How bad is it to have DH take online course for me?

DrMom

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 1:04 am

I don't even understand how you were planning to pull off this dishonest deed. Doesn't the registrar *know* what courses you took and didn't take before? Don't they have your undergrad transcipts? If stats and chem are prerequisites, won't they see there is no record of you having taken these classes and thus not let you sign up for this class?

Why don't you just take statistics (or chemistry) *instead of* this class so you will have the proper background to take this class later?

DrMom

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 1:09 am

causemommysaid wrote:

maybe I'm the only one to say it but ask a rov and see what he says. the class may be designed in a way that you can get help.

The OP proposed more than "getting help":

Quote:

Do you think there's any possibility that having DH take an online chem class under my name would be okay halachically???

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 1:54 am

What do you mean, DrMom? As I said before, I'm in grad school, soon to graduate, and the school just changed the requirements so that everyone has to have stats and chem taken before they graduate. The school's calling them prereqs, but that's obviously a misnomer here.

Before I started the program, I took all the prereqs that were required. I entered the program having done everything they told me to do, with straight A's, might I add. I've taken out massive student loans and worked myself ragged doing everything I signed up for, with a 4.0 GPA. I've kept to my part of the bargain.

They changed the rules now, when I'm almost done.

Dolly: my student loans have to start getting repaid if I drop below half time. Spacing things out isn't an option.

Dolly Welsh

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:03 am

You could take them to court for breach of promise or you could take the courses.

You might talk to a lawyer. Maybe there will be a class-action angle, if this applies to a lot of disgruntled students.

Statistics isn't that hard.

Chemistry, maybe. But if it's non-organic chemistry, it isn't that hard either.

If you have done all that already, you can handle challenging material and have brains.

Don't be so scared. Just do it.

Rutabaga

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:03 am

OP, I'm going to assume that you didn't seriously mean to follow through on your original question and that you just needed to vent that the school changed the rules on you.

Hug

That must be really frustrating. After all your hard work, you must have already felt that the end was in sight only to be told that there's more...

Are you sure that the new rules apply to you? You may be grandfathered in under the rules that were in place when you started the program. Do you have an adviser that you can talk to about this?

rachel6543

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:13 am

Check into what Rutabaga said: "Are you sure that the new rules apply to you? You may be grandfathered in under the rules that were in place when you started the program. Do you have an adviser that you can talk to about this?"

My experience when I was in college & grad school is that you were grandfathered into required classes depending on when you enrolled. Also, you may be able to try to petition against the school and get a waiver. Talk with your advisor, school admin and see what you can do to fight taking these extra courses. Best wishes.

And if you do end up taking the courses, they may not really be that bad. My husband had to take a stats class online for his degree. It turned out all the tests were online and he was actually able to pause the test while taking it, so he could reference his text book/notes and pass the questions. I don't know if your online class would be like that, but it really wasn't that bad for my husband. And my husband took this class while working full-time and our baby was a newborn, and he was helping me with that too.

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:18 am

Rutabaga: I already begged my advisor.

No grandfathering in. I can already see what my summer is going to look like. Shaking

(Thanks for understanding that the original post was a vent!)

Come on, doesn't anyone think there might be some kind of halachic loophole here???

dalia1

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:35 am

I just finished an intense few years of school, plus family, plus responsibilities. Honestly, few things were more frustrating than seeing other people cheat. You are in school, you need to put in the time whether you like the course or not. Just because you have a family and other challenges doesn't make you exempt from anything. Furthermore, there is not a profession around that I know of that doesn't require a basic chem or intro to statistics.

ora_43

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 2:36 am

My sympathies, OP. I would be so, so upset at getting new requirements added right before the end.

Hopefully your dh will be able to tutor you through the courses.

Is your high GPA necessary for something (future employment, future degree programs, etc)? If not, remember, Cs get degrees... you don't have to ace statistics, just learn enough to scrape by.

(like other posters, I didn't get that you were venting at first - it sounded like you were talking about prereqs for the program, like, classes you need in order to take other classes you need.)

DrMom

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 3:05 am

amother wrote:

Nevermind. I thought you were proposing having your DH fraudulently take a class for which chem/stats was a prerequisite, not the chem/stats classes themselves.
---
Are you *sure* you aren't exempt (grandfather clause)? I have never heard of a university adding mandatory classes so late into one's graduate career. Are the other students in your program all frantically squeezing in stats and chem courses in order to graduate on time? There must be many students affected by this new requirement. Can you issue a formal complaint to someone in charge of graduate/student affairs?

Can you take a test to place out of these classes? What level of stats and chem do they require?

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 4:18 am

Quote:

Are you *sure* you aren't exempt (grandfather clause)? I have never heard of a university adding mandatory classes so late into one's graduate career. Are the other students in your program all frantically squeezing in stats and chem courses in order to graduate on time? There must be many students affected by this new requirement. Can you issue a formal complaint to someone in charge of graduate/student affairs?

The national certification required by my soon-to-be profession changed their requirements for certification. There was initially some confusion, because the schools had a little leeway in when to start implementing the new requirements. Unfortunately someone in admin messed up, and told us we were okay, only to realize now that we do need those courses. Otherwise no certification.

Most of the students in my program are carefree young things who, while they aren't thrilled by this sudden twist, can handle the additional courses.

On a happier note, frantic googling has revealed online courses called "Chemistry & Public Concern" and "Chemistry & Society." With no lab!

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 5:05 am

My dh and I take his class together online. it's like a tutoring situation. We get assignments, we read them together and do them together with me guiding. His professor said on the syllabus that help is ok as long as the work is yours. Its his ideas that I help him to write. But, chem, I can imagine more difficult than english.

Sanguine

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 5:17 am

The courses may sound harder than they are. I majored in computers in college and one of the requirements was 2 science courses (totally useless for computers) - I was allowed to pick any two courses so I took "Physics for non-science majors" and beginning geology that was known as "Rocks for Jocks".

Both were very easy courses. The first course of subjects like that are usually easy

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 8:09 am

Quote:

Will that satisfy the requirements for certification?

Yes! Since we 100% truly will never use chem in our profession, they aren't being picky. Our program coordinator said any course from a chemistry department that's at least 3 credits should do the job!!

DrMom

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 8:20 am

amother wrote:

Quote:

Will that satisfy the requirements for certification?

Good luck then!

Did you find a simple undergrad-level statistics class?

Kugglegirl

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 8:49 am

In grad school you usually need to get at least a B in every course & may be able to get a C in one or 2 courses without having to re-take. Check your school's requirements & maybe you can be OK with a C in these, or else just try for a B.

I struggled with statistics, but it is worth it to have some clue when you are reading professional journals, to understand the outcomes of a study. And you will need statistics if you ever hope to write up a study for publication.

I can't imagine a professional grad program that would not include statistics!

I took an on-line statistics course & really wished I could have taken it face-to-face. Defiantely get a tutor early if it is a weak area for you.

I had chemistry as a pre-req in undergrad. Did so poorly in it in high school, but found as an adult, without all those teen age hormones distracting me, it was not as bad as I remembered & did OK.

Hopefully you will too.

amother

Sun, Feb 16 2014, 11:34 am

Quote:

My program director emailed us that we can squeak by with a C in chem if need be. She said that they don't see chem as necessary at all and so we just need to do the bare minimum to satisfy the new prereq requirements. (Sounds like a bunch of us have been freaking out on her.)

We had statistics as part of our program, but taught as a combined stats & research methods class specific to our field. Now, in addition, we have to take a general undergrad stats class. That I don't have such an issue with, since it could be useful. I was able to find a cheap online stats course at my local community college, which should be fine.