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I could see credits for certain classes here and there if there is an honest real world replacement. However, getting too many credits without the class negates a large part of the college experience.
The whole college/university educational system is flawed, from professors that don't teach and leaving it up to assistants that are no good, openly biased teachers that only grade according to their personal philosophy, to those who can't communicate in english, the graduate requirements that change midstream forcing one to take an extra year, skyrocketing tuition that outpaces inflation and costs of living increases, and so on.
The game has changed long ago and it's best to keep up with it.
I could see credits for certain classes here and there if there is an honest real world replacement. However, getting too many credits without the class negates a large part of the college experience.
Is the college experience really that important? These types of programs tend to be marketed to adult learners who couldn't care less about the college experience.
It's odd how people don't have a problem with AP and IB exams, but have a problem with other alternative sources of credit. CLEP, DSST, and other challenge exams are the same, except that the people who take these are more likely to study for them on their own. Still, it's possible for adults to sit for an AP exam if they can find a high school that will let them.
I don't know if things have changed or not, but when I took AP classes many years ago, the credit given was not actual college credit. It was just an exemption from the requirement of taking the class. I didn't get any actual credits on my college transcript for anything.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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College is supposed to prepare you for life (in a completely artificial environment, btw). If you've already done what college preps you for, then what's wrong with getting an accredited school to verify it for you?
I have a degree from a well-known, public, brick & mortar, well-respected, accredited school. My credits were from college classes, clep, and life experience.
My life experience credits were incredibly hard to substantiate as I had to put together a portfolio that proved 1)college-level learning, 2)cross-referenced it to a course currently being offered by the college, 3) find college-level textbooks that matched the skills I said I'd learned in real life and 3) prove that that (the college course I cross-referenced) fit into my degree plan. The portfolio was more work than some of my actual classes, but it saved me money. I stand by every single credit I earned through work/life experience.
Incidentally, none of my transcripts will indicate how I got the credits.
I'd like to add that I've had some really, really bad professors and courses that were a total waste of time.
I don't know if things have changed or not, but when I took AP classes many years ago, the credit given was not actual college credit. It was just an exemption from the requirement of taking the class. I didn't get any actual credits on my college transcript for anything.
Most people get credit for AP exams; that's why the College Board spends money on ACE evaluations. SAT Subject Tests, on the other hand, usually lead to advanced standing.
When I get an application with one of these "degrees" listed, it is immediately disqualified. People using these on their resumes are hurting themselves more than if they relied solely on their experience.
The business and corporate world consider those to not be universities, but diploma mills, and they would rather have someone without one than one with one.
When I get an application with one of these "degrees" listed, it is immediately disqualified. People using these on their resumes are hurting themselves more than if they relied solely on their experience.
I'm pretty sure that you can't tell when you see these degrees unless you're talking about unaccredited schools. If you're talking about colleges with regional accreditation that accept CLEP and other non-traditional forms of earning credit, then that would include most colleges and universities in the country.
It's disturbing how many people do get jobs with degrees from diploma mills (unaccredited colleges that require little to no work). HR departments see a university name that sounds legit and don't even bother to verify accreditation in many cases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
The business and corporate world consider those to not be universities, but diploma mills, and they would rather have someone without one than one with one.
They won't get you a decent job.
Two of the three most flexible colleges for accepting CLEP, DSST, PLA, and ACE credits are state colleges. Most employers just see them as little-known state colleges. They have no idea how the degree was earned. Even if they did know about the flexibility of these colleges, most of the students who attend them complete most of their degrees with coursework rather than tests or PLAs. Technically, only unaccredited schools can be diploma mills.
I could see credits for certain classes here and there if there is an honest real world replacement. However, getting too many credits without the class negates a large part of the college experience.
You mean heavy drinking and promiscuous coeds? I don't think you get credits for those. Not at the academic level anyway.
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