Homeschool High school without DE (or very little)- mom freak out moment

[Hilltopmom]

After an almost meltdown from my sophomore this weekend, I am rethinking our plans for next year.

So, highschool could just be highschool- without APs or DE... Or perhaps just 1-2 DE classes (he really wants to DE some comp sci). If taken in grade 12, they won't help much for college admissions though.

 

I'll have to drive him to the CC for classes, which means dragging a baby, toddler, & medically fragile kiddo to town a few days a week (or he'll have to go in with dh in the AM & basically be stuck

On campus all day- rural area, no public transportation, no drivers license yet nor extra vehicle here anyways). That's starting to not seem like a good idea for me.

 

The jump from all home brewed classes (what he's done until now) to home classes plus 2 online classes (math & physics in the plans for next year) plus DE may be more than he's ready for next year. And not leave much time for downtime still , & he's a kid who needs a lot, but wants to go into STEM. But wants freetime for online gaming & reading, or just hanging out. I get it.

 

If he doesn't do DE, that may likely mean the difference between shooting for RIT vs our local SUNY. But the small town SUNY start would still let him transfer in the future.

 

Agh, I hate to screw up his chances for college by letting him relax too much in high school! But, I want him to enjoy his teen years too.

 

This may just be the culmination of winter slump (he started in August & has really only had one week off at xmas) plus stress from spending a lot of time on robotics lately in prep for their upcoming competition. Maybe in a few weeks, he'll be past the urge to not be so rigorous, I dunno.

But it's causing me to really question DE in high school.

[northcoast]

Hugs! It is hard to know the right thing to do. As long as your son has solid math skills & science in high school, then he will be fine for a STEM major. Not every kid is ready for DE in high school. Homeschooling allows for teaching classes when a child is developmentally ready.

 

I suggest you look @ schools your son is interested in attending. What is required for admission? Work back from there to get what he needs. FWIW, Dh is an industrial & systems engineering prof @ a private school. He regularly interviews students for scholarships. They don't all do DE.

 

I also encourage you to look at what would be best for your family as a whole next year, not just for your son.

 

There is always the following year for DE also.

[northcoast]

Does RIT require DE from homeschoolers?

[northcoast]

Sorry, just reread your post & saw that DE may not count much for admission in 12th grade. Call the school admission office to see how they treat homeschoolers. For example, the school our ds is interested in heavily weighs SAT/ACT test scores for admission.

[Hilltopmom]

Well, DE isn't specifically required at RIT or elsewhere, & he will be taking some SAT 2s, but DE or AP in addition to SAT/ACT scores will help validate those mom grades & transcript.

[Reefgazer]

Let him try it for a semester, and re-evaluate after that.  If it works out for him and he wants to continue, great.  If not, he call pull back to all home-brewed courses and still have a DE course on his transcript.  It means a bit of juggling for you if he changes his mind mid-year, but other than that, I don't see a downside to letting him try after the plusses and minuses have been explained to him.

After an almost meltdown from my sophomore this weekend, I am rethinking our plans for next year.
So, highschool could just be highschool- without APs or DE... Or perhaps just 1-2 DE classes (he really wants to DE some comp sci). If taken in grade 12, they won't help much for college admissions though.

I'll have to drive him to the CC for classes, which means dragging a baby, toddler, & medically fragile kiddo to town a few days a week (or he'll have to go in with dh in the AM & basically be stuck
On campus all day- rural area, no public transportation, no drivers license yet nor extra vehicle here anyways). That's starting to not seem like a good idea for me.

The jump from all home brewed classes (what he's done until now) to home classes plus 2 online classes (math & physics in the plans for next year) plus DE may be more than he's ready for next year. And not leave much time for downtime still , & he's a kid who needs a lot, but wants to go into STEM. But wants freetime for online gaming & reading, or just hanging out. I get it.

If he doesn't do DE, that may likely mean the difference between shooting for RIT vs our local SUNY. But the small town SUNY start would still let him transfer in the future.

Agh, I hate to screw up his chances for college by letting him relax too much in high school! But, I want him to enjoy his teen years too.

This may just be the culmination of winter slump (he started in August & has really only had one week off at xmas) plus stress from spending a lot of time on robotics lately in prep for their upcoming competition. Maybe in a few weeks, he'll be past the urge to not be so rigorous, I dunno.
But it's causing me to really question DE in high school.

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by reefgazer

[Hilltopmom]

Oh, he could do online DE, yes. I had been thinking in person for the in person contact with a professor & the setting, but yeah, maybe doing an online one first would at least help with my transportation and scheduling issues!

 

I've never taken an online class. He's taking 2 others in the fall, not sure if online is the way to go for first college class- I personally, need the accountability of actually seeing my professor for the motivation;).

 

But, that may fix my other concerns at least. Thanks

[Lori D.]

Absolutely you can do homeschool all at home, with no DE or AP and have a successful move from high school into college. There are a number of families with students now in college who did neither, or only did one or the other. :)

 

 

...1-2 DE classes… If taken in grade 12, they won't help much for college admissions though.

 

I disagree. While a lot of college applications do need to be sent in early in 12th grade, you still put courses that are in process, plus courses that are projected for the spring semester, on the transcript to send in with the application -- so colleges see that the student is currently taking college courses. And unless you are only shooting for top tier/selective/competitive colleges, any college level work done in high school (whether 1 class or 10 classes) is going to reflect well on the student. And if the student's dual enrollment is in the specific degree program area that the student is applying for with the university, that is a bonus, showing early interest and motivation to do that degree program.

 

I'll have to drive him to the CC for classes, which means dragging a baby, toddler, & medically fragile kiddo to town a few days a week (or he'll have to go in with dh in the AM & basically be stuck on campus all day- rural area, no public transportation, no drivers license yet nor extra vehicle here anyways).

 

You can do online classes for DE or AP from home, since circumstances aren't favorable next year for doing DE or AP in person. Here is an article on the pros and cons of online dual enrollment from Study Point, to help you think through whether this is a good fit for your family or not.

 

If interested in pursuing this option, I'd suggest asking on these Boards and ask local homeschoolers for suggestions for good quality online course providers. Here are a few online dual enrollment providers I've heard mentioned before:

University of Florida Dual Enrollment online

Bridgeway Academy Homeschool programs: Online Dual Enrollment (Christian)

Liberty University Online Academy: EDGE Dual Enrollment program (Christian)

Bellhaven University High Scholars online dual enrollment (Christian)

 

You also mentioned interest in AP Computer Science. You can actually do this as a homeschool course -- you just need to submit a syllabus to College Board to have your coursework approved so that you can call it AP Computer Science on the transcript. And then the only driving would be on the day of the test. The harder part will likely be calling around and finding a location that will allow you to test with their students. ;)

 

Or, if you prefer, there are online courses AP Computer Science -- example: John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.

 

However, you mention that DS will be doing his first online classes next year, of Math and Physics. That might be HARD to transition to 3 online classes, going from no previous online classes. Perhaps you and DS could sit down and re-think which of those 3 are most important to do as online classes, and start with 2 online classes and do the third class as a homeschool option.

 

One other thought is to sign up now for a shorter online class that starts up later this spring to start practicing NOW for taking online classes next year -- dealing with the deadlines and technical aspects of an online class, etc. Maybe the Bravewriter Expository Essay class (6 weeks long) to solidify writing skills for college. Maybe follow up with the Advanced Composition class, and you've outsourced the Writing portion of your English credit this semester, simplifying this semester for YOU as well as helping DS get some solid experience in writing AND in online classes. :)

 

Or, start getting used to the pace/rigor of a college level course NOW with a shorter, FREE, intro-level college course with Coursera. For the Coursera, DS could try a Science course that matches up with whatever Science he's taking this year, and you could blend that with whatever he's using now. Or he could take something in the Computer Science area to start getting his feet wet for an AP Computer Science course. Or try something to count towards an Elective in an area of interest just to "practice college" without stress.

 

While these options don't award credit directly, it is quite easy to count these options toward a credit on a transcript.

 

 

If he doesn't do DE, that may likely mean the difference between shooting for RIT vs our local SUNY. But the small town SUNY start would still let him transfer in the future.

 

Looking at the College Board profile for RIT, it doesn't look like they require DE. They are somewhat selective in admissions (57% acceptance rate), and what counts most for applying to RIT (according to the above profile) is a high GPA, and rigor of high school classes (scroll down about 2/3 down on the profile to the heading of "Applying" for this info).

 

So your DS would want to maintain a high GPA while taking higher Math (Pre-Calc, Calculus, Statistics), Advanced Science classes, as well as possible Honors and/or AP classes to show rigor. A high ACT/SAT score will also count well for him. High SAT Subject scores can help show a good level of academic work. DE shows rigor as well, but if you can't fit it in, then you have all those other options for showing rigor. And the best part is that all of those are the same things will get DS into any number of colleges, so if you're working towards those goals, you'll be good, whether or not you add DE into the mix or not.

 

One thing I did notice on that college profile is that RIT has a high tuition ($37,000/year) and if your student also would be living on campus, that jumps the annual base cost (tuition + room + board) to $49,000/year. And it looks like the norm is 6 years to graduate, not 4 (65% of RIT students graduate in 6 years). From the College Data website, it looks like the average merit scholarship award is $6,000-12,000. Students who show financial need receive more financial aid (average award is $24,500) --  but it comes in the form of a combination of loans, work study, grants, and scholarships -- so, not all of the aid offered to cover need would be "free money".

 

I note that you are in NY, which is notorious for difficult hoop-jumping for homeschooers. I'd suggest that you and DS spend the next year and a half exploring some out of state colleges that would not have the same difficulty in additional homeschool requirements as NY schools, AND might have programs that are a better fit for DS, have lower annual tuition and costs, and offer better merit aid… Worth looking around!

 

BEST of luck in deciding what the best course of action is for next year! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Lori D.

[Hilltopmom]

Wow, Lori! Thank you for the long answer:). I'll look through all the links later when the littles are in bed;)

 

He has done one Intro to comp sci EdX.org class this year too, I should've mentioned. And yeah, RIT may be a reach regardless, both academicall & financially, but it's one I know he's looked into, for their co op program and within decent driving distance.

 

Lots to think about, for sure.

Thanks again

[cbollin]

I'll share my story.   My oldest is sophomore in college. Electrical engineering and computer science double major.   We didn't do any outside classes that counted as any dual enrollment.  She did two online courses in spring semester of 12th grade via coursera (no credit for college).  That allowed her to focus on meeting deadlines and keeping up with syllabus.  And I put them on homeschool high school transcript.   By the time she took them, she had already been accepted into college and offered scholarships based on ACT alone.

We didn't have any AP, SAT subject tests. etc.

She is in a regionally ranked university, in the top 30 in the region (according to US News rankings).  regionally ranked meaning not a lot of phd programs.  but it is Abet accredited in her field for engineering (which is important )and has really good career placement.

in order to have "outside letters of recommendation" for an extra scholarship, those were done by some of her church classes teachers who were her teachers for 5 years in a row and knew her well in academics and volunteer/leadership.

 

hope something in there encourages you if you do no or very little dual enrollment.  It can be done.  She's in a college that fits her needs very well.  and got great scholarships.

mileage will vary.  right

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I agree that going from all home based to online plus DE at one time could be a big jump.

 

It sounds like you have some valid reasons that DE is a stretch next year.  At least in the fall.  Remember that many courses run by semester, not in a year sequence.  For example, English or history courses could be a survey course that doesn't require a second semester.  Our CC even has some intro level survey science courses in physics and chemistry that are one semester courses.  (They aren't as deep as the two semester sequence, but would offer something appropriate to a high school DE student.)

 

That means that you don't have to decide now that there will be no DE next year.  You can revisit it in mid fall for the spring 2017 semester.

 

Also, you mentioned Comp Sci.  My son did the AP Computer Science course online from Edhesive (was called Amplify).  He really enjoyed the course, learned a lot and got a 4 on the exam in May.  Enrollment for students is free.  There is a weekly pacing to the course, but it's up to the student to stay on schedule.  You can get Coach's material for something around $150.  This gives you access to the coach's packet with solution sets and additional sample quizzes as well as the coaches' forum, where you can ask for clarification or assistance from other coaches.

 

Edhesive will also be starting with the AP Computer Principles course in fall 2016.  This is a brand new course from College Board.  It is being billed as a non-programming course to introduce students to Computers Applications.  

 

https://edhesive.com/