OhioMomof3 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 I just read a post where someone said if a student was going into medical school, he/she should not do any CLEP or online classes. I'm wondering if this comment was in reference to science and math classes or to all courses. Since my daughter is considering a field in healthcare and was planning on taking a few CLEP tests and online classes for her non-STEM general ed. classes (history, government, english), I am now wondering if we should reevaluate our long-range plans. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 The best thing you can do is check out the university's policies on CLEP, esp. the specific pre-med program the student would be going into. The school will be able to tell which, if any, CLEPs they accept -- and also be able to tell you that they may accept some CLEPs, but may prefer pre-med students to not take CLEPs. The specific program may even have preferences about online classes vs. in-person classes, as well, so it's a good idea to check out ALL the policies relating to: 1. admission to the specific school 2. participation in the school's specific pre-med program BEST of luck! Warmest regards, Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I think the issue has to do with science pre-reqs rather than general ed courses. When I looked into direct-entry M.S.N. programs, I asked the question about using GRE subject tests to validate science courses on my transcript more than 7 years old and got told that I couldn't. :glare: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 Thanks, Lori D. and Crimson Wife. I think we'll stay with the current plan. When DD decides on possible universities, we will ask about their CLEP and online course/DE policies. If anyone else has any information or advice about this, I'm all ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 ...When DD decides on possible universities, we will ask about their CLEP and online course/DE policies... The one tricky bit about waiting on CLEP is that some schools have early spring deadlines as to how close to the start of the college freshman year they will accept CLEPS -- some have deadlines as far back as in March/April/May of the student's 12th grade year, so that knocks out a student's ability to CLEP in the summer between high school and college, and have it count. That means having to shift to earlier CLEPing, in 10th and 11th grades and the fall semester of 12th grade, which can end up being tricky when also juggling PSAT, ACT/SAT, or possible SAT Subject or AP testing… sigh... So the earlier your student can come up with that list of possible universities, the sooner you'll know what your options -- and limitations -- are. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 In general, CLEP credits in non-major classes seem to fly fine, as long as the college accepts them. One of mine did most of his humanities credits via CLEP and AP and was able to move more quickly into his major classes and will have time for a few electives in his major. His school will let you take CLEP's at any time. YMMV. I'm an online college professor, and there's never been an issue that I'm aware of with the online credits at the schools I've worked for. You're probably right to stick to face-to-face classes for major subjects though. They're not identified as online on the transcript, and if it's a solid online program, you should be fine. I started teaching online with a community college who basically let the professors do what they wanted within very general parameters. Some of the courses there were very good, and some were not. Now I work for one of the largest online community colleges in the U.S., and the quality is much more consistent with many controls to make sure that things are handled in an organized and consistent manner. It's not perfect, but there's a difference. I'll note too that if you do a 2+2 program (community college then 4-year), you really have to watch the CLEP credits. One of my oldest's friends thought that he was lined up for a seamless guaranteed admit, and he's now stuck on a waiting list for his engineering program because of differences between the way the two schools handled CLEP and AP credit. At least in my state, being in the 2+2 program is not a barrier at all to medical school as long as you pick a top-rated 4-year. I know of a number who did that and had no problem with admission to "upper middle" public medical schools. It helps that a number of the 4-years who are in the 2+2 track are nationally ranked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 Thanks again, Lori D. Right now, DD is planning on a total of 3 non-STEM CLEPs, all taken at the end of 9th grade or sometime during 10th grade. She is also planning on taking 2 online courses during 9th grade. Beginning in 10th grade, DD is planning on taking on-campus DE courses at a local university. I think my DD will want to stay in state and pretty close to home after high school, which helps us narrow down her possible choices for an end college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 G5052, We were typing at the same time. Your post was helpful to me. Thank you! When I was thinking about the comment "no CLEPS or online courses," I did wonder how the end college would know a course was online (since it wouldn't be noted on the transcript). However, I was figuring that info. could be in the course description. Is there a certain site or resource that you've come to depend on for accurate rankimgs of schools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 G5052, We were typing at the same time. Your post was helpful to me. Thank you! When I was thinking about the comment "no CLEPS or online courses," I did wonder how the end college would know a course was online (since it wouldn't be noted on the transcript). However, I was figuring that info. could be in the course description. Is there a certain site or resource that you've come to depend on for accurate rankimgs of schools? At least for the colleges I've worked for, there's nothing in the transcript. My kids and I have both don't have anything at all showing online. Colleges who are very serious about online education will implement at maintain the Quality Matters standards. One college I worked for paid the fee but didn't do more than that. The other is full-bore on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 I'm doing my 2nd bachelor's through the distance ed program of an accredited public university. Nothing on my transcript indicates that I've completed the courses online rather than on-campus. Any exam that is not open-book (most) requires proctoring (I just took one this morning). The on-campus master's degree accepts a number of the graduates of the online bachelor's program each year so the department really tries hard to make the online and on-campus courses equivalent. Now if we're talking one of the for-profit colleges with a reputation for being a "diploma mill", then I'd definitely avoid those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Thanks, Crimson Wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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