Need Bachelors in 6 Months...Options?

[Nodaclu]

Worry about the residency fee AFTER you've finished your coursework. Put a little money away each month for it, but seriously, just get moving on the path. After that, the fee won't seem as big of a deal, since you will have all of the requirements you need to graduate by then. Small hurdle...

Great point. I figured I could probably pay the fee at the end after doing everything else. That will make it all a bit easier. Any idea if taking the Conerstone class would make me eligible to receive financial aid? I'm thinking it might. If not, I'll check in with the university to find out. And I think I can come with it elsewhere if necessary.

EDIT: Going through the spreadsheet in more detail, I think I'm familiar with every acronym except 'PF'. Can you share what that one is?

EDIT 2: Should I officially apply to TESU right now, or should I wait? I'm thinking I should go ahead and apply now, since I may need to get that Cornerstone class done (or, hopefully, I can get in under the wire of the new requirement and save $300 and four weeks of time).

[AJ_Atlanta]

PF - Penn Foster as I recall

[Nodaclu]

PF - Penn Foster as I recall

Doh! Right in front of me and I still missed it...thanks!!

[davewill]

... Should I officially apply to TESU right now, or should I wait? I'm thinking I should go ahead and apply now, since I may need to get that Cornerstone class done (or, hopefully, I can get in under the wire of the new requirement and save $300 and four weeks of time).

Since they just got done making a ton of changes, and you seem to be settled on TESU, it won't make any difference from a catalog or fee POV whether you apply now or 6 months from now. That said, I found it therapeutic to see all my transferred units in their neat little pigeonholes on the academic evaluation. Also, if there are any surprises (bad or good) you'll have time to either to try to fix them or work them into your plan. Also, it takes a good month+ for the whole process, so the sooner you start it, the better.

[Nodaclu]

Since they just got done making a ton of changes, and you seem to be settled on TESU, it won't make any difference form a catalog or fee POC whether you apply now or 6 months from now. That said, I found it therapeutic to see all my transferred units in their neat little pigeonholes on the academic evaluation. Also, if there are any surprises (bad or good) you'll have time to either to try to fix them or work them into your plan. Also, it takes a good month+ for the whole process, so the sooner you start it, the better.

Makes sense to me, and as I thought about it, it just made sense to me as well to go ahead and apply.

At the beginning of this, I was pretty focused on Excelsior. But at the end of the day, the degree itself is more important to me then where it came from (as long as it's an RA school). Between the help I've received and the layout of coursework at TESU, it all makes sense to me, so it's a practical way forward.

Effectively "losing" 17 units is a bummer though. At CSU-Global, the way they breakout their degree plan, all of those units could have been used, and I'd only need to complete 55 units as opposed to 72. But they have a 30 unit residency requirement, and they don't count their own credit-by-exam courses as classes taken in residency. That effectively makes the program twice as long, and twice the cost.

So in this instance, TESU makes more sense, even though it's more "work".

[cookderosa]

Hi all,

I find myself in a bit of a unique situation, so I thought I'd ask the advice of the collective.

I have spent most of the past 17 years in HR , mostly with smaller companies, mostly as a Generalist and Analyst. I finish a short term contract at Intel in 2 weeks, and for the first time in many years, I will find myself unemployed.

I've been trying to find a permanent job for 7 months, and in that time, the only offer I've had was for less money than I made in 2011. This seems to be due to my lack of a degree, which increasingly, is become a major liability in my career, despite plenty of experience.

I have 65 semester units completed, all earned between 1988-1997 (completed at RA 2 and 4 year colleges). These units cover a lot of my General Ed (minus math and science), a lot of history/psychology, and a pair of upper-division History courses. I don't have my Associates Degree, and I also don't have any HR Certifications (PHR, SRHM-CP)

What I do have is 6 months of eligibility for UI benefits coming up. So this is starting to feel like the right time to dive in and get that degree that, more and more, is causing my career to stall out (or even go backwards).

I've read endlessly about the Big 3, and testing out of classes. But as much as I read, I just can't quite seem to put together a plan of how to use one of the Big 3 to complete a degree (Business or HR) within this 6 month window. I know it would largely need to be done via CLEP, DSST, UEXCEL etc., but I just don't quite get it how to put it all together.

I hate to ask, because I know it's plastered all over this forum, but can I ask for help with two questions?

1. Is there any particular advantage for one specific Big 3 school over the others, based on what I've described above?

2. In the simplest possible terms (I have my strengths, but figuring this stuff out isn't among them :o ), how can I use testing to complete those 55 units in 6 months?

I'm happy to provide any additional information that's needed.

Thanks!!

Welcome to the board!
It took me 18 months starting from zero, but 60 of those credits were test-out credits, all earned in 6 months and I didn't have much free time at that time....so I think you can do it!

EDIT TO add a comment about you losing credit: I wrestled around and wasted TONS of time finding a way to make my previous associate degree work for a degree. At the end of the day, it was 10000% more efficient to CLEP test a new AA than try and see where those 85+ credits would work. So, the challenges when you HAVE a lot of credit are lining up your existing credit into the degree with the easiest remaining requirements to finish- not necessarily lining your credit up into the program with the most to start if that makes sense. Dfrecore has your back on that.


Here's what I'll add to the pile:
What'd I'd suggest you do immediately is apply to one of the big 3 (TESU?) and update your resume status to "in progress." While that's obviously not the same thing as having a completed degree, it shows you're headed in the right direction. Plus, since time is of the essence, get the AA first. In fact, you're probably within striking distance of that degree by the end of May. You'd be able to list a completed degree and then an "in progress" bachelor's degree in HR or business. Finally, since you'll have your BA at the 6 month mark, I'd suggest you start looking at grad schools too. I know that sounds super scary to read, but I promise, by the time you get to the other end of these short 6 months, you'll be all over that idea- and so having a few schools picked out will be very useful. I'd look at CHEAP and distance learning options. As soon as your last BA requirement is met, apply to the master's program and guess what? You guessed it, add the BA to your resume and an "in progress" master's degree. You're about to go from zero to hero in 6 months and you're ready to start your own job hunt - with a HUGE facelift in the education heading on your resume.

[Nodaclu]

Welcome to the board!
It took me 18 months starting from zero, but 60 of those credits were test-out credits, all earned in 6 months and I didn't have much free time at that time....so I think you can do it!

Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much for your kind words. The support here is wonderful. it's a scary thing to step into the fire and try to finish a Bachelors Degree in just 28 short years!

EDIT TO add a comment about you losing credit: I wrestled around and wasted TONS of time finding a way to make my previous associate degree work for a degree. At the end of the day, it was 10000% more efficient to CLEP test a new AA than try and see where those 85+ credits would work. So, the challenges when you HAVE a lot of credit are lining up your existing credit into the degree with the easiest remaining requirements to finish- not necessarily lining your credit up into the program with the most to start if that makes sense. Dfrecore has your back on that.

Yep, as I continued to look at it this morning, it became crystal clear:

• CSU-Global is "easier" (i.e., fewer units to complete)
  
• TESU is twice as fast, and twice as cheap
  

If my circumstances were different, I might make a different decision, but since my priorities are fast and cheap, I have to accept that the road will be a bit more difficult through TESU, and just get started.

Here's what I'll add to the pile:
What'd I'd suggest you do immediately is apply to one of the big 3 (TESU?) and update your resume status to "in progress." While that's obviously not the same thing as having a completed degree, it shows you're headed in the right direction. Plus, since time is of the essence, get the AA first. In fact, you're probably within striking distance of that degree by the end of May. You'd be able to list a completed degree and then an "in progress" bachelor's degree in HR or business. Finally, since you'll have your BA at the 6 month mark, I'd suggest you start looking at grad schools too. I know that sounds super scary to read, but I promise, by the time you get to the other end of these short 6 months, you'll be all over that idea- and so having a few schools picked out will be very useful. I'd look at CHEAP and distance learning options. As soon as your last BA requirement is met, apply to the master's program and guess what? You guessed it, add the BA to your resume and an "in progress" master's degree. You're about to go from zero to hero in 6 months and you're ready to start your own job hunt - with a HUGE facelift in the education heading on your resume.

It's so interesting that you bring this up, especially the grad school part. While my BSBA is a quick and dirty, git 'r' done check box on my list, I want my Master's Degree to be a very different experience. I want to really immerse myself in that material, and take whatever time I need to complete it. Toward that end, I've already looked at Heriot-Watt due to its structure and reasonable cost, and as I get closer to that point, I'll start researching it and other schools more thoroughly.

It *is* pretty insane that I could go from no degree, to a BSBA and an MS/MBA "in progress" within a 6 month span.

I may not go after the AA, but only because I won't be working during this time frame, so the need to have a completed AA on the resume isn't as high of a priority as it might be if I were actively on the job market while doing this. That being said, I'll definitely keep an eye on things as they progress, and I'll go that direction if it makes sense to do so.

Thanks again...I appreciate it!

[cookderosa]

You're welcome!

My only caution - which is more of a perception caution than anything else, is that having an overseas masters in progress may scare companies a bit. That said, I used TESC as a check the box so I could head into grad school, so I totally get it! Good luck and get rolling!

[dfrecore]

There is a good section in the forum for getting an MBA, and lots of good, inexpensive options (Patten, WGU, Hodges, NAU, ENMU, etc.). Competency-based seems to be the cheapest, fastest option. But I certainly wouldn't worry about that now.

[bjcheung77]

It *is* pretty insane that I could go from no degree, to a BSBA and an MS/MBA "in progress" within a 6 month span.

hilarious
Thanks to this forum/sister forum, wikia page, and the contributors/posters, I feel the same way.
Being a lurker for over a decade, I've just started from 0 credits to 30 in 2-3 months, I'm shooting for end of year finish.
I've applied to TESU and going to finish my BSBA with them, then I'm hoping to go into grad school.
I'm following a plan that I copied from Dfrecore and it's pretty much exactly what I needed.
Best of luck to your studies... :coolgleam: