When it comes to earning a degree, getting started is half the battle. The idea of spending four solid years working toward a bachelor’s degree can be pretty daunting. That’s especially true if you don’t go to college immediately after graduating from high school. As a working adult, it’s easy to assume that a college degree just isn’t in the cards for you anymore. However, you might already have a head start on earning that degree without even realizing it. Previously earned college credits are often transferable, and there are many non-traditional ways to acquire a significant number of credits before enrolling in a single course.
Why Start from Scratch?
Whether you just graduated from high school or have been in the workforce for several years, you don’t necessarily have to start from scratch when earning a degree. Every little bit helps, so it’s in your best interests to explore the many different ways in which you can earn credit toward a degree before stepping foot in a classroom or enrolling in a single online course. By starting college with at least a few credits under your belt, your journey will be that much easier, and the process will seem a lot less daunting.
Make the Most of Previously Earned Credits
If it’s been a while since you earned college credits, you probably think that you need to just start all over again. In years past, digging up those old credits and making use of them was decidedly difficult. Many colleges and universities made little or no effort to accept transfer students, and it was often easier to just give up than to try having old credits transferred to a new school. Fortunately, things have changed.
For a long time, information about college transfer rates wasn’t readily available. That’s changed a lot thanks to the Common Data Set, which asks a series of core questions of colleges and universities around the country to arrive at clear information regarding many topics. It’s fairly easy now to find reasonably clear information about transfer acceptance rates for various schools. By making sure that the school you’d like to attend has transfer friendly policies, you can make the most of credits you’ve earned in the past.
Various complications can make it seem like there’s no chance of having previously earned credits transferred to a new school. Whether it’s been many years since you earned those credits or if you’ll be attending school in a new state, you may think it’s a lost cause. It doesn’t have to be that way. Some schools have limited openings for transfer students, but Ashford.edu is an exception. What’s even better is that you can work on your degree online while holding down a full-time job. By transferring your previously earned credits, you’ll already be well on your way to earning your degree when you enroll.
Explore Non-Traditional Ways to Earn College Credit
Even if you’ve never taken a single college course in your life, you could have experience or skills that translate into credit for school. There are all kinds of ways in which previous experience can be applied toward a college degree. The problem is that these opportunities aren’t often pointed out to aspiring students.
Did you ever take an Advanced Placement, or AP, class in high school? Assuming you took the exam, there’s a good chance that you earned at least a few college credits. Even if you earned them years ago, they should still count for something. Similarly, you may be sitting on some college credits if you completed an International Baccalaureate, or IB, program. People often overlook these kinds of things and end up paying for credits that they’ve technically already earned. Finding out is usually as simple as contacting your high school and obtaining your transcripts.
Perhaps you’ve been holding off on pursuing your degree due to financial concerns. That’s completely understandable, but there are things you can do right now to earn credits more affordably. The best example is the College Level Examination Program, or CLEP. Currently, there are 33 exams that can be taken to earn college credit. Each exam can earn you anywhere from three to 12 credits. It currently costs $80 to take a CLEP exam, and that is far less expensive than paying to earn those credits at a college or university. The exams cover subjects that are considered to be prerequisites at most schools. By earning these credits before enrolling in college, you can skip past the basic requirements and hit the ground running upon starting school. The best part of all is that there are free courses online that prepare you for these exams. You can also check out books from the local library to prepare.
Put Your Prior Work and Life Experience to Work for You
Have you ever served in the military, or have you worked in the same industry for a while? There are ways to apply these and other experiences toward a college degree as well. Examples include:
Joint Services Transcript – If you served in the military, your transcript can be assessed to see whether or not you qualify for college credits.
ACE – The American Council on Education can evaluate your training and experience to see if it can take the place of certain college courses.
DSST – The DANTES Subject Standardized Test, or DSST, tests your knowledge in your field of study. Depending on your score, you may be granted college credits that can be used toward earning your degree.
NCCRS – The National College Credit Recommendation Service – If you’ve ever taken training programs outside of a traditional classroom, this organization can evaluate them to see if they can be translated into college credits.
Earning a degree while juggling day-to-day responsibilities could be easier than you think. You may even be well on your way without realizing it. Transferring previously earned college credits and/or qualifying for credits earned through non-traditional methods could make joining an online institute like Ashford.edu worth considering. The sooner you take the step to enrolling, the sooner you can get the higher education you need and deserve.
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