Big 3 Grads: In hindsight what would you differently?

[Lindagerr]

There are some very interesting thoughts and stories here. This would be a good thread to show to a reluctant student. My son is coming to visit this weekend I might just have this thread open to entice him. Keep the good stories coming.

[rebel100]

My only regret is not getting it done sooner.

I graduated HS in 1988, went straight to Troy University (and HATED being in the middle of nowhere surrounded by people I didn't know). I should have finished the last semester of foreign language in HS and been eligible to skip the language requirement at a Florida University (that and remedial math made a Fl school unattractive). I knew about CLEP back then, when it was paper based and about $40/exam if memory serves. How different life would have been if I had graduated college in 91 or 92.

I selested the WGU MBA largely because they didn't require a bunch of business pre-reqs. I may regret that one day as an AACSB MBA might open more doors...but that remains to be seen. Had I finished accounting, economics, and a couple others classes even as a CLEP/DSST I might have picked ULM, ENMU, or Chadron for the MBA....heck even the accelerated residency MBA at U of Florida might have been an option.....but its done now.

I should finish that MBA by the end of the year. Might go back and complete the MAIS at WNMU that I started. I think it would be fun to teach at a Regionally Accredited CC or university as a part time or retirement job. Being able to facilitate Business, History, Writing, English....some combination thereof should make me a worthwhile candidate. I might even relocate for a few months to knock out some of this in person if I elect to go back.

I do think that anything I take going forward will be from a school with at least a B&M presence. I had a headhunter find me via linked in, he liked my resume, work experience, etc. I met the education requirement and he forwarded my name to a University (the employer). This wasn't a teaching job, rather it was a security/emergency manager position...but the hiring manager was a PhD academic chair type...I'm told he scoffed at the "online" nature of my education and the headhunter was instructed to never bring applicants with "those" kinds of credentials. So I'm still a big proponent of the Big 3, CBE, and non traditional education...but I understand that it still has some persistent limitations. With a BS and a Masters from non traditional schools my further academic pursuits are probably best sought through schools that at least blur the line between online and in class.

[taylor]

This is going to sound SO STRANGE, but I wish you had shared more about how/why/when you flunked a CLEP. I think sometimes the "I took that cold" posts out-number the ones who study hard and struggle.

So you want me to open up all these old wounds, eh? As far as CLEPs go I flunked 3 CLEPs in a row in a month if I recall correctly while I was taking 12 credits of classes at TESC too. I barely flunked Spanish and Analyzing English Lit without studying. Why did I not study? I thought I could pull out Spanish because I took Spanish in HS and at a B&M, plus I used it a lot when I had a lot of Spanish speaking customers prior. My mind went blank when trying to figure out the past perfect tense of poner. Was that puse, pusiste, pusieron? Oh I dunno. As for English Lit I read from other posters that this was one you could pass without studying, not for me. Humanities I did study for but I admit not enough and didn't pass this one as well. I passed DSST Intro to law enforcement though.

[IrishJohn]

Hmm... So many ways to answer this one. Of course for starters I wish I had know about the Big 3 years ago, I might be in the career I want by now if I had of. That aside, I wish I had either done a double major in history and business or "beefed up" my history degree more. In the case of the former, I didn't know that my then-career would totally go away a few months after finishing my BA. If I had had a BSBA as well it might have helped when I was interviewing, or might not hard to say as times were and still are bad in that industry. Still, it couldn't have hurt. Now as for the second, a few more social science CLEP/DSST exams plus a higher math than I took as well as a science would have helped for choosing a school for my MA in History, along with making my transcript more attractive for teaching. Meh probably just me being a lil old fashioned but still, it wouldn't have taken much longer to finish those extra exams. Ah well. I'm working on my masters now so whatever...

All in all though, I think I did pretty good with TESC and my "regrets" are pretty minor.

[burbuja0512]

I did all of the "wrong" things after high school, one of which was dropping out of college and moving to Mexico. All of my friends thought I was throwing away my life... well, turns out it was the best decisions I made. Leaving the country + getting the undergrad and the MBA has ended up meaning a successful career in international business, however, if I hadn't found CLEP, I don't know how I could have ever finished school.

So... I wouldn't change a thing, but am so so so grateful for COSC and this forum!!

[DrJohn]

I'm getting ready to graduate from COSC In a few months, still have a few requirements left to take. If I could do it all over again? I would have done the traditional university graduation after high school probably at the University of Texas at Austin or Texas A&M. Otherwise if I could go back 10 plus years ago, I would have gotten off my butt, stopped making excuses like money, time, ect and went to COSC, TESC or EC which was known as Regents College back then. The problem is, I knew about the Big Three, I knew about CLEP & DSST testing, I even advised others how to complete a degree using those options all the while being a huge hypocrite because I wouldn't go out & do it myself.

I'm very happy with COSC, it has come a long way....it's a nationally ranked school, having earned the status of being the #15 best school in the Nation that awards online bachelors degrees according to US News & Reports. In addition even though COSC requires a Cornerstone Course as well as a Capstone course, the experiences of actually having to take courses & write research papers is vitally important. COSC seems to be a bit tougher in their residency requirements then the other two schools. That's a good thing in my book, it seems that both TESC & EC are following the lead which spells the end of earning a degree entirely by testing out.

I wish COSC would start offering Masters degrees and I wish all three of the Big Three would change from the name College to University. For adults who want a well respected bachelors degree that doesn't scream online degree like UoP does, then any of one of the Big Three will work. Just my take on it.

[sanantone]

So you want me to open up all these old wounds, eh? As far as CLEPs go I flunked 3 CLEPs in a row in a month if I recall correctly while I was taking 12 credits of classes at TESC too. I barely flunked Spanish and Analyzing English Lit without studying. Why did I not study? I thought I could pull out Spanish because I took Spanish in HS and at a B&M, plus I used it a lot when I had a lot of Spanish speaking customers prior. My mind went blank when trying to figure out the past perfect tense of poner. Was that puse, pusiste, pusieron? Oh I dunno. As for English Lit I read from other posters that this was one you could pass without studying, not for me. Humanities I did study for but I admit not enough and didn't pass this one as well. I passed DSST Intro to law enforcement though.

Do you mean English Literature or Analyzing and Interpreting Literature? You have to study for English Literature.

[taylor]

Do you mean English Literature or Analyzing and Interpreting Literature? You have to study for English Literature.

It was Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. It was painful reading that type of English for the hour or so I was there. By the end of the exam I just wanted to hear somebody say, "What's up brah?"

[mrs.b]

This is going to sound SO STRANGE, but I wish you had shared more about how/why/when you flunked a CLEP. I think sometimes the "I took that cold" posts out-number the ones who study hard and struggle. I never met a CLEP that I didn't study for, and I'm not a very good test taker, so even when I did study hard I was happy with my "low-50's" average. Re: grad school, I was just chatting with hubby about this last night. I think the cost and speed barriers that get broken down here allow people to keep their momentum and go onto grad school. I wish we kept data on people from this forum who used a lot of exam credit and went onto grad school. I think the numbers must be very high compared to the general population.

I love this comment. I studied for every single exam, and stressed every single one. I could be a good test taker if I could get past test anxiety. Since that is a factor, I had to study unto exhaustion for every test I took to compensate for the inevitable case of nerves and nausea I'd be combating while in the hot seat, distracting me from the questions.

The flow of comments on the forum, to me, can be both good and bad. For individuals that need motivation to get off their rumps and get started, the ease with which we make it look can be inspirational. On the other hand, I wish we had some sort of metric to measure how many people read these comments, dove in expecting instant success, and dropped their collegiate endeavor when a passing score doesn't pop up sans study. The CBE / fast-track method recommended here is not a means to get a degree without any effort; on the contrary, I've argued before and will continue to argue that it is just as difficult as going the traditional (virtual or physical) classroom route, only with different obstacles. The traditional classroom route is defined by school and professor schedules, and filled with busywork that only moderately adds to understanding of the course material. While the CBE route can accelerate a student toward the finish line, it requires a significant amount of self-discipline and time management skills, and requires a student know just as much information (all areas of the course material often in more broad terms, where courses may skip a few core concepts to focus on minute details in a handful of other concepts). It is faster, but not easier...just different.

That's one of the things I wish I knew in more detail when I got started to select my path with eyes wide open. CBE is fast and can be easy (if the student already has a strong base of knowledge of the given material), but it is by no means a "buy your regionally-accredited degree here" format. It requires as much work and dedication as traditional credit formats, just in different ways.

Edited to add: If we're jumping in the "way back and do-over" machine, if I had it all to do again, I would have taken my first round of college more seriously. Fresh out of high school, I was finally out on my own and away from my parents for the first time; my parents were strict, so that first taste of freedom was intoxicating and I took full advantage of the college party scene. Who would have thought that skipping exams in favor of parties would spell the end of a medical career (I was going to be a doctor, haha!) All things in life happen for a reason, though. It was an educational experience, albeit not the intended one. Still, I was paying the $20k a year door cover charge for that party ten years after I dropped out, which made me all the more appreciative of being economical and serious about my next serious attempt at a degree. Get it done, don't mess around, get out, throw a party afterwards.

[taylor]

I think right now there are so many more online degree options than when I started at TESC in 2009. If I'm an adult learner today seeking employment and a degree in an online format, I would look at a B&M in my area over a Big 3 degree. This advice may not be streamlined with the views of some of the forum members here but that's what I would do. I see an accelerated growth of online programs from B&M universities but I still think the true acceptance of online degrees is comparatively lagging, especially from non B&M schools.