I'M DONE!! BSBA < 6 months

[iwant2stalku]

A lot of people have been messaging me wanting to know more about what the process was like for me/how I finished so fast/tips etc. Sorry for not responding individually!

I should start by saying the that school was always important to me. I always held good grades in school and I'm a fast learner. But when it came time to get into college, I hit a lot of road blocks.

I applied to the local community college after high school. I did well on my admissions exams and the testing staff recommended that I come back and take a few CLEP exams. I took two English CLEP exams.

I did 2 semesters then met with a financial adviser. I thought I would be able to get some sort of academic financial aid since I had a 4.0 GPA. Five minutes into the meeting, I was being kicked out of his office with no hope of any financial help.

I was only 19. I was really disappointed that I couldn't attend college. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to pay the whole way through college by myself or take on a mass of debt to do it. It was beyond my control.

I moved on with my life but I always had a chip on my shoulder about not being able to finish something that I had really wanted. I certainly wasn't stupid and I wasn't lazy.

I set up a college fund for my first daughter as soon as she had a social security number so she would never have to be held back from higher education the way I was. While I contributed to it every month, I had pretty much given up on ever being able to go to college.

When I got pregnant last year, I decided to try to change careers so I could be home more and it wasn't going to happen without a four year degree. I didn't have the time to go back to the community college. That's when I found this site. It was amazing to see people getting entire degrees by testing out using the CLEP exams that I had taken 10 years ago! I did a lot of research using this site and figured I could do TESC's BS General Management within 6 months for about $3,000.

It was the end of September 2014. I knew I would need about 100 credits. I set the deadline of Mid-March so that I could be in June graduation. The baby was due in April.

I took my first three exams on 10/6/14 and my last exam 2/13/15. Final cost was about $2600 for everything including books, proctor fees, etc., but it could be done for less. I had to take another English CLEP because one of mine didn't transfer (it was the old freshman composition). I also did Finance through Penn Foster because I was scared of the DSST after reading the feedback forum.

The whole experience has been eye opening. I have so many friends that went the traditional route, only to come away with an incomplete degree and a ton of student loans. We're all pushing 30 years old and they still can't get out of their student debts from 8 years ago! This country has had higher education backwards for a long time, making it unnecessarily difficult for smart, hard working people to better themselves. Even 10 years ago, I knew there had to be a better way. I'm just glad I found it and was able to do something for myself that I always wanted to do. I'm fortunate that I had the means to pay cash for my education at TESC. This time last year, I still thought a degree was out of reach for me. Now I have two degrees, an Arnold Fletcher award, and I'm looking into a MBA!

It doesn't matter how long you've been away from school. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to finish (I promise neither of my degrees indicated there was a 10-year gap in my education). Just get it done for you. Here's a couple tidbits that I would pass along to anyone trying to get their degree knocked out FAST (six months or less) and save money. I hope it helps!

-You must be HIGHLY organized. I printed out a calendar and used it to keep track of my exam schedule, TECEP registration deadlines, when I ordered transcripts, etc. I had a copy of the degree plans and course equivalencies. I started a spreadsheet to keep track of which courses I was using to meet each degree requirement. It is helpful to be extremely organized, because TESC had applied my courses differently during my academic review. Keep in mind that many courses can fill more than one degree requirement. I called about any TECEP that wasn't posted to my evaluation within 14 business days. A quick call to academic advising can get these things fixed in 24 hours.

-I had to change my mentality to get through courses quickly. I was used to perfection, always holding down a high GPA. You only need 70% to pass. On TECEPS, read the test description, study the highest % sections of the exam, and skim everything else. The goal is to score high enough to get credit, perfection doesn't matter because there is no GPA. If you plan to get a masters, this may bite you in the ass later if you are unable to transfer grades under 80%. Know what the requirements are for your school.

-Ask if your proctor will combine fees. Mine would only charge me once if I took two of the same type of exams in a day (i.e two CLEPs). Her fee was $25, so it's worth it to ask. I took up to three exams on the same day to save money.

-Be aware of grading times. If you take any TECEP exam with an essay or short answer portion, it can take up to two weeks to receive your grade. If you fail an exam, you'll have to pick a different one to take because there is a waiting period to retake failed exams. I would recommend taking any essay exams early on if you can, just in case you fail. Multiple choice is a little easier because you'll know immediately if you passed. The surprise college comp CLEP exam I had to take was only graded once a month, the college was closed for two weeks for winter break, and it dumped snow on the morning I was due to take it. I almost missed the deadline for grading. I was also 7 months pregnant and dreading sitting there with no pee breaks or snacks.

-Plan so you only have to pay one application fee and no tuition. I paid $75 for my application. This includes an academic review. From that date, you get 6 months to complete your degree or you have to pay tuition (out of state for me was like $3000). However, if you are meeting the TECEP requirement (which I think is 3 TECEPS a semester) you can also avoid the tuition fee. Lots of posts about that on the forum already.

-Get all your lower level classes knocked out first. This might sound like common sense, but it sets the groundwork for upper level courses and thus, reduces your study time.

-Know which exams are open book. ProctorU proctors don't always use the most updated exam guidelines. I've had an exam that they told me was open book, but it wasn't and vice versa. Be careful and follow the rules.

-Subscribe to instacert. They don't have flashcards for all the exams, but with a paid subscription you can view all of the test feedback forums and study guide attachments. That alone is GOLDEN. I was subscribed for a few months and it was totally worth it.

-Lots of people have asked how I got through so many Straighterline credits in a month. I would sign up for a class, pay for it and then schedule my exam with ProctorU for the soonest date I could get without paying a fee (three days). I would spend 3 days completing the coursework, then take the proctored final. Really long courses (microeconomics) didn't work for this but the overwhelming majority did. Also, use only electronic versions of the textbooks and control+F through the open book exams. Fair warning that you will have no life for a month, but you can scoop up close to 40 credits for one subscription. And if you're new to straighterline, find a coupon code for a free class.

[clep3705]

-Plan so you only have to pay one application fee and no tuition. I paid $75 for my application. This includes an academic review. From that date, you get 6 months to complete your degree or you have to pay tuition (out of state for me was like $3000). However, if you are meeting the TECEP requirement (which I think is 3 TECEPS a semester) you can also avoid the tuition fee. Lots of posts about that on the forum already.

Paying no tuition? I don't understand. If a person applies with 117 hours and only needs a capstone course, I thought the lowest possible cost is about $4,000.

[sanantone]

Congratulations. To clarify some things:

You can test out and then apply that way you don't have to rush to finish your degree in 6 months. However, if you miss the 6-month deadline to enroll, you can just apply again. That's another $75, but that's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. When you want to enroll you, you have three options: pay the $3200 enrollment fee under the Enrolled Options Plan, sign up for financial aid or pay over $8,000 to sign up for the Comprehensive Tuition Plan (this is not meant for people completely testing out), or take a TECEP for $111 to be enrolled under the Per Credit Tuition Plan. There is no requirement to take three TECEPs per term. You're only required to take one TECEP per rolling 12 months to stay enrolled.

[sanantone]

Paying no tuition? I don't understand. If a person applies with 117 hours and only needs a capstone course, I thought the lowest possible cost is about $4,000.

The BSBA capstone doesn't have to be taken as a course. If you're planning on completing a BA, then you will have to take the capstone as a course. I'm not sure what the OP was trying to say. The enrollment fee (this is not tuition) is over $3200 for non-residents under the Enrolled Options Plan. IIRC, the capstone will be about $247 per credit hour. The other option would be to take a TECEP for $111 to enroll and take a total of seven of them. The TECEPs plus the capstone will give you the 24 credits in residence you need for the Per Credit Tuition Plan. There is no residency requirement under the Enrolled Options Plan. If you apply and don't enroll in 6 months, it's no big deal. You just pay $75 to apply again.

[SuzanneD]

Well done! Congratulations!

[ajs1976]

congrats! :hurray:

[ShotoJuku]

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congrats!
welcome to the club!

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[iwant2stalku]

Paying no tuition? I don't understand. If a person applies with 117 hours and only needs a capstone course, I thought the lowest possible cost is about $4,000.

It depends on what degree you are going for. I did General Management. The capstone is Strategic Management and there is a TECEP for that. I used it towards my residency requirement (24 credits).

[alleycat]

Congrats! Excellent job!

[iwant2stalku]

The BSBA capstone doesn't have to be taken as a course. If you're planning on completing a BA, then you will have to take the capstone as a course. I'm not sure what the OP was trying to say. The enrollment fee (this is not tuition) is over $3200 for non-residents under the Enrolled Options Plan. IIRC, the capstone will be about $247 per credit hour. The other option would be to take a TECEP for $111 to enroll and take a total of seven of them. The TECEPs plus the capstone will give you the 24 credits in residence you need for the Per Credit Tuition Plan. There is no residency requirement under the Enrolled Options Plan. If you apply and don't enroll in 6 months, it's no big deal. You just pay $75 to apply again.

I did 8 TECEPS (including the capstone) to meet the residency requirement. Someone on the forum had previously mentioned a specific # of TECEPS taken at a certain interval meant they didn't have to pay tuition and could stretch their enrollment time, although the advisers don't usually tell you that up front...Sorry I searched for the post but can't it. It's possible it was bad information anyway. This obviously didn't apply to me since I had it done within 6 months and was pursuing a degree with a TECEP capstone. Also, because I only transferred 12 community college credits and 1 6 credit CLEP I had plenty of flexibility to fit in 8 TECEP exams.