Excelsior or Charter Oak?

[Inteljustice]

I'd like my major to be a bachelor of science in criminal justice. I want to test out 80-90% of the degree so I can graduate by Dec. 07. My first 2 clep exams are going to be principles of management and intro psychology. Who do you feel has the upper hand, excelsior or charter oak? I'm leaning towards excelsior since they will allow majors rather than concentrations. I want to be a probation/parole officer, so I feel having a major in C.J. would further me faster than having a major in liberal arts or general studies. Do you feel in terms of college names, that one that's called state versus just _________ college offers up more credibility or attractibility in terms of employment?
Best Regards

[Old Rusty Pipe]

In terms of name, I would say that Charter Oak State College is preferable to Excelsior College. As far as degrees go, a B.S. in Criminal Justice appears better than a B.S. in General Education with a concentration in Criminal Justice.

But this is just speaking of nomenculture. Its not anything I wouldn't think you could easily work around at any interview. In your resume I assume you'd mention the concentration in Criminal Justice.

Another thing to consider, do you plan on getting a Master's degree in Criminal Justice? If so then it probably doesn't matter which one you have. Both will get you into a graduate school for Criminal Justice. In that case, a Master will override whatever kind of B.S. you have.

I've researched a little into Excelsior and Charter Oak, but I go to neither. I'm attending Saint Leo University and was just curious about the "Big 3." I'm sure others on the forum can more adequetely answer any questions you may have between the two, but hopefully this helped some.

[ShotoJuku]

Excelsior College!!!

[mapalo]

I was in you position just a month ago, I was at UoP, I had never heard of the BIg 3 until I came to this forum, I soon started researching and with a lot of help from everyone on the Forum I decided to go with Excelsior. For the fact that I can Major and the MBA school I plan on going to have already given me a written confirmation that they accepts degrees from Excelsior.

I submitted my few earned credits from UoP and on Friday I heard back from Excelsior, and before the end of this week I plan on enrolling.

All the best in Choosing, Excelsior college is flexible, if this would help

[Lifetime Student]

Originally Posted by Inteljustice

I'd like my major to be a bachelor of science in criminal justice. I want to test out 80-90% of the degree so I can graduate by Dec. 07. My first 2 clep exams are going to be principles of management and intro psychology. Who do you feel has the upper hand, excelsior or charter oak? I'm leaning towards excelsior since they will allow majors rather than concentrations. I want to be a probation/parole officer, so I feel having a major in C.J. would further me faster than having a major in liberal arts or general studies. Do you feel in terms of college names, that one that's called state versus just _________ college offers up more credibility or attractibility in terms of employment?
Best Regards

For what its worth, I am a 22-year veteran of the NYC Police Department. Over the years I tried several times to complete my degree with little success. In May of last year I took a Civil Service promotion exam for the rank of captain. This position requires a four year degree. In June of last year I started "shopping" for colleges to go to to complete my degree expeditiously. I looked at B&M institutions here in NYC as well as UofP and Excelsior.

No school other than Excelsior offered the flexibility in accepting both traditional and non-traditional credits. In August I enrolled in Excelsior. I transcripted 32 FEMA credits to Excelsior via Frederick Community College. I enrolled in two free classes sponsored for the NYPD at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I topped this plan off with 3 DSST exams and 4 Excelsior courses, including the required Info Lit.

The result- I will be finished with all requirements of my degree next month. I will recieve a BS in CJ -emphasis law enforcement and public safety. I am number 62 out of 244 eligbles on the NYPD promotion list for Captain. I should be promoted by the fall of this year. It is my desire to return to John Jay for a Masters in Criminal Justice via an NYPD-sponsored program also this fall.

I felt that Excelsior answered all my desires in trying to finally get a degree in a short amount of time. They also informed me that they will expedite my graduation date so I have my degree in hand by May in case promotions go faster than expected.

Good luck to you and if I had to do it all over again I would go the non-tarditional route and test out as much as possible. IC is a valuable-actually INvaluable tool in this regard.

Remeber-get as much education as you can when you are young, and never stop the qust for the rest of your life1 Knowledge is tuly power!!

Till next time,
Mike

[BGN]

Casting my vote with Charter Oak for the following reasons. Yes, The degree is in general education.The transcripts however will reflect the concentration.
Also having State College in the name sounds better in my opinion.

COSC has great customer service. My experience is limited to Charter Oak, but anytime I had a question or concern my calls or e-mails have been returned within a day. COSC has a much smaller enrollment than Excelsior or TESC, so they probably don't get the volume of inquries and service calls the other two do.

With Charter Oak you can qualify for Federal Finanacial Aid if needed. I did qualify for student loans,but never used them.

Charter Oak is very flexible and generous in granting credit in my opinion. The reason I never used my financial aid is that I tested out of requirements using Clep and Dantes. They also grant letter grades for most Dantes(the one exception I know of is 'Principles of Public Speaking.') Also they accept the 'Clep English Comp with Essay ' exam worth 6 credits. From what I read Excelsior will not accept this exam.

To be honest, I think you can't go wrong with either choice. I have read nothing but good reviews for COSC and Excelsior. It is what you put into it that makes it worthwhile.

One last note on why I picked COSC over Excelsior. Anyone from Excelsior may want to take note. I was able to access COSC catalog without having to register or login. I was able to go right to COSC's site and find info about tuition,credit,courses with no hassle. I have enough user id's and passwords I have to deal with,without having to register and log in to view a school catalog. I went to Excelsior's site to get info and saw I had to register to have access to basic information. Not wanting to go through the hassle I went to COSC's site to see if it was the same and I never went back to Excelsior's.

I just completed my requirements with COSC for my degree, and am waiting on approval of my academic autobiography. Upon approval I will be done. Matriculated with Charter Oak in Sept. 06 will graduate May 07. Will post my results of the Clep's and Dantes I completed in another post. Did 19 test in all in under a year.

Thanks,
BGN

[ShotoJuku]

If it's the "name game" that concerns you, let me add the following "name" as it appears on an EC diploma......

Excelsior College

Member of the University of the State of New York

[BGN]

If it's the "name game" that concerns you, let me add the following "name" as it appears on an EC diploma......


Hope you did not take from my post that the inclusion of State College in Charter Oak's name is the main reason I went with them. It wasn't even a factor for me. I simply stated my preference. The reasons I listed such as the availability of federal financial aid if needed, and the ease of access to tuition and degree information were more important in making my choice. Both schools have good reputations and I think either would be a good choice.

Thanks,
BGN

[Katterina]

Originally Posted by Old Rusty Pipe

In terms of name, I would say that Charter Oak State College is preferable to Excelsior College. As far as degrees go, a B.S. in Criminal Justice appears better than a B.S. in General Education with a concentration in Criminal Justice.

I think this hits the nail on the head. I originally chose Excelsior so that I could have a regular major (although I later decided to switch to a non-major with a focus since I'm looking at grad school and would be able to graduate sooner). I also like the name. I've heard great things about COSC and I've personally had nothing but good experiences with Excelsior College. I'm sure either is a good choice, it just depends on your preference.

Credit transfers and major requirements might be a good tiebreaker for you, though. I'm looking at the two schools for my husband, and COSC is the better choice for him because more of his civil engineering credits can be applied to their degrees.

[ShotoJuku]

Originally Posted by BGN

Both schools have good reputations and I think either would be a good choice.

Thanks,
BGN

I concur, I'm just standing up for my alma mater....