Help with Highschooler Articulation Credits for TESC

[cookderosa]

I just want to say that I hold an RA B&M Degree, an RA B&M Technical Diploma, and an NA Degree earned online. Before I went to my online NA program, I went to an RA online program. The RA's work required no challenge (i.e. there were books I was "required" to buy but wound up never actually using, smh), so I was practically doing nothing and getting straight A's... the Professor's and faculty were incompetent beyond words, except for one who was a brilliant lady. When I found out from the school's 3rd party service provider that my grades were being changed by one Professor (who had something against me for whatever reason) and then received no help from the Dean who was VERY rude and inconsiderate, I got the hell away from there as fast as I could. Keep in mind, this RA is considered very well respected in this arena. Looking back, I probably should've sued. I then went to the NA and it was smooth sailing. Papers were challenging, I had to read a ton and couldn't get away with not cracking books (not that I wanted to get away). Proctored exams were stringent and tough and required the full 4 hours to complete, and the structure allowed me to focus on learning rather than being sidetracked by the oft-used typical window-dressing of "online class participation forums".

I say all of that to say this; every school regardless of their accreditation has its own standards. You'll find some RA's that stink and have pathetic standards, and you'll find some NA's that are head and shoulders above them. Accreditation is just a third-party opinion, and while important, is certainly not the definitive indicator of a school's quality. The best people to measure that are the individual students.

Also, while many RA's don't accept NA credits, many do in fact accept them and that number is growing all the time despite the rhetoric you hear (usually from folks who've never been with an NA or haven't really researched much about the issue beyond a glance or two). Remember, there are thousands of Schools, Institutes, Colleges and Universities so the chances of you finding one that will accept NA credits is far from impossible. Here is just a small list of schools that are known to accept NA credits:

American Intercontinental University, FL, GA, TX,
***American Military University, WV
***American Public University, WV
Ashford University, IA
Ashworth College, GA
Augusta Technical College, GA
Bellevue University, NE
Berkeley College, NJ, NY
California Coast University, CA
Central Pennsylvania College, PA
Cochise College, AZ
College of Southern Maryland, MD
Columbia Southern University, AL,
Community College of the Air Force, AL
Excelsior College, NY, DC
Franklin University, OH
Georgia Southern University, GA
Johnson State College, VT
Kaplan University
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, PA
Montgomery Community College, NC
Mountain State University, WV
Ottawa University, KS
Peru State College, NE
Southwest University, LA
St. Andrews Presbyterian College, NC
St. Leo University, FL
Thomas Edison State College, NJ (Yes, they will take your NA credits if they have been ACE reviewed)
Trinity International University, IL
Troy University, AL
TUI University, CA
University of Charleston, WV
University of Maryland, MD
University of Oklahoma, OK
University of Phoenix, AL
***Western Governors University, UT

Another thing one who has NA credits can do is look for schools with dual-accreditation (both NA and RA). Schools on the list marked with *** are dual-accredited and are well respected. Some may be surprised to learn that not all RA's take credits from all other RA's. In my town we have an RA Community College that students have a hard time transfering credits from. It's not a bad school at all, it is in fact highly ranked among CC's. But the point is, every school has their own transfer policy so no matter where you go to school, transfering credits isn't a gimme.

Finally, the one thing that matters above everything else--besides the benefit of learning--is that your degree has utility and can get you the job you're looking for. The U.S. Government accepts NA degrees for employment in all of its branches and offices, and most private sector employers do as well. Most HR departments look at degrees as a check box issue and aren't concerned about the ivory tower academic accreditation huff and puff. I know this because I was a recruiter for two major Fortune 100's, and believe me you'd be surprised by just how little companies care about your degree and all the particulars beyond knowing you have one.

Thanks, but I'm not playing. Have a nice day.