Excelsior....GRRRRRR

Sorry, quick rant here.

So in early September I’m all “physiced” about finishing up, I take my final ECE exam thinking “boy this is great, finally did it” A month later I go to the Excelsior website, log in, expecting to see something to the affect of “Congratulations, you finally got off your sorry butt and completed the requirements for graduation”. But instead I find:

"Evaluation Summary - Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts
This evaluation summary is a worksheet for you and your advisor
as you progress toward degree completion. Please use this
summary along with the appropriate chart in the Liberal Arts
catalog for program planning. Be sure to contact your advisor
for assistance in degree planning, including course approval, and
to answer any questions about this evaluation summary.

Applied Professional Credits or Additional Arts & Sciences

4.00 semester hours lower level in any academic area

Dear Mr. Tisdail:

As I checked your file for graduation, I regrettably found that you
were awarded 6 hours for your MGMT 326 (Management and Society)
course at California State University at Long Beach and 2.33 hours
for your FA 308 (WS-Ferro Battuto) course at the University of
Northern Colorado. You had actually received 3 and 1.33 semester
hours for those courses respectively. As such, your total hours of
completion is 116. You are still required to complete 4 lower level
elective hours.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further. We
apologize for this oversight."

They apologize for the “oversight”? They’ve had my transcripts for two years, have done 5 evaluations, at least two other ones reviewing all classes, and now they tell me I’m short. What really burns me is that if I’d known in May or even a month ago I could have picked up a couple of classes at the local JC and been done with it. Unfortunately, based upon past history, it’s going to take a month of Sundays before I can get them to review any undergraduate classes to I don’t duplicate a class I’ve already got on my transcript! Now this thing's going to spill over into ’03, which I really didn’t want!

Anybody know were I can buy 4 good lower level hours?

Again, sorry for the rant.

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, have you taken all the exams accepted by Excelsior?


Bruce

 

Re: Re: Excelsior....GRRRRRR

No I haven't. In fact 101 of 116 credits are for "normal" university studies. I've asked Excelsior for a list of ECE, CLEP, and DANTES tests that I could take which wouldn't duplicate any classes, but I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for a response. I've never taken any CLEP or DANTES tests, so I'm not sure how to go about doing so. The ECE are good, I've taken 4, but at this point are all upper level. I was hoping I might find a lower lever that I wouldn’t need to "cram" for.
Hey, you think they'd let me take Nursing Concepts for 4 Lower hours?

 

If Excelsior will accept CLEP exams and go by the ACE recommended credit, take the CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature exam. Not hard at all, and it's worth 6 semester hours.

Another quick way would be DANTES Here's to your Health and either Intro to Law Enforcement or Intro to Criminal Justice. All are easy and worth 3 credits each.

Of course, check with Excelsior before you pay any testing fees, to make sure they'll accept the exams.


Bruce

 

Look into UCI or UCR extension classes-UCR offers weekend classes that award typically 1.5 QU for a two days class. I am taling UCR natural science classes and find them to be not only interesting and educational, but also enjoyable. The UCR extension catalog is on line. So in one month you could pick up 6 QUs (4 SUs)

 

LOL! Back in 1980, I'd completed one Regents bachelor's (in business) and had just gotten back my GRE in Sociology scores. With the 39 s.h. they awarded back then, I needed only one upper-level arts/sciences elective to get a second bachelor's. I was looking for a quick and easy examination (my 35th, btw), and that's the one I chose! It was nothing more than a reading test. What a pushover. I can't believe they still offer it. (I think it was worth only 3 s.h. back then, but I don't really recall because I only needed 3 to graduate.)

That second bachelor's was earned by passing only those two exams. I was 20 years old and had never taken a sociology course, yet I scored in the 69th percentile on the GRE Sociology exam. I don't know what that would get you today (certainly less than the current maximum of 30 s.h.), but it just goes to show how easy some of those tests can be. Didn't take any courses, didn't study one iota. Just took it to see what would happen, and got a bachelor's degree out of the deal. Maybe a Kennedy-Western degree would have been more challenging after all? (K-WU wasn't operating yet, btw.)

 

Bruce,
Thanks for the advice. I'm scheduling the CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature exam at Key West C. C. in two weeks, if Excelsior comes back and tells me it's ok.

Thanks!

 

It is still offered, within the last week I talked a co-worker into signing up for it. The ACE recommended credit is 6 semester hours, but some schools I've seen (UMass for example) only give 3 credits, which is why I always tell people to check with their school first.


Bruce

 

Excelsior has an on-line publication that lists exams (such as CLEP) that they give credit for and how much.

Have you served one year in the military forces? If so I may have another idea where you can get 6 SU' without taking a test.

Ian anderson
BS Regents/Excelsior 1992

 

Thanks Ian,
My problem is that I'm not sure which ECE or CLEP exams I can take because I've really got so many credits. A young lady at Key West C.C. has been very helpful (just in the past few hours) putting together a list of CLEPs that can be taken there and which I can forward to Excelsior. Even going so far as to holding a test slot open for me. Now I just need the Excelsior folks to come through.
I have to admit that going on a small vacation, stopping in at the areas C.C. and being able to take a test for college credit is pretty cool!

BTW: I've never been in the military.

 

If the CLEP option doesn't work, you can pick up a goodly number of credits through the FEMA Emergency Management Institute. Their courses are worth one credit hour each, and you can easily complete 8 to 10 hours in a couple of days. The only possible glitch is cost - you will need to have the hours transcripted by Frederick Community College at $60 per hour.

You should be able to earn the hours and get a transcript sent within five or six weeks.

The CLEP Mathematics exam is the last hurdle for me to cross, and I'll be done with my Excelsior BS.

Good Luck!


Tony

 

I didn't think that Excelsior accepted FEMA tests. Do they accept these tests if you go through the CC? I was under the impression that TESC was the only college in the "Big 3" that accepted the FEMA credits.

 

Hi Cory,

Excelsior won't accept them directly; however, if the subject hours fit your degree program, they will accept a transcript from Fredrick Community College for the courses. All of the FEMA courses are one hour, lower division undergraduate.

As it happens, I'm active in Emergency Communications and as a member of our Local Emergency Planning Committee, so the FEMA courses were (are!) very useful to me.

Regards,


Tony

 

Another option for Mark...

How about DANTES Intro to Business...
I found it very easyl I studied a textbook glossary, just to be sure, which was probably overstudying.

Taking the sample exam, I had already gotten 9 out of 10--
missing one more out of inattention than lack. SO try the sample first, gain confidence.

--Orson