Sandra in NC
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Posts posted by Sandra in NC
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I've seen this with average ps kids too. I had a ps dad tell me that his hs sophomore ds had "senioritis!" Why make this kid, who's bright enough & involved in school stuff, suffer though 4 more years of those pre-req. classes (2yrs-hs, 2yrs-college) when you can do them once & be done? It's just one of the reasons we've gone the dual-enrollment route to keep dc from having to repeat classes when they're ready to get on with life.
It's the reason we're doing CLEP, too. My 19 yo is at the local community college. He earned 27 credits (non-core, not good for much!) at Virginia Commonwealth University last year and it cost us about $30,000 out-of-state.
He has earned 29 credits this semester alone by taking CLEP tests along with a full load at the community college. He'll get his AA this spring and transfer to a state school. We are making sure he takes only the CLEPs that are accepted by the 4 year school he plans to attend, so transferring those credits should not be an issue.
Sandra
PS: Those 29 credits cost us less than $2000, including books!
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Taking the SAT and/or ACT won't jeopardize the PSAT. When your son takes the PSAT in October of his Junior year, sign him up for the SAT the following June. That's the score that will be used to evaluate his status along with the PSAT.
If you need to decide between the ACT and SAT, I'd pick the ACT because you can choose whether to report those scores to colleges or not. Even though the SAT has a similar feature, it's less used because many colleges require all scores from the SAT be sent to them.
My son did better on Accuplacer than he did on the SAT. He placed into College Alg/Trig with Accuplacer even though his SAT was 490. The trick with Accuplacer is to practice all the sample questions from the CollegeBoard first.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/accuplacer/
There were only about 20-25 questions on the Accuplacer test. It was quick and easy and free.
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I have not watched these yet, but the course on General Chemistry might be helpful (and it's free).
The ones by the woman at Berkeley are good. I think her name is Boring. I remember thinking it was appropriate for chemistry.
Sandra
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That's what my son said about the difference between the PSAT and the SAT. The PSAT is a kinder, gentler version -- much shorter than the SAT. He used Jane's words exactly, calling the SAT an endurance test.
As always, I need to throw CLEP in the pot.... If you're going to take AP and SAT Subject tests, take the CLEP too. We've learned the hard way. My son scored a 3 on AP US History. Many schools require a 4 or a "B" on the AP exam, yet they'll take the CLEP equivalent a "C." So, if my son had taken the CLEP while the knowledge was fresh in his mind, I have no doubt he would have passed with flying colors and gotten credit at schools that won't take his AP score of 3. See CLEP FAQs
Sandra
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My son took physics at the local cc last year. His professor was a retired MIT physics PhD who had worked at Fermi Lab and Bell Labs. Also, he instilled a sense of wonderment about physics to my son, who now says he "feels" physics all around him all the time.
I can't say that that is the caliber of all the teachers at this cc, but I can't express how glad I was that my son was in his class.
Our experience has been similar. Some of the classes at our CC are worthwhile, with knowledgeable, experienced teachers. Many of the instructors have outside jobs/practical experience that enhances their teaching. I am taking a class at CC myself and I've learned more in it than in any of my bachelors/masters degree courses.
At any school - even the finest - there will be good instructors and bad; worthwhile classes and waste-of-time ones.
For true savings, my advice is to use AP and CLEP for as many of the general education requirements as possible and take college courses for your major.
Sandra
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Heather,
I wish we could redefine foreign language to include computer programming and music. If that were the case, I'd say everyone should learn at least one other language and it should be whatever is most relevant to his or her career goals/life.
Sandra
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http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129633
Some good advice about reducing expenses.....
HTH,
Sandra
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The SAT code for all homeschoolers is 970000, even though it will appear as New York.
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The problem with Straighterline is spotty transferability of credits.
Here is a link to discussions on Straighterline and college credit on degreeforum.net
This forum has a lot of jargon. TESC is Thomas Edison State College, EC is Excelsior College, FHSU is Fort Hayes. People on this forum are working on AA and BS degrees through credit-by-exam. Thomas Edison, Excelsior, and Charter Oaks are three accredited colleges with no residency requirement. They generally accept credit-by-exam, and ACE recommended credits for ALEKS courses, etc.
The forum is sponsored by Instantcert.com. If you decide to subscribe, there is a discount code, 85722. Subscribers get access to "specific exam feedback" -- invaluable for those taking CLEP, DSST, GRE, and other exams for credit. See this site for more info about earning a degree:
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I am considering APU. My only real concern is that it says professors can require tests to be proctored. What is your experience with this? The cost is so much less than anywhere else I've looked, that I wonder if I am missing something.
I took a couple of IT certification tests through Certiport last year and the woman at the testing center said she would proctor homeschool students' tests, too. She charged only $20. I've heard proctoring can be as high as $75. I'd suggest calling a local Certiport or Prometric testing center (google search for these sites and go to their "locate a testing center" link) and asking.....
Sandra
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My son needed a large backpack and was happy with this one: &gclid=COWR0daPxJ0CFQRM5QodImP4yQ"] Jansport's Big Student backpack.
He tried a number of different backpacks. This one is squarish, so large notebooks fit. We found that the more oval-shaped backpacks didn't hold large square binders or textbooks well.
Look at the cubic inches on this backpack and compare to others if you need a lot of room.
PS: He got the solid black one, not the flowered pink one shown on the link!
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http://www.opera.com/company/education/curriculum/
http://devblog.johnpscott.co.uk/page/Getting-W3C-to-validate-XHTML-Strict-ASPNET-Pages.aspx
I am taking some basic web classes at our community college this term. We are not using a textbook. Instead, we are using these sites. You can always google "html banner" and see if you can find some code that works. Or, you can use a web template (I've heard you can get free ones here http://www.cmsimple.com/)
Good luck!
Sandra
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Yes.
I've read that some colleges don't accept SAT scores once a student begins college, but if he hasn't started college yet, I don't see a problem.
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It doesn't matter what your local school system requires unless you live in a homeschool-unfriendly state that monitors such things. The only thing that matters is that you cover the minimum course requirements for admission to the university you plan to attend.
For instance, here are the minimum course requirements (MCR)for the UNC system:
http://www.cfnc.org/static/pdf/home/sc/pdf/min_course_requirements.pdf
If you have covered all these subjects (note they have specific math requirements), that's all the admissions office cares about in terms of number of credits.
MCR vary by state, and by school. Check to make sure you are covering everything they need. (For example, Clemson University requires 3 units of foreign language while our state schools require only 2. Some schools require more social science credits than others. Our state requires 4 units of math with one course past Alg. II that requires Alg. II as a prerequisite. Neighboring states, like VA, require only 3 math credits.
College admissions employees don't scan the transcript for anything but GPA, class rank (if applicable) and the specific math/science/foreign lang/social science credits they require in the MCR. Make it easy for them to match your course titles with the MCR titles they're looking for!
Sandra
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I've had virgin mobile for about 6 years. No complaints.
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This is our life story.
Alarms would train my son for a while, but there was always relapse (until as old as age 14). Whenever he relapsed, we'd pull out the alarm again. It was a constant cycle of train/relapse/train/relapse. All in all, the alarm worked better than anything else we tried.
Hang in there.
Sandra
PS: We ended up adding a pad-alarm (like a mattress pad) as well as a clip on alarm. Sometimes he'd pull off the clip on alarm in his sleep. The pad was a good back-up.
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We were totally frustrated with Biology labs, and never saw what we were supposed to see with the microscope. We ended up using online resources instead to see what we should have seen!
For that reason, I think microscopes are a waste of money EXCEPT for stereo microscopes. Every child should have one! It is so interesting and inspiring to see all the life that exists on simple things. We used to pick up bits of lichen or mushrooms on our walks and look at them under the stereo microscope. It was amazing to see all the little creatures that live there: little bugs that you can't see without the microscope.
One of my best purchases in homeschool was the stereo microscope!
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My older son went to UNCSA for visual arts in 11th and 12th grade. It is a public, residential high school in North Carolina, so it followed the minimum course requirements for high school graduation. Even if all her electives are in art, I would make sure to cover your state's minimum course requirements. (You can find out what the minimum requirements are by looking at the admissions requirements of one of your state universities.)
Next, I would focus on developing a portfolio. Be sure the pieces are nicely photographed. Many schools will request that you upload portfolio photos along with your application. Others will ask for the portfolio on CD. Generally, you need 15-20 pieces, showing a variety of skills. Be sure to include drawing from life.
If you buy her a laptop, get a Mac. It has superior graphics/sound editing software. My son's college required Macs for Art students.
Have her start researching schools. My son was accepted to some of the finest art schools in the country (MICA, SAIC, SMFA), but even with "Presidential" scholarships, they were too expensive for us. Most art schools are around $50k/yr total. My son's dream school is Cooper Union in NY. They accept only 65 art students each year. He didn't make it this year, but is planning to reapply. Tuition is free if you're accepted.
One of my son's biggest regrets is that he didn't focus more on academics. He wishes he had prepared for the SAT and done better on it. Academics matter - even to art schools. He feels like he would have gotten better scholarships if his grades/SATs had been higher.
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I think someone on these boards posted this a while back:
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/
I don't know if that will answer your question......
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We got our boys the cheapest Virgin Mobile phones possible. The phones are so "uncool" that they don't want to be seen with them. Consequently, they leave them in the dorm or in the car.
I think my boys would think Tracfones are uncool, too. So I don't know the answer for your situation.
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I recommend using CLEP and Dantes exams as much as possible to earn your degree. These 90-minute, multiple choice exams can be studied for at your own pace and some schools, like Thomas Edison State College (TESC is accredited) allow almost all credits to be earned through Credit by Exam (CBE). They do not have a residency requirement, so you don't have to worry about moving to New Jersey; you can do coursework online. There are discussion forums about Thomas Edison and other CBE-friendly schools at degreeforum.net (hosted by Instantcert.com)
Read the forums at Instantcert and if you decide to subscribe, use code 85722 for a discount. Subscribing gives you access to a members-only forum with specific exam feedback. You will also have access to hundreds of flashcards - efficient study aids for many of the exams.
Here are some resources for you:
http://www.freewebs.com/officesolutions/clepfaqs.htm
Here is an inspirational post about someone who earned a BS in 9 months!
Here's a quote about a homeschooler who will graduate from high school with a B.A. degree, too!
"...he applied to TESC (was accepted) and transferred in his 99 CLEP/DSST credits...leaving him with just 21 credits tograduate with a BA. He is currently taking college courses through Dual Enrollment so will have just 3 courses and 1 DSST to complete before May 2011 to receive his BA -- the same time he will get his HS diploma."
CLEP and DANTES can be taken at any age. Scores are good for 20 years.
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Unfortunately, ds takes after me and avoids writing like the plague. I'm not convinced that will change during high school, although I intend to make sure he has plenty of opportunity to grow. ;)
She can take the CLEP in Calculus. It is a 45 question, 90 minute, multiple choice exam with no essay. In NC, this CLEP is accepted by all state schools. The CLEP can be taken at any age and scores are good for 20 years. (Yes, any age: I've heard of 9 year old students passing CLEPs!)
I'd recommend researching your colleges to see if they accept it. Use the College Board's Find a College tool
On the SAT/AP/CLEP page, you'll see the scores required for CLEP credit.
Another good source for information is here.
Often, a school will require the equivalent of a "C" on the CLEP exam for credit, while at the same time requiring a "B" on AP. I've found one school that accepts CLEP in (Microeconomics), but not AP. So you can throw CLEP into the CYA pool...maybe take both the AP and CLEP?
Sandra
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http://www.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/gilbert/index/site_map.htm
This site has wonderful tutorials.
CLEP Tests
in High School and Self-Education Board
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My kids don't use the flashcards much, but the subscription is worth it just for the specific exam feedback. Some of the people who post there put together extensive study guides that we've found useful. The tests change over time and there are various versions of each test, so it's helpful to hear from others what their experience was and what they wished they had studied more, etc.
See http://www.freewebs.com/officesolutions/instantcert.htm for more information. We subscribed using the discount code (85722) and I thought we'd cancel after 27 days (there is a 30 day money back guarantee, but in the fine print, you have to give them 3 days notice so it's really more like 27 days), but we kept the subscription.
Sandra