Community College -> SNHU BS CS [Help Mapping Alt Courses]

[omicreativedev]

I'm an adult student in my forties. I'm starting from scratch w/o job or education as I spent my life as a full time mom raising 3 kids, two youngest of whom are Autistic (now divorcee.) I'm a disabled, afropolynesian, woman, trying to break into STEM.

My GPA is right now 3.84.

I started the traditional route for several reasons:
- FASFA & Financial Aid (money is an 
- GPA and related possible merit programs/scholarships
- Recommendation Letters
- Student ID (Discounts, like Github Student Dev Pack, cheap Adobe, etc.)
- Extracurriculars (helps with scholarships, i.e. Stem Club, etc.)
- LinkedIn Learning is free while I'm at BHCC (other certs/badges)
- Honors Program (mainly for accolades) I'm both in Phi Theta Kappa and Commonwealth Honors.
- Exhausting PELL and other grants before BS acquired to obtain as many certs/degrees I can lawfully

Location: Cambridge, MA, USA
Age: 44
Next Degree Wanted: 
SNHU BS in Computer Science w Data Analysis Concentration
Budget: As LOW as possible
Pace: However long as neccessary but sooner the better (I'm not getting any younger lol)

Financial Aid:
Full Pell & MassGrant Currently Used 175% of 600%
10% SNHU Discount if I transfer from BHCC (yay!)
There are some perks for staying in "New England" (Still exploring)
I have a tuition waiver for BHCC which only covers $72 per class but it's something.
Special Scholarships/Grants(maybe- competitive) for Phi Theta Kappa
Currently ~1800 in savings and I usually get reimbursed from FASFA ~400/sem.

My AS w/Data Mgmt Cert will be done Dec 2023 but I'm thinking of extending to Spring2024.
I would like to enroll in SNHU for Spring 2024 or Fall 2024 and finish in <12mos
I MUST (because of a vocational program I'm in) finish a Bachelors (anywhere)
So I cannot do a Masters program that has a Bachelors along the way.
I CAN HOWEVER do a Bachelors (with concentration, dual concentration, with certificates, etc.)
     I'm in these two programs now if it's useful to see:
     Program BHCC AS in Computer Science Transfer Option: https://catalog.bhcc.edu/preview_program.php?poid=90
     Program BHCC Certificate in Data Management (Fast Track): https://catalog.bhcc.edu/preview_program.php?poid=63

Right now I'm done with 2 semesters into the AS.

Working Draft AS CS w/DM BHCC -> BS CS w/DA SNHU
(TAB 1 is my progress and plan for BHCC, TAB 2 is XFER MAP to SNHU)***

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...ue&sd=true

Goals:

(a) Complete Bachelors as CHEAPLY as possible, and quickly...but not TOO quickly. I want to be able to build some kind of portfolio with letters of recommendation from teachers, etc. So that's why I went the route of actually not just testing-out; but hoping to do a COMBINATION of things. And I WANT to exhaust as much of the PELL as I can leverage.

(b) I'm LESS concerned with LEARNING what I need to learn: Which isn't actually covered by most of the degree. I've heard from people "in the wild" and "in the field" that college really was the door opener and qualified them for job or higher salary. BUT that most of what is ACTUALLY needed to be valuable in the industry is self-taught, experiential, via certificates, etc. I'm looking into CERTS too, for credit and resume.

Lastly, school must be ONLINE or very local to Cambridge/Metro-Boston.
I usually don't do offline/hybrid unless its close because of my situation at home.

SNHU has a map for A.S. Computer Science Transfer to B.S. Computer Science - Online for Bunker Hill
https://www.snhu.edu/admission/transferr...ships/macc

There is a degree plan here for SNHU CS with Sophia/Study/etc.
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/SN...egree_Plan

Again, my plan is here:***
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...ue&sd=true

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that I will have to do 30 credits at SNHU no matter what I transfer in. I'm hoping to transfer in maximum 90 credits and do the minimum 30 at SNHU.

I have a grant to do the Google Data Analytics free, and that offers some of the credit toward SNHU.
I can also CLEP with Modern States as the Testing Center is at BHCC (my current school)
I saw that OnlineDegree and Saylor DO have (free) courses that may be easier to deal with then CLEP reimbursement through Modernstates ($moneywise) such as for Micro/Macro-econ but I heard people fail saylor (really?)


PROBLEMS:
(1) I don't know exactly how everything MAPS/PLUGS-IN. I did my best to MERGE the path from BHCC->SNHU with the path in the WIKI.*** SNHU doesn't acknowledge the 4 credit courses at BHCC and only grants 3 for those that DO map. And there are many options for various others, and some with no equiv that I'm aware of. Hoping some folks here may also be aware of some options or know how this works.

(2) I'm WONDERING if it would be BETTER if I EXTEND my BHCC work another semester and add more courses transferable to SNHU (if any) This is also fine since I get the PELL refund and gives me more time as a student and to do other cleps etc. and it's cheaper per credit. In 2023 I'm doing Spring->Summer->Fall 5 courses each (EEK!) I was thinking of doing Spring2024 (ugh) but it may be beneficial. Not sure if there are OTHER courses I could do at BHCC that would go to SNHU. Thoughts?

(3) I'm wondering which courses I SHOULD already start doing via CLEP, Study, etc. Modern States and Google is free to me. Of the others, I hear Sophia is cheaper than Study but not sure which to do where. Or should I just do Saylor or Online degree since they map and are free (aside from proctoring?) CHEAP is the best here but passing is worth some money if one test is WAY easier to pass or get a good grade in. (eg I heard people fail Saylor)

(4) I'm wondering which courses I will ABSOLUTELY have to do at SNHU so I don't duplicate those and I'm limiting to 30 credits

(5) Are there any OTHER ways I can maximize this so that I can get more degrees/certs/credentials in the future, really cheap/easy because I only have to do a few classes- and if so, where could I go with it, any creative ideas??? For instance, when I noticed I only had to take a FEW more courses to add a certificate to my Associate, I added that. But it doesn't look as simple at SNHU.

(6) Are there any other ways I can maximize this so that some of these credits would go towards an MBA anywhere? WaldenTempo? WGU? Are there other courses that could go toward one completely online for very CHEAP? 

(7) Has anyone had experience with the courses I need to take and where is a good place to prep? 

Thank you for your time!

P.S., I've already reached out to admissions and advising at SNHU, at BHCC, and various staff. Most have not been very helpful with what I'm trying to do or explaining how to do this. I fear I'm just going to have to DO IT and explain as I'm getting credits evaluated.

P.S.S. I'm A TOTAL NEWBIE. I have searched the forum and read here for years (other username sshunamon circa 2016 no posts) so I have TRIED to figure it out myself as best I can but I'm just STUMPED since this is my very first rodeo. So please be compassionate and forgiving for my LONG post and my ignorance <3

[LevelUP]

Cost
Full-time at SNHU, I would assume, is 8 courses per year at SNHU, which is $7680 or $6912 with a 10% discount.  So a full Pell Grant should cover almost all your expenses.

Student ID (Discounts, like Github Student Dev Pack, cheap Adobe, Amazon discount, Spotify discount, etc.) you can get going the non-traditional route. I got those discounts when I went to TESU. You only need a college email, and they do a check to make sure you are an active student. 

https://theamericandreamacademy.org/ you can get certs for free for 6 months which includes Google Data Analytics.

OnlineDegree and Saylor DO have (free $5/$8 proctor fee ) courses, but they take too long. Instead, do Sophia, which is much quicker and averaged out, courses come down to only $10-$20 a course with Sophia. Sophia has a trial that lets you do the first lesson of every course for free that doesn't expire. 

Your situation
Basically, you are at the point where you are still stuck inside the Matrix, trying to decide rather take the blue pill or the red pill.

A typical butt-in-seat college course takes 100hrs while the alternative college courses mostly take 20 hours or less to do, which is how people can earn a bachelor's degree in 6-12 months.

When you are used to a course taking months to complete, it's a completely new experience to finish a course in just 1-7 days.

My AS w/Data Mgmt Cert will be done Dec 2023 but I'm thinking of extending to Spring2024.
I would like to enroll in SNHU for Spring 2024 or Fall 2024 and finish in <12mos

I would drop the idea of getting the AS w/Data Mgmt. A bachelor's degree will make your AS degree irrelevant. 

It would likely be quicker to do alt credits then credits via CC.  Considering you study for 20-30 hours per week, you could likely gather up all the credits you need to start SNHU by June 26, 2023.
https://www.snhu.edu/admission/online/term-start-dates

Summary
The transfer map tells you exactly how things come into SNHU from your CC.

The degree plan fills in the rest of the missing pieces
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/SN...egree_Plan

The Data Analysis concentration requires MAT303 - Applied Statistics II which you likely need to take at SNHU. Otherwise, with Google Data Analytics cert and Sophia's Intro to Database, you will have all the other requirements for the concentration. 

An SNHU advisor could help in answering other questions though you may have to fill out an application to speak to an advisor.

[omicreativedev]

you may have to fill out an application to speak to an advisor

Thank you for your insight. I think that might be my #1 problem is admissions really doesn't have answers I need. I really need to speak to someone who's familiar with this method of planning in advance, intentionally. I wonder how many students they get that intentionally pre-plan to supplement their path with external credits. I'm gathering schools like the "big 3" are much more familiar with this method.

[LevelUP]

you may have to fill out an application to speak to an advisor

Thank you for your insight. I think that might be my #1 problem is admissions really doesn't have answers I need. I really need to speak to someone who's familiar with this method of planning in advance, intentionally. I wonder how many students they get that intentionally pre-plan to supplement their path with external credits. I'm gathering schools like the "big 3" are much more familiar with this method.

Almost all schools take alternative credits, even if it's only CLEP or AP though not many students take advantage of this.

I knew nothing about Sociology and did the Sociology CLEP in 12 hours.  I did the English Comp CLEP and earned 6 credits in a similar amount of time. CLEP can be quick if you have prior knowledge though going through the Modern States will take some time to earn the free CLEP voucher. Saylor is MUCH harder than CLEPs.  OnlineDegree has nice courses, but the downside is they have a limited amount of courses that take a long time to do.

Often people here know more than the advisors of these colleges, so if you have any questions, let us know.

[omicreativedev]

Saylor is MUCH harder than CLEPs.

Are the courses themselves more difficult or longer? Or both? Or are the tests harder?

Modern States will take some time to earn the free CLEP voucher.

Is this because the courses themselves are long?

Often people here know more than the advisors of these colleges

I'm certain of it lol! I've has another account here from 2016 and never posted though (read only.)
I know this is the holy grail of forums about upskilling and leveling up.

if you have any questions, let us know.

Well, while I have you--
Could you recommend any other tools and websites useful for studying?

How do you manage banging out course after course and learn/retain enough to pass and gain enough to build off for future courses? I hate to say it but I've found myself victim of the forgetting curve for long courses on campus. I've tried flashcards but I think I just have bad study habits. I put off honors but with great stress. Any suggestions?

[rachel83az]

Saylor courses are organized kind of poorly and the material doesn't always align to the exam. You usually need to get close to perfect scores on the free "certificate" to have a hope of passing the final exam, though this isn't necessarily true. Saylor is a love it or hate it experience for most people.

Modern States courses are pretty minimalistic, but still long. Despite often not being enough to pass a CLEP on their own, the courses can each take 1-2 weeks to complete. Again, some people are able to speed through MS courses in a couple of days and some take a month or longer to finish, but I think that 1-2 weeks is a good average.

Despite the extra monetary cost, Sophia courses usually win out on a more balanced cost-benefit analysis because they are better designed than Saylor courses and are quicker than ModernStates. Someone who has nothing else better to do can easily finish 40-60 Sophia credits in a month, while someone working full time can probably do around half that. Maybe a little more or less depending on exact schedules.

[origamishuttle]

Modern States courses are pretty minimalistic, but still long. Despite often not being enough to pass a CLEP on their own, the courses can each take 1-2 weeks to complete. Again, some people are able to speed through MS courses in a couple of days and some take a month or longer to finish, but I think that 1-2 weeks is a good average.

For the Modern States courses that I've taken, the prerequisite to request the voucher is 100% completion of the quizzes. If the goal is to get the voucher and pass the test with existing knowledge, then the minimum time investment should be significantly less than two days. It may take days for the voucher request to be fulfilled, but course/test time can be measured in hours.

[dfrecore]

Saylor courses are organized kind of poorly and the material doesn't always align to the exam. You usually need to get close to perfect scores on the free "certificate" to have a hope of passing the final exam, though this isn't necessarily true. Saylor is a love it or hate it experience for most people.

Modern States courses are pretty minimalistic, but still long. Despite often not being enough to pass a CLEP on their own, the courses can each take 1-2 weeks to complete. Again, some people are able to speed through MS courses in a couple of days and some take a month or longer to finish, but I think that 1-2 weeks is a good average.

I did the American Government MS course recently, and it took 90 minutes.  But I'm sure other courses take longer.  So it just depends on the course.

[LevelUP]

Saylor is MUCH harder than CLEPs.

Are the courses themselves more difficult or longer? Or both? Or are the tests harder?

Though not an exact percentage, you can pass a CLEP by only correctly answering around 50% of the questions. With Saylor, it must be 70%, and there are many gotcha questions with Saylor.

Modern States will take some time to earn the free CLEP voucher.

Is this because the courses themselves are long?

You can get through a course faster if you watch videos at 2x speed. You need 75% to earn the voucher, and they often give you multiple tries to get a question correct.

Often people here know more than the advisors of these colleges

I'm certain of it lol! I've has another account here from 2016 and never posted though (read only.)
I know this is the holy grail of forums about upskilling and leveling up.

if you have any questions, let us know.

Well, while I have you--
Could you recommend any other tools and websites useful for studying?
When doing most alt credit courses, they are self-contained where you don't need outsides resources which makes things simiple.

For CLEPs, I used a combo of Modern States, Instantcert, Quizlet, and Peterson Study Guides/Practice exams. If you can score 70% on a practice exam, you have a near 100% chance of passing the actual CLEP exam.

Grammarly pro is helpful when grades matter after you are enrolled in college. You can get a 1yr deal for $66.

How do you manage banging out course after course and learn/retain enough to pass and gain enough to build off for future courses? I hate to say it but I've found myself victim of the forgetting curve for long courses on campus. I've tried flashcards but I think I just have bad study habits. I put off honors but with great stress. Any suggestions?

If we talking about methods to getting Straight A's in college, then there are two ways to do this.
#1 Is a brute force method involving long hours of studying.

#2 Is a hack method leveraging efficiency.

The forgetting curve is a psychological concept that looks at how people forget information over periods such as a few hours, days, weeks, etc.

Mnemonics and spaced repetition can help with defeating the forgetting curve. However, when doing these alt courses, the best way is to jam the info in your head in a week or less, or else you will have to backtrack to relearn the information if you run into a challenging course.

Another method is to pretend you are a teacher and explain a course to someone who knows nothing about a subject. Try to do this in 5-10 minutes (1-page notes), and you'll have all the key concepts down where you can carry over your knowledge from course to course.

Overall, try to have some fun with this process and don't overstress. Be proud when you make mistakes because that's how you learn.

[dfrecore]

Saylor is MUCH harder than CLEPs.

Are the courses themselves more difficult or longer? Or both? Or are the tests harder?

Though not an exact percentage, you can pass a CLEP by only correctly answering around 50% of the questions. With Saylor, it must be 70%, and there are many gotcha questions with Saylor.

There is no way to know exactly what % you need to score on a CLEP exam, since they don't release that data, and they scale the scores.  You need to score a 50 on most exams to pass, but that is not equal to 50%.