I think I'm going to move my dd up a grade.

[jld]

Dd is moving quickly through her schoolwork, and so I'm going to start considering her a 10th grader, instead of a 9th grader. I'm planning to have her take the PSAT in Oct., when we're in America, and the ACT and SAT in June of 2011 (probably here in India).

 

Dh wants me to take her to look at colleges next fall, though dd and I are pretty much focused on just one school: the branch of the state uni I went to. It's a great value, with profs teaching all classes and well-equipped science labs.

 

Dh and I feel sad that dd will leave a year early, but she is really interested in science and we want to keep her momentum going. It's hard, though, to have a year shaved off your time with your child. She's already mentioned the time she will miss with her baby brother (he will turn 4 right before she leaves).

 

I've also said there are plenty of escape hatches in the contract, so to speak. If she wants to stay with us, for whatever reason, she can. If she wants to quit mid-sem., or at the end of the first semester, and just come home and stay with us, fine.

 

Anybody BTDT? Any words of wisdom? Anybody want to tell me I'm crazy and I should keep that girl with me as long as I can????

[love2read]

I did it with two children. It worked out fine for the first, but not the second. In junior high she covered the next years math over the summer and it was no problem bumping her up. She hit a slump right around her 16 birthday and when it came time for the SATs I just didn't feel that she was as well prepared as she could have been. She did well, but no strong scholarship offers. She would have benefited from the extra time at home. She's one of the younger ones in her college classes and isn't as competitive as she could have been which is unfortunate because if we had just given her that extra year she probably would have gotten a full scholarship and would be a top ranking student now.

[Sharon in MD]

A very wise woman that I know, who has been a homeschool leader and advisor in my area for a long time, has said...."homeschooling is not a race; there is no prize for finishing first."

 

I would suggest careful or prayerful consideration of the benefits to be gained by just proceeding on course....she would graduate on time, with another full year of maturity under her belt. You can still accelerate the curricla and give her material to work with suited to her skills. I would not rush ahead...

 

You can always supplement with distance ed college level courses if you need to....There are many ways to augment your home program, without graduating her "early." THink hard about the environmet you will be sending her to.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

As a mom, I would say....Keep her home!!...Just because you love her and it will never be the same. She's got the rest of her life to be a grown-up, but only a few more years living with you.

 

From a college student's perspective, I would still say keep her home another year. My dd is a sophomore in college and just based on her stories of friends and roommates, I would caution against sending your daughter early. DD's current roommate has parents living overseas and being far from family has been more difficult than she anticipated (this girl is 20). DD's roommate really misses the support of her family and has also had some adjustments to make to our culture even though she is American. (She has been overseas since she was 7.) She is able to visit grandparents during break, but misses actually going HOME. I think that long distance, no weekends, and no holidays kind of separation would be very difficult for a 17 yo.

 

Also, dd has known three 17yo girls who started college early. All three have had maturity issues to deal with even though they were ready for the academics.

 

IMHO- I would recommend having your dd take college classes online for senior year. This will get some general ed. credits out of the way so she can really dig into the science classes she loves when she actually gets to campus.

 

Of course, you know your daughter better than anyone else and you will know what's best for her. :)

 

HTH,

Leanna

[jld]

Thank you, ladies. I really appreciate your feedback and will ask dh to read every reply.

 

The plan so far is that the boys and I will be in our home in America from Sept. through Dec. 1 of the first semester. We can drive up and see her every weekend if she wants (college is five hours north of us), for whatever time period she wants (say 7 p.m. Sat. night until 10 a.m. Sun. a.m). We'll pick her up for Thanksgiving on Wed. night, take her back Sun. p.m., and then head back to India. She will join us in India 3 weeks later, right after her last final. She'll stay with us for four weeks, then head back to America. She will be alone from the end of Jan. until her finals the end of May. Over spring break she can go to our house, or maybe go to Mexico or Puerto Rico or someplace to practice her Spanish (dh's idea). Then right after finals in May, she will head to India. We'll come back to America the middle of August, and repeat the cycle.

 

Thank you for every reply, and believe me, I'm listening. Dd is very mature. I know she'll use her time wisely. I'm just sad, as is dd, and dh. We know that separation has to come eventually, but it's our first, and it's hard. But I can't keep her with me forever, right? I have to do what's in her best interest, right? Not just what's most comfortable for me?

 

This is hard. Thanks for offering your perspective.

[Brindee]

During Spring Break, who would she go to Mexico or Puerto Rico with?

 

I'm agreeing with the others. She'll be young, why rush it? No, we can't keep them with us forever, sad to say, but if she stayed home and did the college pre-requisites, you could have another year or two with your dd if you wanted to, and she could still go to the University of choice once the pre-reqs are done!

Edited February 26, 2010 by Brindee

[jld]

I think dh thought there would be a trip organized by the Foreign Language Dept. Or maybe I can fly home for a few weeks and bring her home for the week of Spring Break. I guess my point was that we would not just be sending her off to America for four years with no contact with us.

 

I think I'm nervous about the dist. ed. courses because I'm just not familiar with them. Also, dd is really looking forward to working with lab equipment, and she's very excited about the possibility of doing research with professors her second year.

 

You know, it's not like I can't fill up her time during a fourth high school year, it's how best can that year be spent? Like I've said, this is the first time we've done this. We feel like we're just feeling our way along the wall in the dark, looking for the light switch. I'm sure I'm not saying anything new. It all just feels really new to dh and me.

[Ruth in Canada]

She'll be taking 4 of her courses at the local university, which is as many as they'll let her take as a special student. Two more will be with music teachers. The final two will be at home. This will provide plenty of academic challenge, plus give her the outside qualifications she'll use for admission to university. We'll consider her graduated after this year, when she will be just about to turn 19.

 

I don't know what your options are, but I wonder if you can provide challenge academically (with distance courses, for example) without your daughter leaving home? That said, I headed off to university at 17--didn't turn 18 until that December--just because of how my birthday fell. I didn't feel out of place or have difficulties.

[Joan in GE]

it seems like your primary reason for sending her earlier is that she wants to do labs and you have no good labs where she could take classes in India?

 

It sounds like you've thought through a lot of the realities already and you are just trying to see if there is anything you haven't thought of already?

 

I haven't read all your posts to know how long you have lived overseas to be able to guess at how much of a culture shock it will be for her (TCK type of stuff), or to know her personality ( if it is very desirous to please which could let her say 'yes' to things because she hates to say 'no'), or how innocent to the ways of the world she is, how social of a person she is (which could lead her to accept company that would not be good for her, just to have company), etc...

 

Her best interest is broad in that it covers not just academic advancement but understanding her place in the world and other aspects of being human. Not knowing you or your daughter personally, it is hard to make blanket statements or judgments....

 

A fair number of British do a gap year even after they've finished high school to give them more perspective on life, more maturity, and frequently to do some type of cross cultural aid....maybe she has done enough aid work in India?

 

What about doing some schooling in an Indian university - just for the experience? (I have absolutely no knowledge of the system- just a thought) Or think of some other kind of science project that she could do over there, even linked with a school or university?

 

SWB herself, in one of her audio tapes, tells how she went to university very young - I think younger than your daughter, and says how she would not advise it...I don't know how many years younger she was talking about...

 

Just some thoughts,

Joan

[EKS]

Instead of moving up (or in addition to moving up), why not add some coursework of specific interest to her, either as part of her current classes or as separate classes. Or have her 12th grade year to focus on subjects of particular interest. There's more to being ready for college than just having done a certain amount of coursework. Why couldn't she continue with science at home?

[In The Great White North]

You haven't said what schoolwork she is doing now. Unless she is years ahead of her age, the year at home can be put to good use. Will she do a second year of chemistry, biology or physics at home? How about calculus, probability and statistics, differential equations? You have to pay for college - homeschooling is much cheaper even if you bought lab equipment and did several online courses. The more mature student, who has done several "AP" level courses, will be better able to adapt/survive/excel in college.

 

I agree with those who said there is no reward for finishing first. She will be competing against others who have done those courses in high school, even if everybody hasn't. By keeping her home another year, she could be far better prepared for college, which is a very competitive environment, as is the job market after graduation.

[Michelle in AL]

:iagree: with the last 2 posters to go further in to depth with her studies and challenge her rather than send her to college early.

 

There are sooo many good choices out there for advanced classes, especially AP Sciences. She can also look into areas of interest. I have one dd who has done 2 computer design courses (drafting and architeture) with Potters school. Next yr she'll take AP psych which is what she wants to major in.

 

I have another dd that loves writing and wants to go into journalism. Hopefully she can do some journalism, adv writing and photography classes in high school.

 

High school can be a really exciting time for discovery. APs and distant ed are also great for earning college credit.

[H0MEFree]

In my humble opinion, I would say keep her. Give her another year of curricula and make it college level if you need to. Her portfolio for admissions will ROCK! Also this extra year will give her time to do more volunhteer work and other things to beef up her experience for both her own journey and for college admissions.

 

You may want to consider CLEP tests to give her college credits. There are some good books on it out there just do a search on CLEP for homeschoolers.

If you are Christian, look for Christian books on the subject. They will recommend CLEPping out of science courses, some types of journalism, and other subjects that tend to indoctrinate with disagreeable material.

[jld]

Joan, you're right on. I'm trying not to leave any stone unturned in my search for the best path for dd.

 

She's finishing Saxon Alg. II this weekend and will start Saxon Adv. Math on Tues. She's planning to finish the beg. of Aug. and start into Saxon Calculus. That should be finished by this time next year. She really likes Saxon.

 

She's almost halfway through Apol. Bio I and Apol. Chem I. She did two chapters of each in Nov., when we got back to India from a couple weeks the end of Oct. in America. Then she spent all of Dec. and half of Jan. with her grandparents in France, and only took math, Latin, and some French reading along. She took a week to get over jet lag when she got back to India, then went right back to intense studies. She does a chapter of Apol. Bio I and Chem I each week, and should finish by the beg. of June. I say should because she is going back to France from the middle of April through the middle of June (the heat and mosquitoes are terrible here in India at that time), and there is a fair amount of distraction there on her grandparents' little farm, so her pace may slow a little. She wants to take almost all of her school books with her this time (Latin, French grammar and spelling, world and U.S. history, and Lightning Lit, in addition to Saxon and Apologia).

 

She wants to go right on into Chem II and Bio II when she gets back to India. She probably won't finish them until Christmas. She plans to start Saxon physics when she is halfway through Adv. Math (suggested on another homeschool site). When she finishes the Saxon physics book (maybe Thanksgiving, or Christmas?), she wants to do both Apol. Phys I and Phys II. She really enjoys both Apologia and Saxon, and didn't want to choose between them.

 

When she finishes Bio II, she'll do Apologia's marine biology course. Then I think we're done with everything Apologia offers, and Saxon, too. That's mainly what is driving sending her to college early (along with her desire for college quality labs). It seems like you can do an endless amount of English and history, and never really be "done". But with math and science, it seems like it's easier to know when you've done enough. She should have all the necessary math and sci (everything Apol. and Saxon offer) done in the next year and a half.

 

I really don't know how to have her take classes here. I think India does things pretty differently than we do them in America. And we have a hard time understanding "Indian English". And the teacher-student relationship can be very different here than anything we would have been used to in the Western world.

 

We're planning to head back to America for two months in Sept. and Oct. She could take the PSAT in Oct. and visit some colleges during both months. I'm not sure about taking SAT II tests. I'll have to see where in India she could take them.

 

I really didn't expect things to go so quickly, but dd is highly motivated. She was the bone marrow donor for her brother last summer, and spent most of her summer taking care of him in the cancer ward (I was with the other kids in a temp. apt., and dh was working in another Indian city). This girl has her head on her shoulders. She wants to study molecular biology/biochemistry with an eye on attending med school afterwards. She spends most of her time studying, so if she doesn't make it, it won't be for lack of effort. She really likes studying.

 

She really likes science, and while we've considered "slowing her down", this just doesn't feel right, kwim? This is her passion, and we don't want to stand in her way. To be honest, I'm just glad she knows what she wants to do in life; I'm 39, and I still am not sure what my passions are.

 

Gals, I really appreciate your willingness to help me think this through. I think I'm still really new to the whole homeschooling high school thing, and now we're thinking we should plan ahead a little more aggressively, and so it just feels a little overwhelming. We want to do the best thing for our dd; what parents wouldn't want the best for their child? You're bringing up lots of important points, and dh and I will be carefully considering all of them. Thank you very, very much.

[Kareni]

I think you will make the right decision for your daughter since you know her best.

 

If you do decide to continue math at home, I thought I'd mention that Life of Fred offers math beyond the Calculus level. Both Statistics and Linear Algebra are available. The price is quite reasonable too at $39.00 and $49.00 for the textbooks and $6.00 for the answer keys. Shipping is free within the US.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[jld]

Thanks, Kareni. I'm not familiar with Life of Fred, but I will look into it.

[emubird]

Does she have the opportunity to take AP tests? If she does, that might move her up a year in college anyway.

 

I don't know that labs in college are the big deal that she may think they are. My daughter's classes ("with lab") often have very little lab work. It really varies. Your daughter may do just as well designing her own labs.

 

If she's really interested in research, she could just start now. There are things one can research without a ton of expensive equipment. This may turn out to be much more fulfilling for her than starting college early -- and make her look really impressive to colleges. A decent research project could fill a whole year. If she's looking for ideas, she could try hunting around on the web (yahoo groups etc) for ideas and possible web mentors. What field is she interested in?

 

If it were me, I'd also want to look in to what the local university situation is. It may not be a US education, and it may or may not "count" for anything if she goes to a US college, but I would think the opportunity to experience education in a different culture might turn out to be really useful in the years ahead.

 

Also, I'm not completely convinced that the Apologia science curriculum is all that advanced. She could do a full year of just studying a field of science in a more advanced way. She could "do" an AP course even if she doesn't take the test. There are lots of resources online for many of these courses. Lots of kids in public high schools around here do three years of biology/chemistry/physics and THEN do the AP course in one or two of them.

 

Also, if the calculus course she's doing is at all meaty, she may well find that she wants to slow down and really get it. My kids blasted through all the math up to calculus. They could have finished calculus in a year, but have chosen to go slower so as to be sure to understand it. Also, the AP Calc that's taught in the high schools here generally takes 2 years (AB and BC). My oldest is VERY glad she took it slow. It gave her a good basis for taking multivariable calc, which she probably would have done really bad in (like most of the rest of the class) if she didn't understand the first 2 semesters of college calculus really well.

[In The Great White North]

She spends most of her time studying, so if she doesn't make it, it won't be for lack of effort. She really likes studying.

 

Regardless of your decision on timing, there is another aspect you should consider. From the pace you've described (most people do one science at a time and take a whole year about it) and this statement, it sounds like she doesn't have any other activities? Getting into the college of her choice might require broadening her "resume" with some extra-curricular activities, especially if you'd like a scholarship. Colleges look at academics, sports, clubs, leadership, etc. Check out the websites of some colleges she's interested in and see what they have on their application. If it's on the application, they are interested in it and take it into account when making admissions decisions.

 

If her goal is to go to a specific college (competitive), then med school (even more competitive), she would be well advised to participate in (or even excel in) more areas than academic. I realize taking care of her brother was a eye-opening experience for her and visiting relatives in foreign countries is a wonderful cultural experience, but most colleges will not consider either of them an extra-curricular activity. They will not have a box to check on their application for it and will not credit her for it in the admissions process (even though there is an excellent college application essay in there somewhere!) Is it possible for her to do a sport, chorus, club, church group, etc?

[Brindee]

I have a friend whose family were missionaries in India for many years. She and her brother went to a local University just for the experience! They said it WAS harder at first---which was not a bad thing, but a challenge to work even harder! :D She's been forever thankful they did that and gained the experiences they did by going. They have some great Universities there, and great science opportunities, some of which my friend's brother went through and really enjoyed! They took advantage of being in a different country to expose themselves to the culture and education offered there. That was 20 or more years ago, and my friend still talks fondly of those days!

 

Not saying that's what you SHOULD do, just saying it could be a rich and rewarding experience for your dd!

 

It IS a tough decision, I'm praying for you as you work to make the best choice!

Edited February 26, 2010 by Brindee

[Joan in GE]

From looking at her textbooks, I (to second others) would say to spend the senior year using a variety of textbook publishers with textbooks at a harder level....

 

I'll give you an example although it is in physics....last spring I was searching for a physics text that was in between Conceptual Physics and an Honors level physics text, as ds had never done a physics course.

 

Since we didn't find any (I can't order endless books and pay overseas postage and my brother hadn't yet told me that he was going back into teaching high school physics) we went with Giancoli...a harder book but not the highest level AP Physics © - Honors level.

 

While ds could grasp the concepts, it was taking him forever to do the problems. We would go into Conceptual Physics to try to understand something better or some other easier physics coursework. By the end of December, he had covered 5/33 chapters.

 

I realized that at that rate he would not have finished a course by the end of the year. I put my foot down and said that he just had to get more practice at an easier level so that he would be well-versed enough to deal with a harder book. We had an Apologia Physics book and I said that even though he didn't like it, he had to do that before he did a higher level book. So in the 2nd week of Jan, he started. He has just finished module 10 (7 weeks). I expect a slowdown for the last 6. But my point is this. The text is not that difficult.

 

If your dd wants to possibly go to med school, she has to be very well versed in chemistry, etc before she goes to college. My dh taught college chemistry for med students and said that there are a lot of wanna bes. If she doesn't do well in the sciences in college, she won't be able to get into med school.

 

So to do that, she needs to be dealing with a higher level textbook before she gets to university....One of the problems with Saxon is that if the student is not used to other types of math books, they can have trouble adapting. So you can put your year to good use, having her take some of these AP courses, using college level textbooks, which will prepare her for the challenging work ahead.

 

Also, since my brother just jumped back into teaching high school level physics and things have settled down, I got to ask a quick question about the courses in his school...

 

(I realize your daughter is not so interested in physics, but there are probably similar situations with the other sciences now that there is all this biochemistry, etc)

 

They have 4 levels of physics in his school (his school is well-funded for the sciences)

General Physics

College Prep

Honors

AP level

 

The honors level course uses college level books already (and the AP does too). If your daughter wants to get into a good college, she should probably be doing at least honors level books - it would seem to me.

 

I haven't seen the highest biology book by Apologia, but in general, it seems important to have experience with different authors and publishers.

 

We have also used Saxon through Alg I and started on Alg II. That is when I started reading this forum more about high school materials. We stopped Alg II Saxon after he did the first 30 lessons and said that he hadn't learned anything new.

 

I will only speak for books that I have seen, Dolciani is what we use now but very hard to find since the better versions are out of print. We have Foerster Alg II, Life of Fred Alg II, Prentice Hall Algebra II...I think Foerster is the hardest, and the hardest to understand. Life of Fred is the easiest and does not cover so many aspects of the typical Alg II topics nor does it have nearly so many problems and hardly any difficult problems, Prentice Hall has lots of visual examples, lots of explanations, (text runs 819 pages not including appendices), I think overkill but well done content wise. It is good to compare books. I would look at Lial (search on this forum) if I were in the US. I only say these things to show a tiny piece of the huge variety of texts and while I am not a "math mom" by any means, I think that using other books would be helpful if your dd is going into the sciences.

 

Many people use CC courses for the lab work which maybe you cannot do in India (but it might be worth a little research) ETA (just read post about missionaries in India going to college so it sounds possible) but generally CC courses are much cheaper than full time enrollment in college. That is, unless you are able to get a full scholarship or something...but it still seems better to put her in college ready to go.

 

Agreeing with the other comments about extracurricular activities, calculus slowdown, etc..

 

Have to go to dinner, just thought it important to give some details...

Best,

Joan

[Brindee]

Joan, What a great post! I think it's helpful for me, and others, as much as for jld! Thankyou for sharing all that!

[Mommyfaithe]

A very wise woman that I know, who has been a homeschool leader and advisor in my area for a long time, has said...."homeschooling is not a race; there is no prize for finishing first."

 

I would suggest careful or prayerful consideration of the benefits to be gained by just proceeding on course....she would graduate on time, with another full year of maturity under her belt. You can still accelerate the curricla and give her material to work with suited to her skills. I would not rush ahead...

 

You can always supplement with distance ed college level courses if you need to....There are many ways to augment your home program, without graduating her "early." THink hard about the environmet you will be sending her to.

 

:iagree: And according to the WTM so does SWB.

 

~~Faithe

[Teachin'Mine]

Maybe she could treat her senior year as almost a gap year and concentrate on things other than academics.

 

I think that her experiences of having been a marrow donor and caring for her brother will definitely count and impress admissions as her interest is in medicine. But I agree that more volunteer time would be helpful too. Maybe she could volunteer at a local hospital - maybe working with other young cancer patients. Maybe she could also find some work, or volunteer work, dealing with medical research. All of this could be combined with a college course or two if she doesn't want to drop the academics altogether.

 

That's an amazing pace that she's going through these subjects! Only you and she can decide what's best. Just keep communicating and re-evaluating as you go. :)

[jld]

Joan, and everybody, thank you so much! I hope I can be as helpful some day to homeschooling moms coming up as you all have been to me!

 

I think these are the main points made:

 

1) Saxon and Apologia are basic texts, not advanced. Other publishers offer meatier texts.

 

2) Look into classes at Indian universities.

 

3) Have extra-curricular activities on the menu.

 

I am not familiar with other texts besides Saxon and Apologia. And to be honest, I am really not even that familiar with S and A, because basically I buy the books when dd tells me she needs them, dh picks them up on a trip to America, and we hand them to dd, who takes care of the whole thing on her own. She sets the pace, reads the lessons, does the problems, checks them, does the companion cd for Apol., takes the tests, grades them, and records her scores. We trust her absolutely.

 

I really cannot help her with high school math and science. I teach her Spanish, and go over some points in English with her, and discuss some history, and that's about it. I really am not qualified to evaluate math and science textbooks, which is why I really appreciate your tips on what is good, and why. I absolutely cannot teach these subjects, so we'll have to have dd and dh look at some of these texts the next time we're in America (or online, if possible) and see what they think.

 

It sounds like dd could finish Apol. and Saxon in the next year and a half and just consider them a foundation for math and sci study for junior and senior years of high school. She could do the meatier texts (if she can -- I really cannot help) the last two years. I really am not familiar with AP at all. I've only heard about SAT II tests on these forums, and am not sure if we can take them here in India, or where. Though, there are so many Indian kids who go to America to study, that I would think they would have to have them here for them to use them to get admitted to American universities.

 

I understand the point about having dd as well-prepared as possible going into college, as other kids will have come from excellent high schools and they will all be competing for spots in med school. Dd's plan is to go to a branch of the state uni for undergrad, and then the state med school, if she can get a spot. This is really all we can afford, at best, with 4 little brothers coming up afterwards. I hear about kids getting scholarships, but I am really not sure how that happens. I can't imagine having a child smart enough to be a National Merit Scholar. Dd has never taken a standardized test, so I don't really know how smart she is. I just know she has a good study ethic. Once again, I just really have a lot to learn about the whole sending a child off to college process.

 

I appreciate what Brindee said about trying to take a class at an Indian university. I will ask around about that. I've heard the competition for uni spots is fierce here. I don't know how to explain it, but India just seems very different from America. I'm kind of scared about the idea of sending dd to even a class here. India can be a really harsh country. But I will get more informed about this.

 

As far as the extra-curriculars . . . dd did intense ballet in America, but the ballet class we found here in our major city is not nearly the quality dd had in America. She was actually concerned she would get injured with the way the teacher taught! So she just works out in the little gym in the complex, instead.

 

Ds 11 was not supposed to have visitors or be out much the first several months after the BMT, which is one reason I haven't had the kids out and about a lot these last months. That's one of the reasons dd has studied so much. But we could think about some volunteer opportunities. I am seeing ds's oncologist today, and I am going to ask him for a letter validating dd's participation in ds's care, and her being the bone marrow donor. I'll also ask the hospital social worker about volunteering opportunities for dd. Everything seems to be about networking in this country, and the social worker certainly has connections.

 

Once again, I can't thank everyone enough for all the help you've given me. We've certainly got a lot to think about. Thank you so very much!

[Brindee]

I appreciate what Brindee said about trying to take a class at an Indian university. I will ask around about that. I've heard the competition for uni spots is fierce here. I don't know how to explain it, but India just seems very different from America. I'm kind of scared about the idea of sending dd to even a class here. India can be a really harsh country. But I will get more informed about this.

Like I said, that was 20+ years ago, so things could have changed since then, in fact, I'm sure they have! It was just an idea to look into, but I don't know what India is like, as I've never been there. My idea was to look into as much cultural activities and opportunities as possible while you are there. There may be smaller Christian or other college or highschools nearby where your dd would be safer, yet be able to get a great education, possibly? Just an idea. It will take a lot of research for you. Oh, maybe you know someone who has connections, or may know of something your dd could go to/participate in like that?

 

I'm wishing you well in this endeavor, and still praying that you find the right answers!!

[kiana]

JLD: I'm not sure how your finances are, but would online classes be an option? With your DD's excellent work ethic, they might work out very well for her.

 

Alternatives: I do think that I would re-do the last level of math (calculus) with a textbook from a different publisher, both to aid in complete understanding and to accustom DD to textbooks with styles other than Saxon. Any fairly commonly used introductory level university calculus textbook (such as Stewart, Larson, others) should sell student solutions manuals with the worked solutions to the odd problems, which could be used for self-teaching.

 

Most of the fairly commonly used introductory textbooks in other fields of science also sell student study guides, which have the answers in the back so they can be used for self-checking and self-study. Med school is *fiercely* competitive and any sort of a leg-up is useful. Check reviews on amazon but also read between the lines -- don't just look at the star ratings.

[jld]

Brindee, thank you so much for your prayers. That is very kind of you!

 

Kiana, I think I am just unfamiliar with online classes. Actually, I am very unfamiliar with lots of homeschooling high school things! I think in my mind high school and college are what I experienced in the mid-late 80s and early 90s!

 

If she doesn't get accepted to med school, I think she'll try for phys. asst. or nurse practitioner or something like that. She just wants a challenging career along with being a homeschooling mom. She'd like to work part-time, ideally. But she may not even get married, so she really wants to do work she enjoys.

 

Once again, I can't thank everyone enough for their help. I feel like I almost agonizing over all this. I'm sure the veterans are laughing, but for newbies like me, this all seems very serious and very important.

[Joan in GE]

It is trickier homeschooling abroad. That is one reason the WTM forums are so invaluable.

 

I am no science expert myself and dh only helped for one class (chemistry last year). So it sounds like we are in a similar boat. Just wanted to say that (in case the Indian university courses don't work out) some of the "online" classes for the higher math and sciences doesn't necessarily mean that the student is online all the time. It can vary from just getting and turning in the assignments once a week online to much more online time. For the AP level math and science classes it can be helpful to have another person - a person with lots of experience in the subject who can answer any question as a backup, who guides the study, etc. There were two recent threads which could be helpful about this...

 

Awesome online courses

 

Comprehensive list of online courses

 

There could still be some courses that are not on here...but these are probably the best and most used ones...

 

Sounds like you have your hands full with the 4 younger ones! and living in a foreign land!

 

Also about an Indian university...I would think that the educational traditions are good due to the British connections. I know what you mean about the Indian accent. I lived in Sri Lanka for a short time and travelled in India...

 

Best,

Joan

[In The Great White North]

International SAT test information. Follow the links to get test sites and registration info. If she has never taken a standardized test, I would start with one in 10th, then spring and fall of 11th, and if she's still looking for improvement, fall of 12th. College applications go in late summer and eary fall of 12th grade.

 

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/international/sat

[HSHS]

You could also try getting hold of the College Board blue book & having her take a practice SAT test. It'll give you an idea of whether she could get some merit aid in future. She sounds like a very bright girl though. ;)

[Joan in GE]

About the PSAT, on another thread I found out that the cutoff level is very high or the highest for us overseas people (no time to check at the moment). Depending on the state, the cutoffs can be quite different. I don't know which state your home is in, but it might make a difference if you are a resident there vs overseas when she takes the test (it sounds like you are in the US a fair amount). But if it is a state with a high cutoff anyway, it might not make a big difference. Just thought I would put that variable on the table while your thread is being discussed....maybe someone else knows more about how they determine what state is used for the cutoff - your residency state or the state where you take the exam?

[emubird]

On the topic of college scholarships --

 

If you have a kid with decent test scores and an interesting background (I think yours will certainly qualify on that last count), private schools may end up being much cheaper than public universities. It's definitely worth applying. You might be pleasantly surprised. Many of the less well known schools don't even charge application fees if you apply online.

 

My daughter is finding that her two cheapest alternatives right now are the two pricey private colleges she applied to. Both have beat the "cheaper" tuition at the public university.

[jld]

Thank you, emubird. I really need to learn more about funding college. I just assumed we would have to pay for everything. I need to read more online about merit aid.

 

And really, until she takes a standardized test, I won't know if she even has a chance for merit aid. I know she works hard, but there's a difference between being a hard worker and being smart, kwim?

[Nan in Mass]

Every once in awhile, life throws us a loop (you know aaallll about that), so I have learned to be cautious about things like advancing a child. I ask myself how hard it is going to be to undo something once I've done it. As the mother of older teenagers/early twentiers, I can say that I would not do this. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't send my daughter early to college; that is another thing entirely. But I wouldn't advance her now because if for some reason she changed as she grew and I changed my mind about sending her early, it would be very damaging to our relationship for me to tell her so. It would be less damaging for me to say early on, "We'll see. Perhaps you can graduate early." And then just keep her at her current grade (on paper, not work-wise), document everything carefully, and then send her early, after 11th, or rename all the grades when you make the transcript for applying to colleges. What is the advantage to saying now that she is ahead a grade? Why not just keep calling her a blank-grader, let her work at whatever level she would like to, and then worry about the decision to graduate early or do another year when the time comes? Unless there are programs that would only be open to her if she were labelled a grade ahead? Mine are all over the place, level-wise, and I don't worry too much about the label. Sometimes, those ultra-stable teens are more adult and stable at 15 than they are at 17. This would put off any decisions another few years. It is good to think about it ahead of time, and talk about it, but I would try hard not to make any decisions until the time to apply arrives because then you will know who exactly you will be sending.

-Nan

[jld]

Those are very good points to consider, Nan.

 

Dh still thinks 17 is the right age to go, but I think we will just wait until she's 18. It's the testing that becomes a headache if you advance them. I really don't like all this mandatory testing, but we might as well at least try for scholarships, so we have to jump through the hoops.

 

I really appreciate everyone's help on this. I learn a lot more from talking to more experienced parents than just talking to myself about these things.

[choirfarm]

I can't tell from my post if you are a missionary. If you are, then many private colleges offer scholarships. I know that East Texas Baptist gives huge help to pastor's children and missionaries. I think Baylor does as well. Anyway, it might be an option if you are one.

 

Christine

[jld]

No, but I grew up Catholic. Does that count for anything?;)

 

Dh runs a small factory here in South India. We were transferred here because the guy before him was messing things up. Dh really loves India, working as well as living here, and has cleared up a lot of problems with banks and workers and such. I don't know where we'll go after this.

 

Long answer to a short question, huh?

[Ellie]

You don't need to think of it as "moving her up a grade," or even graduating "early." You just graduate her when you think she has enough credits for whatever she needs to do next. It will mess with your head less if you do it that way, lol.

[Nan in Mass]

Ok. This is the efficient way of saying what I was trying to say LOL.

[jld]

I hear you, Ellie, but then I read about merit aid, and how the PSAT and ACT/SAT scores figure into that, and it does become a sort of game, I think. As in, what does she need to do, and for how long, to get the best scores she can, to get the most money she can, so dh and I can pay as little as possible?

 

I hate to think this way. It makes me feel cheap and like I am looking out for my own pocketbook more than wanting a quality experience for my daughter. But college is really expensive for middle class people like us, and I feel like we have to be practical. We have more kids coming up after this, plus we need to save for retirement. And other expenses always seem to pop up, too, lol.

 

This is really making me think hard, hard, hard about my truest values, which really requires looking into my soul. And I'm not necessarily happy about what I'm seeing!

[Nan in Mass]

The whole college admissions game does that to you. You have to balance the unfortunate reality of needing to educate your child in a way attractive to colleges and scholarship committees, the need to package your child in a way attractive to colleges and scholarships, and the need to educate your child in a way that will allow them to survive college once they get there (some experience with textbook learning and multiple choice test taking, etc.) with the real educational needs of your child, which presumably reflect the values of your family. You wind up having to decide exactly how much value you place on which sorts of college experiences, whether you have good solid reasons for valueing highly some of them or whether you have reasons that don't really match your personal values, and exactly how much you are willing to compromise your morals and education goals to get your child there. Then there is the whole financial end of things: how much debt is managable and worth the future sacrifice? Would it be better to do something else with the money, like buy a house? And as if that weren't bad enough, you are making all these decisions for somebody else, someone you love more than anybody else in the world so you don't want to guess wrong but whom you don't know very well yet because they are growing and changing, and even worse, someone whom you are trying to get to think independently. Ug. Ug. Ug. Having stepped outside the standard system of education, we now have to decide whether and how far to step back in. If you want to be really horrified, read some of those how-college-admissions-really-works books. Books like that global education or Bruno's Going Back to School present another view. I agree that the whole thing is hard. When my older one was in 9th grade, I had a massive furious hissy fit about the whole thing which sort of cleared the air and made me able to see where I stood on all of it. No such luck with the youngest sigh. I'm muddling around trying to decide whether if he goes peacewalking instead of taking more CC math and science it will mess up his chances of going to an interesting engineering school, and being furious with myself for putting peace and snobbish-sounding personal college aspirations in the same sentence. I don't think it really is snobbery that is motivating me but interesting projects, but still... I'd welcome a hissy fit about now GRIN.

-Nan

 

Editing to add that I don't intend to make the final decision about the math/walking dilema. My son will do that. And we aren't really deciding now. I'm just trying to figure out how I feel about it so I can put my two cents worth in when the time comes. It sounds fuzzier than it really is because it is in the future. When they want to go walking, they go walking. What has happened the past eight years will probably keep happening - child says he is tired and doesn't want to go walking and then he suddenly says he's going and we scramble to buy boots and rain gear and a week later he is gone. If he is in CC classes, then he can't go until the day after his last final. But because they don't seem to think ahead about this, it leaves me guessing whether they are going to regret signing up for CC classes in the spring when it comes time to go walking... With the youngest, math CC classes have the potential to interfere with walking most of the years of high school and if he doesn't do math at CC. Anyway, it gets complicated and I wind up having to weigh peacewalking against a continuous four years of engineering-prep math. Arg.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Nan in Mass

[jld]

I guess we're all weighing practicality vs. values!

 

I feel bad to not be willing to spend $40,000 a year on a really great school for dd, if she could get in, but the bottom line is we just can't afford it. We're looking at the $15,000 state schools hard.

 

I talked to a friend today, and she said neither of her kids got merit aid, despite good test scores and excellent high school records. Her dd graduated 3rd in a class of 600, and did not get a dollar of aid. She told me to have dd try, but not to be surprised if she doesn't get anything. I guess parents are a kid's best scholarship hope!

[Rionne]

I haven't looked through but there's a list of institutional merit scholarships here:

 

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/211927-institutional-merit-based-scholarships-full-tuition.html

 

And that board is altogether helpful for finding scholarships. I think you said your DD is interested in the sciences too?

 

There's science (research-based, etc) competitions for them that she would enjoy and could also win a scholarship.

 

Rushing out but I hope that's of some use to you. :-) Your DD sounds like an amazing kid!

[Nan in Mass]

Thought you might be interested in this post: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1529868#poststop