How did you learn about testing out of your degree?

[Empyrean24]

I paid CollegePlus $4,000 to give me a degree plan and show me how to get my BSBA in Marketing from TESC. So I have a couple questions for everybody...

1) Why do you want a college degree and what's the single biggest factor that kept you from doing it before?

2) Why are you testing out and how did you learn about this method?

Looking forward to some interesting responses!

[sanantone]

They're charging $4,000 now!?! This forum doesn't even have an appropriate smiley for that. I can't remember exactly how I found out about testing out. I was originally on the eLearners forum before they shut it down. That's how I found out about the Big 3 I think. Then, I came across this forum.

[alleycat]

My neighbor. She did it back in the late 70 and she was having her three children do it.

[jmeitrem]

My response probably isn't all that interesting, but it's a little ironic. I joined the military for the GI Bill, but since CLEP and DSST are free to take while serving I figured I would take as many as I could before getting out. While studying for all the tests, I found this site. Now I have a boatload of credits so a test-out degree only makes sense. So it's just funny that I joined to get a fully funded (expensive) degree and I end up taking the cheapest route possible. Now I probably won't even use my GI Bill.

[JohnnyHeck]

Jay Cross runs ads for his Do It Yourself Degree (DIY) plan. For the $100 membership fee you get his booklet on how to test out, references to the Big 3, his cross tabulation test vs. transfer equivalency, his personal success story, and access to his DIY Forum where I have made several ongoing acquantances. In his booklet he refers to InstaCert as a great test study source. From there of course, you find this forum.

[Prloko]

I paid CollegePlus $4,000 to give me a degree plan and show me how to get my BSBA in Marketing from TESC. So I have a couple questions for everybody...

1) Why do you want a college degree and what's the single biggest factor that kept you from doing it before?

2) Why are you testing out and how did you learn about this method?

Looking forward to some interesting responses!

I have a question for you? How did you find college plus without finding this site first? I'm just wondering what search parameter you put into google.

[Prloko]

I found this interesting tidbit on the CP website "The Student Counselor is here to serve you by answering your questions and helping you learn which CP program may be the best fit. As a current or former student of the program, they have valuable personal experience and extensive training to draw from, and they can answer just about any question you throw at them. They will spend as much time as necessary to help you determine when you would like to take the next step: the Admissions Application."

The glaring statement is "AS A CURRENT OR FORMER STUDENT OF THE PROGRAM". So CP is using their own recruits to sell you on CP. Sounds like a tactic out of the old cult playbook.

This is a tired old subject, but ARGGHH, why aren't the student's of CP getting the promised hand holding from CP rather than running over here for advise.

[sanantone]

Oh, God! We don't want another CP thread. How long was the other one? Was it ever locked? hilarious

[dfrecore]

It's been a few years, but I have been to several homeschool conferences, and have talked to CP there. They did not seem especially knowledgeable about this stuff. They talked a lot about having high schoolers take the General CLEP tests to earn as much credit as possible. But, they didn't really discuss AP exams (which are much more widely accepted and specifically for high-schoolers), they didn't talk about the Big 3 and testing out of a degree (although TESC is one of their "partner" colleges). They just really pushed the whole counselors helping you get their "academic coaching", "study skills", and "life planning" to finish high school with 30 college credits through CLEP testing (your freshman year!).

It looks like they've updated, and have a very pretty interface now that makes it look like you're getting more for your money. They now say they'll help you get up to 90 units to transfer into a college. But it's still very expensive, and you have to pay for study materials in addition to the cost of joining ($1900 and then $195/mo). Why would you pay $2000 and then still have to pay for study materials and exams??? I'm so glad I found this site long before my kids were old enough for me to starting thinking about/looking for this stuff.

[Prloko]

Oh, God! We don't want another CP thread. How long was the other one? Was it ever locked? hilarious

Not for nothing, I did a linkedin search on people who either work at CP or were former CP employees, and three major things stand out, they were all CP "students", they all went to TESC, and most of them are doing pretty well for themselves. So I can't poop all over collegeplus like I used to, then again these may be just hard chargers, but they make TESC look better. But then after I said all that, I found this person, who claims to ATTEND College Plus. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kara-greiner/94/377/5ba/en.

Also, they seem to have an admissions process which includes letters of recommendation and interview? All this to transfer your credits to an open enrollment school?

So from what I gather, CP uses their religious affiliation to recruit home-schoolers, recruits them as their employees (curious as to what the pay is like), but in the end, the students come out better for it? Thoughts?

Welcome to CP thread part 6, the resurrection.