How to Get a Degree Fast
From Thomas Nixon
Ask a twenty-year-old college student if they want to stay in college forever, the answer can be a resounding, "Yes", (perhaps with an optional "dude" thrown in). Ask a forty-year-old how long they want to stay in college and most respond that they want to finish yesterday.
Different points in life. Different priorities. Most folks of a certain age are earning the bachelor's degree at this "late" date in order to enhance their careers.
Earning a degree quickly is easy. Anyone can do it. The problem is whether you should. If you are eighteen, there seems little reason to hurry life. It will come rushing at you soon enough. However, if you are thirty-four and know that you need that sheepskin to get your next promotion, there are ways to speed up the process.
It is possible to start from scratch and earn a bachelor's degree in less than a year, in some cases, much less than a year.
Part of this will depend on how good a test-taker you are and how much time you have to invest in making this happen. The other factor is how many units that you already possess.
The first thing that you must do is choose a college that accepts unlimited credit, allows portfolio assessment, and gives credit for the numerous testing options. The following three universities, all offer something that is exceedingly rare:
· Thomas Edison State College (New Jersey) http://www.tesc.edu/
· Excelsior College (New York) http://www.excelsior.edu/
· Charter Oak State College (Connecticut) http://www.cosc.edu
They have no minimum residency requirements and you do not have to take any classes with them in order to graduate. Graduation can occur through a combination of: 1) portfolio assessment; 2) examination; and 3) any units that you may already have.
Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessments provide you with the opportunity to prove that you already possess certain knowledge. Caveat: having a job does not prove anything. Any school that says that they will give you academic credit because you've been performing a certain job for x number of years is almost certainly a diploma mill. Portfolios do not show time, but rather ability, however you may have learned it.
For example, do you play the guitar? If you can prove that you play the guitar to a standard achieved after taking a guitar course at the university level (of which there are plenty), that skill could net you an easy three units.
Distance learning expert Dr. Steve Levicoff earned his bachelor's degree at Thomas Edison State College. He amassed an astonishing ninety-eight college credits using portfolio assessment. Since the average college degree is about one hundred twenty units, this gives you some idea of the possibilities. He was able to prove knowledge in such diverse areas as "Folk Music in the United States," "Advanced Radio Production," and "Society & Sexual Variations."
Some evidence that you can use to prove knowledge includes earning professional certificates and licenses, speaking a foreign language (other than English), or writing a book or series of articles.
To be continued...
Get Credit for Knowledge & Experience
Ask a twenty-year-old college student if they want to stay in college forever, the answer can be a resounding, "Yes", (perhaps with an optional "dude" thrown in). Ask a forty-year-old how long they want to stay in college and most respond that they want to finish yesterday.
Different points in life. Different priorities. Most folks of a certain age are earning the bachelor's degree at this "late" date in order to enhance their careers.
Earning a degree quickly is easy. Anyone can do it. The problem is whether you should. If you are eighteen, there seems little reason to hurry life. It will come rushing at you soon enough. However, if you are thirty-four and know that you need that sheepskin to get your next promotion, there are ways to speed up the process.
It is possible to start from scratch and earn a bachelor's degree in less than a year, in some cases, much less than a year.
Part of this will depend on how good a test-taker you are and how much time you have to invest in making this happen. The other factor is how many units that you already possess.
The first thing that you must do is choose a college that accepts unlimited credit, allows portfolio assessment, and gives credit for the numerous testing options. The following three universities, all offer something that is exceedingly rare:
· Thomas Edison State College (New Jersey) http://www.tesc.edu/
· Excelsior College (New York) http://www.excelsior.edu/
· Charter Oak State College (Connecticut) http://www.cosc.edu
They have no minimum residency requirements and you do not have to take any classes with them in order to graduate. Graduation can occur through a combination of: 1) portfolio assessment; 2) examination; and 3) any units that you may already have.
Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessments provide you with the opportunity to prove that you already possess certain knowledge. Caveat: having a job does not prove anything. Any school that says that they will give you academic credit because you've been performing a certain job for x number of years is almost certainly a diploma mill. Portfolios do not show time, but rather ability, however you may have learned it.
For example, do you play the guitar? If you can prove that you play the guitar to a standard achieved after taking a guitar course at the university level (of which there are plenty), that skill could net you an easy three units.
Distance learning expert Dr. Steve Levicoff earned his bachelor's degree at Thomas Edison State College. He amassed an astonishing ninety-eight college credits using portfolio assessment. Since the average college degree is about one hundred twenty units, this gives you some idea of the possibilities. He was able to prove knowledge in such diverse areas as "Folk Music in the United States," "Advanced Radio Production," and "Society & Sexual Variations."
Some evidence that you can use to prove knowledge includes earning professional certificates and licenses, speaking a foreign language (other than English), or writing a book or series of articles.
To be continued...
posted by Jared Wash at 9:19 PM
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