CollegePlus grads--Help please

[AThornquist]

If you are a graduate of CollegePlus or are currently going through the program, I could really use your help.

I am currently saving so that I could enter the program but I have a few questions:
1) How much money do I need before I can start CollegePlus and spread out my payments? (Although tuition at TESC will probably cost a bit more $$ than CollegePlus once I get to that step, right?)
2) Do you have the recommended study resources recorded anywhere? I was wondering if you could tell me what I need to know to study and take some of my CLEPs before I have enough money to fully start CollegePlus. I have some free time but I have serious hesitations about the community college classes around here; thus, I really want to start studying for my CLEPs (and taking them!).
And I already know where testing facilities are for the CLEPs. Only about a 2 hour drive from here...

Thank you very much.

-----Added 1/8/2009 at 10:33:37 EST-----

**bump**

Puh-lease? CalvinistCowboy? Others?

 

[Calvinist Cowboy]

sent you a PM

 

[matt01]

I have some free time but I have serious hesitations about the community college classes around here; thus, I really want to start studying for my CLEPs (and taking them!).

What is wrong with the community college? If you have the time to take actual courses, you should go for it. Memorizing answers to the CLEP tests is going to be of almost no value.

 

[Calvinist Cowboy]

I am not sure about the answer to question number 1, but tuition for TESC costs $6,520 on the comprehensive tuition plan. The only thing is, this limits you to only 36 credits per year (which you can easily exceed if you CLEP your first year or two in six months time). I went with the Enrolled Options plan. It actually saves you money if you are determined to get your degree done with quickly. It's only $2,445 per year, with additional fees for courses taken directly from TESC and for TECEPs (their exam program). If you go this route, you want to take as much as you can elsewhere, like a community college, and you want to take as many CLEPs and DANTES as you can. That way, you don't have to pay top dollar for TESC courses.

In regard to question 2, borrow a copy of the most recent (19th ed.) OFFICIAL CLEP study guide from your local library. There are practice tests inside that give you an idea of the difficulty of the exams. I would try a CLEP like English Literature or Western Civilization I or II first, cause those are easy ones (at least for me they were easy) and can qualify as electives or humanities credits. If on your first try you totally master a CLEP in the study guide, take the related CLEP at your testing location. For a more difficult test (Natural Sciences), you have to have a good grounding in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. I know homeschoolers will hate me, but Saxon does a good job of preparing you for the Physics portion. Chemistry and Biology I took from Apologia, and they did a pretty good job. So, if you don't do well when you try a test in the study guide, do some research at your library and on the web to get as broad an understanding as possible on that subject. Then try the test in the study guide again. If you do well, take the test. If not, move on and come back to that one later.

Dude, a two-hour drive to take a CLEP is LONG! You spend more time driving there than actually taking the test!

-----Added 1/9/2009 at 01:22:38 EST-----

I agree, community college courses, though usually not the best for group projects, give you a good idea of what is out there in "the real world". I know that my comm. college courses opened my eyes.