BA in Social Sciences/History Reviews

Excellent Online approach!

By: mchoral (In Progress) on November 15, 2009

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I am in my last semester, and have had an excellent experience at TESC.  This is an online program and I write approx 20 to 30 pages per week total for 2 courses. To do well you need to drive the curve in each class and manage time well.  It is not a program for a learner that needs hand holding.  I would venture a guess that there are no online programs for students that need to be in a classroom. For me, with a busy career and 4 kids, there is no other option.  I have had such an excellent experience that I am continuing in an online environment for a masters, albeit not at TESC, but only because they don't have the program I want. I highly recommend TESC for you if you are a serious learner.

NEVER go here

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on October 14, 2009

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I'm so furious right now! I wish I'd actually listened to the reviews on this website.  I've always been an honor student, but between working full time, having a 14 month old, and being pregnant going to a regular university wasn't an option to finish up my undergrad.  So i decided to stick to TESC, but BIG mistake.  You're bombarded with phenomenal amounts of work, I'm expected to write a 3 page essay for each one of my 4 classes EVERY week. Like OKAY, I'm sooooo not super woman.  Needless to say, i ended up dropping 2 of my classes.  
The "mentors" are really there for no purpose, but to make your life more difficult, I don't think many of them are competent of even teaching the courses they're attempting to mentor.  For example my religious studies mentor is actually a journalism major that's very biased against every religion except his own.
After spending hours on my psych paper, the "mentor" gave me a 55, like what the hell? I even  had it reviewed by a friend that's doing  her PhD in psych, he had totally stupid remarks on the paper.  
I'd drop those 2 classes too, but then I'd have to pay the school some outrageous amount like $6000 or something, so I'm gonna tough it out, and if I do bad then screw it, but I'm so not gonna be here next semester, I'm transferring to La Salle University, they have an evening program for working people, and I'll get REAL professors that are competent to teach the course material.
The price isn't so bad, but considering you won't learn much if you have any of the mentors I have, is it really worth that hole in your wallet?

Only Way I could Finish Degree

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on March 12, 2009

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I have been going to school at TESC for 2 1/2 years now and have been very pleased with the online format. It is accredited by the same regional body as the brick and mortar school that I attended before, so its legitimacy is valid. I had grown frustrated with having to go to classes and miss out on family time (I am married with small children), but now I can attend class even while on family vacations. You have to be a very self-sufficient student as most of what you do is without the direct guidance of instructors. The only complaints that I have is the lack of efficiency in the administrative offices and the lack of consistency in the quality of instructors (this is true of any school that I have attended). Overall, I feel very lucky that I found a way to work toward a degree on my own time without compromising the time I can spend with my family.

Thanks TESC

By: Loveleetaken (Graduate) on June 24, 2008

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I really enjoyed my short time at Thomas Edison State College. I am glad that there is a reputable school out there that can meet the needs of adult learners. I transferred in the majority of credits from major universities that I've accumulated over the years. I am pleased that there is an institution that allows this convenience. I took 3 actual classes at TESC and I found them to be about equal to the other universities that I've attended. The mentors don't always respond in the quickest manner possible but I found them to be very reasonable. The customer service at TESC definitely isn't perfect but there are a few members of the staff that genuinely care and provide excellent service. I am pleased to be an alumni of Thomas Edison State College and the positive points definitely outweigh the negative.

Great bargain for the money

By: marti_lil (Graduate) on September 8, 2007

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When I enrolled at Thomas Edison State College (TESC), I needed fifty or sixty credits in order to receive my degree.  TESC is very flexible when it comes to earning those credits for this particular degree program.  Some people transfer credits from other colleges.  Some people earn credits via portfolio assessment.  Others take Guided Study courses, correspondence courses from other colleges, PONSI/ACE recommended training, inexpensive FEMA courses, or credit by examination programs to earn college credits.

When I enrolled, I immediately realized the benefits of earning credits for my bachelors degree program through credit by examination.  TESC allows its students to take and pass an unlimited number of college courses this way.  TESC is also flexible with its distribution of upper level credits.  Did you know that TESC will accept 200 level courses as upper level credits in their concentration or specialization?  At the time, these considerations were important since money was an issue for me; and credit by examination was the cheapest method to earn credits through TESC.  In addition to the 63 to 67 credits that I transferred to TESC for another regionally accredited college, I  earned 48 college credits by examination through TESC and took 2 correspondence courses in order to receive my degree. 

However, TESC does have its weaknesses.  Sometimes, their recordkeeping and organizational skills aren't great. They misplaced a copy of my passing test results or neglected to include a passing class on my transcript.  I wasn't pleased; however, I decided to call the college and politely address the issue with one of the staff members.  They found my CLEP transcript on top of a dusty cabinet, apologized for the mistake, and took care of the problem.  Another time, the college staff misplaced tests on a Saturday test date. I had driven an hour to get to the college only to discover the administration didn't have our tests ready or misplaced them.  The college staff knew students were angry, so they sent us a letter of apology and allowed us to take two additional TESC tests at no charge.  At least, they made amends.  

TESC is a great place for a person who is flexible, well motivated, and disciplined in his or her studies.  However, the biggest drawback about the college is its recording keeping and organization skills.  Sometimes they do misplace student grades, or they are slow with transcribing a student's grades; therefore, if you or someone you know know is interested in enrolling at TESC, please keep good records of all of your correspondence from TESC before, during, and after you enroll.  If you experience a problem, address it politely with college staff and you should have no problems.

Mediocre

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on June 19, 2007

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The quality of mentors is not consistent.  I hoped to improve my weaknesses in preparation of a higher degree.  At times, I found receiving an A was all too easy.  However, many mentors were wonderful and offered tips and insight toward improvement.  I believe TESC's greatest weakness is the lack of consistency of dedication in mentors.

Horrible experience

By: jessjohnson.1 (In Progress) on June 4, 2007

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I was a straight "A" student at two REAL untiversities in NY. I thought I'd complete my degree more quickly by going entirely online. In short, the materials are horrible, support & guidance from teachers is non-existent, and the school reputation is very poor. Tests do not match materials told to study. Experience was aweful. Complete waste of money and time. Like me, you should pass this school by and attend a REAL school -- as I now am.

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