Transcript Pump Primer - cungeheier / FrontPage

Pump Primer
“What do you want to be when you growup?”
 List at least three different careers that
interest you.
Major and Minor
College & Career
Instructor: Mrs. Ungeheier
What is a Major?
 “It is a group of related courses within a field of
study.”
 Each college have requirements as to when a
major has to be declared.
 Each college has specific requirements for
graduation.
 “These include the number of course credits
needed to graduate and the distribution
requirements.” (Distribution = general education
– classes outside of your major)
(Hudson 40)
“How can a major help me toward my
career?”
“Choosing a major is an important decision, just as
important as choosing a college.” (Hudson 40)
Here are some questions to consider as you consider the
different majors:
• “What career or life goal will you pursue? How will this
major help? How interested are you in this subject?”
Circle your interest level:
1
2
3
4
Not at all interested
5
6
7
8
Moderately interested
9
10
Very interested
(Hudson 43)
Questions to consider as you look
consider the different majors:

“How do your talents and abilities fit this major? If you
took classes in this subject in high school, how well did
you do? Are there prerequisites for this major? (A
prerequisite is a requirement to qualify for a class or
major.” For example, if calculus is a prerequisite and
your last math class was algebra, then you will have to
take calculus prior to taking this course.)
1
2 3 4
Not a fit
5
6 7 8
Moderate Fit
9 10
A great fit
(Hudson 43)
Questions to consider as you
consider the different majors:
 “How dedicated will you be to this major?”
 “Is grad school or a professional school (law,
medical, or dental school) necessary for future
employment?”
1
2
3
4
Not at all dedicated
5
6
7
8
Moderately dedicated
9
10
Very dedicated
(Hudson 43)
Changing my Major?
 College students on average change
their major at least once, if not twice.
 You may discover after taking a few
courses in the field you chose that it isn’t
the right fit for you.
 For this reason, it is always valuable to
finish your general ed. courses first. This
way you will not be back at the starting
line of your educational goal.
What is a Minor?
 “A group of related courses with fewer
required credits than a major.
 Your minor could be within the same
department as your major or in a
different area.
 A minor helps you get your feet wet in
other subjects.
 See if your chosen colleges offers the
option of declaring a minor.”
(Hudson 44-45)
Some questions to consider
when thinking about a minor:
 “Which subject will you pursue as a minor? Why?
 How does it relate to your major?
 How will it help you achieve your life’s goal?
 How does it tie in with your gifts or abilities?
 Are there prerequisites? If so, what are they?
 Are there prerequisites that overlap with your chosen
major? Which ones?
 Does your chosen college require that you declare a
minor? If so, what are the requirements of declaring a
minor?”
(Hudson 45)
What about a Double Major?
“Two for the price of one.”
 Means you’ve met the requirements for
two majors.
 It isn’t for everyone.
 Try to find two majors that go together
well. Those that have the same or close
to the same courses.
 Check with your school regarding the
requirements for double majors.
(Hudson 45)
Double Major: Pluses &
Minuses
 Pluses




“You gain skills in two different areas of
study.
You gain the value of two majors for the
price of one.
You won’t have regrets about what you
could have majored in.
You gain a more impressive resume and
transcript.”
(Hudson 47)
Double Major: Pluses &
Minuses
 Minuses



“You have to make doubly sure all
requirements are met.
You may have to take a full course load for
four years and perhaps an extra semester
or attend summer school.
You don’t get to take a variety of classes
because all of your time is spent in the two
concentrations.”
(Hudson 47)
Credit By Examination (CBE)
 College Level Examination Program
(CLEP)
 DANTES Subject Standardized Tests
(DSST)
 Thomas Edison College Examination
Program (TECEP)
 Excelsior College Examinations (ECE)
 Advanced Placement (AP)
College Level Examination
Program (CLEP)
 http://www.collegeboard.com/student/tes
ting/clep/about.html
 “Depending on your college's CLEP
policy, a satisfactory score on a CLEP
exam can earn you from 3 to 12 college
credits.”
 The cost of a CLEP exam is $70,
(effective July 1, 2008), “a fraction of the
tuition and fees for the corresponding
course.”
(CLEP)
College Level Examination
Program (CLEP)
 CLEP tests are the most popular and
heard of the most.
 “The process is fairly easy to
understand.
 The tests are convenient.
 The results are immediate.
 The tests are designed to cover the first
two years of college requirements.”
(Wightman 86)
College Level Examination
Program (CLEP)
 Thirty-four tests available
 “CLEP examinations cover material taught in courses that most
students take as requirements in the first two years of college.”
 “Each exam is 90 minutes long, and, except for English
Composition with Essay, is made up primarily of multiple-choice
questions; however, some exams do have fill-ins.”
 Accepted by nearly 3,000 educational institutions

Check with the college to see which CLEP tests they will accept, if
they accept them
 1,300 testing sites (some sites only allow their students to take the
exams)

For a full list of testing sites go to www.collegeboard.com
(CLEP)
College Level Examination
Program (CLEP)
 No age restrictions (only identification)
 You do not have to be enrolled in college to begin
taking the exams
 Fees include the “cost of holding, or banking, your
credits at the CLEP Center for up to twenty years, so
you can have transferred to the institution of your
choice at any time.”

Don’t request your tests to be sent to an institution at the
beginning of the test – have them banked.
 In case you do not pass, it won’t go onto a college
transcript.
 Also, you might change your college.
(Wightman 87)
CLEP Test Locations
 Mount San Jacinto Community College
(for students enrolled only)
 Azusa Pacific University - Learning
Enrichment Center (main campus – open to
public)
 La Sierra University (Riverside – open to
public)
 Many locations in San Diego
(CLEP)
DANTES Subject
Standardized Tests (DSST)
 www.getcollegecredit.com
 Thirty-seven exams available (“Student & Adult
Learners”)
 “Originally developed for military personnel, but
they are now available to civilians as well.”
(Wightman 91)
 Exams take approx. 2 hours
 “Exam fee is $70 and most test centers charge
an additional administrative fee.” (“Student &
Adult Learners”)
 “Accepted at over nineteen hundred colleges/
universities.” (Wightman 91)
Thomas Edison College
Examination Program (TECEP)
 http://www.tesc.edu/listalltecep.php
 These tests were originally designed for only
the Thomas Edison State College students,
“but now are available to the general public.”
 Sixty exams
 Tests given by a “pre-authorized proctor that
you locate on your own”
 Tests may also be taken at a military base or
correctional facility
(Wightman 94)
Thomas Edison College
Examination Program (TECEP)
 Register at least four weeks prior to the
exam date, “including the request for a
certain proctor.” (Wightman 94)
 Three month wait period before you can
retake a test. (Wightman 94)
 Website is not user friendly!
 Least recommended.
Excelsior College
Examinations (ECE)
 www.excelsior.edu


Go to ‘EXAMS’
Then to ‘High School and Home Schooled Students’
 Excelsior College (a New York state college) “offer
many upper level courses that are not available from
CLEP or DANTES.” (Wightman 97)
 “ECE and TECEP can fill in the junior and senior
level credits” (Wightman 97)
 Fifty-three exams available
Advanced Placement (AP)
 “Developed as a cooperative program, giving





students the opportunity to take college-level courses
in the high school setting.” (Wightman 99)
Thirty-five tests accepted at over 90% of colleges/
universities (Wightman 99)
Cost $84/per test
Credit varies from college to college – check with your
colleges to make sure they accept AP exams and how
many credits you would be allowed.
Tests are multiple choice and FR (free response)
essays
Tests can take anywhere from two to four hours.
Works Cited
 “CLEP”. College Board. 30 Jun 2008.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testin
g/clep/about.html
 Hudson, Christopher D. et.al., “What’s an Alpha-Beta-Soupa?”
Barbour Publishing: Uhrichville, Ohio. 2005
 “Student & Adult Learners”. DSST. 30 Jun 2008.
http://www.getcollegecredit.com/learners.html
 Wightman, Scott & Kris Wightman. “College Without
Compromise”. Homeschool Sampler Publishing: St.
Louis, MO. 2005.