BA in 4 weeks?

Yes, a consideration in the choice of the title was exactly that. It was important that the title reflected what achievement was possible by those who dare do something extraordinary (uh, that's you guys), and further, that it challenged the reader to reach beyond their self perceived limits.

Judging by the amount of mail I receive containing the line, "I never thought this was possible . . .", and invariably beween the lines the unspoken, "and that I could do it", the title has had the intended effect.

Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

 

Yup. I have never fully understood why some appear to believe it's all (120 credits) or nothing, to be earned in four weeks or not at all.

I thought I went to great lengths in the body of the text to dispel that myth. Perhaps not, or perhaps some have not read beyond the title.

Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

 

Really? How do you know that is so? That has not been my experience. Most people seem to have taken the time to read the introduction and (if they held that view at all) have been disabused of the idea in short order.

And what of, say, Hugo's, "French in Three Months"? I've had that friggin' book 27 years. Still can't speak the language. Did Hugo deceive me. Is their title misleading or a fraud? I certainly don't think so. Do most people who buy the book believe they will learn the language in that period, "from scratch"?

Learning French in three months may require some combination of intensity of desire to learn (drive), native wit, prior formal learning, other prior exposure to the language (informal learning), and on.

The title speaks to what is possible. When I bought the book, I took it to mean, "Learn French in three months or more, depending upon the your application and experience". I have not asked for my money back. Nor have "most people", judging by the book's longevity and popularity.

Just glancing toward my library I can make out the titles, "Animal Farm", "The Grapes of Wrath", "Primary Colors". Had I bought these books believing they were about swine husbandry, wine making, and Cubist painting for beginners, would I have been justified in my assumptions, or do you think it is incumbent upon those who have an interest in or concern about a written work, read beyond the title?

Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

 

I read your site through a couple of times and, without a doubt, you clearly made the point. Your site is concise, informative, and logical - thank you. It challenged my perceptions of many facets of education and degree conferral. Many of the goals I had in life were closer than I ever knew until reading your site. Thank you for your efforts.

 

BA in 4 WEEKS. While it has have taken me more than 4 weeks to complete the requirements for my BA , which by the way has a conferral date of 19 September, from yes "Excelsior College- USNY" (I like definitely respected Regent or how about this College of New York (Albany). Like this word, the phrase, BA in 4 weeks will catch on.

I applaud the efforts of Mr. Lawrie Miller. He has contributed significantly in motivating this military man with almost 19 years of service to complete his degree. I used the BA in 4 weeks outline and model because of the thought of expediting ones chance of completing a degree, which is by the way very hard in much of the military.


I have taken 4 of the ECE exams , 3 DANTES since I caught wind of this website in 2002. I wish it was around back during the first Iraqi conflict in 1991. Yes, I believe one "could" complete the requirements in 4 weeks... however the brain would be fried and the individual depending on his or her "prior" education level would suffer setbacks in a GPA, if that was a motivating factor.


For me GPA's are not that important, my IQ is not like some of the rocket scientist out there and my test taking skills are at or slightly above average, but my experience was the key to my degree. I often question what can you do after you earned the degree? Nineteen years of the military and my personal experiences in my career specialty of telecommunications and mangement are probably closer to a Master degree and I belive I am closer to a mid to senior level executive after al lthe military has offered me. But I do respect those that sit through long hours of classes and earn their prestigious papers. My experience factored in when the American Council of Education (ACE)evaluated part of my military training over the years. If we could put what we do in the military up against a college graduate, in many cases not all, it wouldn't compare. The military produces some phenominal results as far as productivity and punctuality are concerned. But that is not the case... the DEGREE means $$$$ out in the "other" world. I have earned it, thank God. 4 weeks X 12 months X 19 years later that is ...

No, I don't get paid roylaties for posting this .. I earn my living defending the freedoms we enjoy...like the right to a good education. Thank you degreeinfo.com and bain4weeks.com for the insight and creating forums that will help countless freedom loving people to achieve their goals. An Army of One!

Pugh

 

Prepare to be amazed. You can send me a copy of your book:
Bears' Guide to Earning High School Diplomas Nontraditionally
by Thomas Nixon

(everyone should have one and I do not)

Available at Amazon price $10.47 while stocks last.

and the rare

Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning

in recompense.




CAN A BA BE EARNED IN 4 WEEKS BY ANYONE WHO POSSESSES THE REQUIRED COMPETENCIES?

Absolutely.

Should the doubters (I'm hurt) care to put up the money, I'm happy to settle this issue once and for all by earning a BA in 4 Weeks. I will put their money where my mouth and web site have been for some considerable time.

Should I fail to successfully complete all exams in the 28 consecutive days allowed (no use of GREs), I will pay them every cent of their front money. They will have the satisfaction of having made their case. I will be busy the next several years eating crow.


Came to understand this was possible without recourse to GRE subject exams, while earning my degree, picking up thirty+ credit hours in (as I recall) four days. Prior to that I'd passed seven 3-hour Regents exams in over 3 1/2 days - wanted to be prudent first time out. Looking at this and other experiences over the course of earning two degrees, it became clear that most of the intelligent and curious could pass these exams with a modicum of revision or new learning as required.


Six upper division 3-hour-exam passes in two consecutive days can be earned with ease by those already possessing the necessary competencies . Perhaps then, a more economical and practical proxy for a full-blown trial would be to use some such arrangement. We could extrapolate from the results of this trial.

OK, how about that? Six ECE exam passes in two days if you want to go cheap, or maybe nine passes in three days?

Tell you what, fifteen exams over five days. That's probably at least 51 credit hours, since I think, at least two of the 15 exams will be 6-credit hours, and probably more. At three hours per exam, that's 45 hours of testing, or nine hours per day.

ECE exams because the results are available immediately, a stamped and proctor-initialed paper certifying the score is issued there and then, and I don't have to travel too far to find a site that will take me on spec, and 5 days is a lot easier to cut from the calendar that 4 weeks.

So, if 15 exams (13 of the 15 upper division) can be successfully passed in 5 days without breaking sweat, we can venture that another 67 hours college credit over approximately 15 exams (mostly lower division = easier) can be passed in the following 25 days. That is, we have five times as long to complete the final fifteen exams, the great majority of which will be lower division and therefore less challenging on average. Only about 15 exams in the end run since five foundation CLEP exams (the general), and some other offerings are worth six credit hours apiece.

So, take your pick:

6 exams passes in 18 hours of testing over two days
9 exams passes in 27 hours of testing over three days
15 exams passes in over 45 hours of testing over 5 days

Anyone who possesses the relevant competencies can do this - anyone.

Now show me the money.

Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

 

True, and it is important that that difference is noted. Tautologically: it is much harder to score above the 80th percentile than it is to score above the 30th percentile (seem to remember before the 35 percentile threshold there was a 30 percentile threshold and that was the one applicable - perhaps not).

Yet, earning the full 30 hours is still very doable. it is not a fancy or a wistful wish. Many have done it.

Lawrie Miller, who earned 60 hours college credit by scoring above the 90th percentile in two GRE subject exams.
http://bain4weeks.com

 

Outstanding achievement. It may be that no another degree or certification you earn will have as much impact upon you as this one. It's doubtful that others you may earn will offer as much satisfaction. Enjoy.

Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

 

The title of the web site does not misconstrue the concept of. DL and neither does the author of the title. To be quite frank, even if it did, I would not care. I don’t know what “the concept of DL” is, haven’t thought about it, and were I to do so, I’d immediately check my self into the Malcolm Muggeridge Clinic of Humbug and Hubris for detox (no offense).

The BA in 4 Weeks web site exists to assist learners earn supplementary college credit, or an entire degree by way of examination. That's it. Nothing more or less. No angst, no subterfuge, no misunderstanding.

Three goals were established in order:

Step 1. Introduce readers to the notion that college credit and whole college degrees can be earned by testing out.

Step 2. Demonstrate that this can be achieved in remarkably short order.

Step 3. Provide a compelling case to adult learners that, not only can it be done but that they can most likely do it (at a pace to be decided by them).

Step 4. Provide examples of achievement across a range of timelines by people just like them.

Step 5. Guide readers point by point through the innards of the process of earning a whole degree using an accessible framework that is simple in construction. (i.e. the BA in 4 Weeks structure and chronology).


Note that a BA can indeed be earned "in just a few weeks" (see other posts this thread).

The advancement of DL? What is that exactly? My concern is advancing the interests of people. People with babies, and mortgages, and mind numbing jobs they can’t wait to quit. Most couldn't give a you know what about the concept of DL or advancement of the concept. They want to get a degree to better their lives.

Now that you mention it, we "work toward the advancement of DL" everyday. Every day new people are introduced to the practical benefits of DL through the BA in 4 Weeks web site. Every day (at least it seems like it, and sometimes, more frequently) another person who was guided by the series, graduates with a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. Every day, they tell me they have introduced others to the site, who in turn may benefit, graduate, progress, and proselytize.

This is not advancement of DL?

BA in 4 weeks isn't about discussion, it's about doing. It's about providing thoroughly researched information, experienced counsel, a proven process, and no BS (uh, except the one you earn yourself).

And I believe I can feel another BA in 4 Weeks reader about to graduate. Yup, the contractions are coming quick and steady now. Better go.


Lawrie Miller
http://bain4weeks.com

.

 

I'm sure that thought would never remotely enter Lawrie's head. Given that it incites people to post thread after thread calling his program into question (and, thus, getting people to go visit his site), whatever would possess him to change it.

And, besides, it can work.



Tom Nixon

 

I will if you read my entire line. It says, "I would be amazed, but many things amaze me."

So I'm amazed once again. Just out of curiosity, anyone around here done it in four weeks (or close to it)?



Tom Nixon
(Btw, you will notice that even in the reply I kept those all-important links to the books. Thanks, Lawrie!

 

Could have done it if I were a civilian....

If I were a civilian, I would say that, depending on the major, a bain4weeks is possible, but not necessarily realistic. I more realistic time frame would be about 3 months. Remember, you have to have
- all the up-front money to pay for each of the exams,
- the time to actually take the exams,
- the time to study for the exams
- reserve enough seats to "graduate" on schedule

A high school junior or senior could finish one over a summer break (assuming he had the money and transportation to get to/from testing site). Most working adults do not have that luxury.

So don't get your hopes up on a true bain4weeks. But it doesn't have to take a year either.

And remember, this is referring to completing degree REQUIREMENTS. The actual time that it would take to get an official evaluation and graduate would be at least 4 months. (4-8 weeks for an official evaluation, then depending on when the official transcripts arrive for all the exams taken, and the cutoff date for graduation for the following month, another 4-12 weeks).

I finished mine in about 6 months. 90% while on active duty.

 

yfbjax,

I took a look at your site - good to see that someone else has taken this route successfully. Where did you graduate from and what was your GPA if you don't mind me asking?

Are you affiliated with instantcert? I noticed you mention TECEP and ECE as well as CLEP/DANTES coverage but instantcert doesn't specify these - although I'll grant you that there's probably not much difference between ECE Org Behavior and the DANTES version.

Good luck with your new venture.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Mike, it's not a degree mill (and I'm not sure how it could be taken as one) - although the prices should be taken with a grain of salt - the S-H MA in Imperialism is really about $5,000 - $6,000 for "international" - anyone not oin Britain - students.

Mike, if you really could not tell www.bain4weeks.com is not a degree mill then you might not be ready for college. This is not a shot, just an observation.

 

Excelsior College, Albany, New York

AAS GPA 4.00
BS GPA 3.68

Currently enrolled in a MS in Management @ Colorado Technical University, http://www.ctuonline.edu Start: Aug, 2004; Graduate: Nov, 2005 if I stay on track.

See this post that covers what I did a little more:
http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=143316#post143316

Of course, my website, now fully functional, outlines this as well. http://www.123collegedegree.com/

As for instantcert, yes I am affiliated with them. I e-mail back and forth the webmaster regularly. Although it only mentions CLEP and DSST specifically, you can use some of their study guides to take the ECE/TECEP versions of the test. Good examples are:

- DSST/ECE organizational behavior. Took these both the same day and got A's on both. Remember, the ECE one is UPPER level credit. Only one of them will count due to duplication, to try to ace the ECE version.

- DSST/ECE Human resource mgmt. Only took the ECE version. Very general test....didn't require but minimal study if you've been a supervisor before. Remember the ECE version is UPPER level credit.

- DSST/ECE statistics. Only took the DSST version, got a 61 on it! This one is untimed and therefore preferrable.

Having used them myself personally for many, MANY exams, I highly recommend instantcert, especially if you are trying to get your degree quickly. They can be found at http://www.120collegecredits.com

You get out what you put in when it comes to any method of study. There is no one right way to do this. But I've evaluated all the alternatives and I found instantcert to be the simplest, most affordable option. Take it from someone who's actually done it:

http://www.123collegedegree.com/proof.html

I don't post here often, but I hope this helps. The website in its ENTIRETY should answer any further questions that you have.

 

Ok folks, the BAin 4 weeks debate is mostly missing the point. It is not about the title or the timeframe. It is about showing folks a road map to achieve their dreams. I am a case study on the topic so I believe I can speak with some knowledge on Lawrie's site and the impact on my degree journey.
1) there are many of us who for various reasons did not or could not go on to finish or even start undergraduate studies.
2) BAin 4 weeks shows us how we can do it and provides us with real life examples of people and their success stories.
3) The timeframe is really a moot point. While it would have been very nice and convenient to finish in 4 weeks, the idea behind the site is how to arrive at your destination, not the elapsed time of the journey.
4) This brings to mind a famous saying: Manage and navigate by your compass, not by your clock

With that said, I will once again thank Lawrie and eveyone on this board for providing me with the motivation to finish my BS at COSC. I graduated this year see post Complete

While my journey was much more than a year, the point is that it can be done. Not how long did it take. To all of you who doubt or who are procrastinating, believe and take action. A degree can be yours at your pace and time. Get going!!!

 

Re: Re: BA in 4 weeks?

Actually, I recently spoke to the staff as Sheffield Hallam and they informed me that there is no difference in price for EU or non-EU students. It is 400 GBP per module or 2000 for the entire program. Today that works out at $3600.

This information was via email with the History staff there.

clint

 

Re: Re: Re: BA in 4 weeks?

Please e-mail me your information, including the e-mail address of the originating message ([email protected]). The S-H History Dept is NOT quoting me the same price as of last week on their enrollment contract.

 

I have no interest in the zip-test route, although my genuine congratulations go to those who have used it successfully. Even so, Lawrie's site is one of the most entertaining reads in DL. Taking the time to leaf through it, even if you happen not to find a suitable particular programme, just might give you awareness of schools that later turn out to be eminently workable for you. In short, it's at minimum a useful flashpoint for brainstorming, and potentially *much* more than that.

 

Clint, I'd really like you to re-confirm the info. "Sorry I deleted the e-mail" means you're working off your humanly imperfect memory.