Gerentology through Excelsior

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 18, 2007

Be sure to download the free content guide from Excelsior -- that should tell you exactly what to study.

I only need one Sociology class credit, so I'm just going to do the Sociology CLEP, and not Gerontology as well. Yay!

Super Nurf · Jul 18, 2007

Thank you! I didn't realize they had the free content guide, that looks like it will be helpful. They project 15 weeks to study the book, but I want to do it in 8 or less, like I did with sociology. I hope it's possible, I want to get this show on the road!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2007

I did the gerontology exam through Excelsior. I just read the books AND paid for the Excelsior practice exams. Well worth the money.

I got an A. It wasn't heavily statistically oriented, really. More like "Old people are not necessarily senile, you ageist." "Smash the stereotypes." "Old People don't see and hear as well. But some do, so don't stereotype." (Thanks for the tip, oh wise ones!)

Really not difficult. Mostly boring, redundant reading, and a lot of noring, incredibly obvious insights someone actually bothered to write down. Like old people are old.

And I see no reason, ever, to pay for College Network guides. The lowest grade I've gotten on an exam so far is a B, and that's because maternal/family bores me and I didn't do all of the reading.

Super Nurf · Jul 18, 2007

And I see no reason, ever, to pay for College Network guides. The lowest grade I've gotten on an exam so far is a B, and that's because maternal/family bores me and I didn't do all of the reading.

I got sucked in with the College Network, and okay I can live with that, but now they want me to buy 3 more books to the tune of $890 for the courses of

Analysis/Interpretation of Literature

A&P

LifeSpan Dev Psychology.

I am so green to this, honestly I feel like a babe in the woods. I just sent my application to Excelsior itself with my previous transcripts and I should just wait to see what they say I need. Is there someplace I can get these course books a little cheaper and still have them be good enough to pass the exams?

I am going LPN to ADN

Thank you SO much for the info, I feel like I am walking through a maze blind!!!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2007

I got sucked in with the College Network, and okay I can live with that, but now they want me to buy 3 more books to the tune of $890 for the courses of
Analysis/Interpretation of Literature
A&P
LifeSpan Dev Psychology.
I am so green to this, honestly I feel like a babe in the woods. I just sent my application to Excelsior itself with my previous transcripts and I should just wait to see what they say I need. Is there someplace I can get these course books a little cheaper and still have them be good enough to pass the exams?
I am going LPN to ADN
Thank you SO much for the info, I feel like I am walking through a maze blind!!!

Unless you HAVE to buy College Network's books because of your contract, don't.

Buy a used copy of the Excelsior-recommended book through www.half.com. Don't worry about the latest edition, but don't go more than one edition back, either. I hate highlighting, so I'll pay a little more for a copy that guarantees blinding-yellow-distracting-lines-free text.

Don't buy a thing more until Excelsior tells you what you need.

You might not even need the classes TCN is insisting you take through them for money.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2007

Oh, and if yo've CLEPed out of sociology, I sincerely doubt you need gerontology. Excelsior requires 3 soc credits, period. You have them.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 18, 2007

By the way, Super Nurf, you can also CLEP Lifespan Developmental Psych -- CLEP has a "Human Growth and Development" test. I'd try to avoid buying that from College Network, if you can ... you can buy the recommended text for much, much less on half.com, amazon.com, etc.

And I totally agree with Suesquatch -- wait to get your evaluation from EC! Did you sign a contract with College Network? These guys must be slick with their spiel ... so many people get sucked in! I almost want to call them, just to see what it is they say.

Super Nurf · Jul 18, 2007

Slick ain't the word. They give you 10 days to back out, yet they take two months to fully decide what credits you need, meaning they can add anything after that 10 day period and you have to pay for it.

I did unfortunately sign a contract, now I have to go and look at it and see if I am obligated to buy these other 3 coursebooks. I can't wait to see what Excelsior says I need, and THANKS MUCH for all the help and tips I am getting here! You will never know how much it is all appreciated!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2007

Nurf, I have no idea of whether a College Network contract is ironclad but it might be well worth paying a lawyer a couple of hundred to look it over and see if you can get out of it. Could save you thousands in the long run. I mean, you buy Excelsior's recommended texts, download the study guides, pay $60 for the two practice exams, and $220 per actual exam at PearsonVue. Then the various fees you get hit with, but Excelsior is still way cheap.

adnerbe1 · Jul 19, 2007

Hi,

There is a website called www.instacert.com. It is a test bank of a lot of questions for both CLEP, DSST and ECE. It is $20 a month and well worth the cost. There is also a great discussion forum with lots of info on credit by examination. Check it out!!!

Brenda

P.S. Gerontology is covered at Instacert.

anticoagulationurse · Jul 19, 2007

Gerontology, if you even need it - which it sounds like you don't, was cake. I bought the Social Gerontology book on half.com for like $6 and it was outdated by 15 years. Read most of it cover to cover in about 2 weeks and just took the EC exam. Got an A. Very basic stuff. Wish they were all THAT easy!!!

Burns me up about the TCN thing!