Please Help - My Mind is About to Explode! :)

[Alissa]

First of all, I want to thank all of you for this wonderful forum. I have learned SO much from you, and I am now looking to complete my degree. I am a 30 year old single mother, so money is tight. I am trying to complete an AA degree at TESC, and need help determining what courses I still need to get there. My goal is to finish the remainder with TECEPs and SL courses, or whatever way comes out to be cheaper. My end goal is to 1) complete my associates, and 2) transfer to FHSU for a general studies bachelor degree.

I have attached the courses I already have below. I REALLY appreciate any guidance or advice you can give me!!

ENGL 101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION I 3 HRS
ENGL 102 UG ENGLISH COMPOSITION II 3 HRS
ENGL 205 UG INTRO TO SHORT STORIES/NOVELS 3 HRS
BIOL 251 UG HUMAN ANAT AND PHYS I 3 HRS
BIOL 253 UG HUMAN ANAT AND PHYS I LAB 1 HR
BIOL 252 UG HUMAN ANAT AND PHYS II 3 HRS
BIOL 254 UG HUMAN ANAT AND PHYS II LAB 1 HR
BIOL 211 UG MICROBIOLOGY OF HUMAN PATHOGEN 3 HRS
MATH 118 ALGEBRA FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS 3 HRS
MATH 130 PRE-CALCULUS ALGEBRA 3 HRS
PSYC 210 SOCIAL PSYC 3 HRS
PSYC 270 Abnormal Psychology 3 HRS
PSYC 127 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 3 HRS
NURS 115 UG PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING 3 HRS
NURS 112 UG BASICS IN NURSING 6 HRS
HIMS_1111 WW Healthcare Careers 3 HRS
HIMS_1120 WD Medical Terminology I 3 HRS
HUDV 100 SUCCESS IN COLLEGE 1 HR
SOCI 151 INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY 3 HRS
CRJU 105 THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 3 HRS
MUSC 105 MUSIC APPRECIATION 3 HRS

[cookderosa]

AA from TESC, no problem. You've got an excellent start. Can I go off topic and ask if you're sure you're not interested in anything health-care related? I ask because there are options and it looks like that might have been your goal at one point. If that's still even a remote interest of yours, that might help you build a strategy more targeted toward your goals.

I don't know the answer to this- but perhaps someone else can chime in re: FHSU transfer. Do you know if they accept an AA as a block of credit, or if they evaluate each individual credit? If they evaluate each credit individually, you may lose credit in transfer. *you should investigate this before doing anything else*

Finally, an AA will classify your nursing and HIMS classes as free electives, so before all this gets planned out, be sure you don't add any more in that category (you'll see people talking about FEMA and TEEX $0 but these won't help you).

[Alissa]

Thanks for the reply. I originally started out as a nursing student, and healthcare is definitely something Im interested in, but at this point I think just getting a degree is my top priority. I have regretted not completing it when I was younger, and its slowly eaten away at me.

As far as FHSU, I believe they evaluate on a course-to-course basis, so you are right - I might lose some credits by doing it this way. Also, after looking at the TESC catalog, Im not even sure I COULD complete the AA the way I want to...

With that being said, I do qualify for Pell Grants, and would love to be able to use them instead of paying outright. I know you cant use them for TECEP tests, and the tuition per course is way more than what my Pell Grants can cover. At this point, Im thinking of attending a CC in KS so that I know the courses will transfer to FHSU and just extend the time it will take me to get my degree

Financially, that seems to be the smarter option (unless Im missing something).

[sanantone]

If you want to use cash, then go with TESC under the Per Credit Tuition Plan. If you want to use the Pell Grant, then go with COSC, but don't take courses there other than the required cornerstone. They will do a consortium agreement that will allow you to take courses elsewhere. There are plenty of colleges that are much cheaper than COSC. TESC only does consortium agreements for courses that are not offered at TESC.

Associate in Arts at TESC

English Comp I- Completed
English Comp II - Completed
College-level Math Course - completed with college algebra
Intellectual and Practical Skills Electives (6) - 3 credits completed with Precalculus and TECEP for Marketing Communications, Technical Writing, News Reporting, Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics, or Managerial Communications
Diversity/Global Literacy - Completed with sociology
Responsible Ethical Leadership - Environmental Ethics TECEP (has a reputation for being tough, so you can replace it with Ethics in America or Business Ethics and Society DSST)
Ethics or Diversity Elective - Psychology of Women or Marriage and the Family TECEP
Humanities - Completed with Intro to Short Stories/Novels
Social Sciences - completed with general psychology
Natural sciences - completed with A&P I
Humanities, Social Science, and Natural Science Electives (9) - Completed with Intro to CJ, Music Appreciation, and Abnormal Psychology
General Education Electives (18) - Completed at least 11 credits with A&P Lab (spillover from natural science), A&P II with lab, Microbiology, and Social Psychology fill in with at least one or two more TECEPs (depending on whether you take Environmental Ethics) using any remaining TECEPs listed above or others categorized as humanities, natural sciences/mathematics, or social sciences Thomas Edison State College: All TECEPÂ Tests Any other remaining credits can be completed using any of these options. Sanantone's General Education Options - Degree Forum Wiki

If you want to finish this degree as cheaply as possible, you are going to have to incorporate four TECEPs. Four TECEPs will cost you $444, the application fee will cost you $75, and the graduation fee will cost you $299. I can't remember if I'm missing anything else, but the total should be around $818 plus your transcript costs.

[Alissa]

Wow, thank you Sanantone! That was exactly what I was looking for - I couldnt figure out what courses fit where and what I still needed. You are the best! cheersmate

[smf6824]

Thanks for the reply. I originally started out as a nursing student, and healthcare is definitely something Im interested in, but at this point I think just getting a degree is my top priority. I have regretted not completing it when I was younger, and its slowly eaten away at me.

As far as FHSU, I believe they evaluate on a course-to-course basis, so you are right - I might lose some credits by doing it this way. Also, after looking at the TESC catalog, Im not even sure I COULD complete the AA the way I want to...

With that being said, I do qualify for Pell Grants, and would love to be able to use them instead of paying outright. I know you cant use them for TECEP tests, and the tuition per course is way more than what my Pell Grants can cover. At this point, Im thinking of attending a CC in KS so that I know the courses will transfer to FHSU and just extend the time it will take me to get my degree

Financially, that seems to be the smarter option (unless Im missing something).

I understand that your desire to finish a degree is top priority; however, consider using your Pell Grants to get an associate degree at a local community in a field that you desire to do. You said that you were interested in healthcare, being a prior nursing student. Though you can still get a degree from the "Big 3" fairly quickly it still takes an investment in regards to both time and money. Consider putting forth the investment into something that you want. In the end you will feel better having a degree that you want vs a generalized associate degree. Is there a specific field you are interested in?

[cookderosa]

I understand that your desire to finish a degree is top priority; however, consider using your Pell Grants to get an associate degree at a local community in a field that you desire to do. You said that you were interested in healthcare, being a prior nursing student. Though you can still get a degree from the "Big 3" fairly quickly it still takes an investment in regards to both time and money. Consider putting forth the investment into something that you want. In the end you will feel better having a degree that you want vs a generalized associate degree. Is there a specific field you are interested in?

This is where my money goes too.

Here's the thing: Testing out of an AA will take you less than 6 months (roll in transcript requests, studying for exams, filing for graduation) and that's if you're not fussy and just get down to what fits (as opposed to finding courses that are interesting, etc.) At that point, you're going to a college that will be in real time, so add 2 years.

So, the math question is - how much LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS will it take to do the degree that is really my passion? If the answer is that the degree you really want will take a full year, then you're only +6 months over the alternative. Is the best degree worth 6 months extra? I'd say abso-flippin-lutely.

Now, let me say, if you're willing to give up the FSHU goal and just get a bachelor's degree from one of the schools mentioned in this thread, you're looking at 12 months from zero to graduation. (assumptions are made in that number....but you get the idea). So, what do you gain by graduating in 12 months? That depends. If you're a mid-level career adult who is getting passed over for a promotion for lack of a degree, then this would be a HUGE benefit. If you're not that person, if you're looking for a degree to help you get started in a career.... you're going to be marginally better off than you are at this very moment. Some degrees prepare you for a career (example nursing school prepares you to be a nurse) and other degrees (like the liberal arts and business options discussed here a lot) are really to remove barriers to advancement, grad school, pay increases, etc.

So, I'm with smf. Do this once, and do it right. No matter what you decide, people here can help you make the most of your time, money or Pell, and efficiency.

[Alissa]

If you're a mid-level career adult who is getting passed over for a promotion for lack of a degree, then this would be a HUGE benefit.

THIS. I am already in the field I want to be in, and a more specialized degree (even in a field I'm interested in) won't help much. I simply don't qualify for promotions because of my lack of a degree.

If I were to forgo the FHSU plan, and look to the liberal arts bachelor degree from TESC, would it be possible to finish what I need with a combo of TCEP, SL and FEMA? And maybe I can take some classes with my Pell grant at local CCs to save money as well.

One question that just came to mind... Does the credit you gain from taking either TCEPs, Clep, FEMA, SL etc count forwards credits earned at a 4 year school? I thought I read something about having to take a certain number of classes from a 4 year school...

[Alissa]

Or would the bachelor of general studies at Charter Oak end up being cheaper, especially if I waited to apply and enroll when I was closer to having all the required credits?

[sanantone]

Or would the bachelor of general studies at Charter Oak end up being cheaper, especially if I waited to apply and enroll when I was closer to having all the required credits?

If you want to use financial aid, then go to COSC and utilize their consortium agreement in order to take classes at a cheaper college. You have to take 12 credits per semester (or 6 months on a non-traditional schedule) in order to be considered full-time. You need 6 credits in order to be considered half-time, and that's the minimum needed to receive financial aid. However, being half-time means half the financial aid. If you want to pay out of pocket, then TESC's BA in Liberal Studies will be cheaper. You could still go to any of the Big 3 and use financial aid without directly receiving financial aid through them. Some people have attended a cheap community college online and used the leftover financial aid to pay for tuition and fees at the Big 3. That's what I did. I used my financial aid refund check from attending a CC and used it to pay for tests and TESC's fees.

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