Any help would be greatly appreciated

[Lifewillbegood]

Hi there, 

I am getting started on my journey after years of wasting time. 

I have a few credits from my community college I would like to bring along with me, not a lot. 

I plan on using straighterline to gain my associates degree from Thomas Edison. 

However, I do not know where I stand. I contacted TESC and they said I need to apply and be accepted (pay the fee) for them to review my credits to see where I stand and what courses I need, even if I am using straighterline. I contacted Straighterline and they said I need to contact TESC and go by what they say even though my credits will be with them. 

My question is, if I enroll and not take classes with TESC, what happens to my enrollment? 

How long will I be enrolled, long enough to graduate and not have to re-enroll when its time to transfer my straighterline credits? 

If I was to say screw the 15 or so credits I have, how long would it take me to get my associates from scratch using Straighterline? 

What's the best/easiest major to do using this SL and TESC technique?

[davewill]

When you apply to TESU, you get two evaluations (an evaluation is basically a batch of transcripts). You then have a year to become enrolled by taking a course. If you don't then you have to reapply. That first course will likely be the required cornerstone, or it can be a $75 TECEP test. Once you're enrolled, that starts a new year during which time you either need to take another course (could be the required capstone) or TECEP to continue enrollment, or you need to graduate.

In your case, you should go ahead and apply and send in your CC transcripts (and any others that might exist). Then proceed with your alternative credit. I recommend you do at least 2 courses with Study.com before taking any TESU courses as their TESU discount is significant. You should also look into the numerous free credits that are available.

[Lifewillbegood]

When you apply to TESU, you get two evaluations (an evaluation is basically a batch of transcripts). You then have a year to become enrolled by taking a course. If you don't then you have to reapply. That first course will likely be the required cornerstone, or it can be a $75 TECEP test. Once you're enrolled, that starts a new year during which time you either need to take another course (could be the required capstone) or TECEP to continue enrollment, or you need to graduate.

In your case, you should go ahead and apply and send in your CC transcripts (and any others that might exist). Then proceed with your alternative credit. I recommend you do at least 2 courses with Study.com before taking any TESU courses as their TESU discount is significant. You should also look into the numerous free credits that are available.

Thank you so much Dave. So I should take the courses with Study.com instead of SL? Everyone said SL was much quicker.

[davewill]

Thank you so much Dave. So I should take the courses with Study.com instead of SL? Everyone said SL was much quicker.

You can choose the provider that you like best, different people like each of them. However, you should do at least one month (two courses) of Study.com to qualify for their TESU discount because it's too good to pass up.

[Merlin]

...
If I was to say screw the 15 or so credits I have, how long would it take me to get my associates from scratch using Straighterline? 
...

You don't want to leave credits off your transcript. First, it will take longer to complete the degree, and second, all colleges submit student records to the national student clearinghouse, so TESU will see that you didn't submit all your transcripts. Not having all your transcripts into TESU could delay graduation.

FYI, the proper acronym is TESU (Thomas Edison State University). They haven't gone by TESC (Thomas Edison State College) since 2015 when they were awarded University status.

[davewill]

BTW, I just noticed you are going for an associate's degree. We don't usually recommend TESU for those because you have to pay the same $2500 ($2200 with SDC discount) residency waiver as for a bachelor's degree. The associate's ends up costing about the same in TESU fees as a bachelor's would.

[Merlin]

When you apply to TESU, you get two evaluations (an evaluation is basically a batch of transcripts). You then have a year to become enrolled by taking a course. If you don't then you have to reapply. That first course will likely be the required cornerstone, or it can be a $75 TECEP test. Once you're enrolled, that starts a new year during which time you either need to take another course (could be the required capstone) or TECEP to continue enrollment, or you need to graduate.

In your case, you should go ahead and apply and send in your CC transcripts (and any others that might exist). Then proceed with your alternative credit. I recommend you do at least 2 courses with Study.com before taking any TESU courses as their TESU discount is significant. You should also look into the numerous free credits that are available.

Thank you so much Dave. So I should take the courses with Study.com instead of SL? Everyone said SL was much quicker.

It varies by individual. I took courses from both Straighterline and Study.com and found Study.com to be faster for me. Straighterline uses regular college textbooks which I felt take a lot longer to get through, where Study.com provides video lessons (or you can read a text lesson instead). Study.com has more quizzes but they are generally pretty easy if you follow the lessons.

The big advantage with Straighterline is that the final exam is a much smaller portion of your overall grade, so if you do well on the quizzes you can bomb the final and still pass, but all their courses are lower division. The big advantage with Study.com is that they offer much more variety in courses, including quite a few upper division courses. Plus, as davewill mentioned, you will want to take at least 1-2 courses from Study.com so you can get the big tuition and residency waiver fee discounts from TESU for Study.com affiliation.

[Lifewillbegood]

BTW, I just noticed you are going for an associate's degree. We don't usually recommend TESU for those because you have to pay the same $2500 ($2200 with SDC discount) residency waiver as for a bachelor's degree. The associate's ends up costing about the same in TESU fees as a bachelor's would.

What school do you recommend for associate's degree?

---

When you apply to TESU, you get two evaluations (an evaluation is basically a batch of transcripts). You then have a year to become enrolled by taking a course. If you don't then you have to reapply. That first course will likely be the required cornerstone, or it can be a $75 TECEP test. Once you're enrolled, that starts a new year during which time you either need to take another course (could be the required capstone) or TECEP to continue enrollment, or you need to graduate.

In your case, you should go ahead and apply and send in your CC transcripts (and any others that might exist). Then proceed with your alternative credit. I recommend you do at least 2 courses with Study.com before taking any TESU courses as their TESU discount is significant. You should also look into the numerous free credits that are available.

Thank you so much Dave. So I should take the courses with Study.com instead of SL? Everyone said SL was much quicker.

It varies by individual. I took courses from both Straighterline and Study.com and found Study.com to be faster for me. Straighterline uses regular college textbooks which I felt take a lot longer to get through, where Study.com provides video lessons (or you can read a text lesson instead). Study.com has more quizzes but they are generally pretty easy if you follow the lessons.

The big advantage with Straighterline is that the final exam is a much smaller portion of your overall grade, so if you do well on the quizzes you can bomb the final and still pass, but all their courses are lower division. The big advantage with Study.com is that they offer much more variety in courses, including quite a few upper division courses. Plus, as davewill mentioned, you will want to take at least 1-2 courses from Study.com so you can get the big tuition and residency waiver fee discounts from TESU for Study.com affiliation.

Where can I get more information about this? How much is the cost after the discount? 

Dave mentioned I should look at other schools for a associates degree. Can you recommend any?

[davewill]

Where can I get more information about this? How much is the cost after the discount? 

Dave mentioned I should look at other schools for a associates degree. Can you recommend any?

I didn't actually say I recommend another school, I mostly don't recommend associate's degrees. They aren't very useful as a general rule. The Study.com discount saves you $300 on the residency waiver ($2500 -> $2200), and $372 each on both the cornerstone and capstone (1497 -> 1125).

https://www.tesu.edu/studycom/costs-tuition

The total TESU fees are:

Application fee: $75
Cornerstone: $1125
Capstone: $1125
Graduation fee $332
Residency Waiver: $2200
======
$4857

The fees are, in general, the same whether you do an associate's or a bachelor's, except a couple of associate's degrees that don't require a capstone.

[Lifewillbegood]

Where can I get more information about this? How much is the cost after the discount? 

Dave mentioned I should look at other schools for a associates degree. Can you recommend any?

I didn't actually say I recommend another school, I mostly don't recommend associate's degrees. They aren't very useful as a general rule. The Study.com discount saves you $300 on the residency waiver ($2500 -> $2200), and $372 each on both the cornerstone and capstone (1497 -> 1125).

https://www.tesu.edu/studycom/costs-tuition

The total TESU fees are:

Application fee: $75
Cornerstone:     $1125
Capstone:         $1125
Graduation fee   $332
Residency Waiver: $2200
    ======
      $4857

The fees are, in general, the same whether you do an associate's or a bachelor's, except a couple of associate's degrees that don't require a capstone.

Thank you, 

I am not sure what the future holds for me. If I was to go for a bachelors but for some reason get to my 60 credits and dont want to complete it, would they award me with my associates or do I have to finish my bachelor? 

Also how long does it normally take a person to complete a bachelors using SL and Study? 
Thank you so much for all of your help.

---

Where can I get more information about this? How much is the cost after the discount? 

Dave mentioned I should look at other schools for a associates degree. Can you recommend any?

I didn't actually say I recommend another school, I mostly don't recommend associate's degrees. They aren't very useful as a general rule. The Study.com discount saves you $300 on the residency waiver ($2500 -> $2200), and $372 each on both the cornerstone and capstone (1497 -> 1125).

https://www.tesu.edu/studycom/costs-tuition

The total TESU fees are:

Application fee: $75
Cornerstone:     $1125
Capstone:         $1125
Graduation fee   $332
Residency Waiver: $2200
    ======
      $4857

The fees are, in general, the same whether you do an associate's or a bachelor's, except a couple of associate's degrees that don't require a capstone.

Do you know which associates do not require a capstone?