Knocking Out Classes at Straighterline

So, it's only been a few weeks since I've blogged but I've been able to finish a butt ton of credits with Straighterline!  So far I've taken,

• Introduction to Religion
• Business Ethics
• US History II
• Introduction to Environmental Science
• Introduction to Business
• Principles of Management
• Cultural Anthropology
• Business Law
• Accounting I
• Organizational Behavior
• Accounting II
• Business Statistics

That list is in order of difficulty, from least to most difficult. Gah, I can't believe I took that many! I just submitted my transcript for admission, and I spoke with my enrollment counselor and she said I have enough time to take a couple more! I'm going to TRY to take College Algebra, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics. College algebra will count for 7 credits because it covers Intermediate and College algebra for WGU. 

Easiest Straighterline Courses

If you're taking Straighterline classes through a partner college, check course equivalents on Straighterline to see what you can take.

Then go here. See which of your classes have open book exams with a sheet of self-prepared notes allowed.

As of 8/2017 the following courses have open book final exams:

• Accounting I
• Accounting II
• Managerial Accounting
• Financial Accounting
• Introduction to Business
• Business Ethics
• Business Law
• Organizational Behavior
• Principles of Management
• Western Civilization I
• Western Civilization II
• Introduction to Criminal Justice
• Introduction to Communication
• Personal Finance
• Introductory Algebra
• Business Statistics
• CPR First Aid
• Medical Terminology
• Personal Wellness
• Pharmacology I
• Pharmacology II
• Introduction to Religion
• Spanish I
• Spanish II
• Student Success
• US History II

Since these are open book exams, and you can use 1 page (front and back) self-prepared notes, the finals are a breeze. Tips for self-prepared notes:

• Go with typed
• Use Gloucester MT Extra Condensed
• Use the smallest font size you can read - I go with 6. You can manually type it in.
• Make margins .25
• Make spacing 0
• Use columns to maximize space
• Sort alphabetically - Select all, and then on the home tab in the paragraph section, click the AZ icon.

If you're thinking of taking a course that does NOT have a final with an open-book, check the course syllabus. You can do this by searching for the course and clicking 'Course Syllabus'. Most courses show a point breakdown in the syllabus, so while the final may not be open book, it might only count for 10% of the grade! Microeconomics and Macroeconomics are two examples -I believe the finals were worth 12% and 14% of the final grade respectively.

About Straighterline

Staighterline is a company that offers higher education courses. They may or may not be accepted by a higher learning institution. They offer many different courses in their catalog, 59$ for the basic course and 129$ for a course with an instructor. They have a monthly membership fee, 99$, which can be canceled at any time on your profile. Classes are taken at your own pace, as fast or as slow as you want to take them.

Check their website or your prospective institutions website to see if credit can be transferred. If it's not listed, contact your admissions department to be sure. They do have a list of partner colleges on their website here (yours may not be listed) 

You can also see if your college accepts credit from ACE - you can send your Straighterline transcript to ACE to send an ACE transcript to your school. You can make an account or see if the website you're using is ACE accredited here.

Using Straighterline can be a good way to get credits to start at an institution or raise your GPA. Straighterline itself is NOT A COLLEGE it is a COMPANY. So make sure your institution accepts ACE credit! 

Finished Business Ethics and Introduction to Business!

So, I just finished Business Ethics and Introduction to Business with Straighterline. Two weeks wasn't too bad. The classes were fairly easy and the proctored final was open book AND you get to use a page of prepared notes! I won't lie, I did use the search function in the e-book for the final a few times.

I was extremely excited after I finished those and I contacted my enrollment counselor only to find out I'M TOO LATE! Apparently there's a deadline on the first for submitting a transcript for admission. Why would she suggest it to me with a WEEK LEFT IN THE MONTH if I wanted to start on September first?!! I'm a bit frustrated, I just want to start my degree!

I guess I'll take this time to take a few more classes with Straighterline to get a few more credits knocked out on my degree.