Texas Academic Fresh Start Program- Confused!!

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MedSchoolHopeful20

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Hi Everyone,

I apologize if this has been addressed before. I'm new to SDN. I have tried to go through many previous threads and received a lot of great information about the program, however, I still have some questions.

I am confused about the whole 1 class at a different institution part of AFS. Let me give you a little bit of background on my situation: I went to college in Texas, received my Bachelor's degree in biology, but ended up with a very poor GPA of 2.1 due to family situations and just not being responsible. I have been working in research ever since I graduated. I have been doing a lot of soul- searching recently and I have realized that while I do enjoy research, my true passion lies in working directly with patients.

That being said, I am hoping to be able to be able to work with patients as soon as possible. I have a few questions at this point:

- I am a little confused as to how the whole situation works in terms of taking one class at a different college. For example, if I were to attend a community college and receive a certification or associate's degree through a program at the college, would I need to invoke AFS before I apply to the community college? I know that none of the courses I have currently taken will count as pre-requisite courses, so I was hoping to have some of those pre-requisites done with before I get into medical school.

- Also, is it possible for me to enroll in another bachelor's program (to have a back up in case I'm not able to get into medical school, and to complete the pre-requisites for medical school)? If I were to do this, would I basically just invoke AFS before I applied to the bachelor's program?

- Am I able to apply to a program now at one school (let's say a community college), receive a certification/associates from them, and then apply to a university and immediately invoke AFS? In that case, would I only need to take one course before I can apply to medical school (given that all of my pre-requisite courses are complete)?

I called TMDSAS for more clarification, but either the person on the line did not understand my (lengthy) questions, or did not know the answer. I was told that the information can be found online.

Sorry for the long post. Thank you all so much in advance for your replies!

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My understanding is that you need to apply under AFS whenever you apply to the institution, whether it's a community college or a 4 year university. You can't enroll in AFS if you are already attending the school.

As far as getting another bachelor's under AFS, I don't think there is anything in the law that prohibits that but there are some schools that will not admit you under AFS if you already have a bachelor's or higher (ex. University of Houston), so you need to check with the school you plan on applying to.

You should be able to take courses at one school now and then apply for AFS at another school. You then need to complete at least 1 course at the school you were admitted under AFS at for it to take effect.
 
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AFS is an "all or nothing" approach which means you must declare AFS when applying for admissions to a Texas community college or 4 year public institution even if you already have a previous B.A. or any degree/graduate degree.

When the institution accepts you under AFS, all grades (not credit) from your previous college or grad school that are 10 yrs and older will be wiped out. All grades for classes less than 10 years after declaring AFS will still count towards your overall GPA going forward. In essence you start with a clean slate, but that means all prerequisites (English 101, etc) must be completed again to meet the minimum 90 credits allowed to apply to medical school.

Ex. If you had 200 credits (150 credits 10 years or older and 50 credits less than 10 years old), after declaring AFS, you retain all 200 credits as part of your overall academic record, but the 150 credits of GPA will be wiped out and the 50 credits of GPA will be retained and added to any future GPA going forward. You must still do all prerequisites at your new AFS institution to meet the 90 minimum requirement to apply to med school.

You can get as many degrees as you desire under AFS and you still retain your previous degrees (i.e. BA, BS, JD, PhD, Assoc Degree, etc.)

Check out the website:
College For All Texans: Academic Fresh Start
 
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Thanks so much for your replies! I think I understand now. University of Houston doesn't allow you to be admitted under AFS if you already have a Bachelor's??!! I didn't know that. That throws off my plans a little bit.

I was planning on applying for a second bachelor's degree and then invoke AFS at University of Houston. I guess that plan is out. I will have to think of something. All of this helps me a lot in terms of making a plan for myself. Thanks again!
 
Just to build on that since it's relevant to your plan. If you click on the link to the acknowledgement form on this page it says that you won't be considered if you have a bachelor's: University of Houston : Academic Fresh Start - University of Houston

With that said, you can take classes at UH for a 2nd bachelor's and just apply to a CC (or any other school that does it) under AFS and complete one class there to get AFS at the appropriate time while continuing to take all of the rest of your classes at UH. I emailed TMDSAS about this and they said that works.
 
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AFS is an "all or nothing" approach which means you must declare AFS when applying for admissions to a Texas community college or 4 year public institution even if you already have a previous B.A. or any degree/graduate degree.

When the institution accepts you under AFS, all grades (not credit) from your previous college or grad school that are 10 yrs and older will be wiped out. All grades for classes less than 10 years after declaring AFS will still count towards your overall GPA going forward. In essence you start with a clean slate, but that means all prerequisites (English 101, etc) must be completed again to meet the minimum 90 credits allowed to apply to medical school.

Ex. If you had 200 credits (150 credits 10 years or older and 50 credits less than 10 years old), after declaring AFS, you retain all 200 credits as part of your overall academic record, but the 150 credits of GPA will be wiped out and the 50 credits of GPA will be retained and added to any future GPA going forward. You must still do all prerequisites at your new AFS institution to meet the 90 minimum requirement to apply to med school.

You can get as many degrees as you desire under AFS and you still retain your previous degrees (i.e. BA, BS, JD, PhD, Assoc Degree, etc.)

Check out the website:
College For All Texans: Academic Fresh Start


You seem to be pretty well schooled on this. I have a question I'm hoping that you're able to help me answer.

The one aspect of AFS that I'm having difficulty understanding is whether completing the 90 semester hours is enough when one has previously earned a Bachelor's degree. What I mean is, you only need 90 hours in order to apply to a Texas medical school but a Bachelor's degree is recommended in order to be competitive. The credits earned 10+ years ago would not count when applying to medical school, but would the previous Bachelor's degree count?

I'd assumed one would have to earn a second degree in order to show a Bachelor's degree earned and be competitive. Am I mistaken? Would the previously earned degree actually count as a Bachelor's degree when applying to medical school even though the courses taken while earning said degree do not count?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.
 
Based on my reading of the AFS, a previously earned BA would count as having established that you have a BA since all medical schools (I believe) requires that you have a BA. So with that box checked, the intent of the AFS is to allow students with extenuating circumstances that prevented them from doing well the first time in undergrad to have a second chance. (very progressive, especially in such a conservative state as TX). Hence the 10 year requirement/doing all prerequisites again, etc to show the schools that you are more mature/different student.

Regarding the 90 hours minimum to apply to medical school under AFS, just think of it as a stricter DIY post-bacc. It is the minimum, so it might be best to include 3000/4000 science courses either within the 90 hours or exceeding 90 hours. The point is to acquire a strong GPA trend which hopefully will allay some concerns Adcoms might have regarding your ability to handle the medical curriculum. You do not necessarily have to earn a second BA, just have enough hours (90 or 90+) in upper division science courses to show Adcoms that you will be able to handle the coursework in medical school.

I hope this helps. I am using AFS right now to apply this cycle, so currently, I cannot use myself as an example of whether using AFS is a success or not, yet.
 
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Perfect explanation! This totally makes sense for me to do, as it will only take me one extra year to do this than to do the prerequisites I already have to do. It saves me from having to take two extra semesters to knock out the full 120 credits.

And you're right, I drew up a plan last night and I would have room to do about 27 credits of whatever I like after satisfying all prerequisites for TMDSAS. I'd probably do Cell Bio, Microbio, and A&P in addition to the Biochem and Genetics courses that are needed for TMDSAS schools. For the other 18 credits I'd just do some electives like Spanish and maybe an Ethics class.

Thanks for the information!


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@DV-T

How is your cycle going? I've been waiting excited for you and hoping to hear good news!

Can you refresh us as to what your AFS and application scenario look like? Previous stats, current stats, EC's, previous degree earned before invoking AFS or no, total credits you applied with and plans to complete a new degree vs matriculating with 90+ hours?

Hoping for good news on your side!
 
@DV-T

How is your cycle going? I've been waiting excited for you and hoping to hear good news!

Can you refresh us as to what your AFS and application scenario look like? Previous stats, current stats, EC's, previous degree earned before invoking AFS or no, total credits you applied with and plans to complete a new degree vs matriculating with 90+ hours?

Hoping for good news on your side!

Didn't you have a different screen name? Dark something? How were you able to convince the mods to let you change it without creating a new account? LOL.

For the purposes of anonymity and because I have a very superstitious/neurotic view about this entire application process, I am asking you to bear with me while the cycle continues. When it is done, either between November 15-February 1 (for prematch or match) or if waitlisted after February 1, and I either have or have not secure an acceptance, I will answer your questions fully.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this: I am thus far very pleased with the cycle.
 
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Didn't you have a different screen name? Dark something? How were you able to convince the mods to let you change it without creating a new account? LOL.

For the purposes of anonymity and because I have a very superstitious/neurotic view about this entire application process, I am asking you to bear with me while the cycle continues. When it is done, either between November 15-February 1 (for prematch or match) or if waitlisted after February 1, and I either have or have not secure an acceptance, I will answer your questions fully.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this: I am thus far very pleased with the cycle.

Haha! I did have a different screen name. If you become a sponsor, you're allowed to change your username. Sadly, I am not as persuasive as my spouse thinks I am, haha!!!

I completely understand about not wanting to jinx anything. I am very glad to hear that the cycle is going well!
 
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HCC will allow you to enroll in AFS with a degree. Other schools won't. So you have to do some leg work and call school admissions to find out which one will allow you to enroll in AFS with a degree.
 
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HCC will allow you to enroll in AFS with a degree. Other schools won't. So you have to do some leg work and call school admissions to find out which one will allow you to enroll in AFS with a degree.
I tried to enroll there as I had heard the same thing the admissions director denied my request saying I was ineligible. Any idea how I can get around this?
 
I tried to enroll there as I had heard the same thing the admissions director denied my request saying I was ineligible. Any idea how I can get around this?

Did you try to roll as a non-degree seeking student or did you tell them you wanted to seek a degree?
 
Did you try to roll as a non-degree seeking student or did you tell them you wanted to seek a degree?
I actually don't recall answering that. I do not intend to seek another degree aside from medical school.
 
I actually don't recall answering that. I do not intend to seek another degree aside from medical school.

This is one of the reasons why schools won't accept students under AFS. They don't want you to come and do one class and leave. Why this is, I have my own speculations for, but most likely it is the almighty dollar. You might at least inquire if it makes a difference if you were to enroll with the intent to seek a second degree. Just because you enroll with that intention doesn't require you to finish it, however.
 
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I did it at San Jac last year so I would try there. I can't remember if I marked that I was going for a degree or not but they knew that I already had one.
 
Just enroll at HCC seeking an AS, but don't finish. Fill out the attached with your application.
 

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T687- I was flat out told No at San Jac they said they only did AFS for classes taken there and if it had been 10 years since you were enrolled

DVT: Thank you! I filled out the form and it was forwarded to the director who then told me no via email.

I'm not giving up and trying both of these again, I have found the answers change with each advisor, counselors, and director I talk to, even at the same campus.
 
That's is sooo peculiar with HCC's Director of Admissions. What was the reason for the denial? Can you post the email with identifying info Xed out?
 
I didn't read the other posts so I apologize if what I'm about to say has already been mentioned.

To utilize Academic Fresh start in Texas, you need to apply to a school that offers the option to invoke Academic Fresh Start with a previous bachelor's degree. Not all of them do, such as University of Houston, so check with the school to confirm before you apply.

Once accepted, work with the Office of Admissions to invoke Academic Fresh Start BEFORE you register for classes. Most schools will have a simple form that you need to fill out and submit. At that point, the school will begin processing the request. Once the request is complete, you should see some sort of notification of Academic Fresh Start having been invoked on your transcript. Once you see that, you are free to register for classes.

Lastly, complete at least one class at the school where you invoked Academic Fresh Start and you're done. This last requirement is applicable to having Academic Fresh Start considered when applying to graduate or professional school. If you do not complete one class at the school after invoking Academic Fresh Start, graduate and professional schools will still consider your past grades.

I hope this helps you. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
 
That's is sooo peculiar with HCC's Director of Admissions. What was the reason for the denial? Can you post the email with identifying info Xed out?
The reference to transfer work, was that she said since I've never taken classes there before there was nothing to "academic fresh start" so that my past course work was irrevelvant to enrollment.
 

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That's crazy. That person is so wrong regarding HCC's policy about AFS and having a BA. @skeptastic has email from HCC indicating that having a BA will not prevent one from enrolling under AFS. I am proof that having a BA and enrolling under AFS at HCC can be done.

Don't give up. Consider the UT MD Anderson School of Heath Professions School of Health Professions if HCC becomes a roadblock. Go over that person's head if you must. I know you can enroll in one of the programs under AFS even with a BA, and use that as an avenue to medical school.

For TMDSAS purposes, you just need a notice on your one transcript (any) indicating AFS. That's when TMDSAS will apply the 10 years or older grades clause under AFS.
 
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The reference to transfer work, was that she said since I've never taken classes there before there was nothing to "academic fresh start" so that my past course work was irrevelvant to enrollment.

This was the same line of BS that TCC gave me when I tried to enroll with them under AFS. They seem to completely misunderstand the whole point of AFS, which is to get rid of old grades IN ANTICIPATION of applying somewhere else (such as med school) in the future. Instead, they are under the assumption that you want to use AFS to apply to THEIR school, which is strange since a lot of them have open enrollment (ie, no minimum GPA or anything, just being TSI complete).

TCC was like, "don't worry, we won't hold your old grades against you when applying to our school," and I just sort of rolled my eyes, lol.

We seriously need to start a non-profit to educate people about AFS, lol.
 
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Glad to see user esob in here. He/she has made many posts about working through Academic Fresh Start and has first-hand experience. If you still don't understand the process, I would recommend going through esob's past posts because that will explain everything you need to know.
 
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Based on my reading of the AFS, a previously earned BA would count as having established that you have a BA since all medical schools (I believe) requires that you have a BA. So with that box checked, the intent of the AFS is to allow students with extenuating circumstances that prevented them from doing well the first time in undergrad to have a second chance. (very progressive, especially in such a conservative state as TX). Hence the 10 year requirement/doing all prerequisites again, etc to show the schools that you are more mature/different student.

Regarding the 90 hours minimum to apply to medical school under AFS, just think of it as a stricter DIY post-bacc. It is the minimum, so it might be best to include 3000/4000 science courses either within the 90 hours or exceeding 90 hours. The point is to acquire a strong GPA trend which hopefully will allay some concerns Adcoms might have regarding your ability to handle the medical curriculum. You do not necessarily have to earn a second BA, just have enough hours (90 or 90+) in upper division science courses to show Adcoms that you will be able to handle the coursework in medical school.

I hope this helps. I am using AFS right now to apply this cycle, so currently, I cannot use myself as an example of whether using AFS is a success or not, yet.

I hate to necro this old thread but this is by far the best conversation that I've found on the AFS topic. If you happen to see this and don't mind replying, I would like to see if my scenario makes sense to you.

graduated 2009 with business degree, 2.7 GPA

graduated 2015 with biology degree from same institution, roughly 95 credits of science coursework at 3.96.

If I invoke AFS as of this upcoming fall semester, I would essentially wipe out my old degree and be left with the 90+ credits from my second and also be able to declare that I have a BS. In addition, since I've already fulfilled all the science prereqs, I'm good to go. However, I would need to retake English 1 / English 2 / Stats from my previous degree. This seems like a no-brainer, slam-dunk deal to me.

Am I thinking about this correctly?

Thanks so much!
 
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I hate to necro this old thread but this is by far the best conversation that I've found on the AFS topic. If you happen to see this and don't mind replying, I would like to see if my scenario makes sense to you.

graduated 2009 with business degree, 2.7 GPA

graduated 2015 with biology degree from same institution, roughly 95 credits of science coursework at 3.96.

If I invoke AFS as of this upcoming fall semester, I would essentially wipe out my old degree and be left with the 90+ credits from my second and also be able to declare that I have a BS. In addition, since I've already fulfilled all the science prereqs, I'm good to go. However, I would need to retake English 1 / English 2 / Stats from my previous degree. This seems like a no-brainer, slam-dunk deal to me.

Am I thinking about this correctly?

Thanks so much!

Yes. By declaring AFS at another institute to get the English1/2/Stats courses, you will wipe out the 2.7 Business GPA. I think you are good to go! I'm gonna tag @skeptastic because they are doing AFS right now to get their thoughts. GL to you!
 
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Yes. By declaring AFS at another institute to get the English1/2/Stats courses, you will wipe out the 2.7 Business GPA. I think you are good to go! I'm gonna tag @skeptastic because they are doing AFS right now to get their thoughts. GL to you!
Thanks a ton for replying to the necro! Appreciate any additional insight @skeptastic
 
Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and so forth. Yep, your plan sounds perfect! Invoke AFS at a different school than the one you're currently attending, pass a class, and voila! I've got confirmation from TMDSAS that previously-earned degrees hold up even if the credits taken to earn said degree are wiped out by AFS. Basically, the classes won't count, but they cannot wipe out your degree. In that case, having 90+ credits and a bachelor's is enough to apply! Keep us posted on how it goes!
 
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As noted above, you won't lose your degree. In addition, you don't technically need a degree to attend medical school in Texas (fun fact), all you need is the 90 hrs.
 
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Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and so forth. Yep, your plan sounds perfect! Invoke AFS at a different school than the one you're currently attending, pass a class, and voila! I've got confirmation from TMDSAS that previously-earned degrees hold up even if the credits taken to earn said degree are wiped out by AFS. Basically, the classes won't count, but they cannot wipe out your degree. In that case, having 90+ credits and a bachelor's is enough to apply! Keep us posted on how it goes!

Did HCC say you're eligible for Fresh Start even with a previous bachelor's? I'm trying to figure out which schools are allowing this for students with bachelor's degrees. I've read the TX statutes... I think schools who deny us based on having a previous degree are doing this erroneously, plus the inconsistencies in admissions/registrar answers are frustrating.
 
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Did HCC say you're eligible for Fresh Start even with a previous bachelor's? I'm trying to figure out which schools are allowing this for students with bachelor's degrees. I've read the TX statutes... I think schools who deny us based on having a previous degree are doing this erroneously, plus the inconsistencies in admissions/registrar answers are frustrating.

Did you ever figure anything out? I recently had trouble with a community college that had some pretty glaring misconceptions on how academic fresh start actually works. They kept implying that I couldn't use it because they don't care about grades for admissions! I had to be very clear and explain my end-game but they still didn't quite get it. If you happen to know of any schools that are easy to work with, please share!
 
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Does it make sense to do Academic fresh start for most people?

90 credits means about 3 years of school....wouldn't it be faster to do an SMP?

Maybe I'm not getting it. Can someone explain why it makes sense to do AFS?
I mean...maybe if you have a sub 2.0 GPA or if you have 250+ credits on your record?
 
Does it make sense to do Academic fresh start for most people?

90 credits means about 3 years of school....wouldn't it be faster to do an SMP?

Maybe I'm not getting it. Can someone explain why it makes sense to do AFS?
I mean...maybe if you have a sub 2.0 GPA or if you have 250+ credits on your record?

- when the GPA is so dismal it cannot be saved by post-bacc work
- when the credits it takes to achieve admissible GPA by post-bacc work is so hefty it makes more sense to do AFS
- GPA not high enough to be admitted to even a single SMP
 
Does it make sense to do Academic fresh start for most people?

90 credits means about 3 years of school....wouldn't it be faster to do an SMP?

Maybe I'm not getting it. Can someone explain why it makes sense to do AFS?
I mean...maybe if you have a sub 2.0 GPA or if you have 250+ credits on your record?

If you are an ORM, even with a 3.5 GPA, AND you possess the wherewithal to ace your classes AND you are set on an MD over a DO, then it still makes sense. I had an MCAT score that was above the median matriculant and my OOS GPA after acing 4+ years of classes was in the ~ 3.6 range. My sGPA was in the 3.8 range. My EC's were strong (former military, 4+ years of consistent community service across multiple orgs, all of which wrote glowing LOR's). We had an HPAC committee at my school and my counselor told me that my LOR's were some of the strongest he had seen. I had prior medical experience as well as published research (2nd author) at a top 10 medical school. I applied broadly to ~30 mid and low tier MD schools OOS and got exactly zero invites.

Now, I did get lots of OOS DO school invites, but the point of this example is that I ended up with I think 7 MD invites in Texas and 3 acceptances. The only difference in my applications was a 4.0 vs a 3.6 (and the 3.6 showed an upward trend of 90+ hrs of classes with straight A's). So, when people say "oh gee, an upward trend means so much," my response is "in what world?" lol.

Some might argue the caveat that OOS schools don't like to take a chance on TX applicants b/c they feel that we will ultimately pick TX schools b/c of the affordable tuition. I would say that is probably true IF someone looks like they are a competitive applicant for TX MD schools and statistically, I wasn't that competitive in the absence of my AFS GPA, which the OOS schools could not have been aware of. Thus, they should have reasonably concluded that I might not have gotten a TX acceptance and at least removed that part of the bias from their equation when evaluating my application.

The TLDR is that MD schools are GPA snobs, especially if you a substantially older applicant (no you 26-year old, you are not substantially older, lol).
 
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@DV-T @skeptastic I'm in the process of applying to HCC, fingers crossed. If you don't mind, would you mind PM'ing me the emails you have received from HCC that state that AFS is permissible even with a previous bachelor's degree? Would be much appreciated, in case I run into any admissions folk who think otherwise. Thanks!
 
Posting email here from HCC.
Here to reaffirm that you can already hold college/graduate degrees and still invoke AFS at HCC as long as you meet all other AFS requirements.
GL!
Untitled.jpg
 
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Posting email here from HCC.
Here to reaffirm that you can already hold college/graduate degrees and still invoke AFS at HCC as long as you meet all other AFS requirements.
GL!
View attachment 318714

Thanks a ton. Great to have some names on hand if needed, much appreciated my friend!
 
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I had a bachelor's degree and a master's degree when I enrolled at HCC. After taking a few courses there, I invoked AFS. I completed several courses there after that. Once you invoke AFS, you need to accumulate 90 undergraduate hours to meet the requirements for Texas medical schools. You don't get to keep any hours older than 10 years before the AFS date. HCC has a generous policy of accepting CLEP and DSST credits. So does Texas A&M. If you test out of a subject, HCC puts the credits on your transcript with a course name and number. You might be able to get a bunch of hours on your transcript that way. I personally know people who have tested out of 24 to 52 hours using CLEP and DSST. Will medical schools let your random CLEP credits in English literature, marketing, and history count toward your 90 hours? Don't know, I'm not taking that approach.
 
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God bless AFS 😂💪
I hear folks are having a really tough time getting it approved these days. I really hope that isn't the case everywhere. I know that Richland College stopped doing it if you already had a degree, like the semester after I invoked it. HCC has been one of the last and most steadfast avenues of success. Here's hoping it never changes.
 
Perhaps down the road soon, those of us who have had success with AFS need to draft a letter to legislators detailing how the spirit of the law is being blunted by ivory tower scholars who are too lazy to take the time to understand how AFS works. I would argue that institutions that fail to participate in AFS are violating section 51.931 of the Texas education code, and are, in effect, engaging in ageism.

Schools might argue that the specific subsection doesn't mention the requirement to participate, but I would counter that argument with two points.

1. Chapter 51, in general, begins by noting that the entire section applies to higher learning institutions.
2. The literal title of Sec. 51.931 is "RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START." Hence, the education code establishes AFS as a right that is granted via legislation. Institutions that fail to participate are unequivocally denying students a state-granted right.
 
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Perhaps down the road soon, those of us who have had success with AFS need to draft a letter to legislators detailing how the spirit of the law is being blunted by ivory tower scholars who are too lazy to take the time to understand how AFS works. I would argue that institutions that fail to participate in AFS are violating section 51.931 of the Texas education code, and are, in effect, engaging in ageism.

Schools might argue that the specific subsection doesn't mention the requirement to participate, but I would counter that argument with two points.

1. Chapter 51, in general, begins by noting that the entire section applies to higher learning institutions.
2. The literal title of Sec. 51.931 is "RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START." Hence, the education code establishes AFS as a right that is granted via legislation. Institutions that fail to participate are unequivocally denying students a state-granted right.
I am I full agreement here, and yes, it is something we absolutely should undertake at some point.
 
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Perhaps down the road soon, those of us who have had success with AFS need to draft a letter to legislators detailing how the spirit of the law is being blunted by ivory tower scholars who are too lazy to take the time to understand how AFS works. I would argue that institutions that fail to participate in AFS are violating section 51.931 of the Texas education code, and are, in effect, engaging in ageism.

Schools might argue that the specific subsection doesn't mention the requirement to participate, but I would counter that argument with two points.

1. Chapter 51, in general, begins by noting that the entire section applies to higher learning institutions.
2. The literal title of Sec. 51.931 is "RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START." Hence, the education code establishes AFS as a right that is granted via legislation. Institutions that fail to participate are unequivocally denying students a state-granted right.
Agreed, something needs to be done about it as many schools are way too flippant about turning students away.
 
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