What's done is done and can't be undone

[Waldorfteacher]

I completed the credits needed to earn a BA in Social Science at TESC yesterday. It was a little anti-climatic to finally wrap it up, but a degree is a degree, to paraphrase an oft repeated mantra here at IC.

A friend mentioned she was testing out of a course through CLEP last year which first clued me in to the possibility of attaining college credits through testing. Another friend mentioned distance learning options for degree completion. Intrigued by these two ideas, I began doing some online research and was completely fired up by Laurie Millers BAin4weeks site. She was an inspiration to me. From there I found FreeClepPrep and then IC. In my first month of testing I earned 57 credits to go with my 42 B&M and 6 AP credits. Over the next 4 months, which included enrolling at Excelsior, taking a 4 more DSST tests and then reevaluating the requirement for a capstone course to graduate from Excelsior, I changed course and decided TESC was the least complicated method for attaining a BA. In the meantime I took a position that required me to move across the country and work incessantly my job. As I approached the one year anniversary of my first test I decided to finish my degree at TESC and took my last two tests this past week. I enrolled and sent in my request for graduation form today ahead of the July 1 deadline for September graduation. What's done is done and can't be undone.

I am exploring four possible options. I may pursue a BSBA in General Management at TESC now that I have ponied up the $3k enrollment fee. That would be 60 credits, mostly CLEP/DSST/TECEP tests to complete that. I am also investigating an online MA at California State University-Dominiguez Hills in Negotiation and Mediation (total cost $10k). That program does not require a GRE or a GPA. That degree would allow me to work in business and divorce mediation. Another possibility is an MA in Occupational Therapy at San Jose State (There is a huge demand for OT's these days as both the number of aged individuals and the autism rate climb). That would require both a GRE score as well as a number of prerequisite courses. I may also pursue a California teaching credential. The first step in that process would be completing the CSET, which is a fairly broad set of tests not too unlike CLEP & DSST.


Thank you to all the integral members at the IC community who offer freely of their experience and knowledge. The Degree Forum has been a huge help in my pursuit of a degree. I hope I can be of some assistance to those individuals beginning their pursuit of a degree by this method.

Best, Waldorfteacher

[HorseManiac]

Congrats!!!

[KyleH]

The BSBA can be easily replaced with an MBA from a grad college. At the cheapest, you can get an MBA from New Charter University for $1200 a semester. It's nationally accredited, but that doesn't seem to be a big issue and a nationally accredited MBA is better than a regionally accredited BSBA.

Also congrats

[plutoon]

Congrats! Moving on to bigger things! That's wonderful!

[LaceyLady]

Congratulations!

[NAP]

That was fast! Thank you for sharing your story with us! I hope you will keep us updated on your progress with your new ventures. Congratulations on finishing your degree!

[ryoder]

Good job finishing up. 60 credits sounds like a lot for a second degree. I only needed 24 for my second degree and if I had to take 60 I would almost definitely skip it. I do recommend taking some of the biz CLEP tests though since those are excellent preparation for an MBA and fulfill most of the prerequisites for MBAs. This way you won't be stuck in foundation classes or taking undergrad prereqs for a whole year before starting your first graduate course.
So I'd recommend doing the micro,macro,biz law,mgmt,marketing,finance,statistics,biz ethics,mis etc and just sending those to TESC. This way you can choose to complete your degree or go on to an MBA instead.
Once you get the MBA, you probably won't worry too much about the BSBA.

[Waldorfteacher]

Ryoder

Thanks for the advice regarding the MBA prereqs. I am not sure what direction I will go in but that is sound advice. The BSBA works for me as it will prepare me for independent school administration well enough. I understand an MBA has far more credibility, I am just not sure I want to go that route.

I am most interested in pursuing a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy if I do not stick with teaching. The prereqs for that would include stats too, as well as anatomy & physiology, abnormal psych, psych of aging.

The fourth option I am considering, mediation, would be the a graduate program that would not require any extra coursework or GRE before enrolling. It is a vocation I have considered entering for some time. California State Dom.Hills has an online only program that has the same tuition for all regardless of residence, $10k for the entire program. It would definitely be the path of least resistance as most any state school requires decent GRE scores for acceptance.

Time will tell.

Thanks again for your input.

[bricabrac]

Great news; Congratulations!!! And good luck in whatever path you choose next!:hurray:

[ryoder]

Don't worry about the GRE. I think that is a manufactured problem people create in their own minds. Go out and grab the GRE books and sample tests and attack it like the CLEP. Once you pass it, you won't need to worry any longer. Of course, I never took it. I chose NCU which doesn't require it but I don't always practice what I preach