Whose kids are doing dual enrollment?

[phathui5]

Who here has children who are homeschooled and taking college classes? Do they do it online or in person? Which classes are they taking and how did they pick what to do?

 

My oldest just turned 14 and will be eligible for the dual enrollment option at our local high school in two years. The nice thing is that he doesn't have to attend to do it, local homeschoolers participate too.

[The Girls' Mom]

My oldest is currently dual enrolled. She takes Statistics and Chinese on campus at the community college. So far it has been a good experience all around, and my younger two will be starting it next year. We went directly through the college and it was paid for through a grant.

 

As far as how to pick classes, we look at which credits they still need for high school and which credits they will need for a degree in the major they want to work towards. We also looked at which classes would transfer to the university with no issues. (This is fairly easy for us because of the Tennessee Pathway program that maps out transfer courses)

 

My oldest still needed a Math credit, so she chose to take Statistics which is also a general Ed credit that transfers well. The Chinese was just something she really wanted to try.

[Harriet Vane]

My dd is currently dual enrolled. She is taking Spanish and Computer Basics. Next semester she plans to take Spanish and Psychology. She attends on campus. She has taken classes either at co-op or at a private school, but this has been a great way for her to get a taste of a larger class environment. Her grades are high and she is doing well, so we are quite pleased with this choice.

[regentrude]

My DD was dual enrolled at the local university.

She started with French 2 in spring of her 10th grade and continued to take a total of five semesters of French, through 12th grade.

In 11th and 12th grade, she also took a three semester sequence in calculus based physics and two upper level literature classes, one on Shakespeare, the other on Fantasy literature.

 

All classes were in-seat classes. She would not have been interested in online classes.

We chose French because we were unable to progress further in French at home, even with the help of a tutor.

She is interested in physics and English.

None of the credits transferred to her terminal university.

[EKS]

My son was dual enrolled at the local CC for the last quarter of his junior year and then all of his senior year.  He is interested in engineering, so he basically did the classes that are suggested for the first year for a person getting an associate's degree in engineering.  It was a great experience for him.

[Lori D.]

Not currently dual enrolling as both DSs have graduated, BUT, both DID do dual enrollment, so I hope it's okay to respond to your post. :)

 

In answer to your questions:

- Both did in-person classes.**

- Both did their foreign language credit that way (as one 4-unit semester at college = 1 year credit of high school). DS#1 = Spanish, DS#2 = American Sign Language.

- They didn't so much pick as I just said, "we're outsourcing foreign language." ;) Neither had much of an interest in picking.

 

** = I recommend caution with online classes, esp. as your first exposure to college level coursework -- difficult to get help with no "live" instructor; easy to "forget" about doing required class work; easy to fall behind in the faster college work pace with no weekly in-person class meeting to help with self-discipline or scheduling work

 

More background info:

- While they could have started dual enrollment at age 16 as regular students (and age 14 with some extra, special paperwork and hoop-jumping), we waited until 12th grade for both DSs (one DS was 17.5yo, the other 18yo) because that was when each of them was uniquely *ready* ready to move forward with college level work and have good success with it.

- Both did well, and earned As and Bs.

- The classes were dual enrollment at the local community college, and transfer to most 4-year universities.

 

 

You might find it helpful to read through some of the past threads on dual enrollment, linked in the big pinned thread at the top of this Board: "Starting High School, Outsourcing… Dual Enrollment… links to past threads here!" Here are a few on different topics of dual enrollment to get you started :) :

 

Here is a Bit of Advice About Community College Classes (how to prepare your student)

Cons to Dual Enrollment

Dual Credit Decisions

Concurrent Enrollment Question: How Do You Decide (which classes to sign up for)

 

 

BEST of luck in planning and in your dual enrollment experiences! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

[bugs]

My daughter was dual enrolled from junior through her senior year.  She earned an AA as well as her high school diploma.  She had a couple of classes that were strictly on-line and several classes that were hybrid, so 16 classes were in person.  To graduate from high school (mine) she had to take the classes I marked as equivalent to my requirements for high school diploma, then she had to work in what she needed for the AA.  So, for me, she needed to complete two additional English classes, Chemistry, at least one more science of her choice, an additional math class, a U.S. History and a Western Civ class. I encouraged her to take as much of a variety of classes that would the AA requirements so she could "sample" different disciplines. 

 

My son, a junior, is currently dual enrolled, but it is a special program designed for high school students and centering on Marine Biology. All classes are in person.  I have very little input since the program requirements are already outlined. He too should end up with an AA. 

 

 

[Michelle_NC]

Mine is - our state has a dual enrollment program that requires her to complete 32 hours within a specific list or courses and then after that she can take whatever she wants.  She's also going to take ASL at a local university.

 

All of her classes are in-person.

[yvonne]

I'd like to look into French beyond what's available at the CC for my sons who will be 15 and in 10th grade next fall. Where does one even start to investigate the possibility of dual enrollment at a four year university for a high schooler? 

 

Thanks!
yvonne

[Michelle_NC]

I called the admissions office and asked if high schoolers were allowed to take classes.  She said yes, as long as they are seniors with a 25 ACT (or whatever that translates to for SAT).

[Riverland]

My son should finish dual enrollment with an AA in Engineering/CS/Physics.  This AA will directly transfer to all in-state public 4 years, among some private and nearby out-of-state universities. (Alas, he is likely going far from home.)

 

There is no wiggle room in the AA for more than 1 class of foreign language, so he also took some classes during the summer between 11^th and 12^th grades.

 

He currently has a 3.8 gpa and the community college is excellent for science & engineering, but he will likely re-take the calculus, calc based physics and chemistry at a 4 year in their honors sections.  This will give him to have a great foundation. 

 

The few English/ humanities/social science classes he took/will take for his dual enrollment AA are also transferring nicely to the 4 years he’s applied to/been accepted.  He will not re-take those.  Rather, he will have more room to double major.

 

Online Classes:  C#, C++, Java, Access. They are offered both in-class and online, but online has fit his schedule.

 

All his other courses have been in-class.  So far, they’ve included calculus, stats, calc-based physics, chemistry, English, psychology, Spanish.

 

We chose classes based on his interests, which happened to fit the engineering AA.

[Melissa B]

My eldest is dual enrolled at the local university. She started at 14 so she has taken a bunch of different classes. We sit together to pick classes that will fill out her high school transcript or classes she is interested in (such as poetry or photography.) All of her classes are on campus as that is a requirement. No online or physical education classes are allowed. My second dd is going to go to the local CC so she has to wait until she is 16 (their rule) but she will get an AA while my eldest will not as the university does not issue AA degrees. She will take whatever classes are required for an AA in Theatre.

[regentrude]

Where does one even start to investigate the possibility of dual enrollment at a four year university for a high schooler?

 

You go to the university's website and look at the Admissions page or the page for Future Students.

Ours has a section for dual enrollment admission.

[yvonne]

Thanks, Regentrude.  I'll check out the universities near us.

[Ellie]

Who here has children who are homeschooled and taking college classes? Do they do it online or in person? Which classes are they taking and how did they pick what to do?

 

My oldest just turned 14 and will be eligible for the dual enrollment option at our local high school in two years. The nice thing is that he doesn't have to attend to do it, local homeschoolers participate too.

 

Your state allows homeschoolers to take classes at the public high school? Kewl. :001_smile:

 

Most of us mean community college when we say our dc are "dual enrolled." :-)

[katilac]

My oldest dd started this semester at a local university, with French and English Composition. French b/c she likes it and had been self-teaching to this point, and English Comp b/c it's required and there are a lot of interesting classes you can't take until you finish the two semester sequence. 

 

She is on the main campus for both; she had no interest in online classes or the DE taught at local high schools. She definitely wanted to be on a college campus, surrounded by college students. There are about 200 DE students at the uni, but the vast majority have to take late afternoon courses to make it work with their schedule. She is the only DE student in her two current classes. 

 

She is liking the chance for classroom discussion, and being able to actually practice French conversation (and says that Breaking the Barrier was excellent preparation). She doesn't like the bureaucracy of institutional school, moving at a set pace,  or doing what she regards as busywork, but is reluctantly starting to acknowledge that no system is perfect, each has benefits and drawbacks. She's 16, so she really thinks the world should work the way she wants it to, dontcha' know. 

 

Next semester will be French and English Comp again, and she may add a 3rd course. We know her courses will transfer to any in-state college, but we won't be fussed if she goes somewhere that doesn't take DE credit. For her, it's more about what she needs now, and the cost isn't higher than high quality online courses for high school anyway. The cost is actually less than what a regular tutor would be (DE students get a break in price). 

 

One thing she has learned is that grown people will routinely skip class and fail to read the book, only to then be surprised when they get bad grades  :lol:

 

 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

My son did a year of dual enrollment at the local community college before he left for full-time enrollment. He took mostly classes that are typical general education requirements -- freshman comp I and II, U.S. government, an intro to humanities, astronomy -- and also one that just sounded like fun (basic stagecraft). 

 

He took all of his classes on campus, since one of the primary reasons he was interested in dual enrollment was to get some classroom experience.

 

He also self-studied for and passed two CLEPs, Introductory Psychology and College Mathematics.

 

It worked out well for him. He enjoyed his classes, gained a lot of confidence, learned to navigate on a college campus and logged a decent number of credits he is transferring to his four-year university that will make it a whole lot more feasible for him to complete the double major he wants in four years.

[Jenny in Florida]

Your state allows homeschoolers to take classes at the public high school? Kewl. :001_smile:

 

Most of us mean community college when we say our dc are "dual enrolled." :-)

 

Since the OP asked about "taking college courses," I assume that is what she meant. I interpreted the post as saying that, in two years, her son will be able to enroll at the college for dual enrollment without needing to attend the high school.

[Ellie]

Since the OP asked about "taking college courses," I assume that is what she meant. I interpreted the post as saying that, in two years, her son will be able to enroll at the college for dual enrollment without needing to attend the high school.

 

She said, "...will be eligible for the dual enrollment option at our local high school in two years."  :-)

[Lori D.]

…  eligible for the dual enrollment option at our local high school ...

 

So glad Ellie pointed this detail out! I missed this in reading your post.

 

Do check into exactly what this means in your area, as sometimes community college courses offered at HIGH SCHOOLS as dual enrollment are really college remedial or high school level versions, and are NOT full college level. If that is the case, they will NOT count as college credit, NOR will they transfer to 4-year universities as college credit.

 

In some areas, the courses must be taken at the community college in order to get the FULL, complete college credit version for dual enrollment.

[FloridaLisa]

Yes, I assumed the OP meant community college classes taught directly in the high school. 

 

Mine have taken classes at our community college and 4-year university. The university requires them to be a senior so they have started at the CC. None of mine have earned their AA in high school because they still have outside classes at our co-op and/or AP classes. But it's been an awesome option that helps them graduate in less than 4 years and helps them seamlessly transfer to college after graduation. 

 

Lisa

[TheApprentice]

My son is enrolled at the local community college. He took 1 course last year, his sophomore year (Intro to Java), and he is currently taking 2 classes: Composition and Pre-Calc. There a a few reasons he is enrolled. He needed the "competition" of being with other students and "measuring up". Some of the things he is interested in are better served in a classroom environment so that he could get that back and forth feedback with teacher/students. Some of his classes are just beyond what I can do. It will look good on his transcript to have some cc courses, plus it will be added conformation he is ready for college if he does well. It is helping him to manage his time and to get his work done, without me being in charge. He needed to own his education a bit, and this was the perfect opportunity.

[Mom22ns]

Our kids could do dual enrollment at our local high school, but we opt not to use that option even though it is free. They take a college class, spread it across 5 days a week for the entire school year. It is such a time waster. Then I was talking to a student who had graduated, gone to an academically challenging college for a year, and moved back and was going to the local State U. He said he was so totally unprepared, in spite of having 30 college credits when he started because the dual enrollment classes were so easy.

 

My oldest took Japanese at the local State U staring in 11th grade. I think foreign language is best taught by a qualified, fluent, preferably native, speaker and that happened. Dd will start dual enrollment this spring with Sign Language. The local CC is going to let her begin the spring semester of her sophomore year, in spite of their stated policy of 16 and junior year. It never hurts to ask. Over the next two years she will also take more sign language, composition, lit, speech, theatre, and statistics.

 

We have talked to the registrar of the college she is planning to attend to make sure classes will transfer and with the homeschool advisor at the local CC to work out our plans. They are still subject to change as we go :). We also do some APs and CLEPs.

[Dina in Oklahoma]

:lurk5: :lurk5: :lurk5:

[charlotteb]

DS is a senior this year.  He did dual enrollment last year as a junior and this year as well.  He took his classes at the community college campus. We met with an academic advisor to make sure that his credits would transfer to a larger university.

 

Here is what he has taken:

 

Junior Year

English 101

US History to Civil War

US History post Civil War

College Algebra I

College Algebra II

 

Senior Year (1st semester)

English 102

Contemporary Math

 

And next semester, he plans to take:

Physics

American Government

 

I would say that he has had a positive experience with Dual Credit. We live in a small town where dual credit isn't common, so he has even paved the way for others!  His teachers and fellow classmates are impressed that he is taking college classes at his age and have seen how homeschooling is benefical! He has recieved As or Bs in all classes!

 

[momto2Cs]

My son plans on dual enrollemnt starting possibly next year. Our local junior/community college offers kids in 9th grade+ up to 11 units for free during fall and spring semesters, and 6 units over summers. Of course we'd still have to buy the course materials...

 

He plans on starting with an art class, and then maybe adding in German as he gets used to "college life". In-class, not online. Eventually, he wants to take upper level mathematics and phyics/engineering there too. Computer animation is another area of interest for him.

 

FWIW, I started with my first art class there at the age of 14, over summer, and continued with dual enrollment throughout most of high school.

[G5052]

I work as a professor at two different community colleges, one in face-to-face teaching and one in entirely online teaching.

 

And unfortunately dual enrollment is very, very much a YMMV issue with wide local variations.  It is good to get opinions, but local folks are really your best resource.

 

The local high school offers dual enrollment course in the high school taught by high school teachers. Technically they are supposed to be the same course that is taught at the community college and are supposed to transfer the same.  Reality?  I am hearing that some colleges are refusing them while they accept the identical course taught at the community college.  And when this college was in the reaccreditation process two years ago, the only issue that was flagged was the quality of dual enrollment courses taught at the high school.  Supposedly that was fixed, but I've been telling homeschoolers to take them at the community college.  Besides then you have a class only twice a week on a fixed schedule.

 

As a professor, I can tell you that dual enrollment is not always a win-win either.  About half of the dual enrollment students who take my class fail it, and that is sad because it blows their confidence and goes on record.  Not every kid should do dual enrollment.

 

My advice is always to take one class in an area of strength to begin, and to pick both the subject and professor carefully.  Mine start with a computer course and then go to a foreign language.  We've had very positive experiences, but it probably helps that I knew the professors to choose ahead of time and understand how dual enrollment is different than homeschooling.

 

Other than that, it has been nothing but positive for us.  Mine have done primarily hybrid and online courses, but they're self-starters with busy schedules.

[clementine]

My dd is dual enrolled.  She is taking College Algebra and a Literature class.  She is trying to decide which 2 classes to take Spring semester.  She is in the classroom and is doing very well.  She wanted to take core courses and those two fit into her schedule (she's has other classes at home and has extracurricular activities).  

[MysteryJen]

My dd1 is taking Japanese I at the cc this fall. It has been a great experience. We have to pay the entire cost, so it was pretty pricey. She will probably do Japanese II in the spring and maybe a few senior year.

[Ann.without.an.e]

For the foreign languages - do they need to already know the language a little bit (took it as a high school credit first) or does it assume no prior experience?

[G5052]

For the foreign languages - do they need to already know the language a little bit (took it as a high school credit first) or does it assume no prior experience?

 

It will vary with the college.  At the college where I teach, you can take foreign languages for dual enrollment if you are 16 and SAT/ACT/placement scores say that you are ready for English 101.  That said, the dual enrollment counsellor has told me that he discourages taking a foreign language for dual enrollment unless you have already studied a language and have taken another college course already.  He won't overule if the person is determined though.  All dual enrollment students have to register in person with him.  Taking an online foreign language for dual enrollment requires professor approval in addition to in-person registration.

 

My oldest is taking online Spanish I now, and is acing it.  But he finished AP Latin last year and did very well, so going on to Spanish isn't a big deal.  He's never studied Spanish.

 

Also keep in mind that generally one semester of a college foreign language equals one year of high school language.  So it's going to go faster than a high school class even though no experience is assumed.

[The Girls' Mom]

For the foreign languages - do they need to already know the language a little bit (took it as a high school credit first) or does it assume no prior experience?

 

For our community college, they assumed no prior experience on most classes.  The course description and pre-requisites should let you know.  Kelsie is taking Beginning Chinese with no prior knowledge.

[regentrude]

For the foreign languages - do they need to already know the language a little bit (took it as a high school credit first) or does it assume no prior experience?

 

That depends on the course.

Typically, Language 1 courses start from scratch and do not assume any previous knowledge, but they can move at a very fast pace, so that the work load may be overwhelming for a student without prior exposure to the language.

It is best to discuss such details with the instructor.

[MariaT]

DS is a senior, and he started DE at a local college last year. We choose classes based on the quality of the instructor. 

 

The local college restricts high school students from taking classes until they are 16 and junior year. He already had most of the high school credits he needed, so we were going for the brick-and-mortar experience. We also wanted good teachers for his first college courses, so we looked at professor profiles on Rate My Professor. The philosophy profs had awesome ratings. So DS did Intro to Philosophy last year. The prof liked his first essay so much he nominated it to the college's academic journal, and it got in. And the prof nominated DS for the Honors' Program.

 

For the Spring semester we were disorganized and late in registering, so all the good instructors had full classes. DS took an Ethics class that met once a week on Wednesday nights-- the instructor was ABD in Phil from another college. His rating at Rate My Professor was meh-- most of the comments said that he would only help you if you showed interest in the material. DS liked that--so that is what he took.  It was OK-- he survived. The class was supposed to go from 6:30 to 9:10--- the instructor ended class at 8 p.m. most weeks. DS said the guy was nice, but seemed tired and burned out. DS did extra readings on the side-- he disagreed with the instructor about Nietzsche and Spinoza, so that is what he wrote his final paper on.

 

When he joined the Honors Program in the spring, the honors advisers recoommended special honors courses. So this fall he is a Learning Community class, in which two different classes are held back-to-back, with interdisciplinary curriculum. Both profs are there for the full double time slot. The class is on the History of the Holocaust and America's response to it in literature and film. Heavy reading, tests, papers, field trip to the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, and they were put into teams to make a short film about the Holocaust. On the transcript it will be called a History course (American Experience since 1877) and a Literature/Film course. He loves the Lit prof, but he said the history prof has a hard time forming complete sentences. ("Those Nazis! I mean, whoa! Unbelievable!!" is how she lectures.)  And he is taking Symbolic Logic, for his third philosophy class.

 

For his last semester, he is talking to his favorite profs about what they will be teaching next semester. "I want you to take my class," they will say.  He wants to finish his DE experience with his favorite instructors.

 

One his college apps are done, I need to turn around and start prepping DS2-- he will be a junior next year, so DE will be a continuing experience in my house.

 

Maria

[MysteryJen]

At our cc, they assume no prior experience for languages. But wow, dd1's class moves fast! She has a teammate taking Japanese 1 at a local high school and she is moving more than twice as fast. She was thrown into the deep end this fall, but so far so good.

[madteaparty]

I afterschool.  We found that DE is restricted by grade level here...anything taken earlier than jr year is not awarded credit, but they will use the grade for placement purposes and admit the student to the next course in the sequence.

This is actually good to know. We are in NY as well and a friend's 7th grader is taking classes the local SUNY community college. If my DS ever qualifies to take classes there (and we'd only do language classes) I would not want him to get credit or anything at that age.

[Matryoshka]

Dd, a junior, is taking one course at the cc this semester through dual enrollment - Cultural Anthropology.  This spring she hopes to take a class on Mythology.

 

Next year she'll probably take more.  I'm hoping we can work out taking Physics there (that covers two semesters I think), and then maybe some kind of tech elective and whatever other electives float her boat.

 

ETA: These are all live classes at the cc.  I've never heard of DE at a high school campus around here - I don't think it's even offered.  And a huge piece of why to bother with DE for us is the live classroom aspect.  I'm pretty picky about what online classes we use - not sure I'd trust the cc to do a fantastic job with those.

[emzhengjiu]

This is my daughter's first semester as a dual credit student.  She's taking physiology and humanities, So far, she loves the experience.  I was hoping that she would take some online classes, but I didn't know until we met with her advisor that all the online classes are recorded.  I just assumed they would be live.  As of now, we're not sure what classes she'll take next semester..

[Sebastian (a lady)]

At our cc, they assume no prior experience for languages. But wow, dd1's class moves fast! She has a teammate taking Japanese 1 at a local high school and she is moving more than twice as fast. She was thrown into the deep end this fall, but so far so good.

 

I was reading through our CC catalog yesterday and noticed a blurb at the end of the description for Mandarin Chinese 101 (the first semester course) that the class was the equivalent to two years of high school Chinese.  The 102 class is listed as equivalent to 3 years.

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

My son is taking College Algebra at the local CC.  It is part of a two semester sequence (with Trigonometry) that is an equivalent to their Pre-Calculus course (which at 6 credits and 5 days a week, wasn't a good fit for a first class).

 

So far I'm pleased with the instruction.  All of the homework is submitted through an online math site (Math XL), but homework packets showing all of the work done are also collected and are part of the grade.  I like this because it requires my son to actually do the work (and do it neatly), but also makes him work through each problem until he gets it correct.  The computer site won't mark a problem as done until the answer is right.  It will give a couple hints, then if the answer is wrong too many times, it shows the solution and then recreates the problem with new numbers.  There is a combo of online quizzes (which are computer graded) and in class tests (where partial credit is available).

 

My son lost 25 points on a 130 point test, because he thought that he didn't have to show work.  Several of his problems were wrong because of minor errors that were carried forward.  I could not have ever designed an experience that would better teach him to SHOW HIS WORK.  He's been hearing it for years, but now he KNOWS.  That alone was worth enrolling.

 

But I will also say that the course, while a good placement, has been a lot of work.  I think this semester is demonstrating to my kid what a heavier work load is like and what he is capable of.  But it also makes me more hesitant to recommend CC as a general high school supplement. On one hand, there are plenty of remedial level courses that would be high school equivalents.  On the other hand, I think it is easy to say as a homeschooler that we'll just send our kid to the local CC when they get beyond what we're comfortable teaching.  Obviously quality of classes at CC varies, but we also need to make sure that the kids we send there are ready for the work load, including an adult pace and the expectation that they will keep up with work that might only be collected sporadically.  (DS can see how long he's logged into the math site.  The first set of homework, collected at the two week point, took him 40+ hours.  Some of that was time he was logged in, but not actively working.  But it has required him to really plan ahead and keep up with the work.  It isn't something he'll be able to squeeze out in the night before it's due.)

[MysteryJen]

Sebastian brings up a good point. Sometimes the brain has raced ahead of the other skills necessary to do well in a cc class. We have waited until I was sure that time management skills and study skills were mostly ready to tackle a cc class. Since we pay full price, I want them to have the best chance of success.

 

Also, these classes take a lot of time and other work can fall by the wayside, so I have to plan their semester with that in mind.

[MarkT]

I afterschool.  We found that DE is restricted by grade level here...anything taken earlier than jr year is not awarded credit, but they will use the grade for placement purposes and admit the student to the next course in the sequence.  This year ds is a sr and tried to move over to the CC for  Calc 3 and calc based Physics, which are not offered at our high school... unfortunately the CC decided to schedule them at the same time, so that didn't work out. He was able to find Calc 3 and AP Physics 1 online, so that is what he's doing...decided not to opt for DE credit for the math, as he knows he can test out of Calc 3 in the future if desired.  Decided not to transfer anything to his high school for credit, as that would put a lot of pressure on him gradewise and allegations of cheating would arise from the jealous who are playing the class rank game. I would have preferred that he go full time at the CC, which is allowed for all outstanding high school seniors here, but at 16 he doesn't feel comfortable sitting amongst combat vets and he wanted to participate in his high school extracurriculars.

 

Just curious, will his public HS transcript show four years of math and science?

 

[Lori D.]

... makes me more hesitant to recommend CC as a general high school supplement…  I think it is easy to say as a homeschooler that we'll just send our kid to the local CC when they get beyond what we're comfortable teaching ...

 

… [but] we also need to make sure that the kids we send there are ready for the work load, including an adult pace and the expectation that they will keep up with work that might only be collected sporadically… 

 

 

Sebastian brings up a good point. Sometimes the brain has raced ahead of the other skills necessary to do well in a cc class. We have waited until I was sure that time management skills and study skills were mostly ready to tackle a cc class. Since we pay full price, I want them to have the best chance of success.

 

Also, these classes take a lot of time and other work can fall by the wayside, so I have to plan their semester with that in mind.

 

 

Exactly!

 

Maturity needs to be there as well the academic ability. Our DSs were not ready until 12th grade, and even then only 1 class per semester. But I know other local homeschoolers whose students are completely ready by 11th grade for most or all of their classes to be outsourced at the CC. And a few have had 9th graders (14yo) who were ready for 1-2 classes at the CC.

 

Not only does it take a lot of time for high school students to successfully take dual enrollment courses, it also takes a really big bite out of the homeschooling schedule. The extra time for homework and study and completion of required work, of course. But also the commuting time and away-at-class time. I found that with the addition of just 1 dual enrolled course, I had to cross off an elective we had been planning because we just no longer had the time for it.

 

So that is something to bear in mind as well as you plan for dual enrollment. As with all things, YMMV. ;)

[Lori D.]

PS

Also things to keep in mind about dual enrollment that are discussed in some of those other threads I linked in my post way up-thread, are knowing what the post-high school education plans are. In other words, knowing if a 4-year university is in the plan, and if so, which one(s). That can make a huge impact on the dual enrollment plan for several reasons:

 

- not all dual enrollment credits transfer to universities

- not all dual enrollment credits will count towards a 4-year degree

- some universities cap how many dual enrollment credits an in-coming student can have and still be considered a freshman

(That may be as low as 23-24 units (approx. 6-8 classes), or even as low as 12 units (approx. 3-4 classes); if a student goes over that maximum, they are then considered a transfer student. This becomes a real concern for financial aid, as most scholarships are awarded to freshman -- especially the renewable and 4-year scholarships. There are FAR fewer scholarships available for transfer students.)

 

PS

So while you are looking ahead and planning ahead about dual enrollment, you also need to look even further ahead to the possibility of college and a 4-year degree, and see how dual enrollment works (or doesn't work) into that part of the equation. While your student is not likely to know at this stage which universities s/he is interested in applying to in 4 years, you can check out the admission page of the state universities in your area, and a few smaller or more select schools that might be of interest.

 

Be aware that admission requirements can change, so it's the sort of thing you need to keep coming back to each year.

 

For ideas about possible future colleges, you might check out books like Colleges That Change Lives and Looking Beyond the Ivy League (both by Loren Pope). Also the annual Princeton Review: Best 378 Colleges. Also, there's a great selection of linked threads on "choosing a school" in post #5 of the pinned thread at the top of this Board: "Transcripts… College Prep/Applications… links to past threads here!"

[phathui5]

This is actually good to know. We are in NY as well and a friend's 7th grader is taking classes the local SUNY community college. If my DS ever qualifies to take classes there (and we'd only do language classes) I would not want him to get credit or anything at that age.

 

Assuming he does well enough in the classes, why wouldn't you want him to get credit?

[phathui5]

Your state allows homeschoolers to take classes at the public high school? Kewl. :001_smile:

 

Most of us mean community college when we say our dc are "dual enrolled." :-)

 

I meant him taking classes at the community college. Here it's a program that the high school offers and the teens can take classes at the CC and the high school pays for it, as long as it's a class the high school doesn't offer.

 

Though some of them are classes at the high school that they can get credit from the community college for taking, and homeschoolers here can do part-time enrollment in public school if they want to.

[Lori D.]

...why wouldn't you want him to get credit?

 

One possible reason is that most colleges only want to see to see the last 4 years of a student's work on the transcript before entering the university as a freshman. Another reason is that you can make the transcript look padded, and therefore suspect, if there are TOO many credits on it.

 

And yet another thing to watch out for: dual enrollment for college credit goes on the permanent college transcript record, and becomes part of the permanent college GPA. The only option for a student (dual enrolled or otherwise) who is not doing well is to withdraw before the deadline, which puts a "W" on the permanent transcript. Certainly better than a "C", "D" or "F", but not ideal to have a number of "W"s on the college transcript before the student even graduates from high school and starts college.

[creekland]

Assuming he does well enough in the classes, why wouldn't you want him to get credit?

 

Some cc classes are at a much lower depth level than their 4 year counterparts.  This usually depends upon the level of 4 year college, but of course, also depends upon the individual cc class.

 

If students accept credits for these courses, then start in the next class at the 4 year school, they can be WAY behind their counterparts who took the course at the 4 year school.

 

Just because a college offers credit does not always mean it's wise to accept the credit if there's a continuing course.  Usually the people to check with are not admissions or other office folks.  It's the professors in that subject.

 

Oldest and middle did English 101 at our CC.  For both, the equivalent course at their 4 year school was more in depth.  Oldest accepted the credit and was happy he had the easier course.   :glare:  It really didn't matter as he wasn't taking a continuing English course I suppose, but in hindsight, I'd probably have had him repeat it just to be more educated.

 

Middle's school did not accept his cc credits (English, Microbio - college level, and Public Speaking).  It's probably a good thing as some of his peers have been taking cc classes over the summer picking up an accepted credit or two in non-sequential classes (allows for easier double majors, etc).  They've told him the cc classes are "wicked easy."  Easy appeals to them, but not to him.  "Fit" can be different.

 

But sometimes there are reasons to not want the credit for anything more than high school and transcripts.