Struggling to find the right school(mid-30s with GED)

[jaytea89]

TEL Learning is, indeed, $67/credit. But they've not been very responsive lately. I would try maybe one course from them to see how it goes before signing up for multiple courses.

I would NOT recommend Outlier. The catalog codes that UPittsburg gives the classes from Outlier are totally different than the classes that are offered by the university itself. Picky schools will probably not transfer them at all. A couple of people here have reported difficulty transferring Outlier Calculus because of the different catalog numbers.

Instead, I would recommend Arizona State University Universal Learner classes. Each one is $25 + a $400 transcription fee (transcription fee only due if you pass the class AND want it transcribed). As far as anyone outside of ASU is concerned, your transcript will show that you took the course(s) from ASU itself. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ar...al_Learner

I'm going to have to look at what ASU offers for those classes because that ends up being a little less per credit than Ivy Tech. Outlier is also way more expensive than what the wiki said so that's out for me even if the transcription of it wasn't sketchy. I'm still a little leery about using TEL since the college giving me the accreditation has no part in the course itself. I like that the ASU courses you mentioned are still actual ASU courses.

[jaytea89]

Well, I think I've found a way to make all of this work and have a good chance at getting what I'm wanting! All of the information I've found here and on the wiki has been great at helping me figure this out before I wasted more money on courses that won't transfer. 

First, I don't know for sure yet but I should be able to cover most of community college(or at least the first year) with a Pell Grant! The rest should be federal loans. I won't know for sure until I get an offer, but my EFC was low enough that I'm confident I will get something. 

Second, I found a community college(that's even cheaper for me than Ivy Tech) with an online A.S. in Biology that seems to have decent enough reviews. Not sure how it will transfer to IU but that leads me to...

Third, IU is very generous when it comes to accepting CLEP credits! I will be able to get at least 24 credits that way and save a bunch of time and money. Ivy Tech is cheaper per credit when you go part-time instead of full, this will allow me to take 3 classes per semester to qualify for the cheaper rate without delaying graduation. Still considering the AS in Biology from Barton I linked in the last paragraph though.

Lastly, while not my preferred path, Ivy Tech and IU have a guaranteed admissions partnership. If I complete Ivy Tech's AS in Biology with a 3.0 GPA, I am guaranteed admission into IU for a BS in Biology. I doubt I'll go this route, but it does give me hope of being able to transfer from a bio-focused AS to IU's Animal Behavior program if I push myself hard enough. 



With that being said...advice on taking and studying for CLEP exams?

[allvia]

You can take the CLEP exams for free through Modern States - https://modernstates.org/

[jaytea89]

You can take the CLEP exams for free through Modern States - https://modernstates.org/

I actually found that about 15 minutes after I posted the reply and have planned out 9 or 10 courses to take.

This was the break I needed lol. Now I don't have to stress as much trying to figure this out and can get right to studying.

[davewill]

Of course, there always InstantCert's study guides, the company that sponsors this forum.

[jaytea89]

I reached out to the academic advisor for the Animal Behavior program at IU to get more info about transfer credits, my proposed list of classes for my A.S. that I plan to transfer with, and any recommendations for different classes. With Ivy Tech I have to schedule an appointment, I'll do that here soon.

Here's my list currently:

CLEP:
American Government
Biology
Chemistry
College Algebra
Precalculus
Calculus
College Composition(with essay)
Introductory Psychology
Introductory Sociology
Spanish Language: Levels 1 and 2

Ivy Tech:
IVYT 111 - Student Success in University Transfer
LIBA 279 - Liberal Arts Capstone Course
COMM 101 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking
ENGL 215 - Rhetoric and Argument
MATH 200 - Statistics
BIOL 105 - Biology I - Molecular and Cellular Processes(w/ lab)
BIOL 107 - Biology II - Diversity of Life(w/ lab)
BIOL 240 - Ecology
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 102 - Introduction to Ethics

Ivy Tech awards more credits for some of the exams/classes so that will have me at "66" credits, but at best only 60 will transfer to IU. The bio courses I picked seem redundant with the CLEP, but I'd like the lab experience and the two schools award different class equivalencies for that exam. IT credits it for BIOL 101 while IU Bloomington(this campus specifically) marks it as an elective. BIOL 105/107 at IT are equivalencies of 111/112 at IU. Now, if I score above 56 on the CLEP it throws a wrench in things because IU awards that as BIOL 111/112 for 7 credits. It's definitely going to be one of the first CLEPs I take so I know which bio classes to shoot for at Ivy Tech. If I do well enough on it I can just go straight to General Biology 1 & 2.

Here's what info I can find on transfers in case anyone feels like taking a glance to see if I'm reading it correctly:

Ivy Tech CLEP transfer
IU Bloomington CLEP transfer
Ivy Tech to IU course equivalencies

[allvia]

The transfer equivalency link you posted for IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE is what they will take IN (not what is necessarily accepted outbound).  You should see if you can find the same for the IU to see what they take in...wait, I just found this - https://transferguide.iu.edu/

[dfrecore]

Just an FYI based on something you said in an early post: as a transfer student, you won't have to take the SAT or ACT. Those are for incoming freshman only, and are irrelevant once you are transferring in as a Junior.

[jaytea89]

The transfer equivalency link you posted for IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE is what they will take IN (not what is necessarily accepted outbound).  You should see if you can find the same for the IU to see what they take in...wait, I just found this - https://transferguide.iu.edu/

Their website is a bit complicated to navigate because there are about 10 IU colleges and even just at IU Bloomington there are separate schools all on the same campus with their own departments, websites, degree requirements, etc.

It was a bit daunting, to be honest. But I exchanged a few emails with the Animal Behavior department's advisor who cleared a lot of things up and provided several useful links.

Just an FYI based on something you said in an early post: as a transfer student, you won't have to take the SAT or ACT.  Those are for incoming freshman only, and are irrelevant once you are transferring in as a Junior.

They will consider it if you ask them to, it's in the policies I was looking at. But I'm not going to bother because the way I've set everything up I'll only be taking 2-3 classes per semester for my A.S. which will make getting a 3.0-3.5 GPA much easier on me. I've also ditched almost half of the CLEPs I was going to take.

---

Big update!

After several days of spending almost every waking moment researching courses, degree programs, transfer information, and class schedules, along with having some questions answered by the Animal Behavior advisor at IU...I have finally figured out a way it all fits together.

The only thing I'm waiting to hear back about is the Molecular Biology transfer equivalency. I have reason to believe it will transfer as credit for IU's version of the course, but in case it doesn't there's room to squeeze it in my junior year while still maintaining part-time status. Part-time(at both schools) is cheaper per credit hour than their flat-rate full-time, which seems to be a common trend. 6 CLEPs free through Modern States, little bit of Pell Grant freshman year, and federal loans should cover the rest.


  IVYT AS LA.jpg (Size: 117.49 KB / Downloads: 7)

  IUB BS AB.jpg (Size: 219.5 KB / Downloads: 5)

I even put together an M.S. that ties it all together as the culmination of my studies. 

  IUB MS EEB.jpg (Size: 67.65 KB / Downloads: 7)


"That's a lot of studying just to be a wildlife rehabilitator."

Yes. Yes it is. But who says my career has to stop there? This will give me almost every option I could ever want and an immense amount of knowledge about topics that I find absolutely fascinating. I'm honestly really excited. Even if it doesn't all turn out the way I'm hoping it will, I still have every intention of pushing as far as I can. I don't think I've ever been as motivated as I've been lately. The CLEPs are saving me a good $4000 too and I have this forum to thank for that.

[allvia]

It sounds like you found your path - I wish you only success.