u/MuhammadXcom

My first term I was only able to get 4 classes done. After getting the hang of it, I was able to get 18 done the next term.

The classes I would not recommend taking at UMPI are Business Analytics 440 & Human Biology 105. The instructor for BUS 440 is an interesting guy to say the least. All my classes averaged 3 days to complete, but for some reason, BUS 440 lasted the entire term. A class similar to that was BUS 200 for me last term even though I’m already Microsoft Certified and mentioned half a dozen times it’s like it didn’t matter. Anyways, I just completed IBM Data Analyst Professional Certification at Coursera for $49. It came with a 7-day free trial. I could have completed all 11 courses in 2-3 days but I finished in 4. Claims of it taking 2-4 months is a lie. You can go at your own pace based on what you already know. Folks on Reddit and elsewhere have a way of discouraging others from taking it. Each of the 11 courses took me about 1-4 hours to complete. Everything in the course is not peer reviewed. As of today, you have the option to have everything graded by AI instantly (better than waiting for a UMPI instructor to give feedback that may or may not make sense). The certificate is instantly generated after you complete the course. As for BIO 105, it is confirmed that one can instead elect for Human Biology at Sophia and Human Biology Lab as well at Sophia. There is 2 Touchstones in Human Biology at Sophia and I think about 4-6 quizzes from what I recall. The Touchstones are a series of relatively short questions. I knocked the course out in about 3 hours. As for the lab, it can be done in about the same amount of time. It’s much better than waiting on lab(s) to be mailed to you for BIO 105 and waiting for grading. What’s very misleading about BIO 105 is it’ll seem like there’s only 1 lab but there’s more of the course that isn’t revealed until the instructor grades the lab. Bio 105 lab(s) involve dissecting an owl pellet. Sophia’s lab is like a virtual game/simulation on various forms of anatomy and biology and is actually surprisingly more informative IMO.

That being said, my strategy to getting 18 courses done this term was by not letting any instructor slow me down with revisions. If it wasn’t about a new assignment or class enrollment I wasn’t interested. I ended up doing CDL school (there 8 hours a day) and full time college at the same time. You’d be surprised how much homework can get done on an hour lunch break, downtime at work, while at the library or Barnes & Noble vs at home.

Don’t risk your GPA on 440 or 105. Take some of what’s said here with a grain of salt. It’s not even that these are hard courses, it’s just the way the instructors exercise judgment. Use spreadsheets, numbers, or sheets to track all your classes and grades (green for submitted, yellow for revision required, etc.). Use notes as well as a backup for tracking classes. Organization is key. Also, be kind to the professors. If there ever becomes an issue, email them immediately, but be professional. We’d be surprised how much our emotions can set us back academically. Also, if you’re stuck in a revisions dilemma (3-6 submissions of more) consider redoing the entire assignment from scratch - but know when to set it aside to avoid it from impeding on time given to other classes/assignments (overall progression).

So end of story, 20 classes at UMPI, 20 at Sophia, 1 at Coursera (of which they count as 11) since Jan. of 2026 plus CDL school. I’m now a commercial driver, (oh I forgot I also did OSHA 10 & CPR in the same account of time), a UofMaine grad, and I’ll be starting my Masters of Business Administration. Afterwards I’ll be pursuing my PhD. All together so far this year I’m at 45-55 courses depending on how you count it. Anything is possible.

(Always network regarding transfer equivalents to avoid being misguided. The main reason for my post was to educate fellow students about transfer equivalents. More awareness = more opportunities = you not being at an instructors mercy. Funny enough, my Final in BUS 440 was on the topic of Equal Opportunity, that’s what this post is about, making sure everyone is more aware of educational opportunities than they were yesterday. That includes giving the exact name
of the transfer equivalents, the exact nature, the exact expectation of time one may commit to it, the exact price, etc..)