Oh also (I think I kind of said this but to expand a bit), different CC's are different in quality of instruction. After having my first two kids take dual enrolled classes at a four-year university close to home (because I thought it would be more rigorous than the CC) and then having some struggle with some of the classes not transferring to their college, we tried the CC and were pleasantly surprised with the quality and level of instruction and have stuck with CC ever since for the rest of my kids. So you need to look into the local CC's and universities to see what is the best fit and not make assumptions like I did. Also - you probably know this - if he takes statistics, better to do it dual enrolled because it is only one semester rather than AP Statistics which is usually a year-long class for one semester of college credit. Just an efficiency issue from my point of view.

Been off WTM Boards for awhile and now getting reacquainted. My three oldest kids finished AP Calc BC in 10th grade. DD (born 1999) dual enrolled in Multivarable Calc, Statistics, Computer Science - graduated from Univ of Michigan in Biomedical Engineering DD (born 2001) dual enrolled in Multivariable Calc, Differential Equations, Statistics - graduated from Univ of Michigan in Biophysics and Spanish DS (born 2003) dual enrolled in Multivariable Calc, Differential Equations, Statistics, Accounting, Computer Science x 2 - sophomore in chemical engineering at Univ of Michigan My fifth kid (born 2008) is the mathlete in the family, went to National MathCounts, taking AMC10/12 and AIME. He has taken many AOPS courses including Intro and Int C&P and NT. All excellent. He also does OTIS for Olympiad training. Years ago I was worried about them taking their Mutivariable and Diff Eq too early but my engineering students have not commented on it being a problem at all. At Michigan, the math classes are brutal so it's generally encouraged to get your Calc done not at Michigan. I think this is because math education is generally not great in high school and when they get to "real" math in college, they have not been taught to think. I do not think this is the fault of Michigan professors (like I used to) but rather the quality of math education. If kids learned through AOPS, I think they would do fine with college calc. Also, I learned after a few years that it was best to dual enroll at the CC because they did the best job in making sure the courses could transfer easily to our nearby colleges. My son thinks that the AOPS Int C&P will not be difficult for your son but it would be useful for him and he will learn some things. The AOPS Int NT class is harder than the Int C&P. I think your plan of continuing with Multivairable Calc/Differential Eq with AOPS class on the side is perfect. Multivariable Calc is pretty easy relatively speaking. Diff Eq and Linear Algebra are harder. Evan Chen's OTIS is more Olympiad-focused than WOOT but they are are similar and draw from the same mathy students. HTH!

DS acceptances: Hillsdale College (scholarship) - attending University of Michigan Purdue University Cedarville University (scholarship)

I am a Christian homeschooler and I think (while there may be some bias in the idea against religiously based texts - no offense) I do agree that the main emphasis of the science curriculum should be pure science and not any other agenda wrapped up in it (religious or otherwise). I think this can be accomplished with a religious-based text in high school as long as the science is well-taught and emphasized, but I personally find it unnecessary to teach religious concepts in a science curriculum. We approach everything we do with a Christian worldview but that doesn't mean that every piece of the curriculum has to be taught from an explicitly Christian point of view. We used PA Homeschoolers for the AP sciences in high school and science was approached in a more objective way without any other agenda.

Yes that's great! I just knew that Saxon was not a good fit for *my* kids and the way they think. But like I said, I've been around long enough to say that not one size fits all! Each kid is different!

My oldest dd is a senior in college, graduating this year with a BSE and MSE in Biomedical Engineering in a top 10 engineering program, and was just accepted to 5 medical schools, including a top 20 medical school. She was entirely homeschooled. I would say that the most important thing is to make sure that she has a rigorous and challenging curriculum in high school which will help her hone her study skills and prepare her for college. My three oldest all completed AP Chemisty, AP Biology, and AP Physics C in high school along with other AP courses for a total of 8 when they "graduated" from high school. They also dual enrolled before college. I don't think there is one way to accomplish this or one way to choose curriculum but I do think their high school academics need to be challenging enough that they feel some academic pressure and and learn to study well and efficiently. My kids were also heavily involved in music, theatre, and sports so they learned to balance heavy extracurricular involvement with a heavy academic load. FWIW, from my research, I was not a fan of Saxon math for my kids and also was not a fan of Apologia, but - full disclosure - I never used those programs.

I am graduating my oldest and my dd is running out of steam writing essays. Her list is at 10 schools so far, but I think it's realistic to cut that list down. I would like her to get her to get at least some of her applications done ASAP, as in this month, but don't want to push her too much. Feeling overwhelmed with infomation - common app and FAFSA questions - glad to gain lots of info and encouragement here.

OK, thanks! So no one actually had PA Homeschoolers send transcripts to colleges? I thought it would be more official, that colleges would appreciate the verification of outside evaluation as opposed to grades from a parent.

Hello, Just a quick question about the possibility of uploading transcripts from organizations such a PA Homeschoolers or The Potter's School onto the Common App. Is it better to have those grade reports (from PAH or TPS) sent directly to the colleges? Or would it be OK to upload a grade report? (I was planning on having them sent directly until I realized that I have 4 transcript uploads allowed.) I know that any dual-enrolled transcripts from colleges should be sent directly to the colleges. Just wondered if it was different for online high school courses. Thanks, Meredith

Wondering if anyone has had any experience with the AP Physics C class with PA Homeschoolers. Also, does anyone have any other ideas for a high quality way to take AP Physics C online? Thank you!

I really appreciate this input and the idea that maybe, at least from an official point of view, some colleges may state a preference for a test taken in the junior or senior year. It sounds like practically it has not been a problem, so I will ask specific colleges if it will be a problem. Hmm...subject tests. To tell you the truth, I never really thought about this. It just makes sense to me that when you have completed the coursework for the subject test, you take the test, no matter what grade you are in. Dd took Math 2 as a freshman and Chemistry this year as a sophomore. It's great to be back on WTM Boards. I am realizing that I need to spend more time here benefiting from other people's wisdom. Though I learned a thing or two from the meeting with the counselor, I should not have been surprised by some of the frustrations as a result of his recommendations without any real experience or knowledge. At least it got me back here. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Dd is planning to continue a rigorous currciulum of AP courses and dual enriollment, subject tests and PSAT, doing extracurricular activities that she loves, participating in meaningful volunteer/leadership activity, etc. that should make it clear that her score was no "fluke." I will definitely follow up on some of the specific programs and suggestions.

Yup, has already taken two subject tests - chemistry and Math II and dual enrolling next year - Calculus 3.

Thank you so much - great ideas! I should have known better and come here first! She took AP Calc BC, AP Chemistry, and AP Macroeconomics this year. If anyone else has opinions on if she should retake the ACT, I would be interested to hear - just to make sure I am not missing something.

Thanks for the reply! She is our oldest, so our first to go through the college admission process - new at this! My gut feeling is that she does not need to retake it as I *think* there is not much difference between a 35 or 36, even at the top schools. I'm kind of frustrated because I met with a public school counselor today who did not seem impressed and recommended that she retake the test to let admissions offcials know that it was not a "fluke." (It's not.) Also, that she should take a test at the same time that her peers are taking it and that admissions officials would be thinking to themselves, "Why did she not retake the test?" I told him the reason she would not retake it is because she got a 35 and they would probably figure that out. It was probably a mistake to meet with him (had a few other frustrating interactions) but picked up a few tips and I like to know what "they" are thinking out there. Sorry for the rant. Trying to figure out where she wants to go and what she wants to do....LOVES math, enjoys working with people, enjoys healthcare, not sure how to put that all together. Thinking about the University of Michigan - not too far from us. Hillsdale, Wheaton, Northwestern, UofChicago. Any ideas and input welcome.

Dd (15 - almost 16) got a 35 on her ACT this sping. She is at the end of her sophomore year and will not graduate until 2017. Should she retake the ACT as a junior or senior or can this score as a sophomore stand alone as legitimate? Would it seem somehow "lazy" or "unmotivating" to turn in an "old" ACT score when applying to college? TIA!