Anybody have any reviews on Wilson Hill Academy? Specifically on Dr. Dieter's Chemistry course? Would love to hear positive and negative reviews. Thanks so much!

Would you be willing to give a review of the Greek History course overall? I have just discovered Lukeion and am considering it next year for my 10th grader.I saw a "sample" course....it looks like it is mainly a PowerPoint presentation with narration? Does your student like the course? Thanks in advance! Dena

Thanks, everyone. I'm thankful for your input....it's hard to know what programs are "worth it". Any suggestions for a good programming "camp"?

Has anyone sent their teens to one of these iD Tech Camps? This organization offers various tech courses at universities around the country. I'm considering sending my dd to the Java course at Univ. of Michigan and would love to hear reviews/experiences of others! Thanks in advance! Dena

In terms of savings, then, would a jointly-held savings acct. (the child is the minor and a parent is the main account holder) be considered a parent's asset or the child's asset (on the FAFSA). *sigh* I don't know how people do this without drowning in debt, which is something I refuse to do....

Yes, you are right....we often don't know the whole story. Thanks for posting your experiences.

I clarified earlier, but just to note my son's decision has nothing to do with who occupies the white house. This isn't about politics. He was ruminating about how he would support a family if he was ever in a position where he would be relieved of duty for violating the orders of a superior officer. I admire him for thinking critically about the situation, and I explained to him that one can lose a job in any public or private sector.

What does "slac" mean? sorry, i'm a newbie...

I am glad you all have posted this information. Do the outside scholarships reduce the federal aid or does the college reduce the entire aid package (merit and need-based)?

Wow....that great news about her scholarship! Way to go! My son is also motivated about the "idea" of the college search (in my initial search, I wrote he wasn't motivated - he knows it has to be done), but very busy with APs, dual enrollment, robotics, etc., that he literally doesn't have very much time. I'm finding it difficult to strike a balance between jumping through all the hoops while making sure he doesn't burn out before he's 20!

Okay, wow, just now getting back to this... A HUGE thank you to all you veterans out there who are willing to take the time to pass along your experiences. I am so grateful! I guess I should expound on my son's decision about USNA since it appears to have gotten a few off track from my original question. He heard on the news that some top-level officials were removed from duty for their role in trying to help the victims in Benghazi. They were violating orders, so they were removed (at least from what he heard). He asked me, "What would I do if I was an officer in a situation like that where I would have to decide between my moral values and the orders of my superiors? I would lose my job. How would I take care of my family?" I thought that was a mature line of thinking for a then 15 yo. However, I explained to him that any of us can have a moral dilemma in ANY line of work. One could lose a job in the private or public sector. This has nothing to do with political parties or who's in the white house. *sigh* To Teachin'mine....not sure what you mean by "stirring the pot"...unless you are assuming his rationale about USNA is some kind of political statement, which would be an unfortunate misunderstanding. I posted originally because I really need insight from other parents who have already walked this road. I'm a newbie at this college application/scholarship search process; and I'm not sure how much to expect from our students when they have heavy academic loads while trying to do the college thing, too. Again, a big thanks to all of you who have posted information. It is helpful to those of us who are just beginning this leg of the journey!

Wow! Thanks so much for all the insight! Penguin, I like the idea of the weekly meetings; I think that would help with goal-setting. He would have been a great fit for the USNA and was even accepted into their STEM summer program last year. However, he was quite unsettled by the administration's handling of the Benghazi incident and began questioning if he really wanted to serve in the military. Regentrude, thanks for mentioning that some schools will reduce aid if you are awarded outside scholarships....I wasn't aware of that. Kinda stinks, imo. Thanks to all you homeschool-high school veterans! Keep the ideas coming!

Thanks for your replies so far! Yes, we did go down south in the spring to visit three different universities that offer the major he wants. He's already eligible for one of the top scholarships at one of those universities, but it is still not even half of the total cost of tuition. Tania, I do see your point about the busy schedule. However, a handful of $500.00 scholarships would at least pay for books! I'm just starting to get a bit frantic here because I completed a sample FAFSA, and WHAT A JOKE! We're not "eligible" for much aid, and we cannot go into debt for college. I've also encouraged my son to try to avoid going into debt. ROTC not an option....he actually wanted to attend the US Naval Academy, but given the current level of morale in the military and the current budget issues facing the military, the USNA is off the table. *sigh* I'm sure so many of you have already walked this road!

How is everyone else striking a balance here? My GT son is a junior, scores well on standardized tests, takes comm. college courses, AP, and works in a lab at a Big Ten university nearby. But when it comes to narrowing down colleges, looking for scholarships, etc., he's not very motivated. He says he doesn't want to write a short essay for a scholarship opportunity ($500, $300, $250) because "it's not very much money". This from a child who wants to attend engineering schools that are in the $50-60K range! I've tried to explain that even small scholarships will add up, and we're finding that white males are the new most-discriminated "population", as so many scholarships make clear they're not for him. I've tried to tell him the "big" scholarship may never materialize, but he seems content to wait for it. *sigh* How do you other parents encourage your teen to get involved in this process? I feel it's becoming a part-time job, and he doesn't seem to feel the urgency at this point. Thanks!

mjbucks1 - Where is your child planning to take AP Physics C? Is that at a local high school or online? I had the same idea you did about doing AP Physics B for a foundation, then taking a community college calculus-based physics the following year. But I'm wondering if he is indeed ready to just go into the calc-based physics.....*sigh* so many decisions!