Just to be clear, I don't think increased political polarization is going to be a massive driver of college enrollment decisions; I was simply responding to Clarice's query to discuss a phenomenon she was seeing locally. IMO increased political polarization's overall affect re college enrollment is likely marginal, at best, but may help colleges that are less moderate politically to keep filling seats. That's all I was saying.

Not to mention that bias in our healthcare system is systemic and very well evidenced. Clarice wanted to discuss why certain institutions are thriving. Well, IMO the evidence regarding increased political polarization would suggest that college enrollment demographics are simply another extension of that phenomenon. You mentioned that, where you live, students are turning down higher paying careers rather than face some putatively "woke" class. And, where I live, students are more likely to stop attending schools in states that are hostile to social justice, LGBTQ+, reproductive rights, gun control, and the environment than they were 10 years ago (even if merit/scholarship money is thrown at them). IMHO, we will likely see enrollment remain steady at the colleges representing the more political extremes of the spectrum due to increasing polarization and confirmation bias.

Hi Lori, I was discussing Dobbs in the context of its potential impact on declining college/university enrollment. I understand that it's not everyone's fav topic, and the impact to any specific college/university may be marginal, but it's another factor at play for many families and may impact enrollment on the aggregate level.

I'm not stereotyping the entire midwest as anti-choice. I'm saying that -- since we are discussing midwest/northeast schools re enrollment declines -- I wouldn't send my kid to a school *in a state that did not respect reproductive choice.* That statement obviously goes well beyond the midwest at the moment. The economic implications of Dobbs will be far-reaching and not necessarily in ways that are immediately apparent. I was just reading about how Dobbs is negatively impacting recruitment of OBGYNs to rural hospitals, such that it is likely to exacerbate our already abysmal maternal/infant mortality rates in the US (e.g., rural hospitals shuttering maternity wards/women traveling greater distances to give birth/lack of prenatal care, etc). So yeah, this decision is going to be reverberating throughout our economy in disparate ways over the coming years.

I think that would be fine for their high school classes in the humanities. I don't have knowledge of their STEM offerings at the high school level.

I agree that both Athena's and Online G3 have been great for my 2e kid. The classes have live meetings (generally, 60-90 minutes in length/week), which my kid enjoyed. They are especially great classes when you need to balance out a heavier load in other areas -- generally, high-interest topics, but not uber demanding in terms of output.

I was under the impression that NM qualification in CA was another unicorn. I almost never seem to hear about it here. 20 NMSFs from one school seems very impressive.

I have looked into Nebula Genomics and Dante Labs, and have been reading some genetics-related subreddits, but I have concerns about interpretation (as you mentioned) and privacy of the data. I am still not sold, so thought I would ask you your thoughts. I haven't done any DNA testing, to date. Since the price of whole genome sequencing has come down so much, I have been considering it again. Thanks for your thoughts. 🙂

I will have to ask. I am not even sure if there is anyone taking Calc AB. I got the impression that he is the only Calc AP at the school, period, which seemed insane to me for a charter that does well with UCs.

PeterPan, If it was in the budget, which whole genome company would you use? There are a number of direct-to-consumer sites, many with subscription plans, etc. and I've been curious about getting it done.

100% this. It was easier for me to get into a T3 law school than it was nursing school in CA. (But, the real bottleneck is clinical sites, and schools cannot expand or open without clinical rotations, as you no doubt know.)

Sacha's current homeschool charter does well with UC admissions and is well-regarded re admissions generally within the CA homeschool charter world. He is still the only kid in the entire school taking the AP test for Calc BC this year (and this charter actually hosts the AP tests -- with accommodations for disabilities !! -- a total unicorn here for CA homeschoolers). And yet, he is the only one taking the test. So, I don't know what is happening in admissions here, but it definitely does seem like fewer kids are taking the AP tests (save for the T-25 gunners), which seems insane if SAT scores are no longer a thing, either. The landscape is very bizarre here.

I know midwestern colleges have no control over the political environment, but as a CA parent, there's no way I would allow my boys to go to college in a state that didn't respect reproductive choice, no matter how much money a decent school threw at them.

I have the same perspective, here in California. When CSUs like San Diego State (which used to be on Playboy's top party school list) now reject incredible kids, it blows my mind. I can only pray that these kids begin to see an easing of the admissions nightmare here.

Yay, CA kids! Great job!

Such fantastic news!!! So happy for you!!

I need to make a specific post about it on some of the larger homeschooling FB groups. Too few people know this is an option. I just don't know if it applies in the case of special admit/DE HS students that aren't paying CC tuition. But yes, it does seem like most of CA CCs are free for everyone, so I'm not sure why there would be a distinction made. Sometimes, it's better not to ask the question and just apply. Lol.

Yes, google cross enrollment and your neighborhood UC/CSU. Most people don't know about it. But, I am not sure it would work if you're getting free DE. We pay the CC tuition, so double check with your CC and the CSU/UC about it.

I can't remember if you're in CA, but you can definitely enroll in math classes at UCs/CSUs as a high school student (either online or in-person). Also, if your son is enrolled at a CC, and is taking more than 6 units there, he can cross-enroll at a CSU/UC without paying tuition for one class. You just pay an administrative fees and any additional lab/materials fees specific to the class. That may not work if you aren't paying fees through free DE for HS students, so you have to check (my son takes CC classes, but is enrolled via his CHSPE, so we pay full CC tuition and he gets normal registration priority). With respect to CC math, there are excellent honors math classes to be found. You just have to dig. De Anza/Foothill come to mind immediately, but there are others. Some schools may only offer in-person honors, but with some digging, you can find online options, if that is your preference. Another option is University Level Math/Physics at Stanford Online High School (SOHS). I know a few boardies have kids that have taken classes there. My DS is finishing up AoPS Calculus at the moment, and we've explored several options for high school. We landed on him continuing post-AoPS math at SOHS, but of course, that is obviously fluid. He may decide that he would prefer to take AoPS Group Theory vs Analysis in a few years -- who knows? There are lots of very quantitative areas of finance to explore. You could spend a semester/year studying the material in the CFA exam and it would give him a huge leg up if he ultimately decided to go into finance. They don't necessarily have to stay on the standard math major path. 🙂

Oh, Arcadia, I am SO happy to read this news. I know many of us were utterly shocked and dismayed by the shenanigans that went on last yr with admissions re your DS. I hope this year brings nothing but good news for you both! You all really deserve it. Like so many here, I/my boys have benefited greatly from your wisdom over the years. ❤️

Woo wee, I am so glad that I read this post. Sounds like OHS MV is the best next step for S after AoPS Calc. Thank you! And welcome home! 🙂

He took Programming Fundamentals in C++ at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and is currently taking Data Structures in C++ at the College of San Mateo (the class at CCSF was full). He will likely take Computer Architecture with Assembly Language at CCSF in the fall. He has mostly been interested in astrobiology and astrophysics to date, but has recently become very interested in computer science.

This is really good advice, and I wish I had done the same.

Wow, I cannot believe that we are legitimately here. Weren't we just posting on the Kinder planning threads? Sacha is trying to decide whether to pursue the diploma option through Stanford Online High School vs to stay a CA charter homeschool student (with a combo of SOHS and DE classes) [I don't think it will work with the charter for HS, but we are keeping the PSA option on the table]. He doesn't have to make the final election re whether to graduate from OHS until the Spring before 11th grade, but he has to stay on track (through 9th and 10th) to meet all of their requirements. Much will depend on the results of his placement exams in the Spring. [Apparently, it's easier for HS kids to place into advanced classes at OHS vs the MS kids.] As of now, we are thinking that he will take the following in 9th: OHS Core: Methodology of Science, which is a non-lab bio class. Supposed to be a brutal workload. [Apparently, they have lightened the load in this course, which is great news!] I've heard that all of the core classes at OHS are amazing, but I am definitely nervous about the rigor of this course for my very 2e kid. [Still a nervous Nelly!] English: He will likely place into either Literary Analysis & Argumentation or Textual Analysis & Argumentation at OHS, with an additional writing lab to help support him. Math: Hopefully, he will place into Multivariable Calculus at OHS, as he prefers live instruction. Otherwise, he will take it at either UCSD or a CC. [They likely won't require a placement exam from him; his AP test score should suffice. Fingers crossed!] Science: Technically, the Methodology of Science class counts as a science class, so that will likely be enough of a challenge. But, Sacha wants to take AP Physics C in 10th, so he will either need to attend the pre-req through Summer @ Stanford after 9th or do well enough on his placement exam to skip Honors Physics (which he took through DO in 7th, but who knows how well he will do on a physics placement exam two years later). He could take something like AoPS' new AP Physics 1 course, or self-study for the AP physics 1 test on his own to meet the pre-req, but I really don't want to add to his workload in 9th. Still mulling it over. [Since they reduced the workload in the Core class, Sacha elected to take Life in the Cosmos, an astrobiology class, in addition to the Core science class.] Foreign Language: He is starting the STAR TALK program in Russian at SDSU next month. Hopefully, he will enjoy it. It runs through the fall semester of 2023. At the end, he will have credit for two semesters of college Russian at SDSU. [He's enjoying Russian. However, we found out that OHS only gives one semester of credit for each semester of DE, so he will have to take 4 semesters of college Russian minimum, if he decides to graduate from OHS.] Computer Science and/or Social Studies: He is taking Data Structures at the CC now and will likely take the next course in the sequence for computer science majors in the Fall. Thinking about an econ class at the CC for the Spring. [He didn't like the prof, so he dropped the Data Structures class. He will most likely take it next year at OHS.] Extracurriculars: OHS Wellness I/PE and an AI-related "Homeroom", Civil Air Patrol [he's not sure if he wants to continue; it's been hard to juggle with the workload at OHS], guitar, STEM competitions, and OHS clubs. This all seems pretty daunting, so I am very unsure. [Still unsure, but holding my breath.]

My apologies for just seeing this. Yes, Sacha is a DYS, but I want to preface that statement by saying that he likely wouldn't have qualified had I not met Jackie from this board (who ended up teaching Sacha and helped me to realize how debilitated Sacha was with unmedicated ADHD). Sacha missed the cutoffs for DYS before he was on meds for ADHD (he qualified within a few months on meds), and I mention that because Sacha's 2e-ness (most especially, delayed executive functioning and other ADHD stuff) has come to define our experience with Davidson. As Dmmetler mentioned above, the Davidson stuff is right for the right kind of kid. Sacha is not that kid. He was so traumatized by the Explore Writing in the Humanities class (after years of loving the lit classes at Athena's and OG3), which he took in 5th grade, he has yet to regain his previous love of literature some 3 years on. In short, I found Davidson very unaccommodating re 2e kids. The pandemic took out the trip we had booked to Reno for Summit that year (2020), but today, we'd opt for PG Retreat before Summit anyway because I wouldn't want my younger DS (Ronen) to be excluded from events. I get why they do it, but that just doesn't work for us. Instead of Davidson, we've shifted our focus to OHS. Sacha started with OHS in 7th grade, with a single course (he did well in an area of strength), and is taking 2 courses this year for 8th (it's been more of struggle thus far this year, but he's adjusting to the demands). He wants to attend OHS full-time for high school (I am still unsure if this is the best fit for him, but it's his choice), so we have been spending our resources attending OHS events (they have local meetups, Summer @ Stanford, and other large in-person and online events several times per year). OHS has very generous financial aid (so much so that they are even funding the vast majority of Sacha's spring break trip to New Orleans for the middle schoolers) and, in our experience to date, really tries to help the 2e/non-neurotypical kids. So, I would definitely recommend OHS over DAO for 2e kids that want rigorous online classes (whether FT or PT), and prefer the philosophy of PG Retreat (or something like Yunasa from IEA) vs Summit for in-person support. Just my two cents.