Any suggestions for my dilemna?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by nturn433, Apr 27, 2015.

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  1. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    I'm new here and have a dilemna relating to getting my BA. First some background: I went to an accredited public university in the early 90's for 4 years. My major was Art, minor Criminal Justice so nothing special. I ended up receiving 121 credits out of a required 124 sem credits. The only class needed was college level math and suffice it to say, math has never been my strong suit so I tried to CLEP out of it and failed. My intention was to just take a semester off and go back and get my degree but it hasn't happened. And it really wasn't a big issue but I'm now interested in teaching english overseas & a BA is one of the minimum requirements so I'm exploring my options. So the major issue now is: I owe the school money (that i don't have) and of course, they won't release my transcripts to any other school so I'm thinking I have 2 options: 1. To find a way to work out a payment plan & get the math credit accepted by them so I can then get my BA from them since all of my credits are with them anyway. Seems the easiest option. OR 2. Work out a payment plan (I know there is no way around it, I'm going to have to pay) & get my transcripts and try transferring my credits with them to another university to finish my BA. My question is, does anyone have any suggestions for me? I know I'm not the only one in this predicament since I've read that half of all college students do not end up matriculating. I just need to get this done with. Better late than never. And again, the only reason I'm really interested at this point is because I really want to teach & travel overseas and a BA, any BA, will do. Although I have already done the work. Yes, it's crazy that I went for 4 years only to not finish, but at the time, it seemed like a pause, not an end. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'd want to finish where I started.
     
  3. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    Pick up 1 KCTCS learn on demand Math class - they have college algebra.

    Do it yourself asap.

    Go talk to your Uni about making the payment plan and transfer that last math class in.

    graduate.
     
  4. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    1. Regardless of what happens, you need to get your student account straightened out. So get on that first.

    2. What is the specific math requirement needed? My recommendation is ALEKS, but that is not what you want to tell the registrar, because most registrar's don't know what that is. However, most registrar's do know what an ACE transcript is. The question to ask the registrar is "I want to transfer in x course that has been evaluated by ACE to fulfill my math requirement - and I will have an official ACE transcript sent to you. Will that fulfill my math requirement?" Make sure you have that conversation with the REGISTRAR.

    Good luck!

    Shawn
     
  5. DxD=D^2

    DxD=D^2 Member

    Please be advised that most universities and colleges have matriculation expiration. The original degree you pursued back in the 90's may have morphed and you might not be able to just take one math class to graduate. There might be more classes you have to take, depending on the university policy. Keeping this in mind, you might want to find out what would be the requirements once you get situated with the money you owe. Best of luck!
     
  6. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Option 1, no question.
     
  7. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    I can't speak for other schools, but at my University, once you go through Senior Audit, it you come up "short" you get to finish your degree based on the requirements in affect at the time of your audit. I have to believe that your school would work with you provided you get the financial issues worked out. Good luck!
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I too would finish at the original school if possible. D-squared is right to point out that it may not be, however. I used to be an academic advisor for a school in the mid '00s where someone came back after having earned credit there in 1970, so exceptions can sometimes be made if the field hasn't changed much (e.g., art yes, CJ maybe, IT no). But I would often push our provost to make exceptions to policy when it was in the interest of our students, and that doesn't happen at every school.
     
  9. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    @Shawn Ambrose--The math requirement is College Level Algebra. I am speaking with someone today and will report back what they say. Thank you for all of the responses.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 27, 2015
  10. GoodYellowDogs

    GoodYellowDogs New Member

    It has to be the first option... get it done quickly before they give you all sorts of new requirements to fulfill.
     
  11. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    I spoke with someone from the Admission's Dept and was told that I would now need about 30 credits to complete my degree (new course requirements)..so it would seem that it would be better for me to look at transferring the existing credits I do have to one of the distance learning schools I've seen mentioned, like Charter Oaks? Any opinions or other suggestions?
     
  12. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    I spoke to someone in the Admissions Office and was told that I would now need about 30 credits to get my degree (new course requirements)..so it would seem that it would be more practical to look into transferring my existing credits to one of the schools I've seen mentioned here like Charter Oaks? Any other suggestions or options to share?
     
  13. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    yes, this is not the info I'd settle on. Admissions don't evaluate degree plans or credits or transcripts, so while this may end up being true- you're not getting the information from the right person, so on that basis, I wouldn't trust it. I'd make an appointment with an academic advisor. Have this person plug in your old classes into the new requirements and go from there. Again, it may end up being true that you'd need 30 credits (I doubt it) but at that point at least you'll have the facts. Also, if you end up needing 30 new, I'd ask why. Is it that some of your courses expired or is it actually new criteria? There is a difference as to how I would proceed in either of those.
     
  14. DxD=D^2

    DxD=D^2 Member

    This is good advice. Don't settle for a phone conversation. Speak to a degree audit advisor or a counselor. Also like Steve mentioned, someone can fight for you to simply get that one class in. It seems pretty foolish on behalf of the school to make you take 30 extra units and make you pay more for just one missed general education class. If I were an admin at a university, I rather have an additional graduate for number sake. Then again, there might be other factors to look into. Nonetheless, you still need to pay off what you owe because the school will not send transcript to another college/university (such as Charter Oaks). This will definitely bring you back to the same dilemma. I hope your school will be kind enough to offer you grace under your conditions. Let us know what happens after you make that face-to-face appointment.
     
  15. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    I no longer live in the same state as the university so face-to-face appointments are not possible. The person I spoke with mentioned new degree requirements & that's why there are 30+ new credits he said I'd have to take.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 29, 2015
  16. warguns

    warguns Member

    telephone

    I agree that this is not an issue that should be settled on the telephone. At my college, even though requirements change, the change does not apply to students already enrolled in a program. However I don't know if this rule would apply ten years later.

    The registrar's office must have email. I would discuss it with them but in writing. Even if there is such a rule that you must take the new requirements, waivers can sometimes be obtained through a formal petition.
     
  17. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    Give your posts a little bit to get through moderation.
     
  18. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    To echo others on this thread - I would ask for a phone meeting with a member of the registar's office. Admissions does NOT set degree requirements. The registrar is very knowledgeable with how waivers can be obtained, etc.

    If that doesn't work, I would write a letter to the Chief Academic Officer of your former school, explain your situation, and ask for a waiver. You might be surprised. I would exhaust all possibilities of earning a degree with just "one more class" before I looked at other options.

    Good luck!

    Shawn
     
  19. nturn433

    nturn433 New Member

    Thank you and to others who suggested I explore all options..I'm glad I found this forum. Squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? I hope that adage rings true in this situation. I've basically done 99% of the work for my degree (too bad I didn't think like this 20+ years ago, could have saved myself the grief) so I'm going to exhaust all possibilities before I accept a no.
     
  20. GeeBee

    GeeBee Member

    In the one school with which I am most familiar, there is a time limit for graduation. That is, once admitted to a program, you are locked in to the degree requirements listed in the catalog that is in effect when you are admitted. You must, however, graduate within six years. After that, you have to re-apply and submit to whatever new requirements are in effect.

    I second your suggestion to ask about waivers and petitions, although my experience with a petition was in the opposite direction; one of the requirements for my degree was relaxed halfway through my term. I was able to petition to use the NEW catalog requirements for my degree.
     

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