help:send transcripts or do not send?

[TAL]

Hi after several weeks of looking around on this helpful sight I studied and passed my first CLEP: Sociology [69]. First college credits!

Obviously I'm in the earliest stage of the game. From what I can see a BA in Social Sciences at TESC looks like where I might go, but that could be 3 years down the road or so because of other commitments.

I basically plan on spending the next 2 months or so studying and doing CLEPS and DANTES, etc.

So when I do my CLEP test and the computer asks me where to send transcripts... any ideas?

What are the pros and cons of saying DO NOT SEND? [that's what i did last night] Where will those credits be and how will I 'get them'.

Is there any benefit in telling the 'computer' to send them to TESC since I haven't contacted them, since I really don't plan to enroll there till I have ALOT more credits...

Any advice is appreciated, TAL

[jeff]

Hi TAL,

Congratulations on passing your first exam! It feels great doesn't it?

CollegeBoard will keep your CLEP scores on file for 20 years from the date of the exam. So you can just keep accumulating credits and then when you are ready you can download the transcript request form from the CollegeBoard web site and send it in to CollegeBoard.

CLEP: Receiving, Sending, and Canceling CLEP Scores

They will send your transcripts to the institution of your choice. The current cost is $20.00 per institution.

[Lindagerr]

I am not sure how you find out more about this option, maybe someone else here could help with that.

I am just wondering at what point you said do not send, I thought that was the place you decided if you wanted this test on your record or not. If you click that in the wrong place you could end up not getting any credit for the exam.

If not TESC maybe you want to look into some other credit banking school. I have been enrolled in TESC for over 3 years and if I had it to do over I would not have enrolled until I had more test done.

Good luck and Welcome to the board

[alleycat]

I'm with Linda about enrollment.
Enroll when you have alot more done and you are close to being done.

I would not have them sent anywhere. I would just let my transcript accumulate over at College Boards and then send it when you are ready.

[TMW2010]

I chose not to send my first CLEP that I took in Oct (I'm regretting that decision now)... The ones I took in Nov & Dec, I decided to go ahead and send them to Excelsior. I finally enrolled at Excelsior the beginning of this week, and the school already had the CLEPs I sent them available for my evaluation... Now I'm out another $20 and waiting and waiting for the transcript for the first test to arrive because I hadn't sent it.

In my experience, it does not hurt at all to send the scores to your school of choice even if you're not planning on enrolling for a while. When they get the scores, they'll set them aside where they'll be available once you do enroll. And you save yourself time (waiting for the darn transcript to get there) and money (the $20 for the transcript is better spent)... And if you decide to go somewhere else than the school you had the stuff sent to, you can always just have the transcript sent to that place. What's the original school going to do? Write you a nasty letter to you about having scores sent to them because you're a prospective student?

[IrishJohn]

First of all, congrats on your first CLEP exam!!! Sociology was my first one too after many years.

I have to echo what others are saying here: hold off on formally enrolling at TESC until you finish more exams. If you have any college credit, certifications and military schools, it's not a bad idea to get an evaluation done but I wouldn't enroll just yet.

TESC will not talk to you about what exams you can take until you officially enroll but that's what IC is for. I can tell you that IC has been a BIG help to me!!! I had an evaluation done last October so I could figure out what exams I had left to take but will not officially enroll at TESC until March. I expect to finish in May or June.

While my major is Liberal Studies and not Social Sciences, there may be enough in my degree plan to help give you an idea of what to take for yours. Of course I owe a certain Coast Guard fella here on IC for the snazzy template.

Good luck!


  Less than 1 minute ago">TESC Degree Plan.xls (Size: 53.5 KB / Downloads: 30)

[marianne202]

Just a heads up, as you may want to check with the school you plan on sending the scores to, as EC will only hold transcripts for non-enrolled students for 6 months, then they shred them. Just be prepared that if you wait too long to enroll, what you had sent may no longer be there. Put that extra time in your plan to request new transcripts, so you won't be disappointed and anxious waiting at the end.

[IrishJohn]

Just a heads up, as you may want to check with the school you plan on sending the scores to, as EC will only hold transcripts for non-enrolled students for 6 months, then they shred them. Just be prepared that if you wait too long to enroll, what you had sent may no longer be there. Put that extra time in your plan to request new transcripts, so you won't be disappointed and anxious waiting at the end.

Good point. I believe TESC does the same thing, which is why I'm officially enrolling at the beginning of March. Coming up with the $2,600 all at once has been a problem but I should have it by then.

[cookderosa]

Since you think this process could take 3 years, I'm with those who suggest to do nothing. Really, it's only $20- no big deal. Just keep testing, and someday before the 20 year deadline, you'll have to send CLEP $20 and they will forward ALL OF your credits to a school on a single transcript.

If you start sending transcripts to TESC you'll feel pressure to do something- and what if you decide in 4 months to go to EC? See what I mean? No reason to muddy the waters- just start accumulating credit. Pick a school later.

[TAL]

Thanks to everybody, especially this last post Jennifer. Your answer pretty much sums it up. I'll keep racking up the credit.

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