This is all new to me, can someone please explain?

[soliloquy]

The plot thickens...I applied for an associates degree ultrasonography program and got accepted. Thing is, it's about 15-18k a year (30k minimum for the two years, not including gas, books, and potential car problems) for tuition (it's a private school), and it's about a 45 minute drive each way with clinical sites that can be up to 70 miles in distance from the school. LA traffic sucks lol...

Or

Get my BA in natural sciences/mathematics from TESC and figure things out after that.

I would not pay 30K for an AA/AS. But, everyone has their own trail to blaze. I would go to one of the big three and who knows...maybe you'll be able to keep going until that AA/AS turns into a BA/BS. But, the goal of many on this board is to avoid a ton of student loan debt. Just to give you an idea...If you get a typical Stafford Loan at 6.8%, this is what your payments are going to look like and frankly 30K is what the average debt load is for someone who has completed their BA/BS. Of course, if you have the money to just pay out of pocket or a benefactor to pay it for you, then this is a moot point I suppose.


Loan Balance: $30,000.00
Adjusted Loan Balance: $30,303.03
Loan Interest Rate: 6.80%
Loan Fees: 1.00%
Loan Term: 10 years
Minimum Payment: $50.00
Enrollment Status: Still in School
Degree Program: Associate's Degree

Monthly Loan Payment: $348.73
Number of Payments: 120

Cumulative Payments: $41,847.30
Total Interest Paid: $11,847.30

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/your-m....html?_r=0

[cookderosa]

I originally discovered this forum by researching for help on a specific online class I wanted advice on (the only one I've ever taken -- A&P2 on Straighter Line), but going through these forums and taking this class is making me excited about online education. I'm seeing different terms that I'm unfamiliar with, for example, CLEP. I'm now looking to do mainly online learning to earn my bachelors, but I don't have a firm grasp on how to do it. It seems many people here do. I would appreciate some advice on where and how to start.

A bit of background on me: I've completed 90 or so units at a community college, 3.8 cumulative GPA, and one year in a registered nursing program, but I am currently changing programs, and potentially careers (the stress of nursing is a bit overwhelming for me) if I find something else I enjoy (maybe healthcare business administration, or something healthcare related as my background is mostly science/micro/anat and physio). WGU recommended me to take this A&P2 class online, but now I'm discovering the greatness of self-paced online education and I must say it's quite exciting. For some reason I just feel a little overwhelmed on how to approach it all since there seems to be so many options and paths. I would really appreciate it if someone could lay it out for me in simpler terms. This is kind of a strange post, but I hope you kind of understood what I'm trying to say lol.

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum! It's very overwhelming for anyone landing here; but it's an awesome place. Take your time, and let some of the info soak in, it's exciting stuff!

[sanantone]

The plot thickens...I applied for an associates degree ultrasonography program and got accepted. Thing is, it's about 15-18k a year (30k minimum for the two years, not including gas, books, and potential car problems) for tuition (it's a private school), and it's about a 45 minute drive each way with clinical sites that can be up to 70 miles in distance from the school. LA traffic sucks lol...

Or

Get my BA in natural sciences/mathematics from TESC and figure things out after that.

A private school that offers sonography..... That sounds like a for-profit. Have you made sure it meets the requirements for a full license? There are some for-profits here in Texas that only qualify people for a limited license.

[Hunter91]

@soliloquy Wow, thank you for those details. One of my nightmares is getting into debt and before I even got accepted I told mysel and others, "I'm just applying to see what happens. There's no way in going there. It's far and expensive as he'll. I don't want to go into debt..."

@Cookderosa Thanks! I'm starting to get a bit of a feel for how things work. Still much to learn.

@Sanantone I believe it is a for-profit school, but there's actually only 4 accredited diagnostic medical sonography programs in CA that offer degrees! Crazy right? The other couple schools have 2-3 year wait list and I don't have all the prereqs for Kaiser. There are two accredited distance learning programs in the nation though...I'll have to check those out.

Accredited Program Search - CAAHEP

I'm definitely leaning towards just finishing my degree at TESC and taking things from there.

[EI2HCB]

Hunter, You've stumbled on one of the best sites for getting a degree with little or no debt! It takes longer at times and sometimes involves doing your own research but in the end it will be worth it. By doing CLEPs so far I've earned 12 credits which is a saving of $5500 on my overall degree as I progress through more the saving continue to build. I'm a long way off graduating but little by little is better than not at all. Dave Ramsey the radio personality say's "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"

[Hunter91]

Update: Declined the ultrasound school's offer to attend. Just finished anatomy and physiology 2 and medical terminology through Straighterline. I'm starting to wonder if I can complete the rest of my requirements for TESC's natural sciences/mathematics degree through Straighterline and just take the capstone through TESC. I only say this because having taken two classes through Straighterline now, I'm beginning to feel comfortable with how they operate. Not quite sure what classes I could take through SL that would fulfill my remaining requirements though...All I can think of is English Comp II. Also sent in my transcripts and application fee about a week ago, but still waiting to hear from them. Any input about SL classes fitting into my remaining requirements would be much appreciated.

That's it for now, thanks ya'll!

[laughter]

Update: Declined the ultrasound school's offer to attend. Just finished anatomy and physiology 2 and medical terminology through Straighterline. I'm starting to wonder if I can complete the rest of my requirements for TESC's natural sciences/mathematics degree through Straighterline and just take the capstone through TESC. I only say this because having taken two classes through Straighterline now, I'm beginning to feel comfortable with how they operate. Not quite sure what classes I could take through SL that would fulfill my remaining requirements though...All I can think of is English Comp II. Also sent in my transcripts and application fee about a week ago, but still waiting to hear from them. Any input about SL classes fitting into my remaining requirements would be much appreciated.

That's it for now, thanks ya'll!

I was thinking of doing something like that, too, but TESC requires 18 UL credits for the Natural Sciences area of study. The maximum so far I can find are...

ECE Pathophysiology - 3 credits
ECE or Straighterline Microbiology - 3 credits
TECEP Network Technology (maybe) - 3 credits
Capstone - 3 credits

ECE Bioethics and ECE Basic Genetics may or may not be UL - to be confirmed with TESC. I'm not sure if Saylor's Business Statistics (OPM-351) would count in the area of study.

Also, you'd need to take at least 7 TECEPs and 1 Capstone course to be eligible for their Per Credit tuition plan.

[Hunter91]

Also, you'd need to take at least 7 TECEPs and 1 Capstone course to be eligible for their Per Credit tuition plan.

Yes, you're right...I just saw on their website, 24 units are required. Thanks.

I went to the online student services and looked at English Comp II and applied liberal arts mathematics and it looks like the soonest I can take the TECEPs for them is in September. I'm not sure how many I should sign up for in one month. I'm thinking I should sign up for two in September and see how I handle that.

Three questions stemming from the previous statements:

1. What do you think of starting off by taking two TECEPS in the September?

2. What is a reasonable number of TECEPs to take in one month, and/or how many would you recommend someone to take?

3. Generally, how much time is needed to study in order to pass? For example, I need English Comp II, forgot mostly everything about formatting/in-text citations/works cited/bibliographies and haven't taken English or written a research paper in years, nor do I know where to go to write essays in order to practice my research essay writing skills (I assume the best practice for this would be to research topics, write a short research paper, and get it graded by a tutor or someone knowledgeable. Correct me if I'm wrong, but how else would you prepare for this TECEP?)

[962371]

Then, COSC's Health Studies program might work for you. You'll probably only have to take the cornerstone, capstone, and a public health policy course at COSC. You can use tests, SL, ALEKS, etc. for the rest of the degree. You would probably need about one to three semesters of courses at a full load for the other healthcare-related degrees. If you're looking for a degree that you can completely test out of, then you can do that with TESC's BS in Business Administration - General Management Specialization.

This is a list of exams COSC accepts and how they're transcribed.
https://www.charteroak.edu/current/acade...r-list.pdf

How COSC transcribes Straighterline courses.
Charter Oak State College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine

If you're interested in anything outside of healthcare, I have several test out plans for TESC.
Sanantone's General Education Options - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BSBA General Management - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Psychology - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Social Science - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Humanities - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in History - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BSBA in Computer Information Systems - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BSBA in Human Resources Management - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BSBA in Accounting - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BSBA in Marketing - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Communications - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Criminal Justice - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's BA in Liberal Studies - Degree Forum Wiki

Edit: I should note that you're going to be at COSC for a minimum of 2 semesters regardless since the capstone and cornerstone cannot be taken in the same semester.

Does the Public Health Policy need to be done through COSC? Does anyone know if there is an exam out there that will satisfy it?

[GoodYellowDogs]

As I recall Excelsior has a joint BS/MBA in Healthcare.