We are in the same boat with our EFC. The only way we could actually afford it is if the rest of the family gave up food and health care. And we decided against that. ;)

Here is how the families in our homeschool group are paying for college - those of us who qualify for little to no need-based aid, and who have smart kids who qualify for some academic scholarships, but are not high-stats kids with the big competitive scholarships. 1. student is commuting to a local college to save the cost of room and board, or 2. mom is re-entering the work force because the student was an only child, or 3. a generous relative is chipping in, or 4. student has joined ROTC, or 5. student has reduced the number of semesters spent in college through dual enrollment or AP credit, or 6. parents and students are both going into debt through subsidized and private loans, or 7. some combination of the above. We are all committed to not touching our retirement savings at this point. But most of us are only on our first kid in college. We'll see if that changes as subsequent kids go to college. I realize I haven't shared anything new or earth-shattering here. The reality is that many families are going into debt to pay for college.

I was so excited to see that you now have a monthly payment plan instead of a semester payment plan. This is a huge blessing for our family! My husband has been laid off since October and even paying for just half a course upfront was going to be a challenge for us. Thank you so much!

Good to know!

I think part of their downfall was that they had no control over when the generics were redeemed. Since they sold them for "the such and such school year and beyond" people who bought generics in 2014, like I did, could all be redeeming them in the fall of 2016, like I did. But if a large percentage of the generics sold in 2013 and 2012 were also redeemed for the fall of 2016, you could suddenly have 75% of the kids in many of your classes enrolling with generics, which won't pay the bills. It doesn't matter if you control the number sold upfront if you don't control when they are redeemed. A better plan would have been to sell generics for specific school years only. Then Landry would have controlled the number of generics that would be redeemed in a given year, and they could have kept the numbers low enough to still allow them to be a profitable business.

For what it is worth, Landry's Japanese instructor, Charlotte Royal, is now listed as an instructor for Excelsior Classes. I believe she will be teaching for them, and not Landry, this fall. All though, I suppose it is possible she will teach for both companies, if Landry will allow that.

I only have one kid in one class as well, and did not purchase any future generics. We can walk away now with little impact, other than a disruption in my highschooler's foreign language studies. Hugs to those of you with a lot more at stake.

Another option for an online English class is Blue Tent's Intro to Lit and Composition. http://teacherweb.com/USA/BlueTent/Thompson/apt34.aspx This is what a friend's child is taking for 9th grade after using WTMA for middle school English.

My ds had a very successful year of math taking Algebra 1 (Saxon) through WTMA. I had tried to teach him Algebra 1 in 8th grade with a different curriculum, and he struggled and I didn't really know how to help him. He and I were both happier when we decided to outsource math for 9th grade to WTMA. He benefited from having a knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher, and he actually learned algebra and finished the class with an A. One thing we liked about WTMA was that the class met twice a week and his teacher also held office hours on a third day, so there were plenty of opportunities to have his questions answered. He will be taking Algebra 2 through WTMA this coming year.

Our oldest is finishing his first year of college. We hadn't been able to save any money for college as I haven't worked since he was born, and we made retirement savings a priority. We told our kids that state universities were the only option for college because we didn't want them to go deeply into debt for their education, and we weren't willing to do that either. And we don't qualify for any need-based aid. So ds1 is at a state school with a total cost of less than $25,000 per year and a four-year guarantee against price increases. After $6,000 in scholarships and generous help from his grandfather, we are able to pay the rest out of dh's salary. I picked up a seasonal job to cover textbooks, and ds works part-time on campus to earn his own spending money. Since our two kids are four years apart, we will only have one in college at a time.

I've been looking it over and I'm not that excited. I'm trying to muster some enthusiasm for this year's convention, but so far it isn't working. Some of my favorite speakers (namely Susan Wise Bauer) haven't been invited back and very few of the sessions seem related to homeschooling high school. I've attended this convention almost every year since it began, and it just isn't as good as it used to be, in my opinion. I'm already registered, but I am thinking about canceling my hotel reservation and staying home.

Thank you so very much Mac! :hurray: I have been trying for weeks to find the answer to this question. I should have started right here with the Hive and saved myself lots of time and trouble.

Thanks Mac!

Nope.

Thanks for the suggestion. I sent an email and am waiting to hear back.

I just noticed on another thread that Oregon State offers online classes for high school students. I checked and they offer Japanese. Wanted to pass along the link incase anyone else might be interested. http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/k12/hs/classes.htm#2 This may be a good option for my ds. Knowing the importance of deadlines in my son's life makes me very hesitant to go with BYU. I'm afraid he would never finish if we went the independent study route.

For what it is worth, OCU is not very highly regarded academically. My friend's ds took some DE classes there, and none were accepted by his liberal arts college because they weren't considered rigorous enough. So, if you are taking DE classes with the goal of earning college credit, make sure the colleges your child hopes to attend after high school will accept transfer credit from your DE institution.

Where did you see that? I can't find it listed on their website for next year. They are offering it this year, but not next, according to what I saw. http://www.clrconline.com/list-of-all-clrc-courses/

Does anyone know the difference between the original World Physical Geography text with the blue cover and the one currently being sold with the yellow cover? I am trying to determine if the content was updated or if just the cover was updated. I tried asking Geo Matters, and they referred me to Runkle Publishing, who hasn't responded to me email query. Rainbow Resource didn't know either. So The Hive is my last resort. Can any of you help me?

Does anyone know of any providers offering Japanese 1 as an online class this fall? I know Landry Academy is offering it, but I can't find any other options. Does anyone know of any classes? We are specifically looking for a classroom option versus a tutoring arrangement. CLRC is not offering Japanese this fall. Neither is The Potter's School. Ds has conflicts with both sections of Japanese 1 offered by Landry. Are there any other options?

I have a 14 year old too - and it is just he and I most days as my oldest is away at college and my husband travels for work. :banghead: This is the first year that I have seriously considered giving up homeschooling. Outsourcing classes and enrolling them in drop-off activities helps - especially if the activities involve lots of physical exercise. Ds18 recently witnessed an outburst by ds14 and saw his former self through new eyes. He actually apologized for all he had put me through. So take heart ladies, it does get better.

For ninth grade: Algebra 1 - Well-Trained Mind Academy Honors English 1 - Blue Tent Chemistry - local co-op 20th Century World History - home Fine Arts - Discovering Music, Band, Choir, Art, Drama PE - tennis team

Thanks everyone for the helpful info and the link to Art Reed's site. (I just ordered the algebra 1 dvds - much cheaper than the tutor we've been using!) I also found this link helpful in answering my question and the OP's question: http://www.homeschoolwithsaxon.com/review-credit.php

So if a student does complete Saxon algebra 1, algebra 2, and advanced math, do they learn enough geometry to do well on the SAT and ACT?

My oldest took the class from Molly as his first AP when he was a sophomore. (He is now a college freshman, so three years ago). He really enjoyed APES and scored a 5 on the exam. I don't remember too many specific details about assignments, but I didn't feel like it was a heavy workload or that he was doing busywork. I plan to have my younger son take APES with Molly next year when he is a sophomore.