That is very interesting. I didn't know you could get a BA in Biology. The schools we have looked at haven't had that as an option from what I've seen. It is definitely worth checking into, though, The Zoology degree gave you a choice of 2 minors one of which was psychology. Thank you for mentioning that! That is a very funny story about your major. I've told her, it's just one semester at a time with whatever degree she chooses. You don't take all the tough classes at once. :)

Great quotes! I will pass them along to her. :001_smile:

WoolySocks, I need to update my signature...she is 17 and she's a senior. She did one dual enrollment class last year and we're planning on doing a couple in the spring. It did help her confidence because I think she had the highest (or one of the highest) grade in the class of 40.

Thank y'all for your thoughts and encouragement. I told her that most all degrees are going to have some classes you trudge through to get to the ones you enjoy. Hornblower, I'm so happy to hear that Latin could be helpful! She's doing a year of that this year through our co-op. All of your suggestions are very helpful. I will refer to them, I'm sure. She does know how to study and she is getting better at managing her time. There were several time I would say "don't you think you should be spending a little more time prepping for your Biology test?" I would worry about her preparedness but she would get an A on it and shock me. Not that I didn't think she could well. I just thought she needed more time to prepare. Obviously, I was wrong. She seems to retain info (other than math) really well. She has always been a voracious reader. creekland, your son's experience is encouraging. I actually thought she might pursue a degree that would provide international opportunities. We've lived abroad twice and she would love to go back. Maybe the door isn't closed on that coming into focus. I think her fear of failure is really controlling her now and it makes me sad. She's such a bright girl but is scared to make the wrong choice despite my encouragement that she doesn't have to have it all figured out.

Amathis, I torn as to whether or not it's encouraging or discouraging to hear you struggled with biology, as well. :tongue_smilie: Clearly, you are very sharp to have made it through Vet school. I think more discussion is needed about how much determination she has. Thanks for your reply!

The book they used for Biology was Biology by Miller and Levine (Prentice Hall). For Chemistry, they also used Prentice Hall. She is not taking Calculus this year. For the Zoology track, she is only required to take college algebra and statistic & probability. For that reason, we are doing a college prep math that solidifies algebra and reviews a variety of things. Her major problem with math is that she has trouble retaining topics covered. She does fine with the chapter at hand but things covered last year are lost in the gray matter. This is very odd to me because she is a sponge and a walking encyclopedia when it comes to any other topic. We have used BJU math for years now and she works her tail off for a B. The degree requires 15 Biology classes and a year of chemistry. No physics. Over half of those bio classes would be right up her alley, though. She would get a minor is psychology. She would have 2-3 science classes every semester, every year. I'm thinking of having her take the college algebra as a dual enrollment class this spring. It makes sense that those doing a Biology major would have meat-er classes from the beginning. Guess the assumption is that if you have chosen that direction, you are a Science-y person already. (Kind of like folks taking Music Appreciation vs the freshmen music classes. Totally different) Thank you for sharing your experience, G5052. It does sound like she's just got to decided if she's willing to put in the time and work. Not an easy track.

My senior daughter had strongly considered majoring in Equine Management but after some thought, started looking into a Zoology degree. She thinks (and she's right) that this will provide more job opportunities post-college. We did a college visit on Friday and toured the Biology department and scanned through the Biology texts in the bookstore. She didn't say much but since being home she expressed concern that she might not be able to cut it. She did Biology and Chemistry at a co-op and both were very difficult classes. The Biology teacher had taught at a university before staying home with her kids. My mother-in-law who was a nursing major in her 40's said she didn't have that level of difficulty until her 2nd year of nursing. I don't want to poo-pah her concerns but I feel like she is just as prepared as most other college freshmen will be. She is a very strong student, although she struggles in math. That said, the math she had to do in Biology and Chemistry went fine. I was shocked that she did so well with the math side of the science. Both the Biology and Chemistry classes only used the text as a reference and they rarely read full chapters and the tests certainly didn't come from the texts but from the lectures & labs. I hate for the textbooks she saw to scare her off if they are only used as a reference. My husband said she can give it a try and if it's too hard, changer her major. But she is our first child who fights perfectionism and that would devastate her. There is nothing else at that interests her at this college. The Equine Management degree is at another school. I guess my question is this. Do most college biology classes start at a high level or do they ramp up and ease you into the tough stuff? I know it would vary on the college, teacher, etc, but I'm just looking for personal experience. (My degree is in music so I fulfilled all my requirements with math and got to avoid science. I have no experience with college science.) I don't want fear of failure to driver her decision. If anyone has thoughts, I would be very appreciative.

I really appreciate everyone's perspective. I find it extremely interesting that Algebra 2A & 2B would not be frowned on. I was encouraged until I looked at credit requirements on the umbrella's website. I'm afraid we would be required to count each part as a half credit. If a student takes longer to complete the course, issue partial credit (.5) for the first half of the course. The remaining .5 credit is given when the course is completed.While I "get it", she invested more time on math this year than she has any other year because it was hard for her. I have no reservations about giving her a full credit for getting halfway through the course. But because of the above statement, I think I'll have to call it something other than 2A/2B. Maybe the "Intermediate Algebra" option is the best option. Although I do have to list our textbook which will be the same as last year. :huh: Even if I go with a different curriculum, if it's an Algebra 2 book they may question it. Hum. I may just have to take a chance and see what happens.

Thank you for your perspective, Katilac. I really do want to just press on with Algebra 2. A bit of Consumer Math would be helpful, though. Maybe I can do both but just list the Consumer math on the transcript.

Had not thought about Accounting/Bookkeeping. Those are great ideas. I had no idea ALEKS had that many course options. We currently use them for reviewing /keeping fresh on math basics. Thanks so much for the suggestions!!

I had considered consumer math but wondered if it would look wimpy for her senior year since most kids are taking upper level maths. I'm certainly open to it if colleges wouldn't be turned off by it. Maybe if her ACT Math score was respectable it wouldn't matter?? She's not looking at ultra competitive colleges so maybe I'm worrying too much about it!? Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe that is a good option.

My daughter will be a senior and struggles in Math. We only made it halfway through Algebra 2 her junior year and that was a challenge. The colleges she's looking at only require 3 years of math but our umbrella school requires 4 years. I want to continue with Algebra 2 her senior year and also allow her to work through her ACT Math prep-book this fall. If our umbrella school didn't require 4 years, I'd just omit putting any math down for her senior year and press with finishing Algebra 2. My goal right now is just to make sure she's prepared for college algebra which is the only requirement for the degrees she's looking at. How do I solve the transcript problem?!? I don't want to ask my umbrella school yet and put us on their radar to micro-manage this issue. :001_unsure: Thanks for any suggestions!

Thank you for your thoughts. I don't think I would want the RAW photos as I know she edited out a couple beach-combers for us. I can buy the high res images but for $1300, I'll have to pass. Thank you for the website, JennSnow. Maybe I'll just take them in via a thumb drive and see if that helps any. Thanks, again!

We had a photo session on the beach this summer and part of the "deal" was we got images of all the photos in low-res which would print up to 5x7 well. I have had 4x6's and 5x7's printed with less than stellar results. I have gone to the 2 top rated photo shops in the city. My graphic design brother-in-law confirmed that based on the fact the resolution is 3600px x 2400px at 300dpi (the example I sent him), that they should make a good 5x7. I don't expect them to be top quality but I am disappointed with how grainy they look. Any chance that they are being downgraded when I upload them to the store for printing? Would loading them to a thumb drive and taking them in help? Is that a really dumb question?! :huh: I love the pictures and would like some good smaller copies. We have already paid a lot of $$ for canvases. Thanks for any opinions.

Thank you for the thoughts. We did ALEKS math for a bit and I need to go back to it for reviewing. I just want to be sure that I am doing the right thing for her and not keeping her in a comfort zone at home for longer than I should. I like the tutor idea, too. Thanks again for your replies.

My DD will be taking Geometry next Fall. (She'll be 10th grade) We're moving next summer so I am researching homeschool options where we will be moving. DD is strong in every area but math. Her composite score on the Math of the ITBS this year was 72 (NPR) so she's not hopeless. We do spend a great deal of time on math, though, and she has trouble recalling concepts that we haven't gone over recently. I've been leery of putting her in a co-op setting for Math because I don't want her to struggle and feel like she drowning. There is a 3 days at school/2 days at home option and the more "traditional" 1 day a week co-op. Any opinions on if this would be good for her? Should we just plug away at it at home? Thank you for any thoughts/suggestions.

Thank you for the replies (and for the additional questions Ali in OR). Good to hear that those who have them are pleased and that sale prices pop up occasionally. Such a tough decision. I'm not good at spending $$ on things I can't touch first. :tongue_smilie:

I'm considering one for my teen daughter for Christmas. Looking at the fur option, but they are crazy expensive. Does anyone know if they ever go on sale before Christmas? Can anyone vouch for the quality? She reads constantly so I think she would live in it, but it's soooo pricey. (It would be her only gift from us) Anyone have another brand that is soft, comfy, & durable that you would recommend? Thanks for the input!

Thank you for all the great feedback and recommendations. OhElizabeth, your thoughts on the quality of the actual classes make perfect sense. I'm guessing high school fr SIL was mediocre but college was top notch.(I won't name since it's not relative). Since her career has been in International Business and she's lived abroad for a good bit of the time, I was just surprised to learn the history behind her Spanish. I had not considered that my 3 years of living in Italy taught me conversational Italian quick. When I realized I needed a phrase, I learned it, and didn't forget it. I wouldn't have been able to spell 75% of what I said but that wasn't necessary. And I know it depends on the area, but most folks are very forgiving when you attempt to converse in their native language. :blushing: I need to chat with Dd about her goals in the language. She was the one that chose Spanish over other languages. I had several years of German and French and really wanted her to go with one of those for my sake :tongue_smilie: but she wants to do Spanish. I think it's because it is so prevalent in the states. Opportunities abound for using Spanish. No career goals with Foreign language as of now. Thanks again for the feedback!

I am planning on having my 9th grader start Spanish next year in a class setting (paid class through our co-op). This would be a once a week class. I spoke with my sister-in-law last week and she was saying that after 8+ years of Spanish she was not fluent. It took about 6 months of immersion in Spain before she felt able to carry on a conversation. This was AFTER getting a minor in Spanish in college!? Really surprised me. I'm due in July with baby number 5 and I'm trying to limit our outside commitments so we can have full school days without interruptions. I do recall the first couple years of foreign language being all about vocab, conjugation, etc. After 4 years of Italian, I didn't feel fluent, but I would have thought someone with a Spanish minor would have been decent with conversation. So now I'm wondering if the class setting is worth the effort next year. If we don't do the class, we would get the BJU Spanish videos to use at home. Anyone have an opinion about whether it's worth the time/effort to go to a class for first year Spanish? Thanks for any opinions.

ooh,.. I like that idea of giving her a second chance to do missed problems for a few extra points. Thanks for the idea!

Thank you so much, Lori D for sharing your thoughts/experience. You have given me much to mull over! I would love not to spend a semester on grammar. Even though the ITBS isn't on the same level as the SAT, I'll see how she fares on that next month after going the year without formal grammar. That will help reassure me. My guess is she will do well. She'll continue with Latin next year and add in Spanish so there's the foreign language elements for her to keep fresh. Thank you for the link. Very helpful! I'm loving the idea of a full year of American Lit next year and I think she would love it. She's worn a trail between our house and the library and keeps her nose in a book even when unloading the dishwasher. :tongue_smilie: Can't thank you enough for the help!

Thanks so much for the reassurance!! I'm just feeling pressure not to make course choices now that might have ramifications when it comes time for college. She knows that many times I'm more proud of her B on a Math test than I am of her A in Geography because I know how hard she worked for the B. I'm uncertain how colleges view transcripts that show imperfections. "There are National Merit Finalists who don't have straight A's, trust me" Great thought to keep in mind!

That makes a great deal of sense. Had not thought about that. Thanks for the lightbulb! EKS...I have wondered if BJU Math pushes her too much. I appreciate the DVD's, though, because she gets a clear explanation from someone other than myself and then I can clarify. She does fine with her daily work. The test, many times, throws a curveball that she can't figure out. Or she will get silly things wrong as she is trying to figure out the more difficult parts of the problem. The DVD's use to simply be a nice addition, but with schooling my other 2, a preschooler around, baby on the way,etc. they have become necessary.

My daughter has done BJU DVD's for Math & Science for the last 3 years and I plan to continue with BJU for High School next year. I read & hear that BJU Math & Science is more challenging than some of the other curriculums out there. Don't know. Don't have experience with others since elementary grades. In Science, dd gets A's & B's on her tests and in Math she gets B's & C's. Math is her weak area. (That's one reason I dig the BJU videos. The teacher never asks her "what do you mean you don't get it?! :confused1: ") We spend a good deal of time going over math after the DVD. Language Arts/History is her strong suit. Without going into all the reasons, I really want to stick with the BJU DVD's for Math & Science I consider her to be very bright; she scores in the 90 percentile on the ITBS (save the Math areas which are mid to low 80's). Am I doing her a disservice by keeping her with BJU where she can't maintain an A? Seems like Apologia Physical Science is easier than BJU. Are A's across the board more advantageous than B's in a more difficult curriculum?? Just concerned with how a B in Math and Science will look to a college?! Should I find a curriculum that is easier for her in these subjects? I would rather her be challenged but I don't want this to be a problem when it comes to college admissions. I know there are varying opinions about whether or not colleges even "count" homeschool grades, but...I ask my question anyway. Thanks for any helpful insights.