Using Shmoop & SL - need help with plan

[scout2family]

I've been enjoying Straighterline and Shmoops format. I will try out Study.com for the affiliation discount to help with TESU, once I get closer to applying. StraighterLine's format helps to keep my 'test taking' anxiety at a minimum since I can pass most of the class before the BIG test (with someone staring at me).   While Shmoop let's me 're-do' if I screw up with a bad score.. LOL.

I don't need a certain degree for anything and I'm more or less doing this for myself. I MAY use it in the future, so it may as well be in something I have an interest in, right? As I've stated in other posts, I actually enjoy Science, Psychology and Environmental Science (Business is ok, too). But I can't seem to find a way to get those majors without going outside of SL and Shmoop. **sigh** Hence my roadblock. So I said, screw it, I'll just get whatever degree I can by using SL and Shmoop. BALS is the obvious option.  But the question is-- are there other options for majors by using primarily SL and Shmoop? (I've been trying to see if this has already been asked here and don't see that it has.) Do I have options?

TIA!! 

Here's what I've completed the last few months--

ENG-101 Eng Comp I  SL 3
ENG-102 Eng Comp II  SL 3
MAT-121 College Alg  SL 3
REL-277  Intro to Religion SL 3

PHI-384  Ethics/CPCU The Institutes 2

SOC-101 Sociology CC 3 (Community College)

ENS-200   Intro Env. Sci SL 3
BIO-101    Intro to Biology SL 3

HIS-113    US His 1 SL 3

CIS-200    Cybersecurity for Everyone TEEX 2

Accounting 101- Shmoop 
Intro to Statistics- ALEKS
ECE-312   Child Development CC 3

[Ideas]

English would only need Shmoop plus 1 actual course (can be self-paced) plus 2 CLEPs. Or there are some other options besides CLEP like Coopersmith. The 1 CLEP is A&I Lit which is easy for many people. I consider it like the reading comprehension part of the SAT I exam. However the English courses at Shmoop are not as easy as the non-English (except for the Bible course and 1 other).

Study.com helps open more options, and many Study.com classes only need 57-60% on the final

[scout2family]

English would only need Shmoop plus 1 actual course (can be self-paced) plus 2 CLEPs. Or there are some other options besides CLEP like Coopersmith. The 1 CLEP is A&I Lit which is easy for many people. I consider it like the reading comprehension part of the SAT I exam. However the English courses at Shmoop are not as easy as the non-English (except for the Bible course and 1 other).

Study.com helps open more options, and many Study.com classes only need 57-60% on the final

Thanks Ideas! Study.com is on my To-Do list. And it makes me feel better about some of their finals weighing less. BUT I gotta say, when I was taking the College Algebra final thru Straighterline, I almost got sick (the final weighted more)! Wished there was a way to control it, but it's just the way I am. I tell the proctors that I may get sick, and they say don't worry and I'm not the only one. LOL Makes me feel a little better. 

I'm pretty sure I'd pass out at a CLEP! Knowing everything weighs on this ONE test would send me thru the roof! LOL

I currently have TESU BALS - Eng Lit Minor from bjcheung77 that I've been using as a guideline since this is the ONE that I can clearly obtain using SL & Shmoop.

[dfrecore]

TESU doesn't have Environmental Science. Psychology used to be able to be done mostly through Study.com, but the UL credits went away (mostly) so now you'd have to do Coopersmith and Uexcel, which are both ones where 100% is based on the test. So that's probably out for you. There is no more Natural Science degree, although there is Biology - but again not entirely test-outable and certainly not only through Shmoop and SL.

Your best options are the BALS, with concentrations in Comm, NatSci, Gen Mgmt, Psych, or the BSBA - but they will all require you to use Study.com as well.

The good news with Study.com, for anyone who is not a good test-taker, is that you can retake the quizzes as many times as you want/need to get 100% on that portion, before you take the final. AND, for UL courses (ones that start with a 300), they also have additional projects/papers that count for a portion of the grade, making the final less important. If you do well on those types of things, then you can get 66% before you ever take the final, and only need 10% on the final to pass the course.

[Ideas]

Also with Study.com, if you took a course where the final counted more, and you failed, it's not that big of a deal. You would just pay and retake it.

Some of the others which are exams, you might be able to relax if you know there's a retake option. Most of them allow a retake although for most you have to pay again. I think if you end up paying for some retakes, that's a relatively small price, and it might let you get a degree you want more.

I wouldn't suggest the BSBA if math is one of your weaknesses, because it has 2 accounting courses and 2 econ courses. I think the BSBA in general would need more exams than a Psych degree.

[dfrecore]

I wouldn't suggest the BSBA if math is one of your weaknesses, because it has 2 accounting courses and 2 econ courses. I think the BSBA in general would need more exams than a Psych degree.

College Algebra and Accounting 101 have already been taken - if you can get through those, you can get through the rest of the math, accounting, finance, and econ courses.  So don't let that be a deterrent.

[scout2family]

TESU doesn't have Environmental Science.  Psychology used to be able to be done mostly through Study.com, but the UL credits went away (mostly) so now you'd have to do Coopersmith and Uexcel, which are both ones where 100% is based on the test.  So that's probably out for you.  There is no more Natural Science degree, although there is Biology - but again not entirely test-outable and certainly not only through Shmoop and SL.

Your best options are the BALS, with concentrations in Comm, NatSci, Gen Mgmt, Psych, or the BSBA - but they will all require you to use Study.com as well.

The good news with Study.com, for anyone who is not a good test-taker, is that you can retake the quizzes as many times as you want/need to get 100% on that portion, before you take the final.  AND, for UL courses (ones that start with a 300), they also have additional projects/papers that count for a portion of the grade, making the final less important.  If you do well on those types of things, then you can get 66% before you ever take the final, and only need 10% on the final to pass the course.

Exactly what I was looking for dfrecore. You broke it down for me, again, you are awesome! 

Can you please put a BALS plan together for me for NatSci and Psych? I am also somewhat curious as to the differences between the BSBA and the BALS w/ Gen Mgmt?! 

I'm going to sign up for Study.com after I get the degree plan figured out so I can start 'crackin' on these classes!

[dfrecore]

I did ones for BALS-Psych and BALS-Gen Management, both have fewer requirements than the BA in Psych or BSBA.  Both have courses you can find all over the place, but Psych is going to be a bit harder to stick to courses rather than testing (especially Psych).

For the BALS in NatSci/Math, there are no set requirements, so you just need to do 18cr of NatSci & Math, wherever you want to find them.  They don't even have to be UL as far as I can tell, as long as the AOS has 18cr of UL in it throughout the degree.

I will also include the generic BALS using Shmoop, and you can pick and choose to figure out the best plan for yourself.

[Ideas]

Study.com gives 18 free credits through their Guardian Scholarship so that's another reason to not worry if you fail an exam, you would only be using one of your free courses to retake another.

[dfrecore]

The other thing to consider - ask TESU if the Psych courses have to be UL. If they don't, you could use the LL Study.com courses, and fulfill the 18cr of UL with different Study.com courses, and you wouldn't have to test out of them.