DSST exams.

There are three schools (known on this forum as "The Big 3", which allow one to complete test out of all the requirements (or close to it) for a BS or BA degree. The three schools are Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College (TESC) and Charter Oak State College (COSC). All three schools will charge you an enrollment fee and a graduation fee. This is how they make most of their money, as many (but not all) students end up testing out of the majority of their coursework, without taking courses through the school.

I am a graduate of Excelsior (A.S., Liberal Studies), and my experience was very positive. I believe if you compare the cost of attendance for all three schools, Excelsior is the least expensive option. The enrollment fee will run you ~$900 and the graduation fee is ~$500. Each CLEP exam will run you about $100, depending upon where you go to take the tests. You can probably take these at your local community college. Dantes (DSST) exams are available at local military bases. They are free for service members. Perhaps you can ask your recruiter if this applies to you as well (you are signed up, so it can't hurt to ask). CLEP exams are worth 3 or 6 credits (with German, Spanish and French worth 6 or 12 credits each). All CLEP exams award pass/fail grades and offer lower level credit. DSST exams are all worth 3 credits and are a mix of lower and upper level credit.

Excelsior does require the completion of a 1-credit course in Information Literacy (offered through the school and from what I've heard, very easy to complete). Other than that, you can completely test out of the remaining requirements for a BA or BS in Liberal Studies. Liberal Studies is essentially a generalist degree (no major, although you can have an area of focus, in psychology for example). Now, Exclesior also offers majors (including one in psychology), but you'll likely need to take some courses to complete this major. Now, if you decide to pursue a major (this does not pertain to Liberal Studies), you should know that as of July 1, 2010, Excelsior will require students to complete a capstone course. I usually recommend selecting a major, however, given your time limit, in this case, I would suggest just going for a BA/BS in Liberal Studies. You can always take a second bachelors with a major down the road, or just enroll in a masters program.

If you sign up (for free) at the Excelsior website, you can view their materials on degree requirements, CLEP/DSST testing info and other details. This information is available on the My EC > Publications page.

Best of luck!

 

The best site I can direct you to is Lawrie Miller's BA in 4 Weeks. Online degrees by distance learning. BA degree and graduate degees - Accelerated Master Degrees by Distance Learning.. The site looks a bit fishy but the information is solid.

 

The information was solid 5 years ago, but some things have changed since the site was last updated. Great site, but just keep this point in mind.

For example, I believe that as of July 1, 2010, Excelsior is phasing out using subject GRE exams to test out of degree requirements.

 

john, I am an Army veteran who had exactly 60 credits upon entering the service back in 1994 and while you have a good idea there, I would advise someone in your position to take a slightly less ambitious approach given your limited time horizon and a few other factors. I applaud your desire to get commissioned via OCS, but 1) you may not need to have a bachelor's degree to get into OCS and 2) you will be able to earn a bachelor's degree at a much lower cost once you are on active duty (you may even be able to take CLEP, DSST and ECE exams while going through AIT). You might also move away from the idea of becoming an officer once you have served awhile, and don't forget ROTC is another way to get commissioned.

Before you go further down the path of implementing what you have mooted, ask your recruiter if 60 credits worth of CLEP and DSST exams are enough to get you your E-3 rank right off the bat- it will be a lot easier to get 42 credits in a few months than to get 102, get your transcripts sent to one of the Big Three for evaluation and graduate within the time frame you would need to get them done. If the recruiter says no, you might have time to get an associates degree, which would get you E-3, but even that could be very tight.

 

Hi John. Congrats on your decision to serve in the Army and also get a degree. Since everyone else is giving you good advice on your situation, I thought I would throw a curveball at you. Since you're 20 years old and interested in a degree program, have you considered applying to the service academies? It's not entirely easy to get in, but it's also not impossible; if you want to be an Officer in the long run it couldn't hurt to try.

Also, once you are in the Army, there are several enlisted commissioning programs which do not require you to have a degree to start. You should ask your recruiter to hook you up with some of that information to mull over. As a matter of fact, you only need 60 credit hours to apply for OCS in the National Guard; not sure about the active Army though. Lastly, I know you're in a hurry to get this all done before you ship, but keep in mind once you're active duty CLEP and DSST exams become free, and you will have tuition assistance to help you along with any classes. Not to mention as you go along those exams and classes will help you with promotion points and boards.

Anyways, good luck!

 

Thanks

Thanks everyone for fast responses and all very good advice, I just read that 48 credits gets me e-3, so that seems much easier then 102 and like muaranah said the army will pay for the rest, so I can go ocs down the road.

Can any one elaborate on the Lawrie miller ba in 4 weeks program. I read the website but still don't really understand what they offer.

Thanks, John

 

The BA in 4 Weeks site offers examples of how you can use exams to receive credit from certain schools to achieve your goals of a degree. The site consolidates a lot of information, but that information may be out of date. I would suggest looking at one of the Big 3: Excelsior, Charter Oak and Thomas Edison and look for an associates degree. See what the requirements are for the degree. Then look for some of the exams that will fulfill the requirements for that degree. Also consider that these schools will also grant credit for your military training. That will be helpful for completing your bachelor's degree. Good luck and thanks for serving.