Yet Another Plan for BA Natural Science and Mathematics Degree- Need help

[dfrecore]

Would it be duplicating if one has already taken college-level chemistry, physics and biology respectively and then takes the natural sciencle CLEP?

No - TESU considers that a completely different course. Of course, those are all 100-level courses, so only 6cr will count toward the Area of Study - that's where it doesn't make sense for the OP, as they already have all of the credit that they need in other areas, and don't need any more of these types of courses.

[Sapphyreopal5]

No - TESU considers that a completely different course. Of course, those are all 100-level courses, so only 6cr will count toward the Area of Study - that's where it doesn't make sense for the OP, as they already have all of the credit that they need in other areas, and don't need any more of these types of courses.

[COLOR="#4B0082"]I guess what my main concern as far as considering taking General Chem I and Biology I is that with the classes I took at my community college, I wouldn't be able to take Chem II at CPCC because I technically took Foundations of Chemistry and not Chemistry I. In this, I'd like to have one of my concentration areas be chemistry and that is why I was contemplating taking the Chemistry Clep. I know that for classes like Organic Chem at least with my local community college, they make you take Chemistry II before doing anything else. I ended up paying the application fee and requested CPCC to send an official transcript to TESU, so I can actually be sure where my entry level science courses will go (and to see what classes I should take to fulfill my concentration areas). I seriously hope that my classes do end up being able to fulfill the biology requirements for the degree and aren't just electives. Talk about doing more classes to set things back a bit... :/

I will post what my evaluation ends up being after TESU receives my transcript.[/COLOR]

[dfrecore]

I guess what my main concern as far as considering taking General Chem I and Biology I is that with the classes I took at my community college, I wouldn't be able to take Chem II at CPCC because I technically took Foundations of Chemistry and not Chemistry I. In this, I'd like to have one of my concentration areas be chemistry and that is why I was contemplating taking the Chemistry Clep. I know that for classes like Organic Chem at least with my local community college, they make you take Chemistry II before doing anything else. I ended up paying the application fee and requested CPCC to send an official transcript to TESU, so I can actually be sure where my entry level science courses will go (and to see what classes I should take to fulfill my concentration areas). I seriously hope that my classes do end up being able to fulfill the biology requirements for the degree and aren't just electives. Talk about doing more classes to set things back a bit... :/

I will post what my evaluation ends up being after TESU receives my transcript.

I am confused. I wasn't aware that you had a "concentration area" at TESU with that degree; you just take courses, and they apply them in the area of study, and you have to have at least 12cr in one area. But it isn't a concentration, and it will not be designated as such on any degree that you get.

As for your lower level courses, if you take a biology course, it's biology - TESU will not change that. They won't not count it in your area of study. The only issue you will have is that you're only allowed 2 100-level courses. So once you stick 2 of those in there, you're left with all 200-level and above. So the only thing you need to worry about is if TESU counts them all as 100-level. BUT, then, you'd still be stuck trying to get more UL courses, and CC classes will NOT count there no matter what. Also, many of the CLEP exams are 100-level as well, so taking those won't help you.

I would wait to get your eval from TESU, and in the meantime work on the remaining things you need; namely your GenEd requirements that you haven't yet filled (you know for a fact you have to take Ethics and American Government for instance). Take the MIS DDST. Take your 7 TECEP's. Then fill in the rest of your degree plan once you see where you stand.

[Sapphyreopal5]

I am confused. I wasn't aware that you had a "concentration area" at TESU with that degree; you just take courses, and they apply them in the area of study, and you have to have at least 12cr in one area. But it isn't a concentration, and it will not be designated as such on any degree that you get.

As for your lower level courses, if you take a biology course, it's biology - TESU will not change that. They won't not count it in your area of study. The only issue you will have is that you're only allowed 2 100-level courses. So once you stick 2 of those in there, you're left with all 200-level and above. So the only thing you need to worry about is if TESU counts them all as 100-level. BUT, then, you'd still be stuck trying to get more UL courses, and CC classes will NOT count there no matter what. Also, many of the CLEP exams are 100-level as well, so taking those won't help you.

I would wait to get your eval from TESU, and in the meantime work on the remaining things you need; namely your GenEd requirements that you haven't yet filled (you know for a fact you have to take Ethics and American Government for instance). Take the MIS DDST. Take your 7 TECEP's. Then fill in the rest of your degree plan once you see where you stand.

Would you say it's a better idea to knock out the straighterline/study.com classes then test out with TECEPs for the sakes of having background knowledge for the harder tests or do you think it doesn't matter? I am considering the SL and study.com route first before I get my tax return money, especially since the TECEPs are pricier and harder from what I heard.

[dfrecore]

Would you say it's a better idea to knock out the straighterline/study.com classes then test out with TECEPs for the sakes of having background knowledge for the harder tests or do you think it doesn't matter? I am considering the SL and study.com route first before I get my tax return money, especially since the TECEPs are pricier and harder from what I heard.

I am a big proponent of grouping tests together by content, rather than where you are taking them. For instance, if you are going to take US History from one place and American Gov from somewhere else, I would take them at the same time, because there is some overlap. But, I know that SL/Study.com are both "time-sensitive" types of courses (meaning you want to get as much done in the month, since that's how you pay for them). I would probably still try to kill 2 birds with 1 stone approach - take the SL/Study.com course, and continue to study for the TECEP's that are similar (if you have them).

Regarding TECEP's being hard, that is not necessarily true. I'm not 100% certain, since most people don't take the Sociology CLEP AND the Sociology TECEP - but I would think they would be similar in nature. And since the TECEP's very closely align with the book they recommend, you have true test materials to study from. AND, since the Sociology TECEP is multiple choice, that makes it even easier. But it's very difficult to compare apples to apples here.

There are TECEP's that are considered very easy (computers & applied math), ones that are not particularly easy, but still easily doable, without studying (Tech Writing, English Comp I & II), and then ones that are considered hard. But some of that is relative to what you're good at, some of it is easier for some than others, especially if you're a good typist or not (if you're not, you're going to want to take English Comp another way, for instance).

For my friend who wants to take courses but doesn't type, he's going to have to stick to the TECEP's with all multiple choice. I wouldn't say that the English Comp CLEP isn't particularly difficult for most people, but for him, it will be nearly impossible! So he's going to do SL's English Comp instead.

So it totally depends on the TECEP's you're going to take, as to when you should take them. You should just lay out the best plan for YOU, and work it.