Hi there. I am debating between Chadron State College and Charter Oak State College. I am a full-time working adult, wife, and mother of 4. If that is not enough, I would like to complete a bachelor's degree for advancement in the workforce. I already obtain an A.A. from my local community college. I don't want something TOO hard. If the workload gets overwhelming, I know that I can easily get discouraged. I had to pace myself through junior college because my children were younger and less independent. I plan to take 2 courses at one time so that I can qualify for financial aid. Any preferences between these 2 schools or personal experiences?

Hi Marcar65,

The two schools you are looking at for your online bachelor degree are very DIFFERENT schools. Chadron State is a typical, middle of the road, state college with a standard course offering. They are in Nebraska. They are quite affordable.

On the other hand is Charter Oak State College, a public school operated by the state of Connecticut. They too are a middle or average college choice.

Two big differences -- one is in Nebraska and known there and one is in Connecticut and known on the east coast. Where do you live and work? If you are in the Midwest Chadron is better known -- if you are on the East Coast Charter has some more name recognition.

The biggest difference is that Chadron only offers a few majors online while Charter offers many more - if major matters to you! Also, Charter Oak has more flexible policies on how and where you earn your course credits. They may let you transfer in more of you older Associate credits toward the bachelors than Chadron because they are a much more non-traditional school developed especially for older, adult learners looking to complate 4 year degrees.

Let me know more if you can about what matters to you.

Both are solid choices.

Which fits you better is the big question.

Vicky Phillips


MARCAR65 wrote:
Hi there. I am debating between Chadron State College and Charter Oak State College. I am a full-time working adult, wife, and mother of 4. If that is not enough, I would like to complete a bachelor's degree for advancement in the workforce. I already obtain an A.A. from my local community college. I don't want something TOO hard. If the workload gets overwhelming, I know that I can easily get discouraged. I had to pace myself through junior college because my children were younger and less independent. I plan to take 2 courses at one time so that I can qualify for financial aid. Any preferences between these 2 schools or personal experiences?

Thank you, Vicky. Exactly. . . which fits me better? That is the question. I live in California. I just don't want one that is so hard that I can't keep up. My choice of study would be psychology. I want to obtain a degree for work advancement and as a life goal (it's on my bucket list!).

Hi MARCAR65,

In terms of academic standards or difficulty I do not think you will find much difference between the 2 online colleges you are looking at. Both would be of average difficulty.

Both will let you major in psychology.
Since you are in California neither is better for local name recognition.

HOWEVER they are different types of schools when it comes to 1) accepting transfer credits; 2) allowing you to document non-traditional types of career training for credit. Charter Oak was designed for working adults who want to complete bachelor degrees online. They have more than 30 years experience working with adult learners and have many flexible options for transfer credit.

Chadron is "newer" to distance learning and is a traditional colleges serving all ages but with a big campus program for younger students.

If I were you I would look at the issue of transfer credits and who might accept the most from my 2 year or associate degree toward their bachelor degree program.

We have a helpful article on this issue. Though this article focuses on transferring old college credits toward bachelor completion it covers some tips for looking at transfer credits and how to make sure you get the most out of transferring your associate degree credits to a new bachelors degree.


Vicky



MARCAR65 wrote:
Thank you, Vicky. Exactly. . . which fits me better? That is the question. I live in California. I just don't want one that is so hard that I can't keep up. My choice of study would be psychology. I want to obtain a degree for work advancement and as a life goal (it's on my bucket list!).