Patten vs Straighterline

[Photog]

I noticed Patten University from Koenigtv post earlier about the September special (thanks for that) and it seems to be a very good deal for earning credits.

An AA in Gen ed with a business concentration pretty much covers the Gen ed. requirements at one of the big three.
So completing 20 courses in six months would only work out at $1700 (with the current offer)

Completing 20 courses at Straighterline in six months would cost $1600, that doesn't include renting/buying books, and there is no AA degree at that end of it.


Am I missing something?
will an AA from Patten transfer ok to TESC later to complete a bachelors?
I think 20 courses in 6 months is doable at Straighterline, but can it be done at Patten?


I can't do Clep or DSST exams because of my location. Straighterline, TECEP and Saylor are the easiest way for me to earn gen ed credits.

[laughter]

I think 20 courses in 6 months is doable at Straighterline, but can it be done at Patten?
I can't do Clep or DSST exams because of my location. Straighterline, TECEP and Saylor are the easiest way for me to earn gen ed credits.

CLEP and DSSTs are also unavailable where I live. What degree at you aiming for and from which of the Big 3? I would suggest working out a degree plan to compare the prices 1) with transfer credits from Patten and 2) without transfer credits from Patten. Just a note though, applying to Patten is free. However, if you choose to withdraw from the school, you'll have to pay a fee.
On whether 20 courses in 6 months is doable... here's what I've heard from the admissions counselor:
On average, most students work 40 hrs/wk and study 10-15 hrs/wk, completing a course in 3-5 wks; thus, covering an average of about 3-4 courses per term (4 months). Taking the maximum given time ... 15 hrs/wk x 5 wks = 75 hrs for each course. Factor in the amount of time you're able to put in and you'll get the answer.

[koenigtv]

I think 20 SL courses in 6 months is achievable if you are motivated.

Patten is regionally accredited so credits should transfer to TESC the same as any other RA college, although as always, TESC has the right to evaluate and choose what they will accept. One issue with Patten is that you can only take 1 course at a time, this could possibly limit the amount of courses you can complete in a term. Patten's terms are for 4-months not 6, so actual costs at the reduced rate for undergrad credit would be $1000 for the first 4 month term and $1400 for the 2nd 4-month term. It's hard to say how many courses can be completed per term. I start the MBA program tomorrow and will provide feedback so others will know how the program runs. Hopefully someone who has done undergrad classes at Patten can provide some feedback, though most people here have had negative comments about their experience at Patten.

[JohnnyHeck]

I believe you earn grades at Patten so you have a RA GPA which could be handy for grad school. Additionally, I would think that working to learn the knowledge for a high GPA should help immensely to score well on the GRE or its equivalent for your field. There's really not much immediate incentive to learn much more than C work with either Straighterline or CBEs. The disadvantage to Patten is that it is not completely self-paced in the sense that you do have fixed terms to complete a course once started, and you have continuous "academic progress requirements. Though as a mixed blessing these reqs. will help you to keep your total costs down. I hope another forum member joins this thread with the analysis that Patten's Gen-Ed will TE to fulfill all of the Big 3 Gen-Ed reqs.

[sanantone]

I don't know if Patten has competency units or semester hours. As long as the courses have the typical 3 credit hours (or competency units), the credits should transfer easily. WGU used to have a lot of 2-unit courses, and those didn't transfer well to TESC.

[JohnnyHeck]

Here is a link to Patten's 46 hr. Gen-Ed reqs: http://wordpress-patten.edu.s3.amazonaws...atalog.pdf pages 33-34. Will these TE into the required Gen-Ed course distribution requirements at TESC? ECU? COSC? Personally, I like the one course at a time concept. You can complete them as fast as you can handle it. I interpret the so-called "term" just a tuition payment structure. New "terms" start almost every Monday.

[Photog]

I haven't actually made my decision what B.A to go for yet, I will probably go with TESC, a BSBA CIS, Natural Science and Math, or possibly Humanities. At the moment I am looking for different ways to get Gen Ed. completed and some credits that can fall into other areas, or free electives if necessary.

A full term must be completed at Patten? it doesn't work like a subscription service? if you complete a degree half way through a term then the four months must still be paid in full?

Thanks for the link to the catalog, it says online students can only take 4 courses per term (or seek approval for more) this may slow things down and add up the cost. Some courses may be easier to get through than others, I signed up for the demo at New Charter University, which I believe uses the same system as Patten, it allows you to audit the courses, and I passed the initial short tests on 5 different lower level courses. I appreciate that subjects I have less knowledge may require a lot of work, but waiting until the next term (and paying) to continue after completing easier courses quickly seems a waste.

I'm not sure how I feel about being tied into one system at the moment. Straighterline is appealing because you can come and go as you please, and transfer credits to ACE. It also seems those with extra time to spend can complete courses pretty quickly with Straighterline. With our first baby on the way i'm not sure how much it will affect my studies, and available time outside of work.
Completing an AA with Patten seems like a great idea, and the cost appears to be very good, but only if you can move quickly and easily through the system without delays from their side.

[TMW2010]

Check out Northern Arizona University's Personalized Learning degree programs.

Competency Based
$2500/6 months
4 Programs BA Liberal Arts, BA Small Business Admin, BA CIT, BS CIT (The Three BAs require 16 competency units of Spanish this might be good or bad, depending on the individual)
It's a not-for-profit State School
Accepts CLEP, DSST, ACE (Your mileage may vary though as to how much they'll accept)
They give letter grades, so you end up with a GPA upon completion if you are looking to head to grad school eventually.

And, in my experience, babies are a bunch of work, but one of the most wonderful, magical things that can happen to a family. It's hard NOT to devote all your waking moments to them.

[JohnnyHeck]

Patten is not a subscription service per se. While you can pay monthly, you are obligated for the full term plus the graduation fee in the final term. Additionally if you are a matriculated, i.e degree seeking, student you can only take up to 6o days leave, prior permission required, without withdrawal. However, Patten does provide for "guest students" for a limited number of credits. The catalog is not clear on how this works, but usually it means you apply as guest or visiting student for at least the term and you can continue as a guest for additional terms until your guest credit limit is reached. I wouldn't worry about the 4 courses per term issue if you are a matriculated student as Patten clearly advertises that you can finish your degree in less than a 4 course per term time frame. However as a guest student, I am not sure what their policy might be. Since you know that you are already way ahead on at least 5 courses, why don't you try the guest route for one term and see how many RA credits you could rack up taking only those courses that would surely apply to other schools' Gen-Ed reqs. Forum members will be greatly appreciative of a real experience. Perhaps, if you even reveal to Patten that this is a trial experience before you are ready for a matriculation decision, they'll help you out even more through the application process and course load issues. Good luck.

[Photog]

Patten is not a subscription service per se. While you can pay monthly, you are obligated for the full term plus the graduation fee in the final term. Additionally if you are a matriculated, i.e degree seeking, student you can only take up to 6o days leave, prior permission required, without withdrawal. However, Patten does provide for "guest students" for a limited number of credits. The catalog is not clear on how this works, but usually it means you apply as guest or visiting student for at least the term and you can continue as a guest for additional terms until your guest credit limit is reached. I wouldn't worry about the 4 courses per term issue if you are a matriculated student as Patten clearly advertises that you can finish your degree in less than a 4 course per term time frame. However as a guest student, I am not sure what their policy might be. Since you know that you are already way ahead on at least 5 courses, why don't you try the guest route for one term and see how many RA credits you could rack up taking only those courses that would surely apply to other schools' Gen-Ed reqs. Forum members will be greatly appreciative of a real experience. Perhaps, if you even reveal to Patten that this is a trial experience before you are ready for a matriculation decision, they'll help you out even more through the application process and course load issues. Good luck.

That's interesting about being a guest student, I have emailed Patten to find out more information, when they reply I will also ask about it.

With the information I have at the moment it seems to be an expensive experiment, and I would love to have the spare cash to try it out, but with us expecting I must be careful with funds

Current info:
Patten term $1400
Possibly only able to take 4 courses per term, but seems like students can take more, need this info clearing up.
A term is 16 weeks but no new courses can be started in the last 3 weeks of the term (again, this info needs checking). If you finish a course on week 12 or 13 then that is basically the term over for you. This could be a lot of wasted time waiting for a each new term to start. Paying for 3 weeks and not being able to do anything is a waste imo.
It can take up to 7 days to grade a course, cannot start another course until grading is finished.

Straighterline
$1400 buys a 6 month subscription plus 16 courses (materials/books extra)
$1300 buys a one year subscription plus 10 courses.

I know I shouldn't really compare the two as one is a university and the other is a course provider but I am weighing up options for earning credits at the moment. I'm worried that there is potentially a lot of wasted time at Patten.