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Help! Need ideas for senior year...CC is a bust!


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After jumping through some crazy hoops to get my son enrolled in community college, so far we have had no luck in actually registering for any classes.:glare:

 

They don't allow high school students to register until just a couple of days before school starts. The term started yesterday. I spent the whole day with him at the campus while he tried petitioning two calculus sections and two chemistry sections. In both math classes there were near 40 students competing for 5 available seats. The chem classes had a few less but my son did not receive any of the available seats.

 

We have one more chance tonight with a chem class but are not very hopeful. They update their open course list every hour so we're stalking it to see if anyone drops a class and it gets put back on the open list.

 

In the event that he is unable to get any classes I need ideas for what to do for his senior year.

 

He is already enrolled in Latin 3, Research Paper Writing and Sci Fi Lit through TPS. He's also in competitive speech and debate. He already has 4 lab science credits and 4 math credits during high school. He currently has 20 credits total.

 

I'm looking for ideas of what else to have him do this year. Any input would be greatly appreciated!:)

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Ronette,

 

Argh! How frustrating! I'm so sorry you're going through this and I'm learning from you for when we may go this route with K next-next year.

 

How is J doing with history/worldview credits? Could he design some highly specific, interesting history reading course for himself?

 

See you Saturday with an egg dish,

E- Alphabetika

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That must be so frustrating. Could he take an AP level in one of his sciences - like Chemistry? Then he could take the AP exam, or the CLEP, or both, to get college credit. Has he taken any calculus yet? Saxon has a Calculus text which would at the least keep him current with his math, and make calculus in college that much easier. Another thought would be to do AP statistics.

 

He should be able to do the science or math on his own, but if he would rather have some teaching involved, these classes are available virtual or online.

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Oak Meadow has an excellent college prep chemistry course with lab. You can either enroll your son with Oak Meadow, in which case your son would mail his work to an Oak Meadow teacher every two weeks, and have access to some tutoring & tips, OR you can order materials only. The chemistry lab is great, and if you don't plan to enroll, you can buy a teacher manual with answer key.

 

For Calculus, I would recommend ChalkDust Calculus with DVDs.

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Nooooo! I don't want to hear this! We spent this morning getting my ds enrolled at CC, and he has to crash -- I'm not kidding -- crash a math placement test tomorrow morning! I know all the sections of intermediate algebra are already full but was farily confident he will be able to get into one.

 

It is so brutal in California right now due to budget cuts. Do you have other CCs near you? We at least have 2 others to try if this is a bust, but time is running out.

 

Does he have Fine Arts credits already? There's probably some of those easier to crash that might interest him. Economics? Poli Sci? Psychology? How about Calculus on line somewhere? My ds wants a classroom with a teacher for math.

 

Good luck to you!

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We had this problem, too, this week. So, just yesterday, we signed up for ChemAdvantage Honors Chemistry (not sure if they have any AP openings). I REALLY wanted ds to take a lab science, but this will have to do. Fortunately, he's not going into the sciences, so I try to comfort myself with that.

 

Good luck. I know it's very frustrating.

 

http://www.chemadvantage.com/

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Oak Meadow has an excellent college prep chemistry course with lab. You can either enroll your son with Oak Meadow, in which case your son would mail his work to an Oak Meadow teacher every two weeks, and have access to some tutoring & tips, OR you can order materials only. The chemistry lab is great, and if you don't plan to enroll, you can buy a teacher manual with answer key.

 

For Calculus, I would recommend ChalkDust Calculus with DVDs.

 

We are also using Chalkdust (well, using Lial's along side of videos of Dana Mosley at http://www.coolmathguy.com).

 

OP, are you looking for completely new ideas? Maybe Human Geography. Or a fall class through AOPS until the cc spring semester.

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Here's the ridiculous thing:

 

In order to enroll we had to fill out a "special admit form" which is what all highschoolers had to do. Even though we're homeschoolers, we had to have it signed by our "principal." (This was after going round and round with a few people at the college about whether or not homeschooling was legal apart from the local school district.) Fine. I got the administrator of our teeny, tiny homeschool group to sign it.

 

So, you had to put the classes you intend to take on the form. We intended to take calculus and a chemistry class. He had to take a placement test for both and passed each. Then we had to have our forms signed by counseling, the President's office and Admissions and Records.

 

After not being able to get a class yesterday we were checking the open class list and saw a biology class had a seat available so we tried to register for it. Wouldn't let us. It has a pre-req so we go to counseling to get that cleared. After going back and forth a few times we discover we can't get that class because our "principal" didn't approve it. UGH!!!!

 

So, the only classes he's allowed to take this semester are the calculus and chemistry because that's all we had listed on the special admit form.:glare:

 

He has already taken calculus using Chalkdust. But at the cc, you start in Calculus 1 according to the placement test.

 

I've tried another cc in the area and have talked to some other homeschool moms who are trying to get their kids into still other cc's in our area and they are running up against the same problems of not being able to get classes.

 

I am going to have him take the California High School Proficiency Exam in October and he'll be 18 in Nov. At least with this he will not have to apply as a special admit student for the spring and we should have a little more freedom.

 

Thanks for the ideas so far!! I will discuss them all with him!:D

Edited by CAMom
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A friend's ds took the CHSPEE last spring -- he is only 16. He is enrolled at a local CC this fall and happy as can be.

 

The only good thing for us is that we homeschool through a Charter, so the CC recognizes him as a legitimate high school student. I've known so many homeschoolers who've had to go through what you describe. And some CCs are more homeschool friendly -- it is so arbitrary!!

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Totally sympathizing here. I've been dealing with this type of stuff for the last 3 years. Finally had my kids take the CHSPE and life is looking good. ;) Dual enrollment in CA is for the birds!

 

As far as credits... if he doesn't "need" the credits, I wouldn't worry about it this semester. Maybe just have him review calculus, or do reading for chemistry or biology or whatever science he will be taking?

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This happened to my D. Same thing, different state.

 

So we drove home and came up with the idea of her spending what would have been her Comm Coll class/study time to be allocated toward studying for the CLEP exams. We decided to get as many core requirements out of the way as possible.

 

D started with Intro to Sociology (easiest) and within 2.5 weeks had studied as much as humanly possible and passed the CLEP exam. 1 down.

 

Then a few weeks later she went in and took the CLEP Freshman Comp/Essay and passed. 2 down. Next it was College Mathematics (easy math)--3 down. Then Intro to Psychology--4 down. The last was Human Geography--5 down.

 

That makes 5 college courses, or a half of her freshman year, already completed.

 

In addition, she took ONLINE CC courses at Clovis Comm Coll in Clovis, NM (regionally accredited). The fee is $125 for up to SIX credit hours (2 credit classes) plus a $50 per class internet fee, and books. Unbelievably cheap; and they don't start until Aug 23. My D took an Enviro Science and Philosophy/Ethics course through them.

 

All told, D has accrued 21 semester hours before even starting her Senior year at a cost of under $800-, including books.

 

Good luck!

Edited by distancia
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This happened to my D. Same thing, different state.

 

So we drove home and came up with the idea of her spending what would have been her Comm Coll class/study time to be allocated toward studying for the CLEP exams. We decided to get as many core requirements out of the way as possible.

 

D started with Intro to Sociology (easiest) and within 2.5 weeks had studied as much as humanly possible and passed the CLEP exam. 1 down.

 

Then a few weeks later she went in and took the CLEP Freshman Comp/Essay and passed. 2 down. Next it was College Mathematics (easy math)--3 down. Then Intro to Psychology--4 down. The last was Human Geography--5 down.

 

That makes 5 college courses, or a half of her freshman year, already completed.

 

In addition, she took ONLINE CC courses at Clovis Comm Coll in Clovis, NM (regionally accredited). The fee is $125 for up to SIX credit hours (2 credit classes) plus a $50 per class internet fee, and books. Unbelievably cheap; and they don't start until Aug 23. My D took an Enviro Science and Philosophy/Ethics course through them.

 

All told, D has accrued 21 semester hours before even starting her Senior year at a cost of under $800-, including books.

 

Good luck!

 

Yup, except we aren't doing CLEP. One could spend the "extra" time studying for an AP course that is fairly easy - Human Geography and Psychology are on the easier side. Or just taking that bizarre, custom course that could really stand out on a transcript and be a lot of fun.

 

Ds is looking forward to the extra time, without cc classes, for starting a website that provides a network for local non-profits in the area. We narrowed down a grand idea into one that can easily be managed.

 

You could always look at open courseware or The Teaching Company and see what floats his boat!

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Wow - not much advice other than possibly spending the time getting additional interesting extra curriculars for fun (and college) - but wow! I'm glad our cc experience has been nothing like that (we're not in CA - or FL). My boy's cc adviser actually tried to talk us into letting them take more classes, but we're full pay and it hasn't been in our budget. I hope something works out for you!

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If he's already done calc, maybe he should just study for the AP test. If he's done the AB part, he could work this year toward the BC. The AP Calc test seems to be fairly acceptable to many colleges, so he'd hopefully get credit. That might be a good use of his time this year.

 

Otherwise, if he doesn't have deficiencies in any areas, maybe he'd enjoy making up his own course. We've done archaeology, the influence of biology on history, music theory, astronomy, photography, computer animation, and a lot more foreign language than necessary. We were going to do linguistics but ran out of time.

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We had big problems with our local CC too. I did what a previous poster suggested and enrolled dd in Clovis community college. what a difference in attitude! They did everything so quickly and efficiently and when they accidently gave dd a wrong password (mistyped her birthdate), they called us back and straightened things out within five minutes.

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The HS Proficiency exam only tests up to 10th grade level, am I remembering that correctly?

 

I'm not sure. But, the schools see it as the equivalent of a diploma and if you have one you don't have to apply as a special admit student so you don't have to jump through the hoops and you get higher priority registration.

 

Anyway, he did get the chemistry class he went to last night!:hurray: It lasts until 10:30 pm two nights a week but beggars can't be choosers, right? He went again to a calculus class that he also tried on Monday morning...a 7am class. The teacher did a lottery system again for the open seats.

 

But, the instructor will not give away the seats of registered students even if they haven't shown up until they officially drop the class. In addition, he holds a lottery each class period. So, my son won a lottery seat today but he could show up again on Monday morning and not win a seat and have to try again on Wednesday. This can go on for three weeks because that's how long you have to add/drop a class. It's crazy!:001_huh:

 

You also get registration priority based on how many credits you have in previous semesters. So, at the very least, he'll get 5 credits for this semester for chem and, if he gets the calc class, that will bring him up to 9 credits.

 

At this point I'm just grateful he got the one class!

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  • 2 weeks later...
...

You also get registration priority based on how many credits you have in previous semesters. So, at the very least, he'll get 5 credits for this semester for chem and, if he gets the calc class, that will bring him up to 9 credits.

 

 

If he is still dual-enrolled, he won't get priority registration no matter how many credits he has. Get him to the very next CHSPE test so he can register as a "real" student!

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If he is still dual-enrolled, he won't get priority registration no matter how many credits he has. Get him to the very next CHSPE test so he can register as a "real" student!

 

Yes, you're right! When I mentioned it, I meant that he'd be a "real" student next semester with 9 credits. Although, with as hard as everything has been, it won't surprise me if they make him start from scratch credit wise. He'll be 18 in November and I was told at Cypress College yesterday that he doesn't need the CHSPE to enroll next semester since he'll be 18? Anyone have any experience with that?

 

As an update, he ended up getting both the calculus and chem class. It wasn't easy and it took a meeting with the dean of counseling at one of the campuses who called one of the vice presidents but we did it.;)

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I'm glad your ds got the classes. Later, it will probably prove to be worth all the hassle.

 

I guess we are lucky that our cc is familiar with hsers and doesn't have all the hassle. Concurrently enrolled students still get a late registration date, but not the mess you had to deal with. We all just know not to ever mention hsing, but to always apply as a private school student. It fits nicely into the cc's box of understanding.

 

My dc took the CHSPE and enrolled as regular students before they turned 18, so I don't know about your ds registering based on being 18 yo. The application may still ask about a high school diploma or equivalent. Look at the regular school application and see what it says. If you are not sure, just have him take the CHSPE and register as a regular student and don't ever mention hsing or that he is still in high school. Just check the box for having a high school equivalency. Our cc did ask us to bring in a copy of the CHSPE since my dc were under 18 yo, which we did. We didn't have any problem and they got early registration dates.

 

I hope next semester goes much smoother!

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Ooh! I read this somewhere and can't remember where it was. I think once you're 18 they don't care about the CHSPE.

 

The only thing I worry about is scholarships. If we dual-enroll and use the CHSPE, will my students be ineligible for freshman scholarships at 4-yr. schools? I was asking a friend about this, and she hasn't been able to get a straight answer from the colleges she's talked to.

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The only thing I worry about is scholarships. If we dual-enroll and use the CHSPE, will my students be ineligible for freshman scholarships at 4-yr. schools? I was asking a friend about this, and she hasn't been able to get a straight answer from the colleges she's talked to.

 

My dc did concurrent enrollment, then passed the CHSPE and registered as a regular student. So have many of their friends.

 

At most schools it won't matter. Of course each college has its own policies, but IME, it didn't make much difference. My ds got a freshman merit scholarship and he had 18 or 20 cc credits when he graduated from high school, and they all transferred to the university. Most the colleges my dc looked into didn't care how many credits a freshman had as long as they were obtained while the student was still in high school. They still count the student as a freshman, and he is eligible for freshman scholarships. One ds had to apply to the school as a freshmen transfer student, but he still got the freshman scholarship.

 

Most the schools did have a specific number of credits where the student is considered a transfer student when that number is reached. But again, they told us it didn't apply if the credits were earned during high school. It applied if any of the credits were earned after high school graduation. My dd had 44 cc credits when she graduated, and took courses after graduating. She won't be eligible for freshmen scholarships because she will have an AA and will be a transfer student, but she will be considered for a 2 year full tuition scholarship at her first choice university because of her cc GPA.

 

So anyway, check with the individual university, and also check into their transfer scholarships. While transfer scholarships are usually lower amounts than freshman scholarships, you gain by paying far less tuition during cc, so you can still come out ahead financially. But we don't know any student who lost a freshman scholarship because of having too many cc credits taken during high school.

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But, the instructor will not give away the seats of registered students even if they haven't shown up until they officially drop the class. In addition, he holds a lottery each class period. So, my son won a lottery seat today but he could show up again on Monday morning and not win a seat and have to try again on Wednesday. This can go on for three weeks because that's how long you have to add/drop a class. It's crazy!

 

That is crazy. As a CC instructor I know by day two/three of the class if someone is going to show and I give those seats away without hesitation. Many people register for classes because of government requirements and never show up. I've got two no shows in my afternoon Psych class. I was asked to allow a late registration by a student who dropped another class and wanted to add mine. This put me over my class limit but it is on paper only for about three days. I will drop the no shows by this Weds.

 

My philosophy is this: if a student has the moxy to want to take the class then let the student in.

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Yes, you're right! When I mentioned it, I meant that he'd be a "real" student next semester with 9 credits. Although, with as hard as everything has been, it won't surprise me if they make him start from scratch credit wise. He'll be 18 in November and I was told at Cypress College yesterday that he doesn't need the CHSPE to enroll next semester since he'll be 18? Anyone have any experience with that?

 

As an update, he ended up getting both the calculus and chem class. It wasn't easy and it took a meeting with the dean of counseling at one of the campuses who called one of the vice presidents but we did it.;)

 

I'm glad he got both classes!

 

As far as getting a better registration time with the 9 credits...Fall semester classes won't count for spring semester registration, which is a bummer. FC only counts hours completed, so for spring registration, which opens before fall classes are complete, only classes complete through summer semester will be added.

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Ahhh, see, THIS is what I've been dying to know! I was having a hard time reconciling the idea that a kid would be considered a transfer student if the cc work was dual-enrollment, since the state of CA has minimum graduation course requirements beyond the CHSPE.

 

The only drawback, then, seems to be that a CHSPE/regular student has to pay cc tuition, whereas the high school student gets in for free. But if you can't get the classes you need, then you get what you pay for.

 

Were your kids transferring to private schools, public schools, or both?

 

Thanks for the info!

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...In the event that he is unable to get any classes I need ideas for what to do for his senior year... I'm looking for ideas of what else to have him do this year. Any input would be greatly appreciated!:)

 

 

How about one of MIT's free open courseware classes?

 

 

Or, what about using the time to do a senior project? These 3 threads have lots of ideas:

- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50718&highlight=senior+project

- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146249&highlight=senior+project

- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158251&highlight=senior+project

 

 

Or perhaps this is a year to look at the bigger picture? Not taking CC classes would allow your DS the opportunity to:

- get involved in a sports team (either community or with a high school team)

- do extracurricular activities (Youth & Government, National Forensics (speech/debate), Civil Air Patrol, Sea Cadets, join an after school highschool club or group such as DEKA, chess club, leadership opportunities, etc.)

- explore the arts or hobbies of interest

- work a part time job

- use free "podcasts" or tutorials to learn a piece of software, or explore an area that might be interesting (ex: digital photography) -- http://www.creativeclassroom.org/

- make his own unique course

- be a tutor, or teach a homeschool co-op class for younger kids

- regular community service with an organization he wants to support

- short term (2-6 weeks) mission or cultural exchange program

- do an internship/apprenticeship in an area of career interest

- take some training and learn a hands-on trade that could serve as a job during college, or be something to fall back on in these rough economic times (mechanic, computer repair, plumbing, electrical, AC/heating repair, etc.)

Edited by Lori D.
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A

The only drawback, then, seems to be that a CHSPE/regular student has to pay cc tuition, whereas the high school student gets in for free. But if you can't get the classes you need, then you get what you pay for.

 

Were your kids transferring to private schools, public schools, or both?

 

 

One ds is at a private university and one is at an out of state, state university. They were both accepted at several universities, along with their transfer credits.

 

Yes, the drawback is that you have to pay if you use the CHSPE to enroll your student, but benefits are getting an earlier registration date, being able to enroll in any course (assuming prerequisites are met) instead of being limited by what is listed on the concurrent enrollment application, and not being limited to 11 credits each semester. Plus, once your student has applied, you don't have to apply again, unlike the concurrent enrollment paperwork which must be completed each semester. The student just gets a registration date because the cc assumes he will continue taking classes.

 

Another nice, unrelated to college, benefit to passing the CHSPE is that the student does not need a work permit. This may not matter to you, but it really does make things simpler if your dc wants to work.

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