Glad to know I'm not alone! I refuse to check those little boxes...knowing that I could accidentally submit makes me crazy!!

Well, it does help to know that I'm not alone in this. Thanks for the support!!

Oh goodness, I have to say that I am just so over this whole college app thingy. Could this be any more tedious? Sorry...just a bit of whining. This has prob been the most overwhelming part of homeschooling!! School profile, counselor's letter...etc. I'm so tired of generating content. Anybody else?

Hi, Have any of you created a "maker portfolio" for your STEM student's college app? I know that some apps have a specific spot for it using a special software [Slideshow] but what about where it does not specifically ask for it?

Wilson Hill is offering this as a class but they are using the Novare book which my son does not want to do. He has used Novare for the Chemistry and has not enjoyed the text at all. Ugh. Perhaps, I will consider the PAH class. I'm not sure how their classes work.

We are in the same boat!! Please let me know if you find anything. I really don't want my kiddo to have to drive to the community college 3 times per week to take a more advanced physics. Have you seen any reviews of Mr. Bob Physics? There isn't much information on his website.

Thank you!

Where might I find an online class for Calculus-based Physics for my rising Senior? He took Algebra-based Physics with Miss Jetta as a Freshman and absolutely LOVED it!! Wilson Hill Academy is offering one but I don't care for the Textbook they are using. Any other recommendations?

My son took Alg 2 with Mr. Reini last year and never even unboxed the tablet. He will be taking Pre-Cal with Steubing this year so we shall see....but for now it just sits in the box.

Bump

Bump. Does anyone have more suggestions on this topic?

My DS is finishing up his sophomore year so we are starting to gather info on colleges. Should I use a college ranking service to filter schools? If so, which one? US News and World Report Rankings?

My vote is for #2 as well. That is what I do. For the record, I don't think my Spanish class would qualifying either and I'm actually kinda glad about that!! :laugh: We don't use ANY of the traditional methods for learning a foreign language. The funny thing is that I actually speak Spanish and so does my husband and we both agreed that there was little to be learned by putting such an emphasis on grammar and conjugation as most traditional foreign language classes do. After all, most 4 yo can form correct sentences without even knowing what a verb or a noun is.

Thank all you for sharing the names and classes that you loved!! I'm happy to report that we got in to Pre-Cal/Trig with Stublen and Chemistry with Bailey! Woohoo! I hope my ds loves them as much as yours did!! He currently takes Alg II with Mr. Reini and really likes Mr. Reini! DS says he makes it as humorous as math can be. :laugh:

We have used LiveLingua.com for the passed two years and have had a great experience. My husband and I are native Spanish speakers of Mexican descent and it was important to us to be able to pick a teacher from Mexico specifically. This ensures a familiar accent versus a teacher from some other Spanish speaking country who may have different intonations and pronunciations. Think of how different British English, American English and Australian English sound. Likewise, there are differences in the Spanish spoken around the world. ¡Suerte! [Good luck!]

Thanks for the help with Science Shepherd...LOL!! Seriously though, I have already figured out a workable solution. It is not ideal but hey, we'll make it work. My kid isn't pre-med or anything so if Biology has a few holes...oh well.

Hello All, Well, my DS is currently enrolled in Landry Academy's Biology. Given that Landry has an uncertain future, I am left scrambling to figure out how to have him finish Biology this spring if Landry doe not resume classes. They are using the Science Shepherd text which we don't love-- but if possible I'd like to avoid starting over with a new text. I am not a fan of Biology and would find it challenging to offer adequate instruction for him. Does anyone have any suggestions of videos that go with this curriculum? Is this book self-teaching enough? I have contacted The Potter's School about the possibility of DS joining there Pre-AP Biology class which uses the same text....waiting to hear back. I would even be open to just an audit of the class so that he has the instruction without them giving him a grade. Seeking Hive wisdom.

Lori D, That is exactly my though process!! I spend about $700 per semester w LiveLingua but I think it is a reasonable sum considering it is private one-on-one tutoring. I also like that the teachers have been very receptive to my requests for non-traditional teaching methods. I am a native Spanish speaker who took 3 years of formal traditional Spanish instruction in school and found it a miserable experience. I hated the extreme focus on grammar. I knew how to speak Spanish without ever having known the grammar rules so this just seemed like a useless exercise to me. In the same way, I learned English without learning the grammar rules prior to speaking. For instance, a 4 year old knows how to speak and forms complete sentences without knowing the grammar rules or being able to identify the adjective or noun. This is learned through immersion and context. I am very much a believer in context learning for second language acquisition. So the LiveLingua teacher and my son choose articles, movies, etc in the the target language and then read/watch, translate and discuss them. She also conducts the entire class in Spanish. He practices reading and speaking with his dad and me through out the week. My son really enjoys learning this way!

I'm think about using the Big History Project with my STEM Sophomore. Has anyone used this? I am trying to appeal to his curiosity and love of Science to get him interested in History. Is there a spine that goes with this?

Thank you all so much! This will be a great start to my list! Also, I will definitely be looking for the ABET certification.

Thank you! It will definitely go down as one of our safety schools. Arcadia, Santa Clara sounds great!! As does the possiblity of going to Canada. I will put them on our list to learn more about. Thank you Margaret!! I will read more aobut it! I appreciate the input. EKS, definitely!! I Polytechnic sounds like just the ticket!

I will have to look in to the differences of these. I am not familiar with the engineering technology major.

I need to compile a list of project-based engineering colleges/universities. I know that Franklin Olin College works that way but I need other options because Olin has such a low acceptance rate. My son is a sophomore this year and has his heart set on engineering...maybe mechanical but possibly electrical. He is very techy, lots of robotics, arduino, programming etc but I don't think he would survive a traditional engineering program involving lots of theory and lectures. Thank you for your input!

:crying: We used it a few years back; I must have already sold it. Sorry, I misspoke.

Thanks Yvonne, I actually borrowed the term from Mrs. Perkins own class description: "This is an Algebra-based Geometry class. Proofs are taught (traditional 2 column and coordinate based) however, the emphasis is on the application and use of Geometric concepts. The variety of available teaching materials allows the instructor to tailor the course to the individual needs of each student. Algebra 1 skills will be used throughout the course. Honors supplements are available for students who thrive with challenge. Homework load is approximately 4 hours per week outside of class." I believe what she is talking about is the fact that the book goes the extra mile to tie back geometric concepts to algebraic equations.