This sound really interesting. The Orson Welles production is very well known. We borrowed it from the library.

one of which dd is attending. Even if you are a college sports fan, those schools are only the tip of the iceberg. Guidance counselors, relatives, and friends cannot know all the schools that could be a wonderful fit your student. Dd also applied to one state school that I had never heard of before using the IPED search function; the school's name didn't have our state's name in it and in any case, I had never heard of it.

I tried to outline it once as part of summer prep for an upcoming school year (w/o Sonlight course materials). The govt. book sort of defies traditional outlining. This is in contrast to Carson's American History series of textbooks, which are very user-friendly, and a teacher guide is available. That said, dd read neither of these texts. I like and kept the govt text as a reference, or just to pick up and peruse particular sections. The history books are much easier and interesting reading IMO.

may be oversubscribed. The cheaper choices we requested on the residential housing form were not given to dd.

comes with a schedule. It is very worthwhile; she tells you what chapters are most important and why. Much of the Adler book is also assigned in Martin Cothran's Classical Rhetoric with Aristotle workbook/course.

Shop carefully; compare all terms, conditions, fees, etc. (Probably goes without saying around here. Everyone is a well trained researcher by virtue of visiting the boards.) Google "fees pre-paid cards" for more info. and a wealth of warnings.

That's nice to hear Savermom; thank you for checking it out. And 4wildberrys, I hope this delayed reply is still of use to you. I did not have the more recent text with the two economists you mentioned, and I do not know what the authors said about them, especially in 2005 (pre-TARP, pre-quantitative easing, etc.) which is the copyright date of the edition that I linked to. IMO, sometimes a good theorist could recommend bad policy. Perhaps you will take comfort in Walter Williams's list. I rechecked Walter Williams's website and see that he still had the 1992 Gwartney and Stroup book (the microeconomics edition) on his recommended readings list. (It's possible he has not looked at newer editions.) Dr. Williams also recommends another G & S 2010 book, but it's a different book. See here http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/readings.html Also on Amazon, you will see the Gwartney and Stroup textbook criticized by some for its free market viewpoint. (But many still admit it's well written.) From an older WTM board post I wrote this: It's the philosophical underpinnings and policy applications where the heated arguments arise. Here is a 12 page .pdf written for laypeople. http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/misc/...TheCitizen.pdf Here is a relevant quote from the .pdf (I bolded the last line): "Normative questions deal with what is better or worse. No theory can answer normative questions. Try asking a physics teacher which is the better or worse state: a solid, gas, liquid or plasma state. He'll probably look at you as if you're crazy. On the other hand, if you ask your physics teacher which is the cheapest state for pounding a nail into a board, he'd probably answer that the solid state is. It's the same with economic theory, as opposed to economists. That is, if you asked most economists which method of conflict resolution produces the greater overall wealth, they'd probably answer that the market mechanism does. The bottom line is that economic theory is "objective" or non-normative and doesn't make value judgments. Economic policy questions are normative or "subjective" and do make value judgments --questions such as: Should we fight unemployment or inflation, should we spend more money on education, and should the capital gains tax be 15 percent or 20 percent? It's in the area of value judgments where there's so much disagreement among economists."

I like Gwartney and Stroup's series as seen here: http://www.amazon.com/Economics-Private-Public-Choice-11th/dp/0324205643/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343232310&sr=1-5&keywords=gwartney+stroup You should be able to buy a used copy and study guides for a very reasonable price. Make sure the edition you get has both micro/macro or be aware that some of the books in the series with the same title are only micro or macro.

I asked my soon to be sophomore in college if she wished she had taken it before her high school junior year. "Yes" she said. So, if there's any grumbling from dc, perhaps a recent student's advice will carry some weight. One potential annoyance-- unless this has changed, you have to find a public or private school to let you test there. It's not like the internet registration for SAT/ACT.

he can get his own private health insurance. Dd and I had private health insurance, and it was cheaper than either my husband's plan for us dependents, or for dd's school plan. (The school's plan was called an indemnity plan and was surprisingly expensive (about $400/mo) and had a low maximum pay-out. You could check out ehealthinsurance for an estimated quote or call a local insurance agent. I would investigate HSA compatible policies also. They have a high deductible, but the annual exam, including typical lab tests, are already paid for with your premium. We've had these for years, and so far our out-of-pocket is far less than the premiums and co-pays we would have paid with more typical insurance.

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/playlist#c,s,All,63A76D16A47F4567 one of several UC Berkeley full courses. I think his class may be using this text: http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Molecular-Approach-Nivaldo-Tro/dp/0131000659 http://www.chem1.com/chemed/genchem.shtml Many resources and links; college-oriented https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/forstudents/freecourses/chemistry Don't remember details about the links other than the UCB one.

Nice, free, one-page format, up to seven courses per semester. You could maybe add more but you'd have to play with Excel formatting. If you don't have Excel, you could try using it with the free spreadsheet program from OpenOffice. This Excel file was linked by Karen in CO in March 2010, but it's no longer on the Bethel College website. PM me if interested, and I will send it. It does all the math for GPA, but you must input the end of semester grades. I don't know what else the transcript generators one pays for do, but this spreadsheet worked great for us.

This linked article questions why taxpayers are left subsidizing this non-profit. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-26/nonprofit-head-of-college-board-paid-more-than-harvard-s-leader.html

Credit unions may or may not offer the best rates and advice—here's a discussion I found of some people's experiences through Googling http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/credit-union-investment-advisors-want-me-61226.html. Many small banks and credit unions farm out to third parties the investment advisory/sales business and thereby receive referral fees. (You will probably notice little signs signifying you have left the bank area and are now in the investment area.) Typically, the advisor's income is commission based. Regarding the financial professional's titles—at various times "financial advisor" may be the same as "registered representative" (FINRA's Series 7 securities license) = stockbroker= account representative, etc. Unless the regulations change, these commission-based advisors must recommend suitable investments, which may or may not be the same recommendation made by an advisor who has a fiduciary relationship with a client. Fiduciary responsibility is a higher level of looking out for the client's best interests. Here's a humorous list of today's popular credentials, entitled "Everyday [sic] is Graduation Day." http://www.wesselinvestment.com/pdf/Credentials_07.pdf I would look for advice from someone with a fiduciary responsibility who does not get paid via commissions. (Some outfits mischaracterize their commissions as fees, so you may have to ask some pointed questions.) Most fee-based planners/advisors charge a percent of assets managed. A small proportion of fee-based planners charge by the hour—that's what I would look for if there's one near you. I would rather pay a consulting fee for unbiased advice on suitable investments and planning and then put the money in the appropriate funds myself. You can schedule follow up visits as necessary. Credentials with the highest credibility include CFA, CFP, and CPA, which all differ in their core curriculum. Then of course, the individual holding one or more of these certifications has his/her own career experience, specializations, interests, and client base. Invest in funds with the LOWEST management fees (check Vanguard Company, for example). For basic stock (= equity) or bond funds I would choose index funds; I wouldn't pay for actively managed stock or bond funds. (It's a "loser's game," the term made famous by Charles Ellis.) Especially over the long haul, unnecessarily high management fees charged by a mutual fund and/or fees charged by an advisor could eat away your investment returns. About me: This is my opinion. I am not currently in the investment industry. During my investment career I have always had corporate, not individual clients. I have taught finance at a small uni. and written finance material for a professional ed. publisher.

nobody wants to see a diploma from any high school or university, just a transcript. The CHSPE is about $90 with fewer testing dates per year that the SAT or ACT. Is there even enough time to register, take the test, and get the results back? In any case, would the CC still want a transcript too? I think you could go either way with the transcript. Maybe first try the one you prepare using a simple key like *=XYZ Charter School, #=ABC Charter School for grades before your PSA year. They can always ask for you to request official transcripts sent directly from the charter schools. I would also bring a copy of your Private School Affadavit to registration. When dd was a senior registering for a cc class, the person behind the counter was insisting that I get a document from my local public h.s. principal. (Dd hadn't been in public school since 4th grade.) The counter person seemed to like the PSA and put it with the other papers. She turned out to be a friendly helper for us--gave us her direct phone line!)

Do you think it is the style of the SAT test? I spent some time working practice PSAT and SAT problems to get familiar with the sometimes obtuse way they present problems. (The ACT has more problems to work but they are less quirky.) Beyond style, does she need practice getting used to mixed, problems- from-every-chapter kind of algebra/geometry test? Then, since you have a dd that prefers self instruction, there's always the Chalkdust SAT/ACT review, and I think Kahn works every problem in a released actual SAT or ACT.

We used a ($9?) i.d. from HomeSchool ID.com, which was one step up from the free one you can make at the Homeschool Buyer Coop website. Dd successfully used either the freebie i.d. or the $9 one (sorry can't remember for sure) for the regular SAT given at a Catholic school that seemed to hold high standards in proctoring the test. (Two kids were kicked out for talking during a test break when they were not supposed to.) She also used the Homeschool ID card twice at the local CC for the ACT and SAT subject tests. No one questioned either card. At no time in her testing career did she have a state or public school ID. Do today's high school IDs have some security features? I don't see why a decent ID that you create should be rejected. Whatever you use, I would discreetly hang around until your ds has been admitted to his assigned testing room. He may need an advocate and whatever back-up material you have from the school demonstrating his enrollment. Also, print out the appropriate page from the CB website about i.d.'s in case you need to "share" it with someone at the site. Hopefully you will not need to intervene, but you will be prepared.

:iagree: If all posts must address all potential ruffled feathers, being sure to insert frequent "YMMV", "IMO", "IMExperience", like some legal document, some would-be posters may not bother.

If you think you dc has not been aggressive enough, networked enough, or been persistent enough in finding work, a bit of luck is also involved. It looks like we cannot count on our dc earning money for college. (And as with all employment figures, the basic way of reporting excludes those who have given up looking for jobs. Most states would have even higher rates with discouraged workers in the ratio.) http://www.theunion.com/article/20120522/NEWS/120529976&parentprofile=search This short article gives unemployment %s for 10 states and the District of Columbia. 1)California 36.2% 2) South Carolina 31.2% 3) Rhode Island 29.8% 4) Washington 29.0% 5) Arizona 29.0% 6) Nevada 28.8% 7) Idaho 28.4% 8) North Carolina 28.2% 9) Missouri 27.7% 10) Louisiana 27.6% ** District of Columbia 51.7% *Note: Rankings based on unrounded figures.

beforehand, even if your dc is not living in the house. Prepare for possible rejection.

And, how are you home schooling in CA? For example, is your home a private school, and you file the annual affidavit?

Smiling here. That is an impressive award, frosting on the cake for a very desirable major. I especially liked the part about the less intense work ethic he showed in high school. That should encourage many readers of your post. (Freshman dd is also working much harder and enjoying the challenges of univ.)

The reading list on the page you linked to is a good resource too. Wish I had another student. Oh, the options that appear each year!

However, don't feel like you have to read all of it or with complete comprehension. Lately, on this board I haven't read much about this book, the Latin Centered Curriculum, but Drew Campbell gets his points across relatively quickly and painlessly. For immediate free assistance: see Memoria Press's archives and "subscribe" to their free catalog. http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/ Great short articles including ones by SWB, Peter Kreeft, Russell Kirk, Simmons (author of Climbing P.), Drew Campbell (author of Latin-Centered Curric.) (I have WEM, but I would use it after the above.)

Do not expect subject matter/content help unless it is part of their current curriculum. My experience: I called with a general question about Marco Polo The Travels, a book they had dropped the previous year. I wanted to know how graphic the Lambert edition they had used was. (My library did not have that edition. Some of the descriptions in editions I'd previewed would make even Herodotus blush, but probably not Suetonius). Kolbe was very clear about not discussing even something from the previous year. We were with them for two years. YMMV