loaded question- run down on Comm. College

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

When did you start your child in Community level courses?

What was your experience with this?

How did you child do?

[Ria]

Our experience was that the majority of the classes were "college lite;" maybe a little faster-paced than the average high school, but nothing compared to the university dh and I attended. If at all possible, I'd suggest having your child take classes at a local university in lieu of the cc. We did both, and the classes at the local univ. were much better.

 

Our twins began taking cc classes in 11th grade. DD had straight As; DS had As and Bs (he's lazy...).

 

Ria

[Anna]

 

When did you start your child in Community level courses?

What was your experience with this?

How did you child do?

 

Both of mine are in college now. My oldest only took French I at CC during her high school senior year. It was a positive experience and she made an A in the class. She took French II and more at her LA college and has been making A's in each class. Currently, she's on French IV and wants to take a French class each semester until she graduates.

 

Youngest dd, LD, began CC in 12th grade taking 1 class that fall semester, 2 classes in winter term and 1 class that summer. Our experience was positive all the way for her. Currently, she's in her first year as a CC student. Last fall she did 3 classes and now for winter term she's doing 4 classes. She works darn hard for her grades and has been able to maintain A's and B's in all her classes. When I say she works hard I mean-- She wakes at 5am and studies until she leaves for school at 10am. She gets home around 3-4pm and studies until supper time. She often studies while she eats and she studies until bedtime. She limits her contact with friends for the weekend and even then, limits herself so she can study all weekend.

 

She has an excellent academic advisor who doesn't mind helping dd choose courses each semester with me along sitting in on the meeting. Last semester I felt that dd needed to sign up for English Comp II and Spanish II along with whatever else she wanted/needed to take for winter term. When I made the suggestion and explained why, academic advisor wholeheartedly agreed with me. That is rare in college setting for faculty to listen at all to parents.

[Basketmaker Amy]

My 10th grade ds started in the fall at the CC and took two classes: French I and Intermediate Algebra. The French I was online and was very hard, but he got an A. He also got an A in the algebra class. He is taking Comp I and College Algebra this year and so far is doing well. He likes them.

 

A benefit I didn't realize before he started is that he is learning good college study skills for college...while still at home. I like being able to help him "schedule/plan" his studying for the classes. I have noticed that I don't have to "remind" him as much this semester. He is doing better than a friend of his that graduated ps last year! He has even commented to me that "(his friend) doesn't know how to plan his studying! He waits until the last minute to do everything! (I laugh to myself and think, "well, he doesn't have a mom who keeps prompting him!")

 

In FL, homeschoolers can enroll after 9th grade (as long as they have the proper scores on SAT/ACT or their CPT test). PS students can enroll after 10th grade. State universities have great relationships with the CC's.

 

My ds will probably take a full load starting next year and will graduate from high school/community college (with his AA) in two years. He dreams of attending Anapolis (which won't take any of his credits, but will show he is capable and will give him an English and Math recommendations) or the University of Florida (in which case, he'll have enough credits to be a junior).

 

It works for our family! We are very pleased with our local cc.

[MamaT]

My two oldest sons (who are grown now) started cc in the 10th grade. They made A's in all their courses. I allowed them to start with one course a semester and if they did well, to add another. They ended up with 12-15 credit hours by the time they graduated high school.

 

It was a positive experience for them. My 9th grader will take a cc course this coming fall.

[outtamyshell]

We started with a summer mini-mester just after 10th grade. DD audited Cultural Anthropology and was out of town for one week of the 5 week course. We picked a subject she would enjoy. She would have earned a B in the course. I gave her a B on her highschool transcript

 

We then jumped into 2 CC courses plus a pretty full load of courses at our favorite co-op. She got one A and one C. I was disappointed in the C. DD wanted a more academic environment, so she is doing one course this semester at the University. I am expecting an A in this 200 level history class. But, sigh, at least she's got the credit she needs for her college degree.

 

The CC courses were more challenging than our local public high school and worked out as a great transition to the University. But she doens't want to go back. She loves the environment and wants to take all of her dual enrollment courses at the University now.

[Sojourner]

My son is a junior this year and took Spanish 101 last semester and got an A (4.0 average:001_smile:) and is taking Spanish 102 this term. He is also taking an online AP English Lit course this year and so far has an A+ in that.

We hope to have him take 2 courses each next fall and spring. It helps him to have outside sources to be accountable to and deadlines that don't slide.

[Guest Katia]

Our ds started cc when he was 15yo with just one math class. He did much better than we expected, so the next semester we enrolled him in two classes. Once again, he blew them away.

 

When he was 16yo and we went to enroll him for a few more classes, his academic adviser suggested that we 'graduate' him from our homeschool so that he could receive funding/scholarships for his cc classes. We did that and enrolled him full-time when he was 16yo.

 

He graduated from cc with his AA degree when he was 18yo and transferred to the 4-yr liberal arts college of his choice. All of his credits except one PE transferred and he started 4-yr college with junior status. He eventually transferred to a state U and is now graduated with his BA.

 

His opinion is that the classes at the cc were much more academically rigorous than the classes at the LA 4-yr college. That is why he eventually transferred out. He loved the friends he made and the social aspects, but he really felt the academics were missing.

 

He said the state U was a bit better in the academic line, but still felt the cc was better; mainly because the professors really wanted the students to succeed and did whatever they could to help them learn.

 

I read on here that many places have cc where the academics are "college lite" but I don't think that applies to all cc by any means. From our experiences I now know that regular colleges have differing standards of academic excellence as well (and they still award the same degree).

 

Somewhere...(?) is a ranking of community colleges as 'top community colleges in the nation' type of thing. Our cc lists it's ranking on it's web-site, but you could probably ask them what their ranking is. That might help you decide. Otherwise, the only way is to get in there and see what it's like. You can always drop classes if it's not working for you or your dc.

 

PS my youngest dd started cc classes at 15yo as well, but not academic classes. She took choir (loved it and is still in it), and at 16yo enrolled in a swimming class as well. She's involved in the spring theater class musical this semester and is loving it all. But, like I said, these are enrichment classes for her, not academic. However, you could look at this aspect of your cc as well. Depends on what the needs of your students are.

 

ETA: Just wanted to add that my middle dd didn't take any outside classes at all (no cc) except for her music lessons. She just wasn't ready...it wasn't her thing.....she didn't have time...etc.etc., but she was still accepted into all five colleges that she applied to, and she's doing fine this (her first) year in college. She made the Dean's List last semester, even!

 

So even though cc or college classes can be very beneficial, it really depends on the student's needs. They can be extremely successful in college without them!

Edited February 12, 2009 by Katia
addition

[Vicki]

My 2 oldest dc didn't start college early. That said, my oldest ds, took Chemistry at our CC and his final test was a national test and he place in the top 10% of the nation. At least that is what we were told. Our CC is an excellent CC. He is currently working on a triple doctorate at UTSA Health Science Center. Everything is paid for and he receives $23,000 to live on. CC didn't hurt him. I don't think it gave him an inferior education. My oldest will graduate in December with a teaching degree. My middle ds took CC classes his senior year. He is currently not in college, but is working fulltime. We haven't decided whether my youngest dd will take classes at our CC her senior year or not. I would like her to, but right now we need another vehicle to make that happen.

God bless,

Vicki

[LoriM]

My older daughter started at the CC in the Spring semester of 2006 when she was 16 years old. She had a marvelous experience academically, maintained her 4.0 GPA while working diligently, and graduated from both our homeschool and from the CC simultaneously (with an AA). She then transferred to the state university in our hometown, where she has continued. All of her credits transferred without exception (after our careful and meticulous planning so that she was primarily taking "university transfer credits" at the CC), and she will graduate with her BA in mathematics in December 2009 at age 20.

 

My younger daughter has just started at the CC at age 16. She is taking 15 hours, and really enjoying her classes so far. In fact, she actually said to me, "I love college!" one day just last week. She's particularly enjoying her digital photography course. :)

 

We have an outstanding community college in our town, and live <5 miles from the campus. It's an awesome opportunity for my children to get a great transition into university coursework, and saving a bundle of money at the same time.

[Jane in NC]

Ideally, I would learn something about the CC (courses and instructors) before beginning dual enrollment. I say this as a former faculty member of a CC. Some classes and instructors are "college-lite" as Ria described it. Others can be a better experience than that offered at a large university, particularly for a student needing extra help, the kind of person who can get lost in a lecture hall of several hundred students.

 

My son began his CC courses in the fall at age 16 by taking Western Civ I and General Chemistry I. We knew that the instructor for the former is pedantic, basing all exams on essays. We also knew that the chem prof was a hand holder as well as a retired faculty member from the nearby university. These courses were a good instruction to different teaching styles for my son. And frankly there is no way I could have duplicated those labs at home.

 

If your student is going to major in, say, engineering, it will do him no service to take a light weight calculus or chemistry course if that is what your CC offers. But it might help him to take foreign language, fine arts, economics--requirements that are checked off within a degree program.

 

CCs can be great (and inexpensive) ways to explore interests.

 

Make sure that your student is sufficiently mature for whatever situations may enfold. In my son's writing course, students do peer reviews of each other's papers. He recently read one which included gruesome details of parental violence during the writer's childhood.

 

Good luck on your journey!

Jane

[Nan in Mass]

My son's CC speech class had some pretty adult content, too. He kept saying that he was very lucky when he got in the car with me to drive home.

[Ellie]

My older dd was 13, had her 14th bday in class. I also took that first class with her. After that she went alone. She did just fine. I didn't push her to finish in two years, though; she wasn't full time until she was 16.

 

Younger dd was 14, and took mostly dance classes for the first year--some academic, but mostly dance. She started into more serious academic classes when she was 16, and also did just fine.

[G5052]

I've been teaching part-time at the CC level for ten years now, homeschooling for eight, and have taught a lot of homeschooled kids because their parents know me and feel better about that for a first CC class. I'll note though that I have also failed homeschooled students, and given out a fair number of "C" and "D" grades over the years. Not every homeschooled student is ready, and age is really not the issue. The issue is maturity in dealing with a class that probably moves faster than their used to and a different environment.

 

When the time comes for my own children, I will start with one class in an area that they're strong in or interested in and pick a professor that I have some knowledge about through faculty meetings or what I hear from friends. For example, one of the physics professors is foul-mouthed and impatient by all reports. Not a good first class. I will also make an appointment to take my student to at least briefly meet them before class to help my children feel comfortable. I would not pick a science that they haven't already taken in high school (too much material to learn), and I am wary of our English 101 and 102 because of the literature in the current textbook (I would embarrassed writing on some of the things they have to read).

 

And yes, for at least the first class, I will come aside to make sure they understand the process and are doing well with it. I've had several homeschool parents call me at the end of the semester furious that their child didn't do well. In each case the parent did not check with the child periodically to see how they were doing. IMHO you have a right to do that if you're paying for it. It is a transition after all.

 

I work for a smaller CC, and our classes are indeed on par with the 4-year schools because that's a state requirement. As a college policy, essay exams are the norm in most cases.

[Gwen in VA]

GVA -- Your post was helpful. Thanks!

 

I would like to add that how weak or strong a CC class is depends entirely on the CC, the prof, etc.

 

My dd1 took calc 1 and calc 2 at our local "Public Ivy" (It's a good enough state school that a year or two ago it was awarded this unofficial national title by USNWR). My ds1 took calc 1 at the CC and then calc 2 at the "Public Ivy." My son had the better calculus 1 class!

[Kelli in TN]

After a dismal experience with our oldest who took his dual credit at a local private university and floundered, we choose community college with our current high schooler. She has done very well! It is not as rigorous as university work, it makes a nice step up from high school work; a nice bridge between high school and university. Her grades have been A's and B's but the most valuable thing has been learning to deal with professors and learn what they each like and value the most.

 

My only regret is that we waited until she had completed 11th grade. If I could do it again I would have sent her in 11th grade, the earliest that our CC will accept highschoolers.

 

Thus far she has taken English Comp 1, Spanish 1, American History 2, and is currently taking Spanish 2, Calculus, and....I am a little embarrassed to admit this.........Walking for Fitness (she never completed her required PE credit and we were out of time and I was out of patience!!!).

[Nan in Mass]

My son began as a junior. We worked with an advisor to find classes in which he would be successful. I am glad we worked with an advisor because they suggested some classes that I would never would have thought to suggest, and my son chose one of them. I had classes that I wanted him to take, but we didn't begin with those. Having an advisor turned out to be important later, also, because my son's college specifically asked for a recommendation letter from his cc advisor. We all went to speak with the advisor and I explained why we homeschooled. My son took speech and drawing, then composition and basic computers, then precalc and intro chem, and now is taking precalc 2 and intro chem 2. In the rest of his education, except for trying to meet the basic subject requirements, I ignored the issue of college admission and focused on giving my son the best education for him at that time. I felt free to do this because early on, I spoke to someone in admissions familiar with homeschoolers, and they said that he would probably be judged in a large part by how he tested, but since I suspected he wouldn't test well, he should take community college classes. I tried to pick ones that would reflect his ability to handle a variety of subjects. Over all, it has been a very good experience. My son has learned to deal with various prof's, keep track of his grades, study for a final, go for help, sign up for classes, deal with advising, and even work a "cow". I hope my youngest will have a similar opportunity.

-Nan

[Denise in Florida]

We have had very positive experiences with my oldest dd.

 

She started taking classes as a High School Junior (College Algebra and Eng. Comp 1). She has now completed 3 semesters and has had some very good classes and some 'lame' ones (her words).

 

Her favorite classes have been with one teacher (math) who has a tough reputation, she thinks he is great and she is learning a lot.

 

She is currently taking General Biology for Non-Science Majors (very lame) to fulfill a lab science requirement (it was the only science course that didn't interfere with Calc 2 and wasn't already full). The University she plans to attend probably won't accept it for college credit but they wanted the lab science for her to qualify for admission. She is okay with the class because she is really not interested in science.

[Kareni]

When did you start your child in Community level courses?

What was your experience with this?

How did you child do?

 

My teen began taking community college classes in 11th grade. She has taken a fairly heavy load but has done very well.

 

Our community college is on a quarter system. Her first term she took 13 hours (a full time load), her second term 12, and the final term 8. She took College Algebra and Trig; two quarters of Composition and one of Literature; two quarters of Geology and a quarter long class called Rocks and Minerals.

 

In addition to the above, she was also taking AP Latin and AP Comparative Gov't/Politics.

 

By the end of this year, 12th grade, she will have taken: two quarters of Literature and one of Composition; one quarter of Environmental Science; one quarter of Introduction to Drawing; one quarter of Art History; and an archery class. This is a lighter community college load than the previous year; however, she's also taking a post-AP year of Latin, first year Ancient Greek, and AP Statistics.

 

And, she's also spent a good bit of time applying to colleges and filling out scholarship applications this year!

 

I'd say that taking some community college classes has worked very well for her. The classes have varied in rigor; however, she has learned a lot in all of them. I think you need to look at your own child and decide what will work best for him or her.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Catherine]

Plan ahead and know what your child wants for the future. I enrolled my ds in our local CC this past fall for one course, hoping to "farm out" science and make my life easier, introduce him to college level work and really expose him to a decent college level lab. Our CC won't allow someone to take Chemistry without a highschool level chemistry class, which technically, he had not had. So he took one semester "Chemistry for high school students". It was very weak. At fifteen, he was by far the most knowledgable and advanced student in the class, and I am NOT bragging-it was such a weak group of students. He never once studied or cracked the book-and never missed a single test question. It really, really made me wonder about other's people's educations to hear about how much some of the other students struggled. The labs were a bright spot-they were 3 hours weekly, had a more engaged and motivated instructor, and taught some real lab skills.

 

How you approach CC depends on your student's goals.

 

Our plans were derailed a bit because I hoped he could get Chemistry out of the way this year. He will take it at another CC, or maybe a four year school next year, and physics with calculus as a senior.

 

Thanks for starting this thread-it's been very helpful!

[4wildberrys]

No experience with CC, as we live in the middle of nowhere in a town 25 years behind the times with no CC within 150 miles AND with very few homeschoolers, especially for high school. BUT----my thoughts are that even if a CC IS "college-lite", it would still far outrank ANY high school because of the avoidance of all that nasty, immature, damaging social garbage going on. What a great way to beef up those areas that you worry about for their future using a "real teacher and class" without having to deal with them getting wrapped up in the non-stop socializing and party scene. :tongue_smilie:SO wonderful that people have this option. :001_smile:

[Sylvia in CA]

My dd went to cc 11th and 12th grade. She did Trig through Calc 2, Gen. Bio., and Spanish. She only took classes that were transferable to university but she was one unit short of starting as a sophomore when she went to the univ this last Fall.

Our experience was positive. The cc math program was strong. On one occasion in Spanish, the professor asked if anyone felt uncomfortable watching an R rated Spanish movie, they could leave. Of course our dd left. We didn't have her take any humanities courses because of our concern of their possible content.

I think that's the route will take with our other dc--have them take only transferable courses in the math and sciences and maybe Spanish.

 

Sylvia

[Laurie4b]

<sigh> second that about the lit. Ds is taking Composition--the basic English class at the CC. We chose the class because it is a strength of ds's and because the teacher had a good rep. However, he has faced the problem of inappropriate material. (That is also true in our public high schools.) I just wasn't expecting it at the CC level in a pretty conservative area.