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Transfer students, scholarships, and starting college early?


BlsdMama
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At the end of DS' junior year he will have completed graduation requirements EXCEPT foreign language and have 23 college credits.

 

He would still be considered an incoming freshman at the local State U and be considered for incoming scholarships.

Our options:

1. Next year is his senior year and he will spend it taking German at the CC and nothing else so he doesn't go over thirty hours.

2. Next year we consider him a freshman and send him to CC.

3. Next year we consider him a freshman and he applies to State U, but goes in as a liberal arts major initially, knowing he will be a five year college student because he will need to take Pre-Calc and Calc.

 

The local State U was very generous with his sister. She had solid grades, very good test scores though not perfect, very few college classes.

Last year's PSATs looked very promising, this year's haven't come back yet, but I suspect ACT will be best for him.

 

My worry: This kid is a juggler. The busier he is, the happier he is. We worry about not keeping him busy enough his senior year. The down side? He'd need to take PreCalc and Calc as a freshman instead of a senior. He would only get one year of Mick Trial.

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i'd call the college and ask about merit aid for transfer students.

 

I've heard that merit aid for transfer students is hard to come by, but our experience (in the performing arts in conservatories, not at a "regular" college) was that the merit aid offered was on par with what dd received from similar schools during her first round of applications as a "regular" applicant.

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Are you saying that they'd consider him a transfer student if he has over 30 college credits? I don't think that's true most places... my dd will have over 30 DE college credits when she starts university next year, and I already checked and they said it was absolutely fine, and they consider her an incoming freshman. I thought lots of credits is only a problem if they get an associates degree... I just got a mail from a friend whose ds is starting at another university next fall. He will actually have enough credits to have an associates degree, but as long as he doesn't officially claim it, he's still good to go as an incoming freshman, which is important for him because he does a sport.

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If all goes according to plan, our youngest DS will have earned an Associate's degree before he finishes high school.  From what we understand he will NOT be considered a transfer student by four year schools.  At least that's what his early college high school guidance counselor says.  Apparently college credits earned while the student is in high school, even to the point of receiving an Associate's degree, don't cause the student to be considered a transfer.

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Some schools allow up to an associates through dual enrollment. Check with possible schools.

 

Then other option, I'd focus on is take foreign language at cc. At the same time work through precalculus and calculus on his own. Make a schedule to follow and do it independently. Yes, he will have to retake at least the calculus, but there's nothing wrong with that. If he follows a solid plan, he should have a great foundation in a college calc class. And get a job, paid or volunteer that hopefully relates to a possible career.

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I would check again with the colleges you are considering. My dd will be graduating high school this year with 117 college credits and she is still considered a freshman (for application purposes) everywhere she has applied. So long as they are dual enrollment credits (and they all are) she doesn't lose her freshman status for scholarships, etc.

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It is true that some schools have a maximum number of college credits a high school student can obtain before being considered a transfer student.  The one that I know about is Oregon State University (because my son was thinking of applying there), and in their case it was also something like 30 as well.  So I know the general wisdom on these boards is that if the kid is still enrolled in high school at the time they accrued the credits, that it doesn't matter how many there are, they will still be considered a freshman, but it is not true.

 

To the OP--Just because your son has met your graduation requirements doesn't mean he can't exceed them.  Why can't he take the class at the CC and some more at home?  Or get a job, like a PP suggested.  Or both.  

 

If you can't further his education at home *and* he is emotionally/socially ready to move on to the university, then that is an option to seriously consider.  Personally, I would prefer that option over graduating him and having him go to the CC for a year.  

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I don't disagree with anything said here.

 

The main issue is money.

 

He's taken (to my knowledge) the classes that would be covered monetarily.

That means if he is a freshman in college, he would (most likely) get a scholarship to pay for all these (same) classes.

However, if he is a senior, we will need to pay for all these (same) classes.

 

That is not an attractive option.

 

I making the assumption because his stats are higher than his sister's that his scholarship opportunities will be similar to what they offered her.  It is possible, as a male, this may not be the case.

 

I will call the University and ask.

I just emailed our homeschool representative the CC's pre-engineering program to ask *specifically* what classes he could take that would be covered.  

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I don't disagree with anything said here.

 

The main issue is money.

 

He's taken (to my knowledge) the classes that would be covered monetarily.

That means if he is a freshman in college, he would (most likely) get a scholarship to pay for all these (same) classes.

However, if he is a senior, we will need to pay for all these (same) classes.

 

That is not an attractive option.

 

I making the assumption because his stats are higher than his sister's that his scholarship opportunities will be similar to what they offered her.  It is possible, as a male, this may not be the case.

 

I will call the University and ask.

I just emailed our homeschool representative the CC's pre-engineering program to ask *specifically* what classes he could take that would be covered.  

 

What sort of colleges is he planning to apply to?  When I've looked at science and engineering tracks, it seems that most colleges expect a student to be able to start with Calculus freshman year.  If they have to take Pre-Calculus, it may put them a semester behind in getting to some of their required courses.  

 

There is also the issue of needing to take Pre-Calc as a one semester course in college rather than as two semester courses while dual enrolled.  

 

For some of the schools that ds is applying to, many of the students will have taken Calculus in high school, then retake it as freshmen.  The retake serves as a refresher and gets everyone on the same level for further coursework.  Having taking Calculus in high school makes it easier.

 

I would be somewhat concerned that a student in a pre-engineering track had not yet taken Pre-Calculus by the end of high school.  I'm not sure that puts him on a competitive footing with other students.  I would look hard at finding a way to get at least the PreCalculus done (hopefully covered by whatever dual enrollment arrangement he falls under).

 

We have to pay full tuition for all of the CC courses dss take.  I wish there was another option for payment, but there isn't.  

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What sort of colleges is he planning to apply to?  When I've looked at science and engineering tracks, it seems that most colleges expect a student to be able to start with Calculus freshman year.  If they have to take Pre-Calculus, it may put them a semester behind in getting to some of their required courses.  

 

There is also the issue of needing to take Pre-Calc as a one semester course in college rather than as two semester courses while dual enrolled.  

 

For some of the schools that ds is applying to, many of the students will have taken Calculus in high school, then retake it as freshmen.  The retake serves as a refresher and gets everyone on the same level for further coursework.  Having taking Calculus in high school makes it easier.

 

I would be somewhat concerned that a student in a pre-engineering track had not yet taken Pre-Calculus by the end of high school.  I'm not sure that puts him on a competitive footing with other students.

 

 

I completely and totally agree.  It's why in the initial post I said he'd have to go in as an Undeclared (Liberal Arts and Humanities) and plan on taking 4-5 years rather than just 4.  Because while he could take some of the initial classes and the *very* few necessary Social Science/Fine Arts (Humanites) classes that are electives and get them out of the way, he would have to be brought up to speed and through Calc I to start working the Engineering Track.  

 

 

I did go ahead and call the U.  I spoke at length with an admissions counselor.  As long as he is coming in with his cohort, then there is no limit on the amount of dual enrolled credits and so 46 credits would *NOT* make him a transfer student.  This is huge.  I also spoke about scholarship opportunities with transfer students vs. incoming freshman and she said, unfortunately, opportunities are significantly different.

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I wouldn't worry about keeping him busy - meeting graduation requirements doesn't mean running out of classes to take! They don't have to be at the CC. 

 

Work and volunteer opportunities can also fill some time, but I wouldn't want my senior to only have one or two academic classes. It's too easy to get out of the groove. 

 

Okay, read your update, and he CAN take more classes at CC. I would probably plan on taking at least one or two more there, particularly if he hasn't taken precalc yet (I'm not clear on what your saying about precalc and calc). It seems like the cost would be worth it if the classes will transfer - it doesn't seem like it could be more than an additional year at university, could it? 

 

 

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I completely and totally agree.  It's why in the initial post I said he'd have to go in as an Undeclared (Liberal Arts and Humanities) and plan on taking 4-5 years rather than just 4.  Because while he could take some of the initial classes and the *very* few necessary Social Science/Fine Arts (Humanites) classes that are electives and get them out of the way, he would have to be brought up to speed and through Calc I to start working the Engineering Track.  

 

 

I did go ahead and call the U.  I spoke at length with an admissions counselor.  As long as he is coming in with his cohort, then there is no limit on the amount of dual enrolled credits and so 46 credits would *NOT* make him a transfer student.  This is huge.  I also spoke about scholarship opportunities with transfer students vs. incoming freshman and she said, unfortunately, opportunities are significantly different.

 

Getting into majors seems to be one of those things that differ greatly.

 

One conern I would have is that several of the schools DS is applying to have more demand for engineering majors than they can support.  So you might want to look beyond what is possible (entering as Undeclared, declaring after Freshman classes for Engineering) to what is likely (possible competitive evaluation for being accepted into an engineering degree).

 

If he is receiving a scholarship, would it pay for the 5th year or would he find himself needing to pay for that last year without aid?

 

The news that he can go in with more hours without being a transfer student is great.  Is is also possible that he could take even more hours, but not count some of them towards college credit at the target school?  In other words, is the 46 hour limit a limit on total college credit ever taken or is it a limit on credits that would be considered for transfer?

 

I've found that Pre-Calc is often a 100 level math course.  But it's also a subject often taught in high schools to juniors.  

It sounds like this is partly one of those situations that greatly depends on the specific schools and programs under discussion.

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Getting into majors seems to be one of those things that differ greatly.

 

One conern I would have is that several of the schools DS is applying to have more demand for engineering majors than they can support.  So you might want to look beyond what is possible (entering as Undeclared, declaring after Freshman classes for Engineering) to what is likely (possible competitive evaluation for being accepted into an engineering degree).

 

If he is receiving a scholarship, would it pay for the 5th year or would he find himself needing to pay for that last year without aid?

 

The news that he can go in with more hours without being a transfer student is great.  Is is also possible that he could take even more hours, but not count some of them towards college credit at the target school?  In other words, is the 46 hour limit a limit on total college credit ever taken or is it a limit on credits that would be considered for transfer?

 

I've found that Pre-Calc is often a 100 level math course.  But it's also a subject often taught in high schools to juniors.  

It sounds like this is partly one of those situations that greatly depends on the specific schools and programs under discussion.

 

 

The first question is a really good one.  My daughter has figured out a way around there being a fifth year, or in her specific case, a fourth year.  The state university offers 12 credits of free classes over the summer to in-state students.  She's also taken excess hours.  At this point she will graduate in 6 semesters and one summer semester (which she's already completed) rather than eight semesters.  Now, engineering is different (obviously) in that excess hours his junior or senior year is ill advised, but it is something we've thought about.  Her financial aid package was offered to her as a sophomore, but she was 5 credits from being a junior.  So going into the next fall semester she will be a senior rather than a junior, having gained enough ground to make up one full year.  It took a lot of work, especially to keep her GPA high and take honors courses, but she feels it was entirely worth it.  

 

There is NO limit on dual enrollment credits transferring in.  However, there is a state law that says no child enrolled in high school (inc. homeschool) can take more than 23 credits per year and we didn't start dual enrollment until this year - his junior year.  So his personal max is 46 credits.

 

 

*I am wondering.... if we dual enrolled him in our local public school he would still have full access to the college classes, but he could take Pre-Calc there.  

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I wouldn't worry about keeping him busy - meeting graduation requirements doesn't mean running out of classes to take! They don't have to be at the CC. 

 

Work and volunteer opportunities can also fill some time, but I wouldn't want my senior to only have one or two academic classes. It's too easy to get out of the groove. 

 

Okay, read your update, and he CAN take more classes at CC. I would probably plan on taking at least one or two more there, particularly if he hasn't taken precalc yet (I'm not clear on what your saying about precalc and calc). It seems like the cost would be worth it if the classes will transfer - it doesn't seem like it could be more than an additional year at university, could it? 

 

The problem is simply this - we can't afford $5k for these classes out of pocket this coming year that could otherwise be covered. (We have big changes coming medically.)   So it simply isn't a matter of which is more doable because paying out of pocket upfront is not doable at all.  So, if my options become classes covered as a freshman or none at all, then I have to decide based on what is best for him.  And there comes  a point in time which a mother says, if she's honest with herself,  I cannot teach X class.  Well, I'm there.  I cannot teach Pre-Calc.  I cannot teach Calc.  Simple Physics would be fine, but much further than that is not doable.  German is totally out, trust me.  He is, at this point, beyond me.  Writing is his weakest point and he is running a 96% in his Comp class this semester.  He's bored.  He is excited about Mock Trial but that isn't year 'round.  He'll have his Eagle done by the summer so that will also have lost it's challenge.  He's a pusher and I'd like to keep that momentum going, kwim?

 

So I've got the email into the homeschool liaison to see what they would cover his senior year.  If they'll cover any of it, I'm game.  We could pay for a math class this coming semester and another next year.  Two classes is definitely doable - a full course load for 2 semesters is not.  

 

If they will not then I will call my actual district.  We are currently open enrolled in a more homeschool friendly district.  If no options exist, then I think we will seriously consider graduating.  Hm.....

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A couple more thoughts, then I have to dash.

 

Summer school is another area that depends greatly on the situation.  In our area, the cost of summer classes goes way up, because the state doesn't underwrite tuition for in state students taking summer courses.  I'm not sure the idea behind this.  Maybe they don't want students coming back over the summer and taking a bunch of courses that are subsidized, then transferring them to their mainland college?  Not sure.  At the CC, the price goes from around $140/credit to around $250/credit.  

 

A friend of ours found that summer school cost more than normal semester tuition, because her son had to find a place to live during the summer, when dorms weren't available.  If your kids are commuting to school it might not be an issue.

 

For my ds, he is likely to have 3-9 weeks of military training each summer, so little opening for summer courses.  Also, many engineers and computer science students try to intern or coop, so that puts another dent into available time.

 

On the topic of being bored.  I've been really pleased with Lukeion Project courses.  They are not accredited, but they are very worthy.  Muse Unloosed and Muse Reloosed were both hits here.  Next semester I have a couple kids taking Advanced Research Writing.

 

I totally understand the post Eagle deflation.  At our house, that has been filled by taking more mentoring roles, like staffing NYLT or becoming a JASM.  My oldest was walking the SPL through more effective PLC leadership last night.  Through NLYT, they have also done things like served as Youth Staff for Woodbadge, where they demonstrated effective camping techniques to the adults.  They also did Sea Scouts for a while, which they really enjoyed.  

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A couple more thoughts, then I have to dash.

 

Summer school is another area that depends greatly on the situation.  In our area, the cost of summer classes goes way up, because the state doesn't underwrite tuition for in state students taking summer courses.  I'm not sure the idea behind this.  Maybe they don't want students coming back over the summer and taking a bunch of courses that are subsidized, then transferring them to their mainland college?  Not sure.  At the CC, the price goes from around $140/credit to around $250/credit.  

 

A friend of ours found that summer school cost more than normal semester tuition, because her son had to find a place to live during the summer, when dorms weren't available.  If your kids are commuting to school it might not be an issue.

 

 

 

 

Our situation is a little unique and I didn't think about mentioning it, but probably should have.  DS would not live on campus.  He would commute.  Our oldest daughter makes the commute every day.  That, obviously, is a big factor that I really should have mentioned.

 

DS is getting pretty solidly rooted here.  Next semester he'll be building Habitat houses.  I don't know why the state U decided to offer instate kids 12 sh of free classes?  I can't understand it though they are pushing hard a program of graduating early.  This plays into that - that you can graduate faster from here than other state universities.  It is, IMO, a marketing gimmick more than anything, but DD has definitely benefited from it.  *However* summer courses are very fast moving and intense.  She took her classes after her freshman year and to do it again, I'd advise waiting another year until you're ready for the pace.  She did well (Bs) but it did lower her GPA.  She was trying to do class and detassle at the same time and that was sun up to late afternoon HARD physical labor so she wasn't prepared to juggle like that.  

 

I don't know. 

 

:(

 

I'm unhappy with both options.

 

The ideal option is one more senior year, following the pre-engineering program.  However, I did get word back from the homeschool group that they will not be covering any of the math or science courses for him.  He could take pre-calc at our local high school, but frankly that's a year long course and doesn't help a bit for timing - it still leaves him short calculus his freshman year.

 

They'd cover German I and German II, but we'd have to plan on footing the bill for three math classes and two science courses plus books.  Whereas if we graduate him early, he could attend full time under scholarship at the CC or most likely full scholarship at the U.  But if he went CC first, he'd be a transfer student.

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Mark - thanks for that.  I actually had a pretty detailed discussion with Admissions yesterday.  The fact of the matter is that if we're hoping for a full ride for DS in a STEM field graduating him early is the exact opposite of setting him for rock solid scholarships.  It is SO unlike Humanities/Liberal Arts.  I wouldn't have hesitated to graduate DD in this same scenario.

 

It's a bell we can't unring.

 

I'm pretty disappointed this morning.  The concurrent (dual enrollment) program at our school  will *not* pay for any of the science classes nor will they pay for the math classes - the STEM classes.  I *totally* understand why, I just see it as handicapping homeschool students seeking STEM careers.  The "pre-engineering" track at the community college is really just a prep for the University program, it won't actually cut much time off the program itself except with the requisite Comp courses, Oral Communication, and 3-4 gen ed / humanities requirements.

 

They will not pay for the math classes because of previous experience - too many of the homeschool students thought they were prepared then proceeded to fail the courses, so the schools paid for classes and the students failed.  So, I've countered and said if we pay for the first class and he successfully completes it, within parameters to be determined, would they then consider covering subsequent classes?

 

At any rate, it's the same decision - pay for the MATH (which are the pre-reqs to his Computer Science requirement and the early ENG classes) or graduate early.

 

If we graduate early we'll hurt his SAT scores (compared to what they could potentially be with another year of math) and give him a weak transcript.

I think we've decided we are just going to find or invent the budget for this.  Hopefully they come through on the subsequent classes. 

 

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I

 

I'm pretty disappointed this morning.  The concurrent (dual enrollment) program at our school  will *not* pay for any of the science classes nor will they pay for the math classes - the STEM classes.  I *totally* understand why, I just see it as handicapping homeschool students seeking STEM careers.  The "pre-engineering" track at the community college is really just a prep for the University program, it won't actually cut much time off the program itself except with the requisite Comp courses, Oral Communication, and 3-4 gen ed / humanities requirements.

 

They will not pay for the math classes because of previous experience - too many of the homeschool students thought they were prepared then proceeded to fail the courses, so the schools paid for classes and the students failed.  So, I've countered and said if we pay for the first class and he successfully completes it, within parameters to be determined, would they then consider covering subsequent classes?

 

 

Just to put things into perspective: in many states, there are NO free dual enrollment classes at all. If you want your kid to take college classes, you have to pay full tuition - public schooled or homeschooled students alike. So the fact that you get this many free hours at all is already a huge advantage.

 

 

 

At any rate, it's the same decision - pay for the MATH (which are the pre-reqs to his Computer Science requirement and the early ENG classes) or graduate early.

 

Why can he not homeschool precalculus with a good textbook and online resources? There is free stuff available for pretty much everything. You could add a tutor occasionally and still have it much cheaper than a college course.

Not sure whether you are aware of this: precalculus will not count as college credit towards most STEM majors; it is considered remedial and credit is not counted for the degree program.

 

 

If we graduate early we'll hurt his SAT scores (compared to what they could potentially be with another year of math) and give him a weak transcript.

 

Weak transcript- yes, but what does it have to do with the SAT? The math covered on the SAT does not included precalculus.

 

Btw, math placement at university is done by placement test. I would make sure he self studies precalculus during his senior year so he has a chance of testing into calculus. But it does not matter how he acquires the knowledge; he will have to test in any case.

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Just to put things into perspective: in many states, there are NO free dual enrollment classes at all. If you want your kid to take college classes, you have to pay full tuition - public schooled or homeschooled students alike. So the fact that you get this many free hours at all is already a huge advantage.

 

 

 

 

Thank you.  This is EXACTLY the 2x4 my whiney bottom needed!

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I would look at other math or science classes online that might not be dial credit but could be AP. My ds took AoPS Calc his senior year online and then took the AP test and passed. It also set him up beautifully for Engineering Honors Calc. I think there may be other options that are less expensive but still give your son what he needs in the online class route. Think PA Homeschoolers, Derek Owens, AoPS. We would have had to pay out of pocket for dual enrollment classes so we chose AP online classes as a less expensive route and we have found (atleast in our area) that these classes are far more rigorous than the local CC.

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Btw, math placement at university is done by placement test. I would make sure he self studies precalculus during his senior year so he has a chance of testing into calculus. But it does not matter how he acquires the knowledge; he will have to test in any case.

 

I'd like to clarify this a bit by saying that this varies by university. Not all require placement tests, it depends on what the student is bringing into the university as far as dual enrollment, AP exams and CLEP  scores. While not all universities will grant credit for those courses and exams, many will use them as placement tools.  Additionally, for non STEM majors, the SAT math score is often used to determine if a student can go directly to college algebra or if they need to take a placement test first to determine if they should do some remedial work prior to that. 

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I would be wary of counting on summer classes in an engineering degree. There are sequences for many subjects and if you get off sync, it can mean scheduling conflicts with other required classes and conflicts with prereqs. The specific engineering classes that your son needs next may not be offered in the summer. If you do find them offered in the catalogue, ask someone if they are likely to have enough students signed up to run. Many things are listed but then only actually happen if enough students sign up.

 

We were told at our community college that the difference between the pre-engineering associates degree and the engineering associates degree has to do with the number of liberal arts classes required. Students who started as engineering students and then discovered halfway through that they couldn,t do it or disliked it and wanted to switch to a different degree were finding that they were unable to complete a degree in 2 years because they had were going to be short some of the general education requirements needed for a different degree. The pre-engineering program is supposed to be about the equivalent of more like one year of engineering rather than two, so it includes room for more non-engineering classes, enough that one can transfer within the community college to a different program. Just in case that is helpful to anyone reading this thread...

 

Nan

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They will not pay for the math classes because of previous experience - too many of the homeschool students thought they were prepared then proceeded to fail the courses, so the schools paid for classes and the students failed. 

 

Another way of looking at this is, will they reimburse you if you pay up front & then submit his grades for these classes afterwards? Thus, they only pay for the passes. (If they are open to this, get it in writing.) 

 

Our state doesn't cover any college classes (dual enrollment) unless you are a PS student, then the local PS covers half & the college covers the other half. But those are for classes done at the local high school, not at the college. Glad you have at least some opportunity for $$ savings

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