WHERE TO START? Getting a law degree, need BA or BS FIRST

Discussion in 'CLEP, DANTES, and Other Exams for Credit' started by Jw38, Jul 27, 2012.

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  1. Jw38

    Jw38 New Member

    Im 38, I live in Southern California. I am in the music business and have done ok, but I want to do something less subjective and with more honorable people lol. YES, lawyers are far more honorable than anyone in the music industry. At the behest of a bigtime lawyer friend and my doctor wife, I have decided to finally get my law degree, pass the bar, and practice. But I need a bachelors first before I can get into a law school. I never attended college. Anyway, There isn't much they are going to teach me that I need or care to know regarding my life and law practice, so I am looking to get the bachelors in a year, by testing out as much as possible. Doesn't matter in which area, just the soonest, easiest way I can to get the degree. Obviously I will go to one of the big three, I need to know where to begin. Which CLEPS do I start with, do I take CLEPS before I even contact a college? What order, so I don't waste any tests etc. Assume (correctly) that I don't know a damn thing about how all this works. Thank you all.
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If you think you'll stay in California for good, you could do law school there without a Bachelor's degree. My understanding is that some of the Calbar or unaccredited ones (unaccredited but approved by the state for its grads to take the bar, that is) will admit students who have 60 semester-hours.

    That said, with the Big Three not only can you take CLEPs before you apply, it's often recommended. That way you only pay one annual fee to the school. I took a bunch of CLEPs before formally matriculating at Charter Oak State College. (One reason I chose that one is that they're the nicest about advising you on what to do before you apply.)
     
  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    A good site for introduction to the Big 3 is Lawrie Miller's Lawrie Miller's BA in 4 Weeks. Online degrees by distance learning. BA degree and graduate degees - Accelerated Master Degrees by Distance Learning. - and don't worry. The name is unusual but the site is 100% legit. Nobody there is going to suggest that you will get a degree in 30 days or anything so ridiculous. Lots of good info.

    At 38, you have considerable work experience. Any of the Big 3 schools can assist you with documenting that and turning it into academic credit. Don't overlook this -- it can save time and money! And yes, Steve Foerster is absolutely right. Many people wait till they have most of their ducks (credits) in a row before they enrol at their favourite Big 3 school. It saves a lot of money!

    There's a forum that specializes in the "Big 3", "testing out" etc. That's CLEP Forum - CLEP Study - CLEP Testing - Study Guide and Strategies Good people!

    Here are some web-sites you might want to look at:

    Lawrie Miller's BA in 4 Weeks. Online degrees by distance learning. BA degree and graduate degees - Accelerated Master Degrees by Distance Learning.
    Excelsior College - excelsior.edu
    College Education for Adults at Thomas Edison State College
    Charter Oak State College - Finish your Degree Online

    I wish you every success.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 28, 2012
  4. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    Allow me my input on clepping. You guys must be smart as hell because, the way I understand things on clepping is that you pretty much have to know the course material. So you study the course material, and you are super smart and pass the material and get a bachelors in 4 weeks. Say what? Wow! I know I can't do that. I guess I am not the smart one here for sure. I did clep Spanish, but I've been speaking it since childhood so that's a given. I didn't even study for it. In fact, I clepped all the requirements.
    But how does one clep buisness courses or math courses and actually feel that they got something out of that school? Isn't learning the material what college is all about? Sorry, I would feel like I'm shorting myself by not taking the time to look over the material and get something out of it. Maybe some of you have photographic style memories or just born smart. I envy you.
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    No, the piece of paper that says you've learned it is what college is all about. If you learned that stuff already somewhere else, then CLEP is a great way to show it and move on. This is doubly true for you since you said you just want to check the Bachelor's degree box so you can apply to law schools.

    As for us being supergeniuses, remember that the way they determine a passing score for CLEP is that it's the same score received by an 18 year old freshman in college who got a C in the course. It's not a high hurdle.
     
  6. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    You got the wrong man. I didn't say anything about applying to law schools. That was someone else brudda! I wasn't saying clep was bad. I suppose if you all ready know the material from reading books or having an actual own business, I can understand that. I think some people cram through it just to pass. Not a bad technique if you want the degree fast. I was only saying that those guys may be passing up valuable information hidden in the texbooks. Just saying.

     
  7. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    This really happened. I work in aviation as a technician. You can pass the A@P faa exam by getting checked off by a DME, (Designated Mechanic Examiner) and sometimes, not all of them are acting in good faith if you know what I mean. I have seen a mechanic come in and asked to be shown how to read a wiring schematic. This should have been taught in school or in the military. Why didn't this man know how to even read the basics of a schematic, but he had all his paperwork and documents in order enough for him to land a job didn't he? He didn't put the time in but he got his license. You feel comfortable with those guys working on planes?
     
  8. Once a person passes a CLEP/DANTES there is nothing to stop them from learning more about the subject so they aren't really passing up on anything. I CLEP'ed Intro. to Sociology. I found the subject matter interesting so I read a little more on the subject afterwards. It really depends on the person.

    I would have to agree with SteveFoerster. The point of college is about getting that sheet of paper that says you learned it.
     
  9. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    I sense a bit of disconnect in that theory about that piece of paper. I do agree about your comment that learning is really up to the individual. I think employers want more than a piece of paper. They want to really see what you know and what you can do to improve their company profits. If I hire an accountant, I expect them to know figures. First that piece of paper, than if he can back up that piece of paper. That probably explains why alot of recruiters like to hire the cream of the crop. I agree that the piece of paper is the first step in even being in the ball game. I took an audit of how well I knew the material of multiple choice, 20 questions on a subject I really never took nor know about, I got 60 percent of the questions correct. This still doesn't mean I know the subject matter. It's just how good you are in taking multiple choice test. I don't think that's good enough in the real world. I think its best to strive to do your best while learning. If you can get by remedially, and you are smart enough, more power to you. You'll probably do well anyway. I know I can't do it this way. I would still have to get the book, study it, and in the end, you can only clep so many. Especially in the upper level courses.
     
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Oops, so it was! -1 point for me for poor reading comprehension!

    But hey, didn't I tell you we weren't supergeniuses? :wink:
     
  11. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    Too bad most clepping on colleges only allow like what? 15 credits total?
     
  12. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    Some restrict the number of credits available through CLEP and DSST exams and some are very generous in allowing it.

    Florida Public Colleges allow up to 45 credits by exam, UL institutions like the University of Florida allow up 60-90

    The so called "Big 3" will allow 114 - 117 credits via exam. Your Spanish CLEP is worth up to 12 credits all by itself.

    Harvard Extension School only allows 12 credits....but grants 4 credits each to any three CLEP's they allow.
     
  13. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    I just looked at my clep paperwork I have here by my computer. I passed good for 2 semesters of Spanish and 4 semesters of Spanish. The 2 semesters are recommended by ACE for aprox 6 credits, and the 4 upper level recommended for 12 credits. So I see a possible total of 18 credits, but as I understand it, it is soley up to the institution to accept however many credits they will accept.
     
  14. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately, that's cumulative, not additive: If you pass the cut score for 2 semesters, the recommendation is 6 sh; if you pass the cut score for 4 semesters, it's 6+6=12 sh.
     
  15. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I am not super smart, just got pretty good at test taking. I was able to knock out a bunch pretty quickly to get my BS. I already knew the material so it was not too difficult to demonstrate the basic knowledge of the subject. Oh, I had also taken some classes at an unaccreditied school that added to my knowledge before taking the exams.

    I took these in six weeks-
    August
    08-14-2002 DANTES Intro to Criminal Justice
    08-14-2002 DANTES Intro to Law Enforcement

    September
    09-04-2002 DANTES Intro to Computing
    09-04-2002 DANTES Organizational Behav
    09-04-2002 DANTES Envir and Humanity
    09-09-2002 DANTES – HR Management
    09-09-2002 DANTES Tech Writing
    09-09-2002 DANTES Intro to Business
    09-12-2002 DANTES Here’s to you Health
    09-17-2002 CLEP History and Social Science
    09-19-2002 ECE Labor relations
    09-22-2002 DANTES Ethics
    09-22-2002 DANTES MIS
    09-26-2002 ECE Production/Operation Mgt
    09-30-2002 CLEP English w/essay

    I also took these before I took the above:
    CLEP History I
    CLEP Sociology
    CLEP History and Social Science
    CLEP Humanities
    CLEP English w/o essay
    CLEP General Math
    CLEP Analy and Interp Lit

    And this after:
    ECE Research Methods in Psy
     
  16. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    Wow, that's a load of KICK BUTT there. I see this great example but when someone posted the actual percentage of people that pass in these exams, you are probably in the minority. You must have really known the material to be able to take three cleps in one day.
     
  17. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    Your right. I see that.

     
  18. 29palms

    29palms New Member

    Can you tell me how much money it cost to take all of your exams plus the tuition to graduate ect...how much money were you into your school by the time it was all said and done?
     
  19. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I took most of the CLEPS for free since I was in the Army Reserve. COSC degree cost about $1,000 for COSC administrative fees, $1,600 for the two University of Phoenix classes I took, and I spent $65 in CLEP fees. I only paid for one CLEP and 16 were free since I was in the Army Reserve. If I would have paid for all the CLEPS, DANTES, and ECE exams, it would have cost about $1,000. Total cost would have been about $3,600

    I started with an AA and a few computer certs that were worth credits.
     
  20. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    That's where DSST Exams (some of them), TECEPS, and Excelsior Exams come in. There is quite a lot of upper level credit by exam available. More than enough to complete a degree.
     

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