I need to vent! Excelsior students advice needed.

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by seekinghelp, Mar 17, 2004.

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  1. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    I was completing all the application info for Excelsior, requesting transcripts, etc and just all the check writing one does to apply to college and had a question about when I might expect an official review of my transcripts since I've already undergone the unofficial review (which took over 3 weeks). So I called Admissions at Excelsior.

    My question was simple: Since my DSST results sheet (where I was looking to find out how to request a transcript from them) stated that my test results would not be forwarded to Excelsior until 3 weeks after receipt of payment and request, how long would it be before I could expect the "official review" of all my transcripts and could I speak to a counsellor in the meantime (during those intervening weeks) while waiting for the "official" review so I could complete my planning of tests.

    I spoke with 2 of the rudest individuals I've ever spoken to. Both basically told me that the unoffical review was just that, unofficial, and that it would take up to 6-8 weeks AFTER receipt of my official transcripts to make a determination of my current credits (we're only talking about one college transcript, one clep test, and one dantes test, there aren't 10 transcripts to review). So I may be looking at nearly 3 months from today before anyone will talk to me in any meaningful way about my testing strategy.

    I don't believe at any point in the conversations either person allowed me to finish a sentance before barging overtop of me. I was very stunned after having spoken to someone in admissions last week that was helpful although not entirely friendly.

    Is this what I am to expect as common courtesy and assistance from Excelsior? COSC was so great to talk to, University of Wyoming is exceptional in their assistance for my master's application. I'm just stunned. I expect colleges to be professional. I don't expect to be treated as a pest. I was not asking questions in minutia - heck, I wasn't allowed to really ask much of anything.

    What has been your experience with Excelsior. If this is the way they treat students, I may not be finishing here. :mad:
     
  2. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Inundated with student-requests...

    I would speculate that Excelsior College is no longer a "well kept secret" and that they are now being deluged with hundreds (and hundreds) of requests from customers to get evaluated. I also speculate that they have now reached a point of saturation, where they have too many inquiries and too few workers to adequately accommodate all of the student-requests.

    The advent of the internet, coupled with forums like DegreeInfo.com, has really "spread the word" about schools like Excelsior College.
     
  3. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Customer service

    I had a similiar experience at Excelsior. The unoffical evaluation told me so little, I just wanted to find out what hadn't transfered. I also had a question about two of the ECE exams.

    The first lady I talked to was completely unhelpful and rude. I hung up and called back. The second person at least answered my examine questions but the only thing I got when I asked about my credits was "when you enroll" "after you enroll" or "can't help until you enroll."

    I really felt like I was talking to a car saleman.

    I'm now trying COSC and they are much more helpful.
     
  4. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    Re: Customer service

    I guess I thought that since I said I was filling out the acutal application and paying for admittance at that moment that someone would at least be courteous to me knowing that I was applying and not just a looky-loo.

    I agree that they probably have 100's of requests and I'm trying to understand that aspect of it. And I also understand that part of my perception of my treatment is the eastern clipped/sharp way of speaking that both of these people had (forgive me, I'm from the south and not used to it). Still, at one point, I actually quietly asked the counsellor - "may I speak now?" - to which I was met with stoney silence and then a loud huffing-puffing sound. I would assume that even up north, that kind of attitude is considered rude. And COSC is in Connecticutt, same part of the woods so I certainly don't consider all northern schools/people to be rude. They were wonderful.

    Well, I sent the application and check anyway. Hope this isn't a mistake. I'm concerned, I'm spending my hard earned money here, I expect them to at least take it with a smile. :(
     
  5. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    SeekingHelp wrote:

    > it would take up to 6-8 weeks AFTER receipt of my official
    > transcripts to make a determination of my current credits (we're
    > only talking about one college transcript, one clep test, and one
    > dantes test, there aren't 10 transcripts to review).


    The "up to 6-8 weeks" thing is the same whether it's 1 transcript or 100, but lately they've been doing evaluations much faster than that (often about a week after getting the transcript).

    > So I may be looking at nearly 3 months from today before
    > anyone will talk to me in any meaningful way about my testing
    > strategy.


    The Excelsior advisors are the person to ask "Will this meet that requirement?" or "Will this duplicate that?" (and you should pose the questions by e-mail, not telephone, so you have a record of the answers). But for testing strategy, your best resource is right here.
     
  6. Randy_Excelsior

    Randy_Excelsior New Member

    Are you talking to academic advisors or to the desk person in the advising office? If you're not enrolled, I don't believe they let you talk to the counselours. I've had great luck with the academic advisors there, but horrible service from their assistants. Eventually, I decided to just pay my enrollment fee online so I could get some questions answered. Within about a week of that, I had an official evaluation and was able to speak directly with the advisors.
     
  7. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Paying

    I was talking to the advisors. You're right, you can't talk to the counselors until you pay. To me it is a Catch 22 - you can't find out what tranfered without paying but I don't want to pay until I know what transfered. Gamble $975 that you want to enroll or not?

    I'm not saying I needed the complete work up of "here is where best to apply this, here is what we think you can test, etc." Just a simple list of "here's what did and here's what didn't transfer."

    At COSC it is $175 to find out what is going to transfer. That much I'm willing to gamble.
     
  8. Howard

    Howard New Member

    I am going to get slammed for this, but..........bear in mind there is a cultural dimension - Exclesior is in NEW YORK.
     
  9. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    Is there really much difference between the objectives of the two -- one selling a car and the other selling a college?

    Sometimes I wish more university staff (and their educators) would realize how much like a car salesman they really are -- I'm more than just a student (or potential student); I'm a customer spending alot of money and I have a myriad of options out there.

    Who wants my money? Then sell me...
     
  10. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    Excelsior is in Albany, NY, not in New York City. I did first year at Cornell University, and don't recall much hostility there.

    Abraham Lincoln is credited with the observation that "A lawyer's time and advice are his stock in trade." A car salesman can answer any question you want without giving the car away. But a lawyer can't answer any question a prospective client wants without rendering services free of charge.

    An Excelsior advisor is much more like a lawyer than like a car salesman.

    Remember all the people who say (dangerously, I think), "Save money by taking exams first and enrolling at Excelsior later"? Put yourself in an Excelsior advisor's shoes, and think of all the callers who must be fishing for free advice.
     
  11. calidris

    calidris New Member

    Excelsior

    I completed the degree requirements for a degree from Excelsior and would say that Excelsior was not particularly helpful during the several years I was enrolled there as a student.
    The answers I most often received were "I don't know and/or I'll have to get back to you on that" and for the most part no follow-up was ever received. I finally gave up asking questions and followed the degree plan I submitted shortly after I enrolled. Most surprising was being told that Excelsior had decided to give me credit for something based on a subsequent review of my transcripts but which only came after I had already enrolled/paid for the course/exam to cover the requirement (and Excelsior had already collected it's tuition).

    As far as I'm concerned, Excelsior is what the individual student makes of it. If you can handle being left to your own devices to figure out what to do then Excelsior might be right for you. If you need a bit of hand-holding and encouragement, you might find Excelsior quite a challenge.
     
  12. GUNSMOKE

    GUNSMOKE New Member

    Concentrate on what is best for YOU!

    My situation is completely different from yours. Without going into a long and boring detailed explanation, time is on my side in dealing with Excelsior, and so I can afford to play their game by their rules, after all, it is THEIR game!

    I've called and questioned over and over again about every issue imanginable before I enrolled, and Inever had the kind of experience that you did. I'm awaiting the official evaluation now, but I am proceeding with some online independant study that I have other need for any way, so it won't go to waste.

    Every one that I dealt with was patient and polite, and very helpful.

    The important thing here is that you proceed carefully and make the choices that are right for you.

    The journey that you are on is SO important! This is real life, and no matter your destination, there will be ruts and rocks and sometimes even boulders on the path. Don't let some person's bad day or lack of manners or bad attitude deter you from making progress.

    There is a time to put a little bit of healthy self-interest as your first priority, and this is one of them.

    My 2 cents for FWIW.

    Whatever choices you make, I wish you success, just keep your eyes on the prize!!!
     
  13. mojoehand

    mojoehand New Member

    The only time I actually called Excelsior was just after I was officially enrolled. The lady I spoke to wasn't rude, but she wasn't very friendly or helpful, either. She seemed very impatient with me.

    All of my subsequent contact has been via email. That has been much more friendly and helpful. Perhaps the phone advisors are working under a quota, like telemarketers?
     
  14. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Hand holding v information

    I didn't consider it free advice. I think my problem was I expected more. I work at The University of Tampa. For the $35 admit fee, you get a complete list of what credits transfer into which fields. For $60 at Excelsior I got "you need 27 credits." No clue as to which subjects.

    I don't need hand-holding. What I need is information on which to make an informed decision. I didn't get that from Excelsior.

    At least a car salesman tells you what you need to buy the car and can answer questions.
     
  15. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    I agree that Excelsior's "unofficial evaluation" is probably not worth the money.

    But U of Tampa can afford to give free advice, because (unlike Excelsior) it collects most of its student money by teaching courses.
     
  16. fed406

    fed406 New Member

    I have to agree with alot of you, that Excelsior doesn't always shoot straight. I'm not asking for free advice. I did what they asked and sent 'em a check for $60 for them to answer simple questions, such as what will you take from my prior learning. And then told I have to enroll. What the F@$# was the $60 for? I don't want to enroll and find out later that I would have been better off at another institution. Excelsior is like a used car salesman that won't let you see the Kelly "black book" or tell you what the actual price of the car is. When you are spending money at a business (and Educational Institutions are business's) you should know exactly what you are purchasing, what is expected of you, and what you can expect from them. If we had more schools that catered to us exam folks, Excelsior would have no choice but to change some its current policies, or it simply would not be able to compete with the more student friendly institutions. Just my 2 pennies.


    FED
     
  17. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    The University of Tampa is a private university and is not supported by taxpayer dollars. But neither is Excelsior College.
     
  18. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    I do think that further conversations I have with them will be in writing by email instead of on the phone. I don't take to people talking to me like I'm either an idiot or a nuisance. Plus I agree that I should have a written record.
     
  19. Deb

    Deb New Member

    I would hardly call it free advice. Even if UT does get most of it's money from tuition, they are collecting $35 to give you a good evaluation. Excelsior is collecting $60, running it through a computer program (they told me) and returning very little.
     
  20. Interesting thread.

    The only time I've actually spoken with someone at Excelsior is when I faxed them the enrollment form and they called me to request some additional information.

    Other than that, I've conversed solely via e-mail. I recommend this approach when asking questions like "is it OK to take this exam" or "will I get credit for this". Print and save your e-mail responses so that if there's a question 6 months later when you're about to graduate you can pull it up.

    I've also asked questions like which exam would be acceptable to replace the ECE English Comp (answer: TECEP is fine) and if I could get credit for both the DANTES and CLEP intro computing exams (answer: yes).

    As calidris states, if you're independently minded and can come up with your own plan it's easy to float it past the advisor and get an official "OK". This is how I've operated and it's worked well. The DistanceLearn database also provides some good info if you're looking for a course.

    My suggestion to anyone thinking about an Excelsior degree plan:

    1) Download the .pdf file listing the requirements for your program. The only challenge here is knowing which "bucket" any existing credits may fall into...just make your best guess.

    2) Put together a spreadsheet listing all of the courses/exams you plan to take in the rows with columns listing their type and core requirement met, # of credits hours, etc.

    3) Add up the number of credits (>= 120), the # of upper level credit, # for Arts and Sciences, etc. Assuming your math adds up then it's less for them to check.

    4) Send it to your advisor. They will then suggest changes if required. Rinse and repeat.

    If you ask very open-ended questions like "what should I take" then you're really not doing your homework. Rephrase it at a minimum to "to meet requirement x, I need 3 credits; the distancelearn database shows exam a, courses b and c - please confirm that these will meet the degree requirement".

    With respect to Excelsior output, I find that my status report is updated within a week of my exam results being available (immediately for CLEP, 3 weeks for DANTES). I have yet to experience any problems here. Looking at the initials there seems to be 3 advisors working on my file - another reason to keep e-mail records of what they have approved.

    Via e-mail, any questions may take a few days to respond. However, I've also noticed that responses are often sent in the evening or weekend so it's possible that they're overloaded.

    Rudeness is never acceptable, regardless of the circumstances. However, what I'm looking for from Excelsior is maximum flexibility and a RA degree. As it's MY degree I'm content to do most if not all of the legwork and just ask for their approval.

    I'll put up with a lot as long as I can finish on schedule with a high GPA!

    Cheers,
    Mark
     

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