First off, you guys on here are amazing-you all should be very proud of your accomplishments and hard work!

Okay so anyhoots, here is my story. I am 28 (been out of high school for 10 years) and with all honestly although I did graduate high school, I wasn't "really" there. I have been working on my AS in Liberal Art of Science (following a Biology track) for what it seems like FOREVER at my local community college. I fell in love and had a baby in the midst of my studies, and unfortuately my son has been sick most all the time. I was not able to go back to work, or attend class anymore. So LONG story short, here I am with 50 college credits and having trouble graduating. At this point, I am just going to transfer what I have into (hopefully) Oregon State University's BS in Natural Resources online program.

SO...since I have never heard of CLEP or Dantes (which upsets me)until recently..I think this would be a great option for me! I am interested in the American and English Lits. I have barely any interest or knowledge of English lit, so if I REALLY REALLY studied, would there be a chance of passing at all?? I was also interested in Sociology or some other one I could use to fill up some electives I would need.

My basic question is it possible for someone not fresh out of high school, and someone who is "average" with knowledge able to pass these tests? I am very busy raising my son and going back and forth to doctors, and work part time on weekends...so I would HAVE to make some more study time for myself!

Any advice? I would really appreciate it!

Hi Flopdee

You can do anything that you put your mind to. If you have confidence in yourself and put the time in to studying, yes you can pass ANY test. You'll spend a lot less time studying than what you would sitting in a class, and a lot less money. Don't get what I said wrong, what I mean is, you will sit in class for 15 weeks (7 weeks for accelerated), but rarely will you need to put more than a month into studying. There is no reason to sit in a class that long to learn something. In fact, I probably have learned more from testing out than what I have from sitting in class. I wish you luck, especially with your baby.

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Cindy Scholten

Clep :
Microeconomics 59
Managment 61
Marketing 56
Macroeconomics 62
Business Law 53


Dantes:
Here's to your Health 61
Human Resource Management 53
Organizational Behavior 61
Princ of Supervision 60
Technical Writing 56
Intro to Business 63
Principles of Statistics 58

Waiting to take :
Prin of Finance in May?

Hello FloppyDee and welcome to InstantCert.

My name is Marshall and I am a newbie as well. I joined instantcert back in November last year and have found this forum to be an excellent tool. The people on here are great and are extremely helpful.

I am 26, will be turning 27 in a week so I too have been out of high school for almost a decade. I believe you will find that with the proper guidance and determination you will be able to succeed in your degree pursuits.

To answer your basic question...the answer is yes. I believe I am extremely "average" but one who has great potential if I apply myself. Unlike you...I don't not have any credits to my name except for about 25 credits I have through taking FEMA courses online. I will be taking my first CLEP test on Tuesday, April 1.

My advice to you would be to get to know the people on this forum well...they are a tremendous source of information. If you have a question about a specific CLEP or DANTES Exam, check out the Specific Exam Thread on this forum. Also...do not sleep on the public library system! The library is an excellent resource for study materials (and it's free)! Also, check out the practice tests on the Petersons website if you haven't already....here is the link:

http://www.petersons.com/airforce


*******EDITED BY ADMINISTRATOR: Distribution of access codes is not permitted on this forum*****


Also, if you are not an IC (instantcert academy) member I would suggest you become one. The standard membership here is only $20 a month and the study materials on IC are in flashcard format. They will help you prepare for both CLEP and DSST, as well as ECE Exams (Excelsior College Examinations and TECEP Exams. They're an excellent study help as well. I signed up about 3 weeks ago, and it has been an extremely helpful resource to me.

I wish you luck on your journey and if you have any other questions or concerns feel free to ask and anyone on this forum will be glad to help you.

From a loyal degree seeker,

Marshall

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ShotoJuku +
A.S., B.S., M.S.

Always be ready to release your mind and be willing to listen to the advice of others. Remain flexible. - Gichin Funakoshi

Hi, Yes it's possible to study and pass any of these tests. The impression I get from most people is that they think they must first know the subject before even considering whether or not to take the tests. In reality this is not the case. Find what you want to learn about and then go from there.

Here's the deal. Most of us on this forum go to one of the big three. They allow GENEROUS credit transfer. Most "state" schools severely restrict the number, type, and quantity, of units they allow to transfer in because of one reason- Money! If you are considering going to Oregon State you need to first talk to an advisor about what will and will not transfer in. Most traditional schools severely restrict or entirely exclude DSST and CLEP tests because (again) that's money lost.
In some cases advisors will only help you after you are an enrolled student. DSST & CLEP's are NOT guarenteed units. Do some serious research (AND GET IN WRITING) permission before taking these tests if you wish to apply them to a traditional school.

Having said that. The Big three are much more liberal in what they will take. I go to Excelsior (excelsior.edu) and they will take just about anything under the sun. If time & flexibility is an issue, it might be worth looking into. Perhaps some of the CO & TESC students can chime in.

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The best things in life aren't things.
~Brandon

Thank you so much everyone-You guys rock! I am so glad I came across this forum! I will definately look into OSU accepting CLEP, etc for credit. I know my Community college will accept them because they actually have a large testing facility there. However, if OSU won't accept I don't see the point.

I am really trying to decide if I waste more of my time and money at this community college or if I should just transfer already. I am looking at some other colleges like Excelsior or Thomas Edison now because of all the great things I have read on this forum. I mean at OSU it would take me like 7 years at LEAST. However with my work experience and all my credits, if I went elsewhere I could get a BA or BS in less than half of the time! Hmm so many decisions...I am scared that if I did one of these online schools programs my degree won't be worth as much as having OSU on my resume.

>>

I know you are still exploring the forum- and this is all new to you, so I don't want to overwhelm you- but I promise you that you could probably finish your BA in Natural Sciences through TESC (thomas edison state college) in the time it takes to finish your associates.

Since you have visited the website, there is a program outline that shows the distribution of credits needed for Natural Sciences- you can see how your might fit (granted its a bit of a guess unless you actually apply and get an eval, but you know if you had English, Algebra,- etc). You can fill your free electives at TESC (27 needed I think) for FREE using FEMA classes. Search this forum, I think there is an active thread which can provide you plenty of info. It's an independent study series of classes and online unproctored exams which are all worth 1 credit each. Many people knock out all 27 in a long weekend.

As for cost- if you take a CLEP exam (Natural Science for example) there may be a test center fee, but you are looking at under $100 and it is worth 6 credits! TESC does not charge a transfer fee- so you just pay your community college the testing fee (probably around $15-20) and your CLEP fee and the transcript can go directly to TESC. You don't have to do anything. It's very simple. Also, you don't have to be enrolled in college to take CLEP exams. Cool huh?

Time to study? Each person is different and the type of exam preparation material (info found here) are factors. I have 4 children that I homeschool from 9am until 3pm each day, then I do housework until my kids need to attend karate (3 nights per week) from 5-7 and two nights per week I work- so after dinner and weekends are my only free time...so, just like you, I have to use my free time to squeeze in my study. THE BEST part of using exams, is that you can create your own independent study approach- no class times, no required writing, no discussion posts, nothing at all- just pure study. Don't over-study, probably 10-20 hours is more than enough. (in some cases, 5-10 will do fine- you only have to pass, there is no grade)
Each and every class I have tested out of was a first for me- in other words, I had NEVER studied any gen ed, my associate degree is in an applied tech field- so all of my classes were specific to my field- even math was "culinary math" so if I can do it, so can you!! (shhhhh I've been out of school longer than you )

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Jennifer
ALM, Master of Liberal Arts, Harvard University, 2099 or sometime sooner
AA & BA, Social Sciences, Thomas Edison State College, 2008
AOS, Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of America, 1990

How to do your own Unofficial Evaluation http://www.degreeforum.net/general-e...ighlight=alpha

InstantCert WORKS! http://www.degreeforum.net/general-e...g-members.html

"Brick walls are there for a reason....They’re there to stop the other people.” Randy Pausch

I, like you, really had my heart set on a state university degree. Many people on this forum have gained significant work experience while attending one of the big three colleges. Obviously, work experience is just as relevant as your educational credentials for most jobs. Having said that, due to the fact that I have been a stay-at-home mom for ten years, I have not gained a ton of work experience. As a result, I believe that my educational credentials will matter more, particularly when I first begin my job search.

I decided to enroll with the University of Maryland University College. This is a regionally accredited university (BTW: so are the big three). UMUC is also part of the University of Maryland college system, so technically, you are attending a state university. The website for University of Maryland University College is UMUC. UMUC offers a very liberal transfer policy, entire degrees online, and up to 60 credits can be earned through "credit by examination." The best part for me is that this is a recognizable name brand to virtually any employer that you may want to work for in the future - even if your career development leaves a little bit to be desired!

From what I understand, Florida Tech University also offers complete undergraduate degrees online so this may be worth checking out as well. In any case, you will definitely want to sign up for InstantCert if you haven't already. I signed up in January and I have already "CLEPPED" out of 18 credits, plus I am completing six more this Saturday. I have only used IC up to this point and I couldn't be happier with their service. You can't beat the price either!

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Thanks Jennifer for that help. The thing is at OSU the degree is in Natural Resources, which is completely different than a Natural Science. I have my heart set on this degree as all the classes they offer I would love. Well not really, but I would find somewhat interesting. LIke Biology of Fish, or Wildlife Conservation, just naming a couple to give you an idea. BUT I know it is going to be SO HARD, and I hate to waste more money having to retake classes if I fail or end up dropping. The degree requires 180 credits, which is CRAZY. I calculate that maybe 30 of my current credits will transfer.

I keep changing my mind, and I just need a plan and stick with it! Financial aid is what is going to persue me as well. I already have $25K in loans (yes OUCH) and I STILL don't have my AS! ARGHHH..I fell I am up shits creek at this point. SO depressing, I have been studying my butt off and I feel I have nothing to show. I want a REAL good degree so I can have a GREAT job in the environmental field. I feel overwhemed at times, because I have no set plan.

My current job is building a research center studying the Hudson, we estimate the opening to be in approx. 6 years. I NEED my BS or better yet my Masters to even be considered for a DREAM position once that is completed. Right now I am an Admin Asst there. They know I am going to school for Env Science, so that is why they keep me around, HAHA.
I really am not sure if they would "frown" upon not having a "tradional" degree...at least OSU will look GREAT on my resume, but in the long run they will know I never actually went to Oregon.

Well I am off to my community college tomorrow to speak to yet more advisors and the financial aid office about my perdicament I am in now!

Oh! I forgot to mention that even Penn State offers complete undergraduate and master's degrees online. You will receive the same diploma as the traditional Penn State graduates too. The only problem - they are very conservative with acceptance of credit by exam, so you will have to (mostly) do it the good old fashioned way with them. Just figured I would let you know.

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