Hi everyone. Lurker here coming out of the woodwork, per say. I am a bit overwhelmed to say the least. Having made the decision to return to school to complete my bachelor's, I seem to be getting bogged down with all of the information available. I'm hoping that if I lay out my status for you all, some experienced DLer might be kind enough to point me in the right direction(s). In a nutshell: I have approx. 55 transferrable credits -- mostly GE type credits excluding Math, Speech and Science (all three of which I'm horrendous at) and frankly, those very classes -- and the night sweats they induce just thinking about them - have been what's kept me out of Academia for the past 10 years. While I'm not exactly looking forward to tackling them, I know I need to do it and get this degree as the lack of it has been something that's bothered me for a very long time. I have an extremely varied business background that I'm hoping will garner me some "life experience" credits -- possibly even enough to get this degree sooner than I even dreamed possible. A quick overview: * Started and ran a successful horse show awards company where I designed and created handpainted equestrian awards for horse show management companies all over the state of California for approximately 5 years. * Was co-creator and co-owner of a New Orleans-based tour company which specialized in Anne Rice book tours. We were incorporated and employed Anne's biographer (and Companion books author) as a tour director and we were also interviewed and filmed by the Today Show at one point. I designed all advertising relating to the company and helped co-author the actual tours which followed Rice's literature through the city of New Orleans. We ran this company for three years and basically grew tired and poor in the process (although on paper it did make money and it was a very rewarding business experience that I'm extrememly thankful for). *Started an Internet-based information company which works on a subscription model which has been fairly successful since 1994. While it doesn't make me rich, it does pay basic bills and it has kept me busy. I designed the web site and do all of the marketing, etc. for the business including compiling the information that's published each week. *I've always painted and I maintain a web site for this "hobby/business" at www.artfulequine.com which I would hope could get me a few art credits in addition to the ones I'm hoping for from the awards company products I designed above. *In addition to the above mentioned experience, I also write a fair bit and have several articles (some published, some not published) on file. And, finally, I'm a pretty accomplished equestrian (I ride jumpers) and have the videos to prove that side of my capabilities just in case that might garner some credit somehow. Now, I would certainly like to be able to do quite a few portfolio credits just to expedite the degree process but I don't even have a clue where to start (and yes I have read the portfolio articles) because I'm just on sensory overload with all the available info available. I'm also confused as to where to go (I do know I want an RA school), whether or not I have to even be enrolled to get started on getting the said portfolio credits, and whether or not you experienced portfolio soldiers even think what I have listed above is worth trying to get them for... Also, MONEY (yes, the evil green stuff) is definitely an issue as I practically have none to spare. Any and ALL comments and suggestions are and will be most appreciated. P.S. I'm not too worried about what my BA will be in as I plan to figure out what I want to be when I grow up during the Master's phase whether or not that's the most prudent way to go about this. I just want a degree, that's all. Also, one last caveat: I test horribly so those nice little Cleps and Dante's et al, are probably not worth th effort for me. At least I think not. At least not in math nor science at the very least. *
Off-hand... Welcome-- Just a couple off-hand possibilities: St Mary-in-the-Woods College, Indiana, has a famous equine science program AND a DL program...Who knows if they could accomodate you? And Skidmore College, NY,, too--although, again, I don't know how they "academicize" such things; and, of course, the University of Kentucky does a lot of things equine--perhaps at a distance, given the need there and its public orientation....I'd call or email and ask for DL suggestions elsewhere (WORK that grapvine for info)! As for portfolio, isn't there an online guide or a set of articles on "how-to-do-it" availablein the degreeinfo.com foyer? --Orson
Thank you Orson -- I appreciate someone respondning. One thing though: I guess when I said I didn't care what the degree was in I should have said "As long as it's not equine-related." I was thinking more along the lines of your basic Liberal Arts/Studies degree I suppose. Anyway, thanks again. I'm just really confused where to start and I always see so much good advice here. Reed
As a rough guess, about half the people in your situation would end up at either Thomas Edison State College, Excelsior College, or Charter Oak State College. Edison is perhaps the most flexible and generous for portfolio assessment. (The current edition of Bears' Guide devotes 3 pages to the detailed portfolio process of one Edison student, who got 90+ credits for everything from guitar-playing skills to Sunday school teaching.) The other (roughly) half will shop around, sometimes almost endlessly, among the other 300+ properly-accredited schools with non-resident Bachelor's degrees, looking for different models (all exam; no exam; etc.), costs, timing, location, and so forth. No harm in this as long as one doesn't make the search ones career. (I talk a lot about this stuff on the 1-hour CD that I did for DegreeInfo; see the home page). One factor that comes up often is name. Some people really want their degree from a University, not a College or an Institute, and there are plenty of those options, from the University of Iowa to California State University. Best wishes in your quest.
Just one thing to add... There's just one thing I'd add to John Bear's eminently sensible advice (and perhaps as a reply to the "endless search" problem): In what ever ways move or appeal to you--begin your studies, just begin accumulating credit! Whether classroom based, correspondence based, or through testing--just begin adding to what you have! (Tally your results as you go to reinforce how you're progressing towards that goal: completing your degree!) Avenues of further interest may develop...but just start doing it! When you have 80-90 credits--then make your decision. Then you can commit to a BIG 3 DL program, or else take up with a local or distant college or university, or Indiana University's BGS program...plenty of choices...don't fret your ultimate decision until then! Because by then your decision criteria will be clearer (e.g., get it done as fast as possible? versus get it done in whatever other way is most meaningful, whether personally defined, or by some other instrumental criteria (e.g., "I want a business degree, not a psych BA, because of my job," or vice versa "because of what job I really really want now!") Let degree completion serve your self-selected goals. By then you'll know what learning methods work best for you and what else you do (or don't) want to learn....in other words, you'll end up in a sensible and well-qualified place to polish off that degree! It's a self-directed and very adult ideal--something that makes adult learning, I think, superior and more satisfying than what most traditional aged college graduates experience (i.e., self-doubt, uncertainty, "The Graduate" effect). --Orson
Oh--I guess I can add... On re-reading your first post for this thread "Where to Begin? HELP"--it sounds like portfolio is the best place to begin organizing yourself, preliminary documentation along project/subject lines (e.g., "Horse Show"/marketing), and next, tackling you math/science aversion...remember: if a CLEP/DANTES approach fails you, you can move onto another ways to gain those required credits! (No one "fails" these things--you can only "pass" or "not pass"--and if ambitious enough, later re-take it!) It's still the cheapest way to get these minimal requirements off your plate, and sources of help like Princeton Review's Craking the CLEP (very cheap used or last year's edition), are far cheaper than course textbooks--you might even grow to like "testing out!"--I too had this aversion, but success has a way of changing that kind of attitude as one learns how to gauge one's own learning rates and needs all alone. Again, --Orson
