Received My TESC Evaluation - Advice on Tests to Take?

[gerbet]

Hello,

I finally have received my evaluation from TESC, and they certainly applied my credits differently than I thought they would! I would love some advice on how to complete my degree (Liberal Studies) in the quickest and most enjoyable way possible.

Long story short, they have awarded me 79 credits, with 41 outstanding credits (or 14 classes). The credits I still need to fulfill are as follows:

ENC 101 - At my previous college, I was waived from taking ENG 101 because they saw that I was a good writer on my entrance/placement exam. Therefore, I only have credit for completing ENG 102. I also have credit in several writing-intensive courses in Journalism. Do you think they will waive the requirement for me to complete this if I ask them? It's not a huge deal, but I'd rather not have to do it if I don't need to. If not, which exam do you recommend taking to test out of this?

1 Natural Science course- Any recommendation on an enjoyable course/test to take? I am not really a "science person," so preferably something on the less difficult side.

3 Upper Level Courses - This is frustrating, since I took so many UL courses at my previous school that didn't convert to UL with TESC, but oh well. I understand that the World Religion and Substance Abuse exams are top picks. Any other recommendations? I do work as a paralegal, so I was thinking Business Law II might be a possibility as well.

1 Gen Ed and 8 Free Electives - Feel free to toss some recommendations my way! I have always been most interested and excelled in psychology and sociology subjects. I understand the FEMA exams are free, but I must admit that I feel kind of silly taking them since my career or goals have nothing to do with emergency services whatsoever. If I decided to go on to grad school, would these credits look silly on my transcript?

Lastly, I've seen references on the forums to CLEP, DSST, ALEKS, Straighterline, FEMA, TESC exams, etc. Is there a thread that gives a rundown on the differences between these exams/methods? Are they all standardized tests where you just fill in the bubble? Sorry for my ignorance--I am sure this has been answered many times, so I will attempt to find the answer on this very useful site.

Thanks!

Liz

[Stitching Belle]

Congratulations on getting started--since I've never tested before I can't offer you any advice, just my good wishes!

[ryoder]

CLEP/DSST might as well be the same thing. They are multiple choice tests you take on a computer in most cases and are very similar in style and content.

ALEKs is for math and is a learning/teaching/certification tool all in one. If you need math credits, you can use ALEKs to get them without leaving your home but it does take some time. Its also really cheap.

Straighterline.com has courses that you do at your own pace at home. The tests are unproctored but are timed. You need to pay $100 per month and $39 per course and they are an excellent source of credit. I have taken 5 straighterline courses and recommend them highly.

TESC exams are pencil and paper, a little more expensive, slow to grade, and should only be used as a last resort. I have taken a few of them and they are fine but they take time to get a grade on. CLEP/DSST are instant gratification. Straighterline and ALEKs you can do at home.

Do some digging on what you think will work out and send them to your advisor at TESC and they will put them on your plan. Send an email to enrolled@tesc.edu with your degree plan in the subject header, such as BSBA CIS etc.
Then ask them to put your proposed CLEP/DSST or whatever it is on your plan. It will show up and then you can be sure that you have a plan that meets the requirements. Then take the tests and graduate. Its that simple. You can also call them but don't expect the advisors to help you find cheap alternatives to taking their classes. They want to enroll you in their classes after all.

[gerbet]

Thank you both so much! That was EXTREMELY helpful, Ryoder. I've been reading the forums for the past few hours and have learned so much. On my way to finally becoming a college graduate!

[dew125]

Use this chart too: http://degreeplanners.com/media/TESC_Equivalencies.pdf. It is incredibly helpful.

[gerbet]

Thanks! That chart is great!

[Yenisei]

Forum member Geezer has pointed out that there is a relatively obscure TESC policy that says something to the effect that if you pass the penultimate part of a course sequence you get credit for the entire sequence, which may apply to your case as far as ENG 101 goes, but verify that with an advisor. Make sure you are able to cite the relevant portion of the catalog.

For science, I'd take the DSST Environment & Humanity exams. The DSST Vietnam War and DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union are also UL exams.

[gerbet]

Good to know--thanks!

[Lindagerr]

If your former credits were considered upper level by your former college you could get a copy of the syllabus and appeal the course credit assigned. If you want a GPA from TESC you need to take at least one course from them. For natural science credits you can use most math or computer courses. Don't forget Excelsior exams too they are also instant gratification and the price has been lowered. FEMA courses are free and no one really looks at free credits that hard, they could be basket weaving.

[hkhart]

I don't believe the obscure policy applies to the general ed requirement at TESC. I had the same issue where I had taken Eng II and last college gave me credit for Eng I, however the advisor at TESC said I had to take ENC1 which I did through Straighterline. Quick and easy, besides being cheap.