Business Degree at the Big Three

[burbuja0512]

I'm a little late on this thread, but since I just got the biz degree from COSC, perhaps I can share what I know.

COSC may be your cheapest option of the Big 3, but you won't be able to test out of everything.

If you are interested in COSC, there are pros and cons. First of all, if you're even remotely curious, I suggest checking out the COSC thread I started a while back: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...s+answered

A couple of quick pros and cons to the biz major at COSC.

PROS:
Likely the cheapest of the Big 3
You can test out of everything other than the Capstone/Cornerstone requirements
The MATH requirement is the lowest of the Big 3 biz requirements. Yes, I only had to do the College Math CLEP and did not need a statistics course.

CONS:
Most of these are covered in the above COSC thread, but a Biz degree from COSC is a CONCENTRATION, not a MAJOR. I had no problem getting accepted to the MBA program of my dreams and never have heard of anyone having issues with this, but you never know.
You may need a few more upper level credits than at the other 2 of the Big 3. Not a big deal with ECE's and TECEP's being cheaper now than they used to be.

How do you go about getting your biz degree at COSC? There are two parts:
STEP 1: Complete general education
STEP 2: Compete Concentration

That's it! I have attached a sample concentration plan based on what I did and have also attached a sample general ed plan that can be adapted based on what your needs are. You can find more info on the general ed requirements here: General Education Requirements at Charter Oak State College

And here is COSC's master exam list so that you can see which tests they accept and how they match up to the general ed requirements: http://www.charteroak.edu/Current/Academ...r-list.pdf


Keep in mind that this whole process will not be easy at first. It will take some time to get the hang of it and don't be surprised if you feel overwhelmed. Trust me, if it were easy and obvious to figure out, everyone would be doing it. HOWEVER - if you stick to it, you will be giving yourself a HUGE leg up in life. You'll get your undergrad at a reasonable price in a reasonable time, but remember that you will be learning at a fraction of the time that everyone else does. Yes, that's partly because you'll be skipping homework and other classroom BS, but you WILL have to have discipline to study and stick to it AND learn how to teach yourself topics through IC study, youtube lectures, etc, etc.. We all have different methods that may not work for you. Some will, some won't. You have to find the right one and this is generally only possible through trial and error.

Don't view the entire big picture because it will overwhelm you and make it likely for you to give up quickly. When I was studying at first, I would look at the vast amount of work ahead of me and want to quit. I would literally force myself to focus on ONLY the test at hand. I would not look forward and worry about others because I never would have gotten through it like that.

Just start with one CLEP or DSST. Pick one, start to study and take it. See how you like it. If you love it and are instantly addicted to the 'testing high,' and can't believe that you just got 3 college credits for $100 and a few weeks study, then you should work to complete a degree plan. If you find that you're not good at independent study, can't stay motivated, or get too nervous to succeed at a test, then this is NOT the path for you. There is nothing wrong with that. This isn't a good choice for everyone. Even if you take 10 years and thousands of dollars at a traditional university, if that is a better choice, then that's ok. Just DON'T GIVE UP at whatever you choose.


Edit to add: I have just changed my signature to include links to COSC info.. not everyone sees the search button on their first time or two here, so hopefully this will help someone out there... just an idea