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It is very much no refund, even if you withdraw before class starts.

For the record, here is the current (2016-2017) refund policy as listed on their website:

Course cancellations within 2 weeks of registration will receive a 100% refund.

Cancellation requests requests received prior to June 1, 2016, will receive a 75% refund.

Cancellation requests received after May 31, 2016, and before July 1 will receive a 50% refund.

Course changes may be freely made on request prior to June 1, 2016, with no additional fees due.

Course changes may be made during the month of June for a $50 admin fee per course, except that the fee will be waived for the first such change request for each student (regardless of the number of course changes involved).

Course changes made after June 30, 2016, are subject to an admin fee as follows:

Changes from one section to another of the same course will incur a $50 admin fee per course, except that the fee will be waived for the first such change for any class enrollment.

Change requests from one course to another will incur a $100 admin fee except that the fee may be waived or reduced at the sole discretion of the WHA Registrar when the following conditions are met:

The “moving from†course retains at least the minimum number of students to make it a viable class.

The “moving to†course is not full or overfull as a result of the change.

There is no adverse impact on teacher workload or compensation.

Withdrawal or cancellation requests (with no corresponding enrollment) received after June 30, 2016, but before September 30 will be subject to a $100 admin fee with 50% of the balance available as credit against a future enrollment for any member of the family. (Note that if the subsequent enrollment is for the same school year as the withdrawal, the previous clause covering course changes will apply.)

NO refund or credit will be due for withdrawals after September 30, 2016.

 

All withdrawal requests must be received in writing (Wilson Hill Academy, PO Box 50115, Austin, TX 78763) or by email to Admin@WilsonHillAcademy.com

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Thanks for sharing these specific examples. I'm another secular homeschooler who is interested in WHA courses based on their very positive reviews, but after seeing the above, I know Great Conversations classes wouldn't be a good fit for us. I wonder about the science courses? Do you have any experience with them so that you could provide details about how religious they are?

Can anyone speak to this?

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Is there a lot of religious discussion? Also how many hours of study per week would you estimate?

 

My son said that other than prayer at the beginning and end of class there has not really been any religious discussion.  

 

He estimates that the top time spent on Chemistry in a week for him would be 6 hours, but on average he puts in around 4 hours of study time per week.  He is my son that loves math and Chemistry and the Chemistry seems to come easy for him.  My husband is a PhD Chemist so is able to discuss things with him if needed as well.  

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My DS was in Mrs. Baker's Honors Comp last year and is doing Mr. Baker's Rhetoric this year.

 

He definitely enjoyed last year's class and learned a lot. I sat through a few classes with him and wasn't sure if he'd like the teacher, but he did. She just doesn't come across as what you'd expect from a classical educator.

 

He loves Mr. Baker even more than Mrs., but the class itself has not been the hit I was hoping it would be. It is both writing and speech, with quite a bit of formal logic. DS does not enjoy the logic, and it is more of a struggle for him. When I signed him up for the class, I really liked the fact it included logic but now I'm wondering if he just wasn't ready for it. 

 

I'm not sure where I'm going to go for future writing classes. Thinking Center for Lit next year, but I'm not sure we want to come back for Rhetoric 2 for 12th. Not sure if it's even available?

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My DS was in Mrs. Baker's Honors Comp last year and is doing Mr. Baker's Rhetoric this year.

 

He definitely enjoyed last year's class and learned a lot. I sat through a few classes with him and wasn't sure if he'd like the teacher, but he did. She just doesn't come across as what you'd expect from a classical educator.

 

He loves Mr. Baker even more than Mrs., but the class itself has not been the hit I was hoping it would be. It is both writing and speech, with quite a bit of formal logic. DS does not enjoy the logic, and it is more of a struggle for him. When I signed him up for the class, I really liked the fact it included logic but now I'm wondering if he just wasn't ready for it. 

 

I'm not sure where I'm going to go for future writing classes. Thinking Center for Lit next year, but I'm not sure we want to come back for Rhetoric 2 for 12th. Not sure if it's even available?

 

Did your son study Logic before taking Rhetoric 1?  

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We love Mrs Baker! We came from cc, and were used to weekly papers. It was nice to focus on using precise words and grammar (fewer papers) to improve the writing in a different way. There's more to English than quantity of papers. Plus, we have writing essays weekly in GC1+4 to fill that need.

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Amy,

 

Can you give more details on the weekly essays in GC 1+4?

 

Does your student get teacher feedback on them? (That would be a lot of work for the instructor!)

 

Can you give three or four examples of topics from this week or last?

 

Feel free to PM if that's easier!
 

Thanks so much!
yvonne

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Amy,

 

Can you give more details on the weekly essays in GC 1+4?

 

Does your student get teacher feedback on them? (That would be a lot of work for the instructor!)

 

Can you give three or four examples of topics from this week or last?

 

Feel free to PM if that's easier!

 

Thanks so much!

yvonne

I would love to hear the response to these questions, too! 

 

Brenda

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Here is information from my daughter's The Great Conversation 1+4 class.  I posted sample writing assignments from the class earlier in the thread.  The class is not a class that teaches writing.  However, they must be able to express their ideas and opinions clearly for assignments.  There was one 500 word essay first semester.  The other writing assignments are posted on the discussion board and students are required to respond to at least 3.  The semester exam required an essay also.  

 

Course Description

This course is designed for students who begin The Great Conversation courses in ninth or tenth grade and can benefit from a survey of ancient works before moving on to the upper levels of The Great Conversation. As a combination of levels 1 and 4, we will examine key works of the ancient world and the discuss answers to the big questions proposed by the greatest thinkers of the times. As with the other levels of The Great Conversation, students will learn how to fine tune the skills of discussion and debate as we examine works of philosophy, theology, literature and history, and critique every worldview through the lens of Scripture.  

Textbook and Materials

The Odyssey 978—0-14-026886-7

The Histories (Selections) 978-1-4000-3114-6

The Oresteia 0-226-30778-6

The Last Days of Socrates 0-140-44928-0

The Early History of Rome 978-140-44809-8

The Aeneid 978-0-67972952-5

The Iliad (Selections) 978-0-14-027536-0

The Peloponnesian War (Selections) 978-0684827902

The Republic 0-19-283370-7

Nicomachean Ethics (Selections) 978-0-07-553652-9

On the Nature of Things 0-486-43446-X

Cicero 978-0-14-044099-7

Metamorphoses 978-0-393-32642-0

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 978-0-679-64260-2

Course Objectives 

Upon completion The Great Conversation 1 + 4 students will: 

 

  • complete daily reading assignments.
  • come to class prepared to discuss the reading. 
  • understand the significance of ancient works in historical context.
  • learn to discuss and debate ideas from these works and assess those ideas in light of biblical truth. 
  • learn how better to express ideas in written form. 
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Sorry! Life got crazy for a bit! Yes, one discussion topic writing per week, plus well reasoned critiques/comments on other essays. No writing instruction given, but he does require that they have a well thought out essay (and doesn't hesitate to ask that they need to elaborate in future essays).

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My son is taking Pre AP Chemistry with Mrs. Bailey this year and absolutely loves the class.  She is one of his favorite teachers.  He also really likes the textbook that is used.  He said he has no complaints about her class!  

 

He is also taking Rhetoric 1 with Mr. Vierra.  He said it is a hard class but good.  

 

We have really enjoyed our experience at Wilson Hill Academy the last two years.

What is the workload for Pre-Ap/Honors Chemistry?  How quickly do they cover a chapter?  How often do they do experiments and complete lab reports?

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Thank all you for sharing the names and classes that you loved!!  I'm happy to report that we got in to Pre-Cal/Trig with Stublen and Chemistry with Bailey!  Woohoo!  I hope my ds loves them as much as yours did!!

 

He currently takes Alg II with Mr. Reini and really likes Mr. Reini!  DS says he makes it as humorous as math can be. :laugh:

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What is the workload for Pre-Ap/Honors Chemistry?  How quickly do they cover a chapter?  How often do they do experiments and complete lab reports?

In addition to weekly homework, there is another weekly assignment  as in a quiz, open book assignment, or a discussion.

 

Chapter coverage varies based on the length of the chapter.  The first 5 chapters were covered during the first semester, but they have completed chapters 6 and 7 and started chapter 8 already this semester.  There are a total of 13 chapters in the book.

 

They did one full lab during the first semester.  He has to do a lab demo and result write up next week and he thinks that there will be another full lab this semester as well.  It has definitely not been a lab heavy class.  

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It is really interesting to see how many people have signed up so far for some classes. I'm assuming they start with 20 as the max for a class (except for foreign language and a few other classes), so you can tell how many have already signed up. WHA is really good about opening up other sections of a class if all the ones they offer are full - so don't panic if you end up on the wait list during open registration.

Edited by RootAnn
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Second son is now enrolled in Precalc with Mrs. Stublen. 

 

I gave him several choices, and he went with WHA. He likes the format and accountability. 

 

His class participation grade in Algebra II with Mr. Reini has actually brought his overall average down, so I'm hoping that class participation doesn't count TOO much in Mrs. Stublen's class. If it does, he may have to step out of his comfort zone of quiet observer. :-)

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His class participation grade in Algebra II with Mr. Reini has actually brought his overall average down, so I'm hoping that class participation doesn't count TOO much in Mrs. Stublen's class. If it does, he may have to step out of his comfort zone of quiet observer. :-)

 

Interesting! I have two quiet kids, too, so they really have to work (mostly in breakout rooms) to get a decent class participation grade. I'm rather fond of NOT having class participation mandatory. Some kids follow along just fine without wanting to go on mic or type in the chatbox when everyone else is scrolling it with the same answers. I'm glad you mentioned this.

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How many online classes do you think may be 'too much'?

 

For example, if my dd signs us for GC 1&4 (which is 2.5 cr.) and is also taking Gamache's Spanish 2 online, then how many more WHA classes should we do? 

 

How many do you do in a given year?

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How many online classes do you think may be 'too much'?

 

For example, if my dd signs us for GC 1&4 (which is 2.5 cr.) and is also taking Gamache's Spanish 2 online, then how many more WHA classes should we do? 

 

How many do you do in a given year?

 

The answer to the first question of course varies with the student, but it is a question I have wondered about.  My oldest had four classes last year and four this year.  That seems doable to me, but my dd really LOVES WHA and thrives with the classes.  She would sign up for more if I let her.  We do try to keep one to two major academic subjects at home though just so that we can flex some subjects when life gets busy or the assignments from WHA seem more intense for the week. Some students take their full load from WHA.  They seem busy with the academics, but it is doable.    

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It a absolutely varies by kid. It also depends on how many you have taken in the past.

 

If your kid has done fine with one, I wouldn't go past four the next year unless you have a really organized and motivated kid. It is better to ramp up, IMO.

 

Also, keep in mind how much time they will be in front of the computer. Mine has 4 1/2 hours of online classes on Wednesdays. That is a LOT of sitting. Luckily, one of her classes is only once per week, so Mondays are not a repeat.

 

Also, see how the schedule works out. We like to keep a day or two open for appointments and field trips.

 

Dd is doing four online classes (not counting Center for Lit, which only meets once per month) and that is her limit at this point. She had a local class last semester and her at home work suffered from the workload sometimes.

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Good to know, although tough to hear at the same time, as I see 5 online classes likely in our future (all of them meeting twice a week) and I am concerned.  I may have to drop the idea of her graduating with WHA.  While my dd is an excellent student, she only took one online class last year.  But both my dc have what I think is a semi-bad habit of wearing headphones almost continually throughout the day to listen to music while they sit at their desk doing school, so she would certainly be used to 'that part' of the day! :closedeyes:   

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We will outsource everything next year (10th grade). Necessary evil. My son works better for someone else at this age, so we go with what works. 3 are live - 2 are 2x weekly (T/Th & W/F), 1 is 1x weekly (M), 1 is 1x monthly (CenterforLit) - and 2 are asynchronous with no live meetings.

 

We're all signed up for PreCalc. May or may not enroll next dc in WHA... thinking on it. I wish their refund policy was more flexible - it makes me not want to press 'submit' so for my ds I am sure, for my dd - not so sure, so may opt elsewhere.

Edited by mirabillis
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My daughter's online class progression looks like this: 

8th: one live class during second semester

9th: three live classes

10th: five classes (three live and two asynchronous) 

tentative 11th: six classes (four live, two asynchronous) 

 

She uses a mix of WHA, WTMA, and PAHS.

 

(She also has foreign language tutoring, but that is much more flexible, so I didn't include it.)

 

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woodland - i think your schedule is just like mine! love to hear the details. PM me! We also are a mix of WTMA, WHA & PAH. And foreign language 2x weekly (also flexible) so hardly called live lectures to me...

 

8th: 1 live course

9th: 2 live courses, 2 asynchronous (2nd semester, 3rd asynchronous)

10th: 2 live courses, 3 synchronous, plus 1x monthly live Lit
tentative 11th & 12th...

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I mentioned this on another thread, but I just found out that WHA will not accept transfer credits from Dale Gamache's La Clase Divertida online Spanish classes.  I did not realize that they were 'substandard' to WHA's standards, but I am not sure what we are going to do now. 

 

Choice #1:  Skip WHA altogether and look elsewhere

Choice #2:  Do WHA classes ala carte

Choice #3:  Take 5 or 6 online classes each year in order to make all the graduation requirements for my incoming 10th grader

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I mentioned this on another thread, but I just found out that WHA will not accept transfer credits from Dale Gamache's La Clase Divertida online Spanish classes. I did not realize that they were 'substandard' to WHA's standards, but I am not sure what we are going to do now.

 

Choice #1: Skip WHA altogether and look elsewhere

Choice #2: Do WHA classes ala carte

Choice #3: Take 5 or 6 online classes each year in order to make all the graduation requirements for my incoming 10th grader

I vote for #2! Not sure how their transcript/diploma would be superior to yours. And it would be more expensive and less flexible.

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I mentioned this on another thread, but I just found out that WHA will not accept transfer credits from Dale Gamache's La Clase Divertida online Spanish classes.  I did not realize that they were 'substandard' to WHA's standards, but I am not sure what we are going to do now. 

 

Choice #1:  Skip WHA altogether and look elsewhere

Choice #2:  Do WHA classes ala carte

Choice #3:  Take 5 or 6 online classes each year in order to make all the graduation requirements for my incoming 10th grader

 

I vote #2 as well.  That is what we are doing.  Colleges won't care where my child got their diploma from.  Option 2 frees me up to choose what is best for my child and maximize the benefits of homeschooling.

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#2!

 

Pick the best of the best from whatever providers you find. You don't want to lock yourself into one path now, do you? What happens if GC classes aren't a good fit for your kid or the schedule for something doesn't work out later? I also wouldn't discount the whole school because of one (bad, IMO) decision.

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My vote is for #2 as well.  That is what I do. 

 

For the record, I don't think my Spanish class would qualifying either and I'm actually kinda glad about that!! :laugh:  

 

We don't use ANY of the traditional methods for learning a foreign language.  The funny thing is that I actually speak Spanish and so does my husband and we both agreed that there was little to be learned by putting such an emphasis on grammar and conjugation as most traditional foreign language classes do.  After all, most 4 yo can form correct sentences without even knowing what a verb or a noun is. 

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#2.  Cherry pick the best classes you can from whatever sources are out there. Any provider's diploma program locks you into their classes for everything. No one provider can possibly be THE best at everything.

 

Regarding Spanish, did your student do a placement test?  Any given student's level is going to be dependent on the class, the instructor, the text, and the student's own progress working with those first three. I can't imagine there'd be any way to assess progress without some sort of placement test.

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To their credit, it looks like WHA is going to recheck the Spanish situation; but they also said it could count as an elective, which is interesting. 

 

You all are right...it would 'box' us in and also be quite expensive.  Then, I just thought of a 4th choice which is to try it all next year and if it doesn't work out, then just do ala carte.  But we really don't neeeeed to have a diploma coming from them, especially at the expense of my daughter, if she wants to do other things and I just say, "No, we don't have time..."

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  • 4 weeks later...

I recently discovered Wilson Hill Academy and am almost decided to enroll my son in Geometry.  I inquired about seeing an archive class and was told they couldn't send one to me based on privacy concerns.  They sent me a link to the parent meeting from January and I was intrigued by the science classes.  We had planned to use Miller-Levine for Biology in 9th, but am now rethinking whether WHA's sequence of physics first is better.  We are currently doing Exploration Education Advanced Physical Science course in 8th.  Anyone who has taken Physics 1 Honors, what did you think of the class and teacher Christie Jester?  How do they handle labs in their science classes (especially thinking ahead to Chemistry and Biology)?  We have a place nearby to take live classes for science, but they use Apologia and we prefer secular materials for science.  However, I was considering these classes so that my son would be able to participate in labs.  I'm hoping WHA science classes will be a good alternative.  Any experiences you can share would be helpful!

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  • 4 months later...

Has anyone taken AP classes through Wilson Hill Academy?  A friends daughter has done well on AP exams after enrolling in classes through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers.   My daughter likes the live WHA classes though.  Just wondering if she could take Honors Biology and AP Chemistry the same year and if the WHA AP classes prepare well for the AP exams.

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  • 5 months later...

Has anyone taken AP classes through Wilson Hill Academy?  A friends daughter has done well on AP exams after enrolling in classes through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers.   My daughter likes the live WHA classes though.  Just wondering if she could take Honors Biology and AP Chemistry the same year and if the WHA AP classes prepare well for the AP exams

 

It is almost time to enroll in 2018-2019 WHA class.  Presently, my daughter is taking:

 

- The Great Conversation 5 with Bart Martin

- Spanish 1 with Becky Pliego

- Algebra 2 with Eric Reini

- Honors Chemistry with Ranya Bailey

- Logic 2 with Tom Vierra 

 

All the classes above are going great, however, I did need to hire a Spanish tutor to meet with my daughter once a week.  (We knew Spanish would be  the most difficult class for my daughter who has a mild auditory processing disorder.)

 

This is the plan for next year (their schedule is not out yet) but I'd like to know if anyone has experience with the classes and teachers we are planning on.  Especially AP Biology.

 

- The Great Conversation 3 with Mr. Etter (Daughter has had little American history so we are backing up in TGC courses plus she LOVES Mr. Etter)

- Spanish 2 with Becky Pliego

- Honors Pre-Calc with Anne Stublen

- AP Biology with Marie Owens

- Rhetoric 2 with Tom Vierra (My daughter REALLY liked Logic 2 with him and hopes he is teaching this next year)

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- Honors Pre-Calc with Anne Stublen

 

I want to encourage you to be open to Mrs. Smith for Pre-Calc if it works in your schedule. My DD is in the only section of Pre-Calc not taught by Mrs. Stublen and she loves the class & the teacher. They both cover the same material since they worked together on the syllabus. Mrs. Smith's class is much smaller this year and it is almost like private tutoring.

Mine is in Spanish 4 with Sra Pliego & Mrs. Smith's Pre-Calc. (PM me if you want my assessment of WHA's Spanish 4.)

If it works in her schedule, DD will take Calc at WHA. It isn't a first priority, though.

 

Edited to fix typos & a misspelling.

Edited by RootAnn
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