My current situation:
I have about 1.5 years of matriculated University credits under my belt from Hell. I’m currently taking a leave of abscence, living with Ma and working full-time as a programmer for a Big Internet Company. I plan to move into my own place sometime in the next few months. Once that’s sorted out, I want to start working towards my degree again, but not full time.
Since I will be supporting myself, I will obviously need to work full time and take classes part time. I understand that many Universities allow a person to take classes without actually applying to the school; presumably this type of arrangement would earn credits (for example, my brother took some classes at NYU over one summer, which he then transferred to GWU, where he was a student) but is it actually possible to earn a degree in this fashion? Further, assuming I have to apply to a school, are admissions standards different for part-time vs. full-time students?
I have heard that admissions people favor individuals who have real-world experience, which I am currently gaining. Any truth to this rumor?
Sure, I don’t see why not. My advice (you asked) – pick a couple of schools you don’t care about, and call their admissions offices and talk to folx. When you get an idea what the story is, then you can pitch your case to the schools you are interested in. I would imagine (again IMHHO) that schools would be interested in someone like you and your situation, but the mechanics probably vary wildly from school to school.
In my part of the world (SE US), admission standards do not change based on your anticipated course load. Either you meet the standard or you do not; however, YMMV. I’m in a pretty similar situation to yours – I have an essentially worthless degree that is good for some transfer credits only, am employed full time, and am back in school to learn something useful. What you plan to do sounds like “transient” status – not degree seeking at a particular institution, but just taking some classes there to transfer to another institution. This is common – enrolled at a big university but taking classes elsewhere (ex. community college) because of scheduling conflicts or because the class is easier at the cc. Here, you do have to apply to the institution where you plan to be transient, but just as a formality so they know who you are, where to send the scores, and whose credit to report on should you not pay. Your status at the institution will be listed as “transient”, or if you plan to stay and finish a degree there, “transfer”. They may want transcripts.
Another word of advice, let me contradict your assumption about full time work = part time school. It is possible to do both full time. I should know - I do it. Having a flexible schedule is the key, so you should try to find a school that offers what you want in the evenings or on weekends, or you should alert your boss and feel him/her out for possible schedule adjustments. If possible, do both - you can never have to much freedom in picking what you want to do when. My boss has been great about working around the occasional morning class, and I let him know I appreciate it.
This may seem obvious, but check the internet. Most schools have their catalogs online, and you can just check them to see what standards are. The catalog should answer most of your basic questions about admissions, full vs. part time, financial aid, etc. That said, good luck!
I believe that if you’re registered as a special student, or “Non Candidate For Degree” you can’t in fact earn a degree from said institution until you change your status. That is, apply, and become a regular student. NCFD students at my institution must meet the same academic standards for enrollment as other admitted students. They can’t get into closed classes, either–that is, they can only take slots that are open after degree-seeking students have registered.
Given all this, it seems to me you might be wiser to try for regular admission but then pursue your studies on PT status. To my knowledge, PT vs. FT status won’t effect your admissability. Success in the workplace, having life experience, and having clear goals might, however. Also, there are certain degree programs within colleges that are tailored for students who are working. They might have evening classes, be structured well for PT students, have well-planned course progressions, and don’t marginalize PT students (a risk in some programs on some campuses). And they might also have different admission standard than the other parts of the University, and also be more adept at accurately assessing an application from a person with life experience. That’s something else to look into.
some universities have “continuing education” courses, which may or may not include a fee. I have attended community colleges that offered courses to the surrounding community free while students paid for them. They did not count towards credit for a degree in that case. However, you may be able to do this with some courses and challenge them once you are an enrolled student. Meaning you pay a few bucks and take a test to prove you know the course matter. These are generally pass/fail test and really screw your GPA.
Been too long since I was an undergrad to comment on work/life experience counting for courses. That was the case when I was working on my Masters with regard to coursework, rather than admissions.
Speaking only from my experience, you also have to be enrolled in a set number of concurrent semesters/quarters in order to earn a degree from the university.
Before granting you a degree, most (probably all) colleges require that you take a certain minimum number of credits at that school, usually 60 though at least one I know of will accept up to 90 transfer credits. This limits the amount of shopping around you can do before deciding on a school.
There’s also the issue of whether or not the classes will transfer. If you take a class at one school and the one you finally enroll in doesn’t offer that class, it may not be countable as a transfer. The earlier you decide on a school, the better off you’ll be.
On the full/part time issue, most larger colleges make a real effort to help students who work full time and are only able to attend school part time. That said, they are not always able to offer a full range of classes to support the evening/weekend student, especially if you want a highly technical degree like math or engineering.
I recommend you take a look at the school’s catalog and then make an appointment to talk to someone in the department that handles your major. It might be tough to catch people in their offices over the summer but by September, someone should be available to speak to you.
Having been a transfer student, all of the universities that I know of require that no more than a certain number of credits be from other schools (the usual maximum was 60). I think that admissions standards are the same for full time and part time students (none of my applications either time around asked if I was planning on being FT or PT, so how would they know?).
Speaking an employee of an actual college, the posters who have mentioned the 60 credit hours minimum know what they’re talking about. Most schools base an undergraduate degree somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 credit hours. Some schools have their own system of credit hours, so you can figure roughly half of the credits must be from the home institution. In addtion, some majors (especially those that involve highly specialized lab or technology work) require that the courses for that program be taken at the home institution. So, it could be that you take 60 credits and then still need to take more classes in your major in order to be a degree candidate at that institution.
The home institution, btw, is the school that will actually give you the degree.
Schools differ greatly in their approach to non-traditional students. (If you haven’t graduated from high school in the past year, you’re a non-traditional student.) Many large universities do have different requirements for part time and full time – usually non-traditional students tend toward the part time program. In my experience, a program that is geared towards adults returning to school places more emphasis on the “life experience” aspects of the applicant. Most schools will make applicants take a standardized test (I forget what it’s called, but it’s like the SAT). I think the usual cut-off is 5 years – if you took the SAT more than 5 years ago, you will most likely need to take this test.
Your biggest problem with part time is that not all majors are available in a part time program. You can apply as a full time student and then drop down to part time, but then you might be limited in your choice of major.
New York City is one of the best places to be a non-traditional student, so you’re in luck there. Do not avoid “continuing education” programs – they used to have a sort of “night school” stigma, but that is not true anymore, especially in the NYC education market. Continuing ed now offers full and part time programs, and very flexible classes, often meeting on weekends, for those who are also working. The flagship schools here (NYU, Columbia) have great continuing ed programs, and if cost is a big factor, CUNY will give you a solid education for the sticker price.
Feel free to email and I would be happy to tell you more specifc information about NYU and what I know about other NYC programs. Or, you can come to the next NY Dopefest (July 5, check out the thread in MPSMS) and I’ll chat you up there.
It’s true that most universities require you to take a certain number of credits at their institution before giving you a degree. But there are some exceptions, what are called “credit banks”. They’ll give you a degree when you’ve “deposited” enough credits of the right sort from whatever accredited source. The credit bank I’m most familiar with is Charter Oak College, a state college in Connecticut. They only accept students from New England, though. Excelsior College (formerly Regents College http://www.regents.edu ) is a state college in New York that has a similar program. Ohio University and Thomas Edison State (N.J.) are other credit banks.