and4judge - DS#1 Furman University (attending), Sewanee - University of the South (accepted), Univerity of Alabama (accepted), University of Alabama in Birmingham (accepted), Birmingham- Southern College (accepted) Blue Hen - ds - University of Delaware, Case Western Reserve, CO School of Mines, Drexel (PA), Lehigh(PA), Rose-Hulman, Tulane, RPI (NY), Stony Brook University --- all acceptances. Brigid in NC - ds - accepted @ Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State (attending) CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. Creekland's ds - Covenant College - attending fall 2010, Union University, Calvin College - acceptances Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (will attend in fall), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College (accepted) Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Kathy in Richmond - ds - MIT (attending), also accepted at Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, U Michigan, and UVA. Kathy in Richmond - dd - accepted at Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, U Chicago, William & Mary, and wait-listed at Swarthmore Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) Lady Lorna - dd accepted at Fordham University, Hillsdale College, The King's College, Middlebury College, St John's College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Thomas Aquinas College, Trinity College. Waitlisted The University of Chicago. Still waiting to hear from Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Also accepted to Hillsdale College, Belmont University, University of Memphis. Lisa in TN's ds - Washington University in St. Louis - attending. Also accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Alabama, University of Tennessee. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Luann in ID ds1 and ds2 - LeTourneau University - attending (They both knew they wanted to go there, so this is the only place they applied.) Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Mary in GA ds: Clayton State University (attended & transferred) Georgia Tech (attending) Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) - ATTENDING Collaborative Piano/Pedagogy major WAHOO! Ms. Riding Hood ds1- MIT (attending), Texas A&M, Rose-Hulman, Purdue Newbie -dd- Accepted Chatham University(PA), Carlow University(PA), Mills College nrg - ds#1: attending BYU, accepted at Cal Tech, Stanford ds#2: attending UC Santa Cruz, accepted BYU ds#3: junior in hs Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Ruth in NC ds accepted St John in NM, Oberlin w/scholarship, Colorado College, Boston U, will attend UNC Chapel Hill, offered waitlist at Vanderbilt and Emory Ruth in NC dd accepted NC State, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State and Earlham w/scholarship, on Oberlin waitlist. Still deciding. Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo

and4judge - DS#1 Furman University (attending), Sewanee - University of the South (accepted), Univerity of Alabama (accepted), University of Alabama in Birmingham (accepted), Birmingham- Southern College (accepted) Blue Hen - ds - University of Delaware, Case Western Reserve, CO School of Mines, Drexel (PA), Lehigh(PA), Rose-Hulman, Tulane, RPI (NY), Stony Brook University --- all acceptances. Brigid in NC - ds - accepted @ Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State (attending) CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. CindyMarsch's dd#1 - Grove City College - attending CindyMarsch's ds - Grove City College - attending CindyMarsch's dd#2 - Grove City College, Gordon College, Union University - all accepted, she's choosing UU Creekland's ds - Covenant College - attending fall 2010, Union University, Calvin College - acceptances Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (accepted), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western In the Great White North - ds - USAFA, USMA, Hillsdale, Texas A&M AFROTC Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Kathy in Richmond - ds - MIT (attending), also accepted at Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, U Michigan, and UVA. Kathy in Richmond - dd - accepted at Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, U Chicago, William & Mary, and wait-listed at Swarthmore Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) Lady Lorna - dd accepted at Fordham University, Hillsdale College, The King's College, Middlebury College, St John's College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Thomas Aquinas College, Trinity College. Waitlisted The University of Chicago. Still waiting to hear from Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Also accepted to Hillsdale College, Belmont University, University of Memphis. Lisa in TN's ds - Washington University in St. Louis - attending. Also accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Alabama, University of Tennessee. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Luann in ID ds1 and ds2 - LeTourneau University - attending (They both knew they wanted to go there, so this is the only place they applied.) Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Mary in GA ds: Clayton State University (attended & transferred) Georgia Tech (attending) Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) - ATTENDING Collaborative Piano/Pedagogy major WAHOO! Musicmom –ds- accepted at Carnegie Mellon (attending fall 2010), Cornell, University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Honors Program Newbie -dd- Accepted Chatham University(PA), Carlow University(PA), Mills College, Wilson, Cedar Crest and Seton Hill nrg - ds#1: attending BYU, accepted at Cal Tech, Stanford ds#2: attending UC Santa Cruz, accepted BYU ds#3: junior in hs Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Ruth in NC ds accepted St John in NM, Oberlin w/scholarship, Colorado College, Boston U, will attend UNC Chapel Hill, offered waitlist at Vanderbilt and Emory Ruth in NC dd accepted NC State, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State and Earlham w/scholarship, on Oberlin waitlist. Still deciding. Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo

I will add that we targeted schools known to offer significant merit scholarships or to meet 100% of need. My kids chose not to apply to several schools that were very strong in their majors, because those schools were known to offer few scholarships, or to give very little aid to out-of-state residents, or to not meet 100% of need. They figured there was no point in applying when it was highly likely that they could afford to attend. Despite our efforts to target affordable schools, each kid ended up with at least one unaffordable option, because the merit scholarships didn't cover as much as they had hoped, or because the school's definition of "need" didn't match ours. But they both also ended up with several affordable choices, including the chance to attend top-ranked private universities for less than the sticker price of an in-state public. They were both happy with the results.

Both of my dc are attending top private universities for less than the full price of an in-state public school. However, the private schools were not their least expensive options, because scholarships at the in-state public schools meant they would not have had to pay full price. My dd was accepted to four schools - one in-state public and three privates. The in-state public offered her a full-ride scholarship, so it would have been the least expensive. Next in line was the selective private that she chose to attend, which meets 100% of financial need with no loans. The other two private schools didn't have such deep pockets, and they would have cost more than the selective one. She'll be a senior this fall, and we have paid only a small fraction of the sticker price of this school. My ds was accepted to six schools - one in-state public, one out-of-state public, and four privates. The out-of-state public offered a massive scholarship that would have made it the least expensive. The in-state public was next, with pretty much a full ride. He chose the least expensive of his private options - a highly ranked school where he was fortunate enough to win a major merit scholarship. He'll be a freshman this fall. It's been interesting to see the different financial offers. One school where ds was accepted would have cost about $100,000 more over the four years than another - even though both schools were using the same financial information, and both promised to meet 100% of financial need. Obviously they have very different definitions of "need." I've decided you really can't predict which school will be least expensive, until you apply and see what happens.

Washington University in St. Louis emphasizes undergraduate research and is strong in the sciences. http://ur.wustl.edu/

My dd declared this income on her own tax return, not the parents'. It was HER income, not ours, and the Form 1098-T was issued in her name. I think it probably saves money for this income to appear on her tax return instead of ours, since she is in a lower tax bracket. But honestly, I did not think we had the option to count it on the parents' tax return, because it was not the parents' income.

CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. Creekland's ds - Covenant College, Union University, Calvin College - all acceptances at this point. Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (accepted), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo

Thanks!

Christina, is there a good source of information online about this program? I have relatives who might qualify for it.

Even within a state, you may find a lot of variation from one community college to the next. My dd wanted to enroll as a 15-year-old high school sophomore, so we checked out two nearby schools. These two community colleges were part of the same statewide system, but they had very different policies on admitting students early. One of them wouldn't even consider allowing a student to attend classes before the junior year of high school unless the student could produce a public school IEP mandating it, or extensive testing by an outside expert showing that the student's educational needs could not be adequately met in any other way. The other said, "Come on in!" As long as the student had a decent score on the ACT, good grades in previous classwork, and the school principal's signature on a form, the student was welcome to enroll as a non-degree-seeking student as early as the freshman year of high school. Needless to say, both of my dc chose the more flexible school. However, we did have to pay full tuition until they reached the junior-senior years of high school, at which point we got a small break.

The Academic Common Market covers 16 states: http://www.sreb.org/programs/acm/acmindex.aspx

The foreign language requirement may depend on what your son chooses to study. My dd is majoring in music (B.Mus. program) and my ds plans to major in engineering. Neither will be required to take any foreign language in college. If they had chosen to major in, say, English or economics, they would have been required to take foreign language.

My ds is taking Calculus 1 at the local community college. During class, he's allowed to use any calculator he wishes, but on the tests, he is not permitted to use the TI-89. The TI-83/84 is allowed on the exams. We own both a TI-89 and a TI-83. I bought the TI-89 when a local store was going out of business and had it marked down to a great price. Then I learned that the TI-89 was forbidden on the ACT test, in calculus class, etc., so I ended up buying a TI-83 as well. I love the symbolic manipulation that the TI-89 can do, and it's great for checking answers in calculus class (just plug in an equation, ask for the derivative, and it tells you). But ds is more comfortable right now with the TI-83 because he's had more hands-on experience using it. I'm sure the 89 will do everything the 83 does and more, but many of the features are hidden in different places, so knowing how to use one of these calculators doesn't translate into the ability to use the other one.

My dc's teacher let them choose their own topics for their position papers, but first she handed out a long list of topics that were not allowed. The "forbidden" list included most of the controversial social issues of the day, such as abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage, etc., all of which the teacher felt had been overdone. So my dc ended up picking economic issues. I believe one of them wrote about public vs. private funding of sports stadiums, and the other wrote about the use of eminent domain for private development.

Both of my dc took English comp 1 with the same teacher at the same community college, but three years apart, and during that time the course changed quite a bit. When my dd took the class, her early assignments were on personal topics: describe an experience you have had, describe a person you know, etc. Later on, the class moved into more formal, academic writing. When ds took the class three years later, he didn't get assignments on personal topics. He had four major papers to write: a descriptive essay on a famous person, a compare/contrast essay on two museums, an argumentative essay, and an analysis of a novel. He also had quite a few shorter writing assignments. I don't know why the nature of the assignments shifted, especially since it was the same teacher at the same school. I think the teacher would have permitted a more personal approach, using "I," in the first two papers, although ds chose to use the academic approach from the beginning. But it was certainly different from my dd's earlier experience, in which the assignments were explicitly personal.