Doing College Your Way

You can get a jump start on college-- starting right now!

Of the many ways you can earn credit non-traditionally, these are my favorites:

• College-level exams: This is one of my favorite options-- I earned 45 credits toward my BA by taking tests. It's exciting to spend three hours taking two exams, and end up with 12 college credits for the effort! Exams such as CLEP and DANTES are just about the cheapest and quickest way to earn credit. In 90 minutes, you can earn 3-6 credits for less than $80. Tests are available for many of the core courses required for an associate's or bachelor's degree. Read the articles listed on the left to find out more about how testing can bring you closer to your degree. You'll find more information on CLEP, AP, and SAT II exams at College Board, and information about DANTES exams at the Thompson-Prometric site.

• Take classes: Many colleges and universities offer classes in online, correspondence, or video format. Some require an initial orientation meeting, but many require no attendance on campus at all. Just as in traditional college attendance, in-state tuition rates are cheaper than out-of-state, and you must carry a minimum number of credits in order to qualify for financial aid. You may also be able to squeeze in a night or weekend class at a local college, and transfer the credit to the degree program you've chosen. Some colleges, like Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, offer special programs that admit students as young as 13, as well as an outstanding, flexible adult degree program. Be sure the college you choose is fully accredited before you enroll.

• Don't forget your local community college! One of the cheapest and easiest ways to take classes is to enroll in a nearby community college or junior college (a two-year institution that grants Associate's degrees and certificates). It's like college with training wheels-- most of the students are commuters, many are first-generation college students, and classes are often designed to bring students up to speed so they can transfer to a four-year college if they wish. I've heard of students as young as 10 years old being admitted, but it's not always easy. I enrolled two of my sons when they were 15 and 16, and it was a very positive experience for them. They both completed Associate's degrees, then transferred to four-year schools for their Bachelor's.

• Create a portfolio documenting college level work that you've acquired on your own. Most adults have accumulated quite a lot of knowledge through reading, work experience, and pursuit of personal interests, and many colleges will grant credit for this. The college will usually provide specific guidelines for what to include in a portfolio and how to format the information. I earned six credits toward my BA using a portfolio.

• Enroll in an Online Degree Program-- there are many to choose from. There are several resources you can use to research online degree programs. One online resource is Direct Degree, a leading directory of online schools and distance learning programs. You can search this directory by the degree, curriculum, or college, and you can request as many catalogs as you like. A college catalog is an excellent source of information about college policies and programs, and I highly recommend reading through several to find the degree program that is right for you. You can also visit Penn Foster Career School to earn your degree at home.

• Be a picky consumer! When I was researching possible schools where I could earn my BA in English, I requested catalogs from more than a dozen schools. Reading through them helped me choose the college that offered an English program with many classes in the areas I found most interesting. Many colleges offered an English major, but some of them focused on literary criticism, others focused on creative writing, and others focused on a particular literary style or school. As I looked through each catalog, I marked classes I thought I'd like to take. The college that offered the most irresistable selection of classes was the school at which I ultimately earned my degree.

• Other things non-traditional students need to know when choosing a college:

  Find out if the school you are considering is accredited, traditional not-for-profit or non-traditional for profit, whether federal financial aid is available, and so forth. Knowledge is important!

  • Accreditation: An accredited school has gone through a sorting process to ensure that the education it provides is of excellent quality. The US Department of Education offers extensive information on the accreditation process, official accrediting bodies, and everything else you need to know.

    • Why is it important that you take classes from accredited schools? Because credit from unaccredited schools usually does not transfer to other colleges, and often, a degree from an unaccredited school is worth very little. (There are exceptions, of course. A few very good schools such as Hillsdale College have chosen not to seek accreditation in order to maintain educational independence. Most of the time, though, it's better to stick with an accredited school.)

  • Not-for-profit (traditional school): Schools with programs for non-traditional students can be found through online directories such as Peterson's Best College Deals, Direct Degree, or FreeDegreeInfo.com. These schools are often focused on 18-22 year-old students, so you need to make sure they offer advising and other services for older or younger students. Some of these search services work with a limited number of schools, while others are are more general.
  • For-profit school (non-traditional, adult-oriented schools such as Capella University): These schools very often have a minimum age requirement, so they are most suitable for adult students. Many of these schools accomodate older students with evening classes, weekend classes, or other arrangements. The downside is that they don't necessarily have the 'prestige factor' that accompanies a more traditional degree. Some of these schools, such as Corinthian College, offer intensely focused career training, rather than a liberal arts-based degree. This can be a huge advantage for the student who is more career-oriented than academically focused. You can read more about Corinthian College's hands-on training in a variety of career fields at a campus near you by clicking on the link and requesting an information packet on their medical, legal, and business degrees.
  • Availabilty of financial aid
  • Quality and number of classes available in your major
  • Types of classes available
    • Online classes
    • Traditional classroom
    • Small study group
    • Video- or audio-taped classes
  • What type of transfer credit is accepted?
    • Credit from previous college experience
    • Exam credits (CLEP, DANTES, AP, SAT II, GRE, Excelsior, etc.)
      • Practice Makes Perfect! Visit Peterson's for all your test prep needs. Courses, Practice Tests, and More!
    • Portfolio credit, Life Experience Credit
    • Continuing Education Units (CEU's)

  
  Remember- Get a Jump Start on College will walk you step-by-step through the process. Get your copy now!

  New! College Search Added!

  The college list had grown way too long, so I thought there should be a better way to find colleges to consider. I've found links to some very specific college search tools (see the left navigation bar). You can search for colleges by state, degree, program, and much more. You can even search for online or Canadian colleges only! As always, I suggest that you request information from each school that interests you, so that you can fill out the College Comparison Sheets in Get a Jump Start on College! and find schools that really meet your needs.

  Another tool I've added is a link to a very helpful Career Assessment Test. If you're not sure what you want to be when you grow up, or if you're thinking of changing careers after you've worked a few years, it's a good idea to take a free assessment test. There are more detailed tests that you can pay for, but often, the basic free test will give you an idea of your aptitudes and interests. It's very helpful to see all the career suggestions presented at the end of the test!

  The final tool that I've added is a link to a scholarship search. If you are even thinking about going to college, go right now to the scholarship search page and fill out the profile. You can start reading about the scholarships available to you. I think you'll be amazed at how many are available! If you need any encouragement to believe that college is possible, this may be exactly what you need. Scholarships are available for just about anyone in the world-- you just need to find them (by using the scholarship search and by asking at the financial aid office of your college), and take the time to apply. Do it!

  To Know Before You Go:

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  • College level learning is different in scope and depth from high-school level learning - you learn to ask "Why?" instead of "What?".
  • The key to unraveling any subject is to learn its vocabulary.
  • Maintaining a reading log and a study journal is a good way to track your progress and provide confirmation of learning for a future portfolio. It's also a great way to remember books you really enjoyed! I provide a Reading Log form in Transcripts Made Easy, plus instructions for how to show collge-level learning on a high school diploma. You can order your copy of Transcripts Made Easy today by clicking here!

  You will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did.

  Dream... Discover... Do...

  Mark Twain

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