BA in 4 Years: A More Realistic Approach

BA in 4 Years----A more realistic approach to a BA!

The majority of BA graduates will have taken around 4 years to complete their studies--more than a few even longer.

 

I have known people on the eight year plan.

North

 

Good point, Russell. Of course, most BA graduates are 22 or 23 years old. Those four years spent earning a degree encompass a fair number of party days, required classes that aren't available, and extra-curricular activites, all of which are great for delaying the onset of adulthood.

I'm a ripe old 36. Fortunately, I've been able to apply what I've learned as an adult, guided in part by Lawrie's excellent BA in Four Weeks work, to my Excelsior Bachelor's degree.

Following Lawrie's method literally, actually completing a degree in a month, would have been difficult for me. However, his work showed me how to earn the credits I lacked in a timely fashion. I enrolled at Excelsior in July 2000; I will graduate this summer. I could have finished in 13 or 14 months time, had I wished to do so.

I'm glad Lawrie wrote BA in Four Weeks when he did; it has been a godsend to me.

Regards,


Tony

 

Congratulations Tony!

North

 

Actually, if an enterprising and energetic student wants to do so, a regular B.A. can be accomplished in three years (or less) here in the United States.

With a combination of AP credit from high school, CLEP exams, placement exams, and taking summer courses, a B.A. degree can be easily had in a three year time frame. Some colleges can even be persuaded to admit one as a provisional student (even up to full time!), while you are still finishing high school.

I did this, and before I even began my first regular fall class, I had 21 semester hours on my transcript. This enabled me to take more interesting and challenging electives as time went by. By the way, I don't consider myself any more brilliant or even motivated as the next guy. In fact, if I had taken summer courses before my official fall matriculation, I would have begun my college career with at least 30 hours (or nearly one quarter of the required credits) under my belt.

Three years later, I was in happy possession of my B.A. Again, if I had take full time summer session each summer, I could have graduated in less than 2 and 1/2 years. It's not that hard. Again, we are talking about a B.A.--not a hard science or engineering degree.

While I can understand why, due to financial or family hardship, etc., it may take longer than four years, I see that many are on the five, six, or seven year B.A. because they really have not put that much thought into what they want to do when they grow up. Alas, some also want to put off growing up until the last possible moment.

Craig
B.A., The Pennsylvania State University
M.Div., Ashland Theological Seminary

 

Yes, congratulations, Tony.

This is the kind of thing I believe Lawrie is trying to motivate people to do. By showing that the whole thing is manageable in a shorter than four year time frame, he gets people to pursue the avenues necessary to complete a B.A., and have that out of the way.

Older students can be discouraged by thinking that the only way to get a B.A. is to disrupt their lives and sit in a classroom full time for four years. As that is not really the case even with a traditional B.A., just breaking the pre-conception is a valuable service.

Craig

 

Indeed so. Yet for whom is that a "more realistic approach"? Does the fact that undergraduate degrees of four years or longer span may comprise a majority preclude other methods and other modalities? No, of course not. My goal in writing BA in 4 Weeks was to help those with families, the single parent, working women and men, homemakers, and even retirees, realize, what for many may have seemed an impossible dream.

The hardest part of writing the guides was not the detailing of process, but making a convincing case to the reader that this could actually be done, that they could likely do it, and that taking the prescribed action now, would reward them.

The folks who come Number One in this debate, in my book, are the putative adult learners. BA in 4 Weeks is for them and about them. So to those who may read this thread and who are considering earning an undergraduate degree by distance learning I would say this:-

It is likely that most adult learners will earn their degree using credit earned in a variety of ways. The game here is not necessarily to earn all credit via examination, or by way of portfolio assessment, or even less, to do it all in a month. The trick is to make efficient use of your existing credit and native talent to achieve your goal. BA in 4 weeks seeks to provide a template that you can apply in whole or in part to your particular set of circumstances where and when you think it appropriate.

There is nothing in the actions proposed in the series that I and others as average adult learners have not already proved doable, and that you, at least our equal, cannot do too. This series is not borne of theory and wishful thinking but of practical experience and demonstrable accomplishment. It is not a prospectus for the gifted elite, but a usable guide for ordinary men and women who dare to do something extraordinary.

I don't think it an exaggeration to say that the BA in 4 Weeks series and other texts and guides promoting accredited accelerated degrees, are about empowering people to take charge of their own destiny. While some will wag a finger and offer a host reasons why it can't be done, you'll be off earning your bachelor's diploma. There is no more eloquent riposte.

Lawrie Miller
author BA in 4 Weeks
A non commercial resource for adult learners
http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks

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Thanks for the kind words!

Regards,


Tony

 

Thanks, Craig.

You said it better than I - Lawrie's work opened my eyes to the possibility of completing my degree on my own, as opposed to trying to fit into a long, structured residential degree program. My tuition savings has been remarkable, too.

Regards,


Tony

 

And, for some people, the education at college is secondary!!!!!

 

Russell,

A couple years ago I needed a RA undergraduate degree in a specific discipline... I had no desire to pursue academic study, no desire to learn anything additional in the field, no desire for education... I just wanted a RA undergraduate credential in a specific discipline.

Ah yes, Thomas Edison State College.

I enrolled, got a bunch of credits wrote a couple exams and was able to portfolio out of a bunch more. Incidently, portfolio is a great invention. If you look hard enough you can find some RA school that offers a 3 credit course in almost anything. Although you must "demonstrate learning", this is not an assessment in a traditional academic sense (i.e. rigorous examination and/or research and paper) so it is pretty easy to come up with something that passes muster. The fact is, it is not quite credit for life experience but it is the next best thing.

Circumstances changed and I had no need for the degree, so I "dropped out".

I have no doubt that the degree would have served my purpose, however I have these observations:

Compared with the academic rigor of my "traditional" degree, this exercise was quite a joke. It would have had utility in a pragmatic sense but I sure wouldn't have been proud of the degree... actually, I doubt I would have generally admitted to having it... sure wouldn't put it up in my office with my "4 year".
You can justify it all day long but the fact is... these are pretty much 4 week degrees and comparing them with 4 year degrees is like comparing apples with oranges.

I don't know if have the opportunity to get the quick & easy degrees is, in itself, a bad thing... but I do think we need to eliminate confusion and be clear that this method of obtaining a credential is vastly different than a traditional academic experience which leads to the awarding a degree*.

Note: I have no problem with examination assessment of sufficient rigor as practiced by state Bar, state boards of public accountancy, University of London, Heriot-Watt, etc.

 

Re: Re: BA in 4 Years: A More Realistic Approach

 

Russell, you certainly wouldn't want to claim that students spend this 4 years doing nothing other than studying, would you? There are quite a few things that are included in this time frame, e.g. sports, excursions etc. You are generally able to dispense with this when you study non-traditionally, via examinations. And then, even during the lessons students don't study all the time. Its also common to start cramming only a few weeks before the midterm or final exams in traditional education. So if we consider all that, an average student spends only a fraction of this 4 year period actually studying.

Another issue, I think, is Lawrie's definition of a "mature adult".
Who is meant by that? Lawrie writes his BA in 4 Weeks guide from an perspective of an adult who already has had several years of formal and informal academic and semi-academic education before he started with his BA. Now, I don't make a distinction whether this education was formal or informal, it's basically the same to me. However, It's hard for me to imagine that somebody who worked as an assembly line worker or as gardener or as chimney-sweeper for the most part of his life and (note, that's important)
has had very limited horizons beside his job will fullfil the definition of a "mature adult" in this context. Such a person will need much longer to complete his degree.
I'm able to say that from my own experience so far.

Dennis Siemens

 

are we talking about "class"

Education used to be a means of changing from one socio-economic class to another. There have been two levels of students for decades. There are those whose careers are assured, almost regardless of their academic work. The Kennedy's & the Bushes can afford (in terms of money and job contacts) to be "c" students, and to take 5 or 6 years to get a degree. The other "class" of student is going to have student loans they have to pay back, themselves, and is working part-time/full-time while in college. These are the work-study students (if work-study on campus pays more than a regular job).
I know a nice 23 year old, who has worked part-time through 9 semesters of undergraduate school. He is now one course short of his bs. It will take a total of 10 semesters, and he will finish as a part-time student. In terms of the job market he has five years experience to go with the bs.
I know a young lady who used AP and clep credit to get a "leg up" on her college goals. she ended up with a bs in chem and a ba in biology and 156 undergrad. credits in 4 years. AP/clep contributed 39 credits which allowed her the dual major and to work in a lab part-time.
I am working with a guy in his 30's who has an Associates degree who plans to use the portfolio & clep/dantes to get his ba/bs. He has a great deal of experience, has to work, and does not have a great deal of extra time. he would prefer a dual major, but needs to get the sheepskin for career reasons. clep/dantes/excelsior/portfolio will allow him to earn a bachelors degree and give him the chance to have a dual major.
I think that clep/dantes/excelsior/ace testing can be a good way for people that have skills and knowledge to move ahead in their lives. I think it is a method people with less means can use to keep up with those individuals who have ample college funding.
All the best!

 

Qoute from Ken
"but I do think we need to eliminate confusion and be clear that this method of obtaining a credential is vastly different than a traditional academic experience which leads to the awarding a degree*. "

A typical 4 year degree involves partying, sports, socializing and even some studying/craming. A CLEP/DANTES/EC degree focuses solely on studying and testing. It allows one to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge into the situation and gain credit for it. The posters on this forum that have gone the test route have shown themselves to be the intellectional equal or better of the traditional graduates. The top ranked graduate schools that have accepted these students were well aware of the method that had been used to gain the credential and chose the students because of the knowledge and maturity they showed. You are correct to say there is a vast difference. The four year degree is rather one dimensional while the CLEP/DANTES/EC degree is multi-dimensional.

 

Re: Re: BA in 4 Years: A More Realistic Approach

Certainly not, Dennis. But I would hope that the average student spends more than 4 weeks of that 4 year period studying.

I agree that Lawrie's BA in 4 Weeks material is designed for the mature learner, i.e., one who has gained a large amount of knowledge via life experience, and the exams are the method by which this is validated.

 

BA/BS in 3 years

I earned my BS in 3 years in a bricks and mortor institution. If you take the 18 semester hours for 7 terms you have 126 hours and can graduate if you have the proper distribution can graduate. I was able to take 2 full semesters at 21 credits (with special permission) 4 semesters at 18 credits for 114 credits. I brought in 11 AP credits for the magic 125. The hard part was working while going to school and getting the right sequence of courses in the major.
I think many high school seniors are ready for college level work. A high school calculus class should be the same as a college calculus class. My son had the deal with his college that if he passed Calculus III as his first freshman math. class he would be awarded credit for Calculus I and II on his transcript (that was 8 credits).
If someone had calculus in high, should they have to repeat the same material in college?
Many high schools have co-op relationships with local colleges. If you have worked hard at several area schools, your sr. year classes can be co-op and earn college credits.
All the best!

 

Qoute from Russell A Morris
"I would hope that the average student spends more than 4 weeks of that 4 year period studying."

Considering the average 18-22 year old "hope" may be the right word.

 

I agree that we need to be clear, and clearly, if your "4-week degree" was a joke, than that is your experience and yours alone. The lack of credibility it gives you will be your problem, and no one elses. To suggest that everyone who followed a similar method as you also has a "joke" RA degree simply because it did not take the amount of time (or because it was not earned on campus, or because you didn't have a professor-mentor, or because...) you or anyone else thinks it should have had, is akin to legalism in religion.

In short to say that all RA "accelarated" degrees are a joke, is to deny that education can be achieved by other means than the means ordained by the majority. It is prejudice, pure and simple.

Tracy<><
B.S., Individualized Studies, Charter Oak State College, Nov '01.

 

What a wonderful story, Ken. Yet you offer no detail of any kind. Could you tell us which specific exams you sat, and which subjects specifically you managed to portfolio? How many total credits would that be? What subjects and level? You did not mention in which degree program you were enrolled at TESC. Which program was that, and over what period time were you enrolled? After spending so much money on the process, you quit? How much further did you have to go? Not much by the tone of your testimony. How much had this cost you in total when you quit? And, Ken, what made you decide to quit? I mean, you said you no longer needed a degree, but what was it that changed that made you decide to dump all that money and all that time and effort already poured into the process?

You say you have a traditional degree. It looks as though you must have had this before you entered the TESC program, since you enrolled in TESC only "a couple of years ago" at most. You say. "Compared with the academic rigor of my "traditional" degree". If you already had a degree, what was the nature of the imperative that drove you to seek and RA undergraduate degree? Surely, if you already had a superior " 'traditional' degree", you would have no need of an inferior TESC degree?

Last point: your missive strikes me as eerily similar to that, one would have expected Ken Lewchuk or WalterRogers to have written. Do you have any connection with either of these personae?

Lawrie Miller
author BA in 4 Weeks
http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks

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