Math Degree Update

Many of you know that I’ve been working to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics. I started out doing a fast-track, distance-ed program through Charter Oak State College (Verity DE) where I was supposed to complete the degree in only 21 months, via testing and correspondence classes.  Completion in 21 months didn’t work out, but I’m still glad I found this program as I am still saving lots of money and time in the whole process. So far I’ve spent about 3 years working on this degree while also continuing my web site design business and other activities.

I’m earning my credits through testing (CLEP, GRE, DANTES) and correspondence courses. Currently I have 95 of my required 120 credits, and I hope to be finished by summer 2006. I may teach math and/or computers at a public school or college after I get my degree (or maybe after I get my Masters Degree).

I only have two more exams to complete my degree, but one of them is a very hard math test in April (some of you will remember I’ve taken this exam before and not passed with a high enough score). I’m currently studying for this math test. It is the three hour Math GRE test, worth 20.7 semester credits toward my degree. It covers calculus, groups, rings, topology, fields, linear algebra, probability, regular algebra, and basically what an undergraduate math student would have to learn while getting a Bachelor’s Degree. It’s a lot of stuff to study and remember all at one time, and they don’t allow notes or calculators. The test is usually taken by people who already have their degree and want to show what they have learned to get into graduate school. If I can pass this exam, I will only need to take one more CLEP exam (simple in comparison to what I’ve been doing) and I will be finished with my degree. I have to get the 40th percentile or above on this exam, which doesn’t seem like it would be that hard. However, that makes my passing relative to how well all the other test takers do. I would appreciate your prayers as I study and take the Math GRE test on April 1st. Finishing my degree anytime soon is dependent upon my passing this exam. I usually study the best the last few days before an exam, when I start feeling a lot of pressure, but I need to be studying hard from now until April 1st. If I don’t pass the exam, I’ll have to take another 7 math classes or so, and that would add a lot of time and expense to my degree. I want to take advantage of what I already know, and what I can learn myself, and get the credits that way. This exam is only $130, which is very cheap compared to courses. My recent Abstract Algebra class from the University of Idaho cost over $1,300 for only 3 credits! Luckily, Verity paid for it with some of the money I’ve paid them.

Thank you and God bless.