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Sandra in NC

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Everything posted by Sandra in NC

  1. Answers to your questions: 1) You choose which scores to send to the college. On the transcript request form, the CollegeBoard has an option to send only scores of 50 or more (50 is generally the minimum passing score). 2) Yes, the CollegeBoard will retain all scores for 20 years. Wait to send all CLEP scores until your student is accepted to a college. That way, you only have to pay a transcript fee of $20 for all the test results. For more information, see info on getting started with CLEP and AP on this site: http://www.freewebs.com/officesolutions/contact.htm Cntl-click on the orange hyperlinks. You'll see a link to the College Board's CLEP Information Guide for 2009-2010 and on page 13 of that guide, you'll see the transcript request form. Note that you have complete control over which scores are sent. After having the experience of paying out of state tuition for Gen Ed courses, I am delighted to find the CLEP alternative! My son commented that "CLEP is shorter, but harder" (i.e. it requires more focused, thorough study for a short amount of time...but college courses are actually less demanding--they just take more time and money than CLEP.)
  2. I'd recommend getting a variety of prep books - see if your library carries them. Also check your library's online test-prep resources. Sometimes the Learn-A-Test service, free for many library patrons, offers AP prep. http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Libraries/researchatopic/education.asp Click on Testing & Education Resources
  3. I would report them on the transcript, especially if your student is a National Merit candidate.
  4. The amount of time it takes to feel better varies by person. My older son took strong pain pills for 5 days. The worst days for him were days 3 & 4. My younger son took a total of two pain pills. He didn't suffer much at all. In both boys, the wisdom teeth were impacted but not infected.
  5. If you don't want to graduate your student early, could you have him/her take the GED? Would that allow your student to enroll in the CC but still be homeschooled? Does the CC transcript indicate whether a student is dual enrolled or not?
  6. I had a friend who asked me to ask my husband to talk her son out of wanting to major in piano performance. My husband plays in local bands on a volunteer/hobby basis, but draws a salary from computer programming (self-taught). He has a Bachelors in Music Ed. Anyway my husband was appalled at the request, "I would NEVER try to talk him out of it. I don't regret majoring in music at all-- it's part of who I am." Follow your passions. Sandra
  7. Proposed cuts to transferable courses would affect Pamlico students July 17, 2009 - 5:50 PM Laura Oleniacz Sun Journal Staff BAYBORO — Local leaders are concerned about a state budget proposal that aims to cut funding for a program that gives Pamlico County High School students a chance to earn general education college credits for free. There are about 100 high school students already registered for psychology, sociology, English and other general education courses that can be transferred for college credit through the Huskins Bill Program with Pamlico Community College. The classes are free for the students, but the N.C. General Assembly’s House budget bill proposes to cut funding for them in the upcoming school year. “That would be a very big hardship on the (high) school,†Pamlico County Schools Superintendent James P. Coon said Thursday. “I would have to bring (those students) back to the high school. It would lower their overall grade point averages because I don’t have more honors courses for these students to take.†Kennon Briggs, executive vice president of the N.C. Community College System, said the House budget proposal is still on the table in ongoing budget discussions by state legislators to cut funding for non-math and science transferable college courses in the Huskins and Dual-Enrollment programs, for an estimated savings of $14.6 million. Funding for math and science, as well as vocational courses such as cosmetology or welding, would be left in place. “(The proposal) is still in some controversy, but it appears that that is going to continue (in the discussion),†Briggs said. “The longer the uncertainty remains, the more difficult it is for the community colleges and the public school systems to respond if this cut prevails.†Jamie Gibbs, PCC’s dean of student services, said the proposal would have a large impact on high school students because there is no “plan B†at Pamlico Community College to offer college credit courses for free through an early college program. Coon added that Pamlico County High School has Advanced Placement courses giving students the opportunity to earn college credits, but the school heavily relies on the Huskins and Dual Enrollment programs. “In many larger districts, they may be able to absorb that in regular AP courses because they have a greater depth in courses that they offer,†he said. Coon added that if the programs were cut, he expects that many students may not be able to afford the community college classes, which cost $50 per credit hour. “A significant number of kids would not be prepared to pay for it, and we’re not prepared to handle the influx of these kids coming back at the honors level and teach those courses because we’ve relied so heavily on community college courses,†he said. Despite funding uncertainty, college leaders held an orientation for about 50 high school students and parents on Thursday. At the end of the evening, leaders encouraged participants to contact their local state representatives about the proposal. Several students who attended are interested in taking the classes for which funding is in jeopardy. Katie Moore, 16, is planning to graduate as a junior after taking courses in the Huskins program. “It’s helping me graduate early as a junior,†she said, adding that she plans to attend East Carolina University to study nursing. She said she hoped to take a psychology course before she graduates — which is one course that would be affected by the proposal. “I’m just interested in what people think, and it would help me with nursing,†she said. Tiffany Mayo, 17, a senior, attended the orientation with her stepmother Kathy Mayo. Tiffany said she was hoping to take psychology and sociology courses — “the ones that would be effected if they decide to do away with it,†Kathy Mayo said. Mayo added that the courses would help Tiffany earn a community college degree. She said she’s going to contact legislators about the proposal. “We’ll definitely either e-mail or call,†she said.
  8. Do you have MS Office? (I have the 2007 version...you'll navigate a little differently with 2003, but basically you want to get to the File/New/Templates section. If you have MS Word 2007, click on the Office button, New, and check the list of templates on the left under "MS Office Online". Click on "Resumes" and you'll see a wide variety of templates you can download to give your son a model and starting place. There is even a high school student example under the "Specific Situation" category. I haven't downloaded it, but I saw it listed when I checked just now!
  9. Check with the university you plan to enroll in eventually and find out what their CLEP/DSST policy is. At our local schools, many of the general education requirements can fulfilled with CLEP. Some upper-division courses are available in DSST. CLEP tests are 90 minutes long - and, except for optional essay exams, they are multiple choice. (Some math questions are fill in the blank, but for the most part, it's multiple choice.) For inspiration, see this link from a person who got his Bachelor's degree in 9 months using (primarily) CLEP and DSST exams: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-thomas-edison-charter-oak-specific/7981-0-bs-under-9-months-i.html Sandra
  10. I am offering an online webinar on July 31 at 10 am EST called "Getting Started with CLEP and AP." Whoa! Doesn't that sound fancy? A webinar! Hey, it's a free webinar trial and it expires August 4th, so I thought I'd go ahead and use it. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/439207979 The webinar will cover: 1) High School/College Planning -- I advocate researching college policies on CLEP/AP before testing. My younger son is planning to major in engineering and only select scores are accepted at the school he hopes to attend. We focus our time/effort on these. If I had waited until his senior year to do this research, he might have taken exams he didn't need to! My older son is a sophomore in college. We are using CLEP to cover some of his general education requirements. In this webinar, I will give you a tour of some online tools for surveying college requirements. If you don't know what your student is interested in...what he/she wants to major in....what college he/she will eventually go to....I will show you online tools for helping to answer those questions. 2) CLEP resources: I will give an online tour of helpful sites . Did you know that sometimes CLEP is accepted when AP is not? And sometimes schools accept a relatively low score on CLEP when they require a high score on a corresponding AP? CLEP is often viewed as a poor stepchild to AP, but if your goal is college credit, it can be a good choice 3) AP resources: How do you get started with AP? Where do you take exams and how much do they cost? For admissions to selective schools, AP courses are desirable. My goal in this webinar is to help people who are new to AP/CLEP and give them some tools to get started. I want to share the information I wish I knew when my boys were in middle school! Sandra
  11. I found that the most difficult part of the AP exam for my son was the physical demand of handwriting the essay. Being a child of the 90's, he is more comfortable typing everything on the computer! I hope all CollegeBoard tests will become computer based exams.
  12. I'm curious as to how many students under the age of 16 have taken AP, CLEP, and/or DSST exams.
  13. My son attended a summer program at SCAD when he was a rising 10th grader. Although it was "the most fun he ever had" it was not what he was hoping for artistically. The painting teacher didn't teach, but just worked on his own painting. Bottom line: My son learned he did not want to go to SCAD. I'd recommend a summer experience with SCAD if you have time...As I recall, it costs about $1000/wk, but it's a good way to get exposed to the residence halls (converted motels), the city, the classrooms/studios, and the teachers. The absolute BEST program in NC is NC State University's College of Design. http://ncsudesign.org/content/index.cfm/mode/1/fuseaction/page/filename/admissions.html It's tough to get into - my impression is that it's not for the purely conceptual artists (like my son). It's more for people who want to get into advertising. Other good art programs are at East Carolina University and UNC Greensboro. UNC Asheville has a good art program (and a big community of artists). Western Carolina is another possibilty.
  14. Thank you for your detailed reply/advice! Unfortunately, NC doesn't participate in that program. At least, it doesn't do so for undergraduate degrees in VA. To everyone who has posted comments/votes, thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to share your insights! Sandra
  15. Colorado School of Mines, an engineering school, has in-state tuition of over $12,000/yr. Oregon Health & Science University has in-state tuition of over $18,000/yr for their nursing program.
  16. My son and I visited Virginia Tech this week and we were impressed with their engineering program. The campus is gorgeous and has the feel of a private university. For engineering, VT is rated #14 in the country; #8 among public institutions. They offer a combined aerospace/ocean engineering degree (I've never seen that before!) and they are one of only 8 schools to offer a mining and minerals engineering degree. There is 100% placement in the latter, with students often securing job offers in their sophomore year. The dorms seemed ok. Freshmen stay in traditional hall-style dorms with NO air conditioning. The heat is an issue for a couple of months out of the year and up to 4 box fans are needed to be comfortable. Their food service is rated #3 in the country. Overall, we preferred VA Tech to NC State. Unfortunately, it would cost $16,000/yr. more with out of state tuition. Unless my son can get some substantial scholarships (not likely from VA Tech), it's not a good choice financially. We visited NC State in February. It is rated #30 in engineering. It's an urban campus, so it doesn't have the cohesive, well-planned feel VA Tech. It's a hodgepodge of buildings in various styles/ages and it's very spread out. It doesn't have theme living for engineering students (VA Tech has halls reserved for engineering students -- a good idea to avoid being next door to a party-person!) We got more of a feeling of community at VA Tech than we did at NC State. NC State will exempt my son from freshman English based on his SAT CR score. VA Tech won't do that, but they do accept the English Comp w/Essay CLEP; a score of 50 on a 90 minute test earns 6 college credits. You also earn 6 credits for freshman English with a 4 or 5 on the AP exam. Isn't it interesting they require a "C" on a CLEP, but a "B" on the AP? (By the way, I found a similar discrepancy at East Carolina University. They accept the equivalent of a D on the Microeconomics CLEP, but require a B on the AP exam for credit.) All in all, we love VA Tech but NC State is our best choice financially. I don't know if our visit to VA Tech will inspire my son to apply for outside scholarships or just depress him. NC State looked a lot better before we saw VA Tech. Clemson and GA Tech are next on the list. He wants to visit these schools and understands that our funds are limited so if he wants to go somewhere other than NC State, he'll have a lot of work to do writing essays for scholarships!
  17. My son saw this movie yesterday and said, "All action. No plot. A great movie!" Sounds like a guy-flick to me.
  18. I have not considered Davidson because it doesn't have an engineering school, although it has a wonderful reputation as a LAC. I've heard it is not homeschool-friendly.
  19. Ten years ago, we paid $90 to have ours tuned. Last year, we paid $90 to have it cleaned (it didn't need tuning). If an instrument is grossly out of tune, it can take more than one visit, and it would cost more. We've had our piano for 27 years and we've moved it 7 times, and tuned it about 4 times.
  20. I'm not going to record it (too big a file), but I may schedule another meeting if there is enough interest. Sorry you can't make it tomorrow!
  21. I am hosting a free webinar tomorrow morning (Friday, June 12th) at 9 a.m. Eastern time. The topic is "Earning an Associates Degree in high school." I have only 7 seats left - PM me if you're interested in attending. This informational meeting will show you how to use dual enrollment, AP, CLEP, and other sources of college credit to earn an optional AA degree while in high school. It's an optional degree, because if it turns out your child is eligible for attractive scholarships as a college freshman, you might want to forgo the AA degree and simply transfer credits (assuming the college accepts them). If your child is not eligible for scholarships as a freshman, you can go ahead an get an AA and transfer in as a junior, saving two years of college tuition. If I had known about this strategy 6 years ago, we would've done things differently!
  22. I think it has a lot to do with peer group, too. My younger son is at the NC School of Science and Math, a public residential school. Average 10th grade SAT scores are 1350 (CR + Math). My son says that while some of the instructors are stellar, the real advantage to the school is the student population. It's inspiring to be surrounded by smart kids.
  23. Three years ago, we replaced our old A/C with a heat pump. Instead of electric coils in the heat pump being the "back up" heat, we had the unit installed so that the natural gas heat comes on when the temperature falls below 20 degrees. It's the best of both worlds! The air is much more comfortable in the winter. My kids used to have nosebleeds all winter long. Not anymore. My younger son had dry, cracked, bleeding hands in the winter with gas heat. Not anymore. We all suffered with allergy-like symptoms because of the dry gas heat. Not anymore. The gas heat rarely come on, but when it does, we notice. I much prefer the heat pump!
  24. See pages 10-15 of this report concerning graduation rates for less competitive and highly competitive institutions. http://www.aei.org/docLib/Diplomas%20and%20Dropouts%20final.pdf The more competitive the college, the better the graduation rate. It's revealing to see who the top 10/bottom 10 are in each category.
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