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Brigid in NC

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Everything posted by Brigid in NC

  1. Brigid in NC
    :lol:
  2. Brigid in NC
    This is not our experience. My two have taken science and math classes at our local CC and have received exceptional instruction. I'm sure your mileage may vary, depending on the CC in your area. We have found that a variety of classes AP, CC, co-op, at home -- and online/seated, has worked well. Each type has strengths (and weaknesses ;)) and each teaches/requires something -- beyond the subject matter -- that the others do not. So our approach is a mix. :) But we like CC classes. It's just getting harder and harder to get in them, since high schoolers in our area must sign up last -- and very late.
  3. Brigid in NC
    Last year we read Hamlet and my ds memorized part of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy. :)
  4. Brigid in NC
    This is the one we read and enjoyed: Les Mis. ;) I'm not a fan of abridged books, but I'll fess up on this one.
  5. Brigid in NC
    What we were told by colleges (and what we did): Any transcript you send to a college as part of the admissions process should include "Official" in the title. It doesn't mean "final" -- so when it is updated, it is still your "Official" transcript. The envelope itself is not important, but you are on the right track! :) Using a full-size manilla envelope is a good idea. Send everything on your end in the same envelope if you can -- so include the course descriptions with your transcript. I don't know if this differs by state. In NC the parent is the school administrator/counselor, and signs the transcript. I hope this helps. ;)
  6. Brigid in NC
    Good luck! :thumbup1:
  7. Brigid in NC
    I made the mistake of moving away from Saxon to Jacobs for Algebra 1. I have two math/science guys, but Jacobs just didn't work for this non-mathy mom. My two guys have felt very well prepared by Saxon -- and I found it very homeschool-friendly. So I would suggest if it "aint broke" . . . ;)
  8. Brigid in NC
    That was what I thought too, from what I had read. My ds tackled AP Human Geo in 9th through PA Homescholers and he did not find it to be easy. The text that was used was excellent, but the reading level was -- appropriately -- college level. It may have been just that particular text -- but my ds and I both found the reading to be quite challenging, so the course took more time than we had anticipated. :)
  9. Brigid in NC
    The SAT "Score Choice" option wasn't available when ds1 was applying to college, so now I'm navigating in new waters with ds2. I've looked at the instructions for the schools ds2 is interested in -- some want all scores, some allow choice. Has anyone found any pitfalls that they might want to share in this process? Or does the system work in the straightforward manner it is presented? :) Thanks for the advice!
  10. Brigid in NC
    We have had several good friends take five years to complete high school. They didn't enter high school with this in mind, but determined mid-way through that this would be the best avenue for their student. In our community of homeschooling friends it is called a "super-senior" year (is that a term that other homeschoolers use?). We have seen students/families decide on this extra year option for different reasons. One talented swimmer wants to swim competitively in college -- so it is giving him the chance to achieve his dream, while working on study skills (since he swims sooo many hours each week, it is a challenge to negotiate through all of his school work). In another case, the extra year is helping a student pursue more electives in the area of her passion, while working and saving for the school she really wants to attend. So a "super-senior" approach doesn't have to be seen as an academic holding back -- but a way to help students achieve success. I hope this is of some small help. Very best of luck. :)
  11. Brigid in NC
    :iagree: I don't think you need to read the book to post/contribute/discuss on this forum. But I recommend it, because it was monumentally influential in the way I taught my two, K-12. I sure didn't follow it precisely, and I got pretty far away from it in high school, but it rocked my world when I read it 10+ years ago. :) I learn a tremendous amount from everybody on this forum -- and I have no idea who has read/considered/discarded what. If you were to look at how I homeschool/ed in high school, I really wouldn't look like a WellTrainedMind-er. But the book shaped the way I teach and taught, because it challenged and empowered me. So for those who are in the early years of homeschooling, IMHO, it's worth reading. ;)
  12. Brigid in NC
    I think this is true if your student is looking at the very most selective schools: Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT/Cal Tech -- and I'm sure there are a few others in this ozone. :iagree:
  13. Brigid in NC
    The first pdf here will give you the percentile data tables for the SAT Subject Tests. The curves are brutal. :glare:
  14. Brigid in NC
    I still like rigorous. :) To me, it's relative. My application of "rigorous" means something different for every child, depending on the child's gifts and aspirations. I'm going to stick with rigorous. ;)
  15. Brigid in NC
    Trying not to repeat any that have been mentioned. How about: My Antonia Their Eyes Were Watching God
  16. Brigid in NC
    On the SAT the essay is required (as you noticed) and the test starts with the essay. On the ACT it is optional, so the test ends with the essay (for those who have chosen the "Act Plus Writing," when they registered). The students who did not choose the "plus writing" option are dismissed and the rest stay and write the essay. That's a great idea. All the schools where my ds applied said they wanted the ACT plus writing -- even though they said they did not use the writing score in their evaluation of the application.:001_huh:
  17. Brigid in NC
    :iagree: A very good point. Every school and every student situation is different. We all need to be careful and double check for ourselves. What I share is my own family's specific experience with specific schools. I would hate for someone to take my input and find themselves going down a path that is wrong for their student and situation. :)
  18. Brigid in NC
    I had a class of 6 who wanted to read War and Peace. They loved the book and LOVED the accomplishment. (Ok, yea, I double posted by accident again. So I think that means that I need to get off the computer . . .)
  19. Brigid in NC
    Wow! Very cool! It is so uplifting and motivating to hear things like this. :)
  20. Brigid in NC
    This was a big concern of ours, because if your kids have taken a number of APs and CC classes in high school and are moving on to a 4-year college, they are likely to be taking some classes with sophomores -- maybe even juniors in some instances. The freshman year is challenging in so many ways -- this scenario is definitely something to consider. In our experience (of one! :)) we did not find that our ds needed to back up to fill gaps. We talked to the CC instructor who had taught ds Calc 1-3, and he was adamant that the instruction was on par with the 4-yr university. He shared with us that he had had many students who transitioned smoothly and successfully from CC to math classes to the local university without backing up and re-taking courses. We evaluated the possibility of re-taking each AP/CC course on a case by case basis (and will do that again with ds2). We found it very helpful and reassuring to get input and learn of the experiences of others who had similar CC courses and then had gone on to the particular university my ds is attending. So we found no downside (or backing up) in CC Calc, chem, and physics. My impression in talking with some public school mom-friends is that using AP courses to skip college courses is a very REAL concern for them. Some kids we know have had extremely weak AP instructors in high school (one shared with his class that he earned a 1 on the AP Chem exam).
  21. Brigid in NC
    :iagree:
  22. Brigid in NC
    Yikes - I double posted! :o So I will delete and add something else. I know that some colleges will not grant credit for both AP English courses -- so that is something to consider if AP credit is a priority in your AP or no-AP decision in high school. Even though the school my ds is attending did not give him credit for AP Lit (with a 4), I have no doubt that the course stretched him -- and gave him a strong underpinning for success in college. Even without the credit, we would include AP Lit if we had it to do over again. If credit is a priority, check with the school. Some do not give credit for both AP English courses -- only one. Having just taken a week-long course with AP English teachers, this is a state of affairs that many teachers bemoan, as some of their brightest students opt out of one of the two AP English classes in their school. In some schools if not enough students "sign up" for AP English, it is not taught. And some schools have had to drop one AP English or the other in a given year.
  23. Brigid in NC
    Gwen, you make excellent points, and I agree with all of them. Of the various AP courses my ds took, he had two APs that he got no credit for, and one that he could have used for credit, but took again in college because he was so interested in it. The APs that he did not get credit for provided him with a strong foundation for college-level work. The APs that he DID get credit for are giving him "breathing room" to graduate in four years, while still being able to take elective "enrichment" courses outside his major -- and potentially double major. Without the APs he would have a much more narrowly focused, higher credit-hour course load. So APs are of value in different ways. It is very helpful to be reminded of the med school provisos about AP, for those (not us -- so I never paid attention to this) who want to go the pre-med route.
  24. Brigid in NC
    :iagree:
  25. Brigid in NC
    Are the two science APs not accepted because of his pre-med major? Based upon the University's website, they say they give credit for Bio and Chem. I would seriously go to bat with the school over this. So sorry for your stress. I hope you are able to resolve this!
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