I graduated from high school in 1971 and started bouncing from college to college for the next 4-5 years, picking up a few credits here... a few there... I was a kid then and more interested in partying than studying, so the grades for those credits were not very good... some not even passing. It's 30+ years later. I've advanced to a staff IT position at a nationally known organization, but there's a real "missing" in my life that having an accredited degree would fill. I've decided that DL and testing (ECE, Dantes, CLEP, etc.) and an external degree program is the route I'll take. Here's my question - should I approach COSC or Excelsior with a rather shabby academic record, however old, and beg for "some" transferable credits, or should I start fresh and test out for all the coursework I took back in the 70s?
As to wether you can get any transfer credit for previous work, if you do not ask the answer is no, if you do ask the worst answer will be no. More important, are any of the credits usefull in your current degree field of interest. If so, they should be the ones you are asking for. Alternatively, a 1970's course on computer systems operations may not be much good now, except as a histroy credit. So put together your old transcripts and ask away.
No need to beg. Appropriate college credit, no matter how old, may be used toward the Arts/Science portion of a degree. College credits in Vocational disciplines usually have a time limit - 10 to 20 years for Business credit and about 10 years for computing related credit, depending upon the policy of the accepting institution. Given your age and experience, you may also be an ideal candidate for testing-out part or all of your degree requirements. Depends what degree you choose to pursue. In the first instance, you may want to visit the BA in 4 Weeks web site. It was written specifically with you and everyone else in your position, in mind. Be sure to read the section detailing, degree requirements, the pros and cons of enrolling in each of the Big Three (COSC, Excelsior, TESC), and the strategic advantages and disadvantages of enrolling right away or deferring enrollment. See also the brief section in the introduction on portfolio credit. Lawrie Miller BA in 4 Weeks a non commercial resource for adult learners http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks .
Yes to all of the above. Like many COSC/Excelsior/TESC students, you will likley be able to use transferred credit, testing, and ACE assessment towards achieving your degree goals. My situation was similar to yours. After graduating from high school in 1984, I spent two years on-campus and only completed about a year's worth of credit. But, had I not transferred that year's worth of credit, I would be a year behind now. I also transferred in some other traditional credits, ACE-assessed military training, credit earned by independant studies, and CLEP/DANTES tests. And, since our situations appear to be similar, let me encourage you as a fellow former-college-campus-party-animal, who is now mature and ready to complete a college degree: Keep an eye on your goal, and look for every opportunity you can to earn credits towards that goal. Tracy Gies<>< B.S., Individualized Studies, Charter Oak State College, Nov., 2001.
Re: Re: Best to start over? To be more to the point, is there a disincentive... are poor grades carried over? Is there a possibility of not be accepted on the basis of my past transgressions? Lawrie, Thanks for your reply. Your site has been my inspiration. I've printed out most of the pages and have them in a binder for off-line reference. I WILL complete my degree... thank you for creating your site and lighting a fire under my sorry butt... Steve
Re: Re: Best to start over? I'm beginning to believe that I can actually do this... I've "known" for years that supporting my family made it impossible to take the time to get a degree. It almost brings tears to my eyes to think that there is really a vehicle to fulfill a dream that's out of reach for all these years. I don't expect a free ride - I know it will be a lot of work, but you and others on this list have been an inspiration to me. Thanks!
Hi Steve I believe that the EC, COSC, and TESC will only transfer credits of c and above. I believe that only EC gives grades for clep and dante tests. Unless you have a lot of c grade credits it is not likely to change your gpa much. Most graduate schools will require you to submit transcripts for all colleges you have attended. I don't know how they determine if a person has submitted every transcript. Many (most?) only count the last 60 credit hours. I do not know if this is graded or all credits (ie pass/fail, clep, dantes, other non-graded). How many credits of c or above do you have? As others pointed out your are an idea candidate for clep/dantes testing.
I could be wrong, but I THINK that most colleges and universitys REQUIRE you to provide transcripts for ALL college work done; no matter when or where. Nosborne
Nosborne is right - every school I attended, and there were several in addition to the ones from which I graduated - wanted all the transcripts. Liberty wanted all the transcripts but still allowed me in based upon the GPA on the Regents transcript, which was a cut and paste primarily to get a good gpa.
TESC will accept D grades, so long as your overall GPA (and your GPA in your concentration/specialization/etc.) remains at or above 2.0. If you want these blemishes "excised," you can request the exclusion of the low grades from your program (and transcript) as long as you make that request within the first year, AND before any transcripts are issued. I transferred a single "D" from the University of Georgia. It was for a "free elective" outside my concentration, and was "balanced" by enough high grades that it really didn't affect my GPA. And if a prospective employer asks, I will cheerfully explain that my only recollection of the class was that the lecture hall certainly seemed large on all three occasions that I showed up. Three cheers for bricks & mortar education at 19.
I understand why a University may want to see ALL of your trascripts.. but realistically, I seriously doubt they have a way of knowing if you just "happen to forget" that one school where you didn't do so well and "forgot" that one transcript altogether. Seeing how schools are independant... there's no centralized database or anything. Kevin
It's a safe assumption that most schools will not crucify an applicant for a less-than-stellar grade (or even a string of them) from years ago, particularly if a reasoned explanation can be made for them. Doubly so if you've shown above-average academic work since then. Given that those grades would be pretty inconsequential in the long run.. why on EARTH would you compromise your integrity and risk dismissal, humiliation, and loss of earned credits/degrees at the new school by "happening to forget" a transcript?
