Earn College Credit for Real-World Experience

Make Life Experience Count Toward Your Education

We have all heard it: life is the best teacher. And there is the other favorite: I went to the school of hard knocks. There is truth in the concept that we often learn the most through living through situations, and having to respond to demands that have been placed upon us in "sink or swim" circumstances. Sometimes we grow the most when we are motivated to learn something that we want to, or that is valuable to us in real-life scenarios. Wouldn't it be nice to have those learning events validated by college credits? Well, they can be with Credit for Life Experience in many college programs.

Many online college students fall into the "going-back-to-school" category which can present special challenges. Whether you have had previous college experience or not, older working students especially respond to the appeal of convenient scheduling with an online degree. Rather than feel that you are coming to the college game with a disadvantage because of your age and length of time away from school, turn it into an asset. Your maturity and experience can be capitalized on by turning life experiences into college credits. Many distance learning programs as well as traditional campus-based schools validate the knowledge and skills that you may have gained outside of the classroom. Often online degree programs are more in tune to adult learners and tend to appreciate these experiences even more.

Each college and university may have differing expectations for Life Credits, and you will have to do the research on the college you are interested in, and as always be sure of their accreditation. If your online school or on-campus university does accept a transfer of credits for what you have done or learned already, they may impose a limit on the amount of credits that you can earn through this mode. If they do accept some credits for real life experiences, the method of assessing your competency in an area could take several avenues.

Many accredited online degree programs ask for a Life Experience Portfolio from students seeking credits for life activities. The college is attempting to obtain evidence that supports your claims at competency. Your portfolio should include; references of people who are familiar with your relevant experience. Other material proving your experience may be; a resume, work samples, copies of awards and certificates, and job descriptions.

The process for determining credit for life experience will vary by educational institution, but may encompass filling out a life experience application or taking a prior learning assessment. You are likely to be asked to write a comprehensive essay on the topic you profess to be knowledgeable in. You may also have to give an oral presentation or participate in an interview.

Some examples of what you may be able to get non-traditional credit for may include; CPR, seminars, workshops and training conferences, self-motivated study, volunteer work, professional licensure or certifications, workplace experiences and courses. Of course, this is only a short list of possibilities, and you should think creatively and honestly about what you are.

If you have ever looked around and realized that you knew more about your job or field than co-workers that held a college degree, then you should consider attempting to get credit for that knowledge. It may seem like a daunting task to compile all the requested materials once you have decided to attempt to earn credits for previous life experiences, but it is a good investment. Though it may seem time-consuming, in the end if you do earn those credits, you will have invested less time and energy than if you took the class and did all the coursework.