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College as cheap as possible - need advice (Update in #75)


regentrude
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I could use the hive's wisdom. Our family is in the fortunate situation to be able to pay for our kid's university, but a young person in my life is interested in a college education and her parents are unwilling/unable to contribute. The young woman will be working full time and is trying to save money for transportation, living expenses and her schooling. She has been homeschooled and does not seem to have received any college counseling. I am trying to help. These are my thoughs so far - and my questions.

 

First, I think she should aim for an AA to have as a stepping stone. 

Am I correct that one can cobble together the credits from different institutions? Or does the bulk have to be earned at the same CC?

 

Utilize CLEP tests. She can self study and test out - this is the cheapest option to earn college credits, right? I know some universities are picky; would CCs acccept pretty much all CLEP?

When you earn an Associates and want to transfer to a 4 year college: do they evaluate al courses and CLEPs, or does the receiving college accepts the AA as a "package deal" and does not question how credits were earned? I.e., would a uni that does not give credit for a CLEP accept the course if the student earns an AA?

 

Are there CCs that offer a complete online degree? This would give her more flexibility to work.

 

I vaguely recall that there is some college that serves as an umbrella to facilitate "homeschooling college" by letting the student put together the program largely from CLEPs and perhaps other examinations? ETA: Thomas Jefferson! no, Edison!  Anybody knows more about that?

 

Math. I assume for any degree, the student needs to pass College Algebra? Math was not the strong point of the homeschool and will require remediation. I think the cheapest and easiest way would be to self study with a tutor until ready for CLEP? I would imagine it is easier to pass the CLEP College Algebra test than to take a course?

 

What kind of financial aid in terms of grants is available for students from low income families? Educate me about Pell Grants, please. Does the student need to be a full time student? Can one estimate eligibility through online calculators? I assume the parents would be cooperative and provide their info for the FAFSA.

 

I have no doubt that the student is intelligent and orgnized and capable of earning a college degree. She has taken one or two college classes successfully. The big obstacle is that, due to constrained finances and lack of guidance, she has no clear plan how to proceed. Thanks for all the help.

Edited by regentrude
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Is there a local university where she can work and qualify for free tuition?  Or perhaps an employer that will pay for tuition?  Often there will be a time period before new employees qualify for those benefits, and it can be slow going taking classes part time, but this can be a cost effective way for some students to attain a college degree.

 

I knew one young woman in a similar situation who found it beneficial to take a job where she got room and board (as an au pair or working at a camp) and save money for a couple of years and then go to college.  

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I could use the hive's wisdom. Our family is in the fortunate situation to be able to pay for our kid's university, but a young person in my life is interested in a college education and her parents are unwilling/unable to contribute. The young woman will be working full time and is trying to save money for transportation, living expenses and her schooling. She has been homeschooled and does not seem to have received any college counseling. I am trying to help. These are my thoughs so far - and my questions.

 

First, I think she should aim for an AA to have as a stepping stone. 

Am I correct that one can cobble together the credits from different institutions? Or does the bulk have to be earned at the same CC?

 

I think the AA is a good idea.

 

I doubt the cobbling-together method would work if she's trying to work toward an AA.  Every college (including CCs) have different requirements for degrees.  She should pick one so she can select the right courses for the degree she wants.  

 

I'd also strongly recommend that if she goes on to a 4-year that she stick to in-state public with a matriculation agreement from the CC.  She should check to see if there's any core guaranteed 'transfer block' to get her out of GenEds, and make sure to do that.  Sometimes with the right core of courses and GPA there's also tuition discounts and guaranteed transfer acceptance at the state 4-years.

 

Utilize CLEP tests. She can self study and test out - this is the cheapest option to earn college credits, right? I know some universities are picky; would CCs acccept pretty much all CLEP?

When you earn an Associates and want to transfer to a 4 year college: do they evaluate al courses and CLEPs, or does the receiving college accepts the AA as a "package deal" and does not question how credits were earned? I.e., would a uni that does not give credit for a CLEP accept the course if the student earns an AA?

 

 

CLEP tests are a very good idea.  Virtually all colleges have some kind of chart on their website that says what CLEPs and what scores they accept.  Many don't, but most state schools do.

 

However, a CLEP accepted at a CC may NOT be accepted at a 4-year, even in the same state, just because the CC accepted it and it's on the transcript.  For example, dd took the English CLEP.  The CC gave her 6 credits for it.  Then her 4-year gave her only 3 credits for it.  Now she's transferring to a different 4-year and it's reevaluated again as if she just took it - they have a higher score cut-off, so she gets Zero credits for it.  No package deal.  Same with AP.  She lost the 3 credits her first 4-year gave her for a 3 on the Bio AP.  Each course/test/credit is evaluated individually by the new institution.

 

Are there CCs that offer a complete online degree? This would give her more flexibility to work.

 

 

 

Probably, but you'd have to look into it.

 

 vaguely recall that there is some college that serves as an umbrella to facilitate "homeschooling college" by letting the student put together the program largely from CLEPs and perhaps pother examinations? Anybody knows more?

 

 

Is it Thomas Edison University?  Or something like that??

 

 

Math. I assume for any degree, the student needs to pass College Algebra? Math was not the strong point of the homeschool and will require remediation. I think the cheapest and easiest way would be to self study with a tutor until ready for CLEP? I would imagine it is easier to pass the CLEP College Algebra test than to take a course?

 

Self study is hard and tutors are really expensive, especially if she's behind.  Of course, if she's really motivated that helps.  My youngest dd just easily made an A- on DO Honors PreCalc and can't seem to get it together to take the PreCalc CLEP.  She'd rather take another PreCalc class that could offer credit (Straighterline).  But we have to see if her CC would give her credit for that.  Still waiting.

 

What kind of financial aid in terms of grants is available for students from low income families? Educate me about Pell Grants, please. Does the student need to be a full time student? Can one estimate eligibility through online calculators? I assume the parents would be cooperative and provide their info for the FAFSA.

 

 

 

I'm not sure about this, but I have a feeling you're right on this.  Full time is 12-18 credits usually.  And I'm fairly sure the FAFSA is a must.

 

 

 

I have no doubt that the student is intelligent and orgnized and capable of earning a college degree. She has taken one or two college classes successfully. The big obstacle is that, due to constrained finances and lack of guidance, she has no clear plan how to proceed. Thanks for all the help.

 

 

 

Good luck to her!

Edited by Matryoshka
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Is there a local university where she can work and qualify for free tuition?  Or perhaps an employer that will pay for tuition?  Often there will be a time period before new employees qualify for those benefits, and it can be slow going taking classes part time, but this can be a cost effective way for some students to attain a college degree.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. The local university offers half off tuition for employees which means it is still is more expensive than the CC, and with the current state budget cuts, the uiversity is laying off staff, not hiring. For stuff she'd be qualified for, they hire their own students.

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THanks for the heads up re CLEP and transfer.

She has no clear 4 year plan. I think working towards the Associates and gaining momentum is important; fine tuning with the possible thought of maybe transferring in several years could be overwhelming

 

Self study is hard and tutors are really expensive, especially if she's behind.  Of course, if she's really motivated that helps. 

 

There would be a highly qualified tutor who would do it for free :)

 

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Both of mine are doing the 2+2 for financial reasons. My son got into a competitive school under a very picky guaranteed admission agreement. That's the way to go if it's available.

 

Several concerns:

 

1. Make sure that they FULLY understand the transfer agreements. The local CC has transfer counsellors come from the 4-years, and it's a good thing to check in with them every semester. Graduating with the community college requirements and what the 4-year wants can be tricky.

 

2. Watch that any CLEPs taken for community college credit also transfer to the 4-year and what scores the 4-year wants. Most CC's have a longer list of CLEPs than the 4-years, but they still don't do all of them. As an example, you can't take a CLEP for math or English 101/102 at the community college here. You have to take the courses.

 

3. Just having a 2-year degree isn't necessarily enough. In our area guaranteed admission means that you are ready for junior-level classes and ALL of your freshman and sophomore credits are in the right places. That's what you want here for 2+2. Otherwise you'll have to make up the deficiencies at the 4-year, which increases the cost and time involved.

 

4. Most CC's have a lot of need-based from local sources in addition to federal grants, but watch the deadlines. Ours is March 1st.

 

5. There are indeed some community colleges that have full degrees online. Not every state has that, so you may run into out-of-state tuition.

 

Good luck!

Edited by G5052
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THanks for the heads up re CLEP and transfer.

She has no clear 4 year plan. I think working towards the Associates and gaining momentum is important; fine tuning with the possible thought of maybe transferring in several years could be overwhelming

 

Even better then to start with the AA.  I'm having my youngest dd do an AA first because even though she says she has a 4-year plan, I'm a bit worried about follow-through, so I thought better to have something in case the best-laid plans go awry...

 

There would be a highly qualified tutor who would do it for free  :)

 

 

That of course is worth its weight in gold. :D

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1. Make sure that they FULLY understand the transfer agreements. The local CC has transfer counsellors come from the 4-years, and it's a good thing to check in with them every semester. Graduating with the community college requirements and what the 4-year wants can be tricky.

 

2. Watch that any CLEPs taken for community college credit also transfer to the 4-year and what scores the 4-year wants. Most CC's have a longer list of CLEPs than the 4-years, but they still don't do all of them. As an example, you can't take a CLEP for math or English 101/102 at the community college here. You have to take the courses.

 

3. Just having a 2-year degree isn't necessarily enough. In our area guaranteed admission means that you are ready for junior-level classes and ALL of your freshman and sophomore credits are in the right places. That's what you want here for 2+2. Otherwise you'll have to make up the deficiencies at the 4-year, which increases the cost and time involved.

 

 

How does one go about this when she does not know whether, and where, she will attend a 4 year program?

She will very likely relocate in two years, and again a few years later, and should start on her AA here and now. Check out the transfer agreement with the state uni in the town she is probably going to be in two years?

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Not all degrees or colleges require college algebra. At my university, we have 3 options, contemporary math (sort of like living math - but not a remedial consumer math), finite math, and college algebra all count toward general studies. Placement is first done via ACT score, then placement test if their score is not high enough. 

 

Living at home is going to be the biggest cost savings, if that is a possibility. Room and board is more expensive than full time tuition and fees at my school. 

 

Our EFC is 0 and we receive Pell Grants and State funds (this amount varies every year). Ds also received a renewable scholarship as a freshman based upon ACT and GPA, so I would suggest she look into making sure she has a decent transcript. 

 

In our situation, it ended up being cheaper to graduate ds rather than try dual enrollment because we received need-based aid. 

 

Agree on the CLEPs as well. That would be a good way to get a some of general studies out of the way. 

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Random thoughts....

 

A gap year of tutoring might be a good option, if getting SAT/ACT scores in scholarship range is a possibility. (The best scholarships are for first time freshmen.)

 

The FAFSA opens Oct 1st so you could get the EFC and plan application strategy before college apps are turned in, whichever year that turns out to be.

 

A degree usually requires at least 50% of the coursework to be completed at the institution granting the degree. So, 1 year of AP/CLEP/online classes before attending community college for a two year degree. Then when she finds a four year school, she'd need two years of credit from there. And again, the more different places the credits come from, the harder to know for sure everything will be accepted by the four year school.

 

If the homeschooling was inconsistent, the high school records might be incomplete as well. Documenting a transcript or high school record of some sort before things get forgotten would be important for later.

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How does one go about this when she does not know whether, and where, she will attend a 4 year program?

She will very likely relocate in two years, and again a few years later, and should start on her AA here and now. Check out the transfer agreement with the state uni in the town she is probably going to be in two years?

Will these moves likely be within the same state?  

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When I got my A. S. and then transferred to our local 4 year state school they just awarded me 80 hours of credit which wiped out pretty much all of the gen-ed. They even counted the math I took at the CC for the math requirement despite it not meeting the 4 year school's requirements. The only other piece of potentially helpful information I have is that if she could get a job as an RA she might be able to get a free room.

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My first suggestion would be to think in terms of spring or next fall.  Use the next few months to get organized and create a plan.  It will probably lead to better long term outcomes than jumping straight in and floundering.  She could use this semester for SAT/ACT prep/testing and filling in holes in her transcript and researching different career options.

 

I think the perception that CLEPs are easy is pretty false.  My kids have done well on them, but they have taken them after strong courses.  They still didn't call them easy.  Whether or not the ~$130 is cheaper or a waste of $$ compared to a CC courses is an unknown.

 

Has she considered a 2 yr degree program vs. a 4 yr?  My dd has an excellent career as an OTA.  She works full-time with benefits and makes as much as many newly minted 4 yr engineers. Many of the other Allied Health programs don't make as much, but they are still typically good options with high employability.

Edited by 8FillTheHeart
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Is College of the Ozarks in the realms of possibility for cultural fit for her? Because $0 tuition is pretty awesome.

 

Otherwise, I'd point her to a AA degree in a field where she can be hired easily and earn $$,$$$ and have her save to pay off her BA.   Respiratory therapy, dental hygiene, electronics technicians...wherever she thinks she would have a good fit.

 

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She has no clear 4 year plan.

 

This reinforces my belief that she should consider joining the military. It will give her money for college, independent student status so that her parents' income and assets will no longer count against her for financial aid, and she'll have time to figure out what she wants to study.

 

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How does one go about this when she does not know whether, and where, she will attend a 4 year program?

She will very likely relocate in two years, and again a few years later, and should start on her AA here and now. Check out the transfer agreement with the state uni in the town she is probably going to be in two years?

 

Yes, this is a problem that many run into. It can't hurt to look ahead at a few 4-year schools to see what they want. Some are way pickier than others.

 

Sometimes things do become clearer as they go. 

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This reinforces my belief that she should consider joining the military. It will give her money for college, independent student status so that her parents' income and assets will no longer count against her for financial aid, and she'll have time to figure out what she wants to study.

 

Military is not an option.

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Spp why does she want to go to college? There are a number of paths that do NOT require a 4-year degree, and not having any debt is a good thing.

 

If she wants to go into engineering or law, she should definitely work towards a Bachelor's, but if she has no specific plan, maybe she should take a year or two and work and try to figure out her plan!

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Pell grant and uni based scholarships are for full time.

 

Pell grants are for part-time as well.  You just get 50% of the maximum award amount for that year.  Or if you are 3/4 time, you get 75% of the amount.

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If she is interested in CLEPs, take a look at Modern States https://modernstates.org  They have launched a Freshman Year for Free program that provides online study materials and pays for the CLEP exams.  Ds took the government CLEP test last month, and the registrar gave me their information, but we haven't used it yet.

 

It's not free, but Arizona State has an inexpensive, online Global Freshman Academy. https://gfa.asu.edu  The classes are only about $50 to take.  If you pass, you can pay $600 for credit (which is cheap compared to some states).

 

Neither option would give more than a year, but might be a start until she matriculates.  Even if she isn't able to transfer the CLEP credits, learning the material ahead of time will make those classes easier and take the weight off her harder ones.

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One thing you can do is find a convenient CC and make an appointment with a counselor there to ask your questions.  With the caveat that I've heard some horror stories on these boards about incorrect information being given, but at least it might give you a start in understanding articulation and transfer agreements.  These policies can vary by the CC.  Or the competence of the counselor you're speaking with.  

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I haven't read all the replies in case this is mentioned above. We have a friend that joined some organization that helps homeschooler through the process at I believe Thomas Edison to earn credits by exam, clep? She has a bachelors degree in business and only took a few classes online. Apparently this can be done on your own. Maybe you can take the exams and they are transferred in once you are old enough to enroll. 

 

Or a specific plan, borrow the tuition with a payment plan in mind. Here if she was at a state school and became a nurse she could pay off the tuition fairly easily.

 

 

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This site is very helpful for understanding different credit by examination options: Homeschooling for College Credit. 

 

If she's interested in the distance learning route for her AA or BA, Thomas Edison State University is fully accredited and has been around forever.  They accept CLEP, ACE credits, etc.

 

5 Alternative Credit Options That Can Fast Track Your Degree  (esp. #5)

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My two cents....

 

From personal experience I have not found that an AA or AS is of much use at all. I would suggest that she research her CC options and what type of agreements the CC has with state universities. Then I would browse through the CC catalog of courses and programs. Hopefully, something would strike her as intriguing and go from there. She then needs to get the General Education requirements for transfer. They tend to be quite similar for most state schools (at least in our area). Once I have that I would find out which courses I should take to satisfy major requirements. In California, you can go to  http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html type in your CC and then check out the requirements for all the state university and all the majors they offer. Maybe her state has something similar. I would do all of this on my own to prepare AND make an appointment with a counselor at the CC to make sure I am covering all my bases.

 

I have done all this for myself and for our dss. I then made an Excel spread sheet for each person in our case with the courses we need to take scheduled out. Make sure to be careful to cover pre-requisites also. That could add a course here and there.

 

For us it has so far been easier to take a class at the CC rather than to test out. In our case, the CC is very affordable. Maybe this is not the case for her. We would take the Math at the CC. College Algebra is pretty much required for all degrees; there are some were you can get away with statistics instead.

 

As far as the moving is concerned: Maybe she can finish her transfer schedule in two years in the same area and choose a university were she may be moving to; and use their transfer requirements to start. If things change she may just need to change a few things. If the move is within the same state she should be okay; if she moves out of state all bets are off. LOL

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I'd consider where she is living now in this plan. If she pursues college while living with family who are unsupportive, will they become more unsupportive.

 

Part of the plan for her education might need to be a safe living arrangement she can afford, along with a job that helps with tuition like Starbucks.

 

Academically I think I'd spend a year bringing the math up and taking one other class that could be put toward gen ed credits (English, history, psych, anything that might be interesting). I might encourage some noncredit classes that go toward an employment cert like Microsoft office skills.

 

I'd add doing some career exploration, whatever is available free. There are some books at the library that have quizzes to start out. This can help her focus on a career path.

 

I know someone who got their degree from Thomas Edison before it was online. I think 20 years ago. The school accepted this person's credits from a performing arts program and she self studied and tested out of classes over the course of a couple years. I forget what her degree is in. The main thing was she was stuck personally. She could not get a promotion or apply for better jobs even though she was doing the same work as other people. She needed a BA in anything. Thomas Edison helped her achieve that quickly.

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If she goes with some CLEP tests, I would ease her into them by starting with those where she is most confident in the subject matter. One of my homeschooling mom friends decided her daughter should take the math CLEP *first* since her dd hated math so much. Thought it would be best to get it out of the way. It was completely deflating to her daughter when she did not pass it, and she lost a lot of confidence about moving forward at all. Obviously the exceptional tutor (kudos to you for your willingness to help this young women in this way and in assisting with her college planning - very kind and generous of you, regentrude) will be able assess her readiness. :)

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My edited out response above was to recommend the military, but I see now that this isn't an option.

 

My niece was in a predicament similar to this girl. Her parents divorced, mom had NO extra money to help her, and dad refused to help her. She ended up starting at the community college part-time while working full-time. Eventually she transferred to a branch state college, again going part-time while working full-time. It took her seven years to do it and roughly $10,000 in student debt, but she did end up getting her degree. She persevered, and it was a bit demoralizing when her friends graduated in four years and she had to keep going, but she did it. (And now she's married and expecting her first baby any minute! Whoop!)

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As a counselor for this student I would step back and:

1)  Discuss interests and career options

2)  try to determine different paths such as CC and 4 year etc to achieve 1)

3)  look at costs for each pathway 

 

================================

opinion:

I am currently not a big fan of "check the box" degrees from alternative colleges such as Thomas Edison State - do these folks get desired jobs or just end up at Starbucks anyways

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One thing you can do is find a convenient CC and make an appointment with a counselor there to ask your questions.  With the caveat that I've heard some horror stories on these boards about incorrect information being given, but at least it might give you a start in understanding articulation and transfer agreements.  These policies can vary by the CC.  Or the competence of the counselor you're speaking with.  

I like this idea except that I would figure most of it upfront and then go in with very specific questions such as if you get an AA degree with CLEP, etc can I transfer to state U as a full Junior.

 

not yet mentioned in this thread but ACE are the riskiest credits:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/654494-straighter-line-college-courses-online/

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As a counselor for this student I would step back and:

1) Discuss interests and career options

2) try to determine different paths such as CC and 4 year etc to achieve 1)

3) look at costs for each pathway

 

================================

opinion:

I am currently not a big fan of "check the box" degrees from alternative colleges such as Thomas Edison State - do these folks get desired jobs or just end up at Starbucks anyways

I tend to agree with this opinion. Perhpas the view of these online degrees may change over the next 10-15 years, but for now, I think many people in the position to hire will likely view such degrees with some skepticism. People tend to be most comfortable with that which they are most familiar. Those up the food chain in management positions may not have a high degree of confidence in on-line degrees. Especially if obtained online in their totality (or close to it). However, this is speculative on my part.

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I agree with those who have said "slow down" and "step back."  You said this gal is intelligent and I believe you know what you're talking about.  Has she "graduated" yet or not?  (I might have missed it if you said it - if so, sorry.)

 

I'd take the year and have her do whatever remediation is needed for a good SAT/ACT score (and any other gaps) while probably working at whatever job she can find.  I'd also have her shadowing professions she think might interest her and visiting local colleges and/or trade schools based upon those interests.  I'd do a college search (including community colleges) the plain old fashioned slow way we'd do it for any of our own kids - hopefully letting her build her own excitement for going and an idea of what she'd want to study.

 

With a good SAT/ACT score, more schools open up for need-based students.  Many states are good with aid.  Many top privates are good with aid too.

 

I would NOT head CLEP or Edison unless the student was incapable of doing otherwise.  I might use CLEP later if it worked out with the well developed plan.  I just wouldn't aim that way before seeing what she was capable of.  I know a couple of families that went the Edison route, but it didn't lead to decent jobs... that's only incidental data, of course, but it's turned me off from that route for replacing any "typical" college experience (4 year or 2+2).

Edited by creekland
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I've always admired the University of London Distance program. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/

 

For the right motivated, self-directed student, you can get an entire BA for less than $10,000 (exact costs vary by major). From an absolute top tier school. But it's entirely based on passing final exams, so you would need someone who tests well.

 

Not for everyone, but so cool.

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I tend to agree with this opinion. Perhpas the view of these online degrees may change over the next 10-15 years, but for now, I think many people in the position to hire will likely view such degrees with some skepticism. People tend to be most comfortable with that which they are most familiar. Those up the food chain in management positions may not have a high degree of confidence in on-line degrees. Especially if obtained online in their totality (or close to it). However, this is speculative on my part.

 

Yes, there is some of that. If it's an employer that wants "a degree, any degree," then it's fine. If they care where the degree is from, some online schools may be a problem.

 

I teach online for a community college. Our graduates don't have any problem because we are a bricks-and-mortar school with a large online component. There is considerable course development and analysis effort to make sure that online is the same as face-to-face in terms of content. And the transcripts and diplomas say nothing about what was taken online and what was not. At least regionally, we are very much a "name brand" among employers.

 

In my field (web design), I can tell you that our 2-year graduates do much, much better than Strayer's 2-year graduates with local employers. We also have transfer agreements and guaranteed admission agreements with over two dozen 4-year schools. Strayer has none.

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I've always admired the University of London Distance program. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/

 

For the right motivated, self-directed student, you can get an entire BA for less than $10,000 (exact costs vary by major). From an absolute top tier school. But it's entirely based on passing final exams, so you would need someone who tests well.

 

Not for everyone, but so cool.

Can you get student loans for programs like this?

 

10K is still a lot of money.

 

hmm

http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/goldsmiths/bsc-computing-information-systems-bsc-diploma-work-entry-route

 

12 courses equals BSc ??  Did I mis-read something.

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I'd talk to the Community College. There's a really good chance that she could get enough financial aid to cover it, and the CC will have a lot more services and support than CLEP will, unless you're volunteering yourself to tutor, and tutor a lot. I am not in favor of "just prep the ACT/SAT" for a kid who has major gaps because they're likely to struggle later on, and at least in my state system, the CC offers a great deal of support for enrolled students at no additional charge. It would be possible here to enroll in one class at the CC, and then do tutoring free of charge through the CC for other areas. The State U offers far less.

 

And at least in my state, state colleges (and many private and out of state colleges) accept most classes at the CC (and ones they do not are labeled "Not intended for transfer"-mostly vocational courses) as long as the student has a C or better. Each school has their own list of CLEPs and qualifying scores, and it is very possible to CLEP a class for an AA, but then not have it accepted for a BA or BS-even though there was an articulation agreement that covered that course if it had been taken at the CC.

 

 

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I agree with those who have said "slow down" and "step back."  You said this gal is intelligent and I believe you know what you're talking about.  Has she "graduated" yet or not?  (I might have missed it if you said it - if so, sorry.)

 

I'd take the year and have her do whatever remediation is needed for a good SAT/ACT score (and any other gaps) while probably working at whatever job she can find.  I'd also have her shadowing professions she think might interest her and visiting local colleges and/or trade schools based upon those interests.  I'd do a college search (including community colleges) the plain old fashioned slow way we'd do it for any of our own kids - hopefully letting her build her own excitement for going and an idea of what she'd want to study.

 

With a good SAT/ACT score, more schools open up for need-based students.  Many states are good with aid.  Many top privates are good with aid too.

 

She has graduated and has already been working for at least a year. She wants to stay local and move to the city in two years, so no nation wide college search.

She has taken 1 or 2 college classes since she graduated homeschool. 

 

ETA: I am not sure what peope mean by "slow down" and "step back" I am not insinuating myself into the situation. The student has approached me through a friend, asking my help to find out about online college offerings. She seems frustrated with her situation.

Edited by regentrude
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As a counselor for this student I would step back and:

1) Discuss interests and career options

2) try to determine different paths such as CC and 4 year etc to achieve 1)

3) look at costs for each pathway

 

================================

opinion:

I am currently not a big fan of "check the box" degrees from alternative colleges such as Thomas Edison State - do these folks get desired jobs or just end up at Starbucks anyways

Yes. If you read my post the person I talked about got a degree to say she had one. It made all the difference in the trajectory of her career. Doors were just plain shut despite all the skills she had. Many jobs do not require the skills of a degree, but many companies will not interview promote, or hire without that box checked.

 

Since getting that degree she was given a promotion, which gave her a title she could never have had, she has been able to get other jobs of higher level importance in other companies and generally moved up, while further building her resume. This would not have been possible without checking the box, despite the fact the skills she used in the job were skills she had before the degree.

 

I would not discount having the piece of paper. If you can get that piece of paper relatively debt free it can be good security long term.

Edited by Diana P.
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