- Report: #703537
Complaint Review: Charter Oak State College
| Charter Oak State College 55 Paul J Manford Drive
Bridgeport, Connecticut United States of America |
|
Charter Oak State College Selected only specific credits to calculate into my GPA Bridgeport, Connecticut
*Consumer Comment: Charter Oak State College - Reputable
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Totally Off-Base
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Charter Oak State College is one of the colleges that grant degrees for credits that are earned mostly through unconventional venues (via exams, life experience, transfer credits etc). I decided to pursue my BA with Charter Oak when I needed a bachelors degree for a job. At the time, I was a member of the ultra orthodox Jewish community in NY, the faith I was born into, a community in which secular education is prohibited and internet access is highly limited. Logistically, I was faced with the choice of a correspondence degree or degree by exam. I settled on earning credit by exam from the College Board and other institutions, and transferring the credit to Charter Oak. I was informed that the credits I earn from the exams will not be calculated into my QPA, and that my QPA will consist of the courses I take directly with the college.
Turned out, there was more to it. Some of my exams, the exams I took with CLEP and DSST, on which I did very well, were not calculated into my QPA. But the exam I took with a religious organization for MUSIC, on which I got a C-, were included in my QPA. I had no way of knowing before transferring these credits that they will be handled differently!
As a result: my QPA is a lopsided calculation of "A"s for courses I took with the college plus my weak performance on music. No mention of my many exams on English, Math, Science etc.
When I realized I am graduating with a QPA that:
- Reflects only half my course load
- Reflects my music exams for a non music major
- Does not reflect my core requirements exams
- Reflects the exams I transferred in in which I got a C- but not the exams I transferred with an A
I was completely surprised. I wrote to the college immediately and told them that discriminating among which exams they calculate in a supposed average is unacceptable. They responded by saying: "our QPA means nothing because it's this way often - it's inaccurate. It's only for internal use". Well, it means a lot. It is important to colleges and universities that are serious about education, not just charging tuition and fees. It means the possible end to my academic journey. I asked the college to set a consistent policy as to which exams they include - all exams or none of the exams - but they didn't care about any of it.
If you are considering enrolling with Charter Oak, I urge you not to. The work is lonely, the help is nonexistent, the staff is uninformed, and they do not educate. To the contrary. They may hinder your education.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/06/2011 09:47 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Charter-Oak-State-College/Bridgeport-Connecticut-06053/Charter-Oak-State-College-Selected-only-specific-credits-to-calculate-into-my-GPA-Bridgep-703537. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Search Tips#1 Consumer Comment
Charter Oak State College - Reputable
AUTHOR: Critical Thinking - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Monday, September 10, 2012
Charter Oak is not for everyone, I believe this individual did not do the preparation. I graduated, my GPA was Calculated just like I was told it would be, and my quality points were in line with my expectations.
As with so many things in life, you must do the research prior to pursuing your end result. It does no good to rant and rave after the fact.
#2 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Totally Off-Base
AUTHOR: Counselor - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 12, 2012
Students select the exams they wish to complete. In fact, earning credits through coursework is preferred. However, if you elect to utlize the testing option, you should do five minutes of research before paying for and completing an exam. Five minutes could have saved you a lot of hassle.
Testing is only a small portion of the options offered at COSC. They offer hundreds of online classes and they are regionally accredited.

