Graduation Crisis need advice on Best Self Paced Online Courses

Some schools allow walking in the graduation but others do not. A teammate of my daughter’s was told a week before that she couldn’t participate in the ceremony because she was one math class short. Her name was in the program and she’d rented her gown. It may have been because she wasn’t signed up for the class until the fall (she was starting graduate classes). At the same school, my d’s boyfriend did get to walk. His was a mix up of an internship and whether it would count as credits. He did something over the summer and then he started his grad program the following fall.

I’d try the Maymester route.

How did the registrar’s degree audit miss two unfulfilled requirements?

Based on such errors, perhaps all college students should do their own verification of requirements fulfillment every semester.

Folks…walking in graduation does NOT mean you have graduated. It just means your college anticipates you will, and is allowing this.

Like I said…my kid was one course short…and it was not a course in either major…it was an elective. She walked in graduation in June…but she didn’t receive her diploma until August…and her graduation date on it says August…because that is when she completed her course requirements.

Don’t assume that walking in graduation means the kid has “graduated” because…it might not!

Of course walking in a ceremony is not the same as officially graduating. It is a courtesy extended by the college to allow for traditional celebration with classmates and family.

Take the Maymester courses and/or arrange for some consideration from the college staff that made the mistake to put student in this awful dilemma. If grad school will allow this, it might work.

ASU has lots of online classes and I think there’s a B term session that has yet to start for spring. I have no idea if there’s anything that would fit his requirements.

I would tell him to communicate with the grad school. He might be able to finish in May or in the summer. The grad school might still be able to accept him and this would save him the stress of two extra courses.

CLEP’s are not that hard and he could self-study. But in many ways that is more stressful than a course.

He should find the easiest, lowest level math and science courses that would be accepted by the undergrad and grad schools.

Hoping the grad school is helpful.

Everyone’s who name is on the program and who walks in graduate is a candidate for graduation until they have been certified as a grad to receive their diploma/degree.

Some schools have implemented no walk policies because students are not always upfront with their parents regarding their graduation status. Parents believe that the child graduated because they were at the ceremony and saw their child walk and are up in their feelings when no degree/diploma comes home with the kid.

Monroe cCommunity College in Rochester NY has “late start” online courses. Some started 2/25 and I don’t know if they’d let you join at this point; there are some classes that start early March.

So the Asst. Registrar was very apologetic about several breakdowns (not all were listed in my original post) in his office and the advising level. He will need to take the two classes. Found them self paced, start anytime, online at LSU. His current university will be working with him to get approvals in place. No one wants him to miss out on grad school. DS has learned several lessons -stay organized, people make mistakes so always back check, it’s ok to question authority and their representatives, advocate for yourself, and it’s ok to call in more experienced reinforcements for guidance and mentoring (in this case Mom and Dad).

Southern New Hampshire University and Arizona State have a ton of online courses and both are both accredited. I think Southern NH especially has a lot or rolling starts and it’s self-paced and competency-based so you can finish quickly.

CLEP sounds super stressful – I’d avoid that.

Good luck and keep us posted!

UMUC calendar for online courses… https://www.umuc.edu/admissions/academic-calendar.cfm

Did the Registrar have any explanation as to WHY there were multiple screw-ups? Sorry doesn’t seem to cut it here.

It took far too long to get all the approvals in place and included a face to face meeting between my son and the math chair, that my husband attended as well. My son really hit a lot of walls until he allowed us parents to get involved. We just said, son everyone learns from mentors, so see us as the mentors to assist you in navigating this situation. I’m proud my son held it together, as he does have anxiety issues. I know I was super stressed out. He now has seven weeks to complete a math course and the science course (he’s fortunately already a couple weeks into that one). Thankful for online self paced courses of which I am now an expert on. Looks like graduation is a go and grad school starting in June. Please send positive thoughts that my son will complete these two courses with the required C he needs and then move on to, as he says, what he really wants to be doing. The two courses approved are online at LSU and the Univ. of Florida.

Sending all sorts of positive energy! Good for all of you to work together and persist to make this happen. I’d also do anything in my power (short of taking the courses myself haha) to support the extra efforts he’s needing to make. When my S went back to school after a long hiatus, he had to take 20 credits in a semester. He worked his butt off to get through, and I handled as much logistical stuff as I could–financial aid issues, etc. Might be called helicoptering, I saw it as, like you said, mentoring, and simple human care-for-and-support each other.