Matthew Slezak of Houston, Texas, earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts in 2004. He shares, “Excelsior got me back into college. I had dropped out of Ohio State University (OSU) and worked in the tech industry for a while before deciding to change my life and pursue an MS at a top school. I was a wild child, and my whole family thought I was going nowhere. OSU told me I had 4–5 years left to finish my degree—no thanks. My military coworkers introduced me to Excelsior College (as it was called at the time), which allowed me to apply DANTES exams to complete my junior and senior year requirements.
When my IT job relocated to North Carolina, I decided to move back into my mom’s house, quit the constant partying, and focus on finishing my degree. I used old-edition, cheap books, studied for 3–4 months and took a year of tests over just a couple of weeks. Soon after, my degree was awarded! Back then, the total cost was only about $1,000–$1,500.
The advisors at Excelsior were phenomenal—they wanted you to earn your degree as quickly as possible. Before taking each DANTES exam, I confirmed with an advisor that it would count toward my BS. They placed me in the fastest program based on my existing credits (Liberal Arts) and ensured I took the right exams.
I applied to nearly every top school for my MS with a 2.8 GPA from OSU and about a 3.4 GPA at Excelsior. (Excelsior’s system of awarding grades based on DANTES exam scores helped raise my GPA, which I believe is unique to them.) Eventually, I was accepted into Rice University in Houston, Texas, for a professional master’s degree in environmental analysis—and the rest is history. Of course, I was rejected by many schools, but don’t lose hope! Perfect your application essay and keep applying. Highlight your struggles—for example, I ran a painting business during college, which left little time for academics and caused my grades to drop at OSU—and show how you’ve changed and are now focused on your career. Emphasize how your grades improved once you committed at Excelsior, and secure strong professional recommendations that demonstrate you are more capable than your GPA suggests.
Since then, I’ve been working in the energy industry (trading). I also completed a Finance and Accounting Certificate at Wharton during the same year in Pennsylvania. You can stair-step your way into better programs by completing a rigorous certificate at a top school to prove your capability before applying.
Excelsior used to post where alumni were accepted into graduate programs. At the time I applied, I saw graduates going to Harvard, Yale, and other top schools, which motivated me to pursue the Excelsior route. It truly worked out for me. I wish they still shared that information, so I’m sharing my story here in hopes of motivating someone else. You can do it!”
