Annie G Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 A trend in our area is for homeschoolers to start at the community college when they turn 16, whether or not they have finished high school requirements. For instance, they may have one or two high school credits for history and they take the one history class required at the CC. They end up never having government or maybe even American history at the high school level. The same with math and science. I'm not talking about the best and brightest kids who need more challenge than a typical high school class offers. One friend of dd's went to public high school for 2 years and then dropped out and had her mom declare her graduated so she could attend the community college not as dual enrolled, but as a college student. Enlighten me on this trend and explain why it's a good idea. I always thought that the high school courses gave students some background in every subject...maybe I'm wrong. With the increase in AP classes, maybe this is already happening at so many schools that high school is really reduced to two years and then college levelwork begins. And on that note, what is the advantage of dd taking German at the community college vs continuing with OSU's German Online? Wow- six years since my last kid went to community college and so may things have changed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 This isn't a direct answer to your question, but I learned something interesting when one of the dads in our homeschool group talked with our group about college admissions. He's the dean of admissions at a local college here, and he shared something I'd never heard: He said that when it comes to financial aid, many colleges will only give a good financial aid package to those who are entering as freshmen, meaning with no college transfer credits at all, i.e. no community college classes. I'd be interested to know if anyone has had any experience with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I think this is a good option for kids who are planning on taking their general education at a community college and then transferring to a university for their last two years of college. The idea is to get as many of your general education community college credits as possible while you are still a high school student. Then you could potentially have a bachelor's degree by the time you're 20. Or double major and still graduate in 4 years. A lot of homeschooled kids in this area do this. It sounds pretty efficient to me! I was so annoyed that after 4 years of honors high school English, math, science and history I had to basically repeat these classes in community college just to get the proper GE credits for a degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I have heard the opposite. As long as one is entering as a freshman, one is eligible for scholarships available to freshman. Now, it may depend on the college on how many credits they will take and still consider a student a freshman. The state schools here do not give college credit for classes taken for high school credit (that is, to meet the high school graduation requirements.) They do consider these students freshmen. I had not heard of other students having difficulty getting college scholarships because of community college classes. Several kids in our homeschooling group who have CC classes on their transcript are weighing offers. One is in the running for the President's Scholarship at a local liberal arts college - meaning full tuition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 A trend in our area is for homeschoolers to start at the community college when they turn 16, whether or not they have finished high school requirements. For instance, they may have one or two high school credits for history and they take the one history class required at the CC. They end up never having government or maybe even American history at the high school level. The same with math and science. I'm not talking about the best and brightest kids who need more challenge than a typical high school class offers. What is a typical high school class? My oldest is taking American History at the CC this year as a junior, but I assure you that it is not as challenging as many of the high school American history course descriptions that I have seen on this board. Next year I plan for him to take math and English comp. Some of this has to do with a young man who needs to report to someone other than mom. Some of this has to do with math through the CC being cheaper than an online high school or tutor. He will not be taking classes at the CC, because they are more challenging than what could be offered at home, through a tutorial, online high school, or private tutor. Enlighten me on this trend and explain why it's a good idea. I always thought that the high school courses gave students some background in every subject...maybe I'm wrong. With the increase in AP classes, maybe this is already happening at so many schools that high school is really reduced to two years and then college levelwork begins. I think it is nice that my oldest will be able to learn time management at home prior to leaving for college. It is also nice for ds that those grades "count," because it makes him work a little diligently. However, although I am sure that the CC is a step up from the local public high school, the background necessary for CC courses has been completely achieved if the high school student can make a 19 on the ACT. Even without the ACT score I would venture to guess that most of the 16yo that I know would be more than prepared to take a CC level history course. Also, the head of my umbrella school actually told me that he feels that high school is 2 years worth of work stretched over 4 years. However, in addition to saying that more high schools are offering AP classes I would also venture to guess that the college standard has been reduced. And on that note, what is the advantage of dd taking German at the community college vs continuing with OSU's German Online? It may be less expensive. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 He said that when it comes to financial aid, many colleges will only give a good financial aid package to those who are entering as freshmen, meaning with no college transfer credits at all, i.e. no community college classes. I'd be interested to know if anyone has had any experience with this? My cousin went to Vanderbilt on a partial scholarship. She had over 20hours of college credit when she graduated from high school. Her only regret- that she didn't have more college credits! Her freshman roommate had over 30! Typically, colleges do not include college credit hours taken prior to graduating from high school. When they say entering freshmen, they mean a student who graduated in the May and will be beginning college in the fall of the same year. To receive the most possible lottery scholarship funding as a homeschooler in TN a student must "be enrolled in at least four (4) college-level courses totaling at least twelve (12) semester hours and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. The student must achieve a 29 Composite score or above, on a national test date for the ACT test or a 1280 (math plus critical reading scores only) or above, on a national test date for the SAT test for GAMS consideration." http://www.tn.gov/CollegePays/mon_college/lottery_scholars.htm HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 This isn't a direct answer to your question, but I learned something interesting when one of the dads in our homeschool group talked with our group about college admissions. He's the dean of admissions at a local college here, and he shared something I'd never heard: He said that when it comes to financial aid, many colleges will only give a good financial aid package to those who are entering as freshmen, meaning with no college transfer credits at all, i.e. no community college classes. I'd be interested to know if anyone has had any experience with this? I have a friend with a dc who went through an IB program. She graduated with about 45 hours of college credit with all of her AP and IB classes/exams. However, to be eligible for the *BIG* scholarship package the Universty of Florida would only let her transfer in 30 hours. Just one person's experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outtamyshell Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I loved Charles Murray's book 'Real Education.' I felt like it was telling the story I had learned through hard knocks trying to make our way through the schooling years. One trend we are seeing is the dumbing down of college education in our country. This is bound to happen as we push more and more people to get a college degree before they are allowed to interview for jobs that do not require a college education. The other trend we have is our top high school students are often expected to get college credit through AP courses, etc. I always thought the benefit of a highschool level class was that you had one full year to absorb the material. In our area, the public schools use block scheduling. That means a kid who needs more time to absorb the material doesn't get it from a high school level course here. They will get some gaps, though, as public school teachers in the high school leave out the material they assume was covered enough in the elementary grades in order to squeeze the material into one semester. I had a hard time finding a benefit in the block schedule. As we push more and more college level material on high school students and dumb down what we consider college level material, there is more and more overlap in what is taught. Twelve years ago when my daughter was starting school, I was considered fairly radical by my friends for wanting dd to graduate with an AA when she finished high school. But now I think that's becoming a common concept. There are even public high schools organizing their curriculum around this goal. The real question is... Does an AA degree provide the best education available? I think clearly the answer is no. There are some fabulous public and private schools that provide a more robust, classical liberal education to their students. A homeschooler with unlimited resources has access to the very best education in the world - at least as good as the best prep schools. But if college is in your future you still have the credential hoops to jump through after you finish that high school education. We all have limited resources and different educational priorities. For us, the best fit includes a mix of AP and college level courses as a part of our homeschool curriculum. My dd will not graduate with her AA when she leaves high school. And she will not have a 4.0 gpa. However, she will have 26 college credit hours and the best education I can provide her with the resources I currently have available. We will fill the biggest gaps left from her many years bouncing around various public schools. And she will have the most robust education I can get for her while still teaching her to live a balanced life. Our goals include at least a four year college degree, so I look beyond the high school years in my planning. If we hadn't wasted so many years in public middle schools then I'm sure dd would have been prepared for something like the BASIS schools curriculum in high school. But middle school was a wasted three years for us. You can't relive the past. You just pick up where you are and make the best decisions for your current circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 A lot of homeschooled kids in this area do this. It sounds pretty efficient to me! I was so annoyed that after 4 years of honors high school English, math, science and history I had to basically repeat these classes in community college just to get the proper GE credits for a degree. When I went to college, I placed in advanced classes in some subjects. I never felt that I was covering the same material that I did in high school. I agree that it's efficient and it's a great solution for kids who are advanced and ready to go beyond high school level work. My dd has enough high school credits to easily graduate...four years of main subjects by the end of her junior year. But I'm talking more about kids who jump into community colleges after their sophomore year with no more than a year of algebra under their belt for math, and in science no more than physical science and maybe biology. Are they being served by being allowed to jump into college courses rather than continuing in depth year long high school courses? Dh and I are on a committee at our local college that focuses on homeschool admissions...(primarily before the kids finish high school). The college is happy to have them there- they need the students, their money, and are fine with them being in remedial courses if needed. But rather than the usual dual enrollment, they seem to be pushing for the kids to be graduated after grade 10 and enrolled as regular college students. The parents are excited that their kids are out of school and in college at a young age but I keep coming back to wondering if the students will have missed anything by doing it this way. Dd will attend cc part time next year so now it sounds like we need to weigh how we want her admitted...dual enrolled or not. You've all given me plenty to think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 A lot of homeschooled kids in this area do this. It sounds pretty efficient to me! I was so annoyed that after 4 years of honors high school English, math, science and history I had to basically repeat these classes in community college just to get the proper GE credits for a degree. When I went to college, I placed in advanced classes in some subjects. I never felt that I was covering the same material that I did in high school. I agree that it's efficient and it's a great solution for kids who are advanced and ready to go beyond high school level work. My dd has enough high school credits to easily graduate...four years of main subjects by the end of her junior year. But I'm talking more about kids who jump into community colleges after their sophomore year with no more than a year of algebra under their belt for math, and in science no more than physical science and maybe biology. Are they being served by being allowed to jump into college courses rather than continuing in depth year long high school courses? Dh and I are on a committee at our local college that focuses on homeschool admissions...(primarily before the kids finish high school). The college is happy to have them there- they need the students, their money, and are fine with them being in remedial courses if needed. But rather than the usual dual enrollment, they seem to be pushing for the kids to be graduated after grade 10 and enrolled as regular college students. The parents are excited that their kids are out of school and in college at a young age but I keep coming back to wondering if the students will have missed anything by doing it this way. Dd will attend cc part time next year so now it sounds like we need to weigh how we want her admitted...dual enrolled or not. You've all given me plenty to think about! You make some good points! I agree that if a student isn't at an AP/honors level in high school, they would probably benefit from taking classes in high school and then again at a higher level in college. It probably makes sense to do it on a subject-by-subject basis, depending on the strengths of each student. I'm interested to know what you decide! It sounds like your dd is doing very well. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 The college is happy to have them there- they need the students, their money, and are fine with them being in remedial courses if needed. At our CC dual enrolled students are not allowed to take remedial classes. A student must have a minimum score of a 19 on the Reading section to enroll in anything. A student must have a 19 on the math section of the ACT to dual enroll in math or science courses. A student must have a 19 on the English section to take English and speech courses. It sounds like the dual enrollment guidelines at our CC would not allow the sort of early enrollment that is concerning you.:D It is interesting how this varies from state to state. Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I think in theory, your idea is correct. It is true that if you were to go to our CC full-time without finishing high school, it would be possible to appear "educated" (AA degree) without having had to take some of the basic classes most people associate with having completed high school. Our CC has general education requirements, but they are considerably less than those required in high school to make room for all the courses required for each particular degree. A minimum ACT or SAT or placement exam would ensure that math and reading and writing are at an appropriate level, but there are certainly many things like government that aren't tested. In practice, though, I'm not sure it is true. (This next bit is a total mishmash of thoughts. Sorry. Guess I'm still thinking and haven't decided anything. This all ties in very much with the decisions I'm making for my youngest's high school education. Thank you for posting this.) My own public high school let me graduate without knowing biology or chemistry or government or history or any economics or statistics, and with very little literature. Some of those courses I had in 8th grade, like US history, at a fairly low level. Some I didn't retain past the final, like chemistry. Some I didn't take at all, like government. Yes, I had on my transcript 4 years each of English, science, math, social studies, and foreign language, but that didn't mean I had the education that my mother, for example, or the rest of the world was assuming I was getting. Some of that is my fault for forgetting, but some of it is the school system's fault for not offering it. And who is to say that that set of knowledge best equips people to become contributing, satisfied adults? I happen to think that some of the set is needed to produce an intelligent adult voter, but not all of it. I am an intelligent adult voter, despite my high school education. And looking back on it now, I can see that the reason my high school didn't require government or US history or geography is that it taught these things and taught them well (guess that is how I survived so nicely) in 7th and 8th grade. People (I'm including a confused me in this "people") look at schools like the one recently discussed here (BASIS? something like that?) and are amazed at the level of education that can be given in middle school. We complain about not letting children be children. And then we complain about education being dumbed down and college being what high school used to be. Then we complain about our children being late bloomers and not being ready for college-level work in high school. Then we complain about not being able to put middle school work on a high school transcript. Then we complain about the non-challengingness of some of the CC classes. Then we complain about how AP classes require massive amounts of organized study and we're not sure it is worth memorizing all those details and we search for something that teaches the whole picture for the next child. It seems to me that all these questions are part of the same thing, and these opposing feelings are why I'm having trouble deciding what to do with my youngest. Do I choose what I think of as the European model (gymnasium or lycee)? This covers depth AND breadth and requires the high school years to be pretty much totally devoted to academics. Do I choose unschooling? This (judging from the children I have met who have done this) seems to produce great depth of knowledge in their areas of interest and adults who knows themselves well, know their way around the world, know how to learn something, and are generally happy because they feel they are contributing to their world and fulfilling their own educational goals. (But maybe this is just the ones I have met? Ones whose parents have the resources and knowledge to do a good job with unschooling?) Do I choose public school? Public school seems to be trying to compromise between these two, between the education my mother, who was tracked into a "Latin" junior and senior high, received, and the 1960s (or whenever) style more alternative-y education I received. They haven't yet found a good compromise, although letting people choose between lots of small schools of different types may be step in the right direction. I would seriously consider private school if there were a quaker one within commuting range and I had the money, but there isn't. Ok - this is getting incredibly long, but I'd reeeelly reeellly like some help sorting all this out and I'm hoping if I post all my ramblings, someone can help. Maybe the answer is in the trivium? It teaches breadth earlier and depth later, doesn't it? And it doesn't discount or waste those middle school years. Or TWTM's adaptation of it... which seems to me to be a good compromise between unschooling and "Euro"... I, too, have noticed the trend towards doing CC early and wondered about it. Maybe we're seeing a remodelling of our high school system? I do know that I don't want to just do an associate's degree the last two year's of high school. We (at the moment anyway) luxuriously can afford to do both high school, a project or two, and four years of college (with loans). I want CC to teach lab sciences and higher maths, and to validate my ungraded transcript. That part I have figured out GRIN. It is all the rest... -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Yup, did that. In fact, at the first hs conference I went to in 1983, that was what one of the speakers recommended: community college instead of high school. His opinion was that most of the required lower division course courses were a repeat of high school, and what was the point of doing them twice? And in Calif, transfer students (from the c.c.) are guaranteed to be admitted to the UC or CalState campuses, ahead of high school grads (depending on what their majors will be; they will be admitted, but they might not get in at a specific campus if their major is impacted). As transfer students, their high school grades are irrelevant. Our dc began taking classes at the c.c. when they were 14ish. We did not push them to graduate in two years (i.e., early), though. If I had it to do over again...I'd do it the same exact way. C.c. instead of high school worked for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 ...my son finished High School in an "accelerated" program for his senior year. This program was geared towards kids that were in danger of dropping out - ones that had good state and other test scores and good grades in many areas, but basically, hate school, OR may need to finish up school early for other reasons. He finished in December, and entered community college in January. In hindsight, if I had to do it over again, I think I would have pulled him out of high school after his sophomore year and just let him finish up as a home schooler, and then enter college. Why? Because unfortunately, many of the freshman basic classes (such as English) are almost a repeat of what he did in 11th and 12th grade. He is extremely disappointed in college right now, because he feels like he was lied to by his teachers and counselors when he complained how bored he was of spending his time on BS and busy work in school and felt he wasn't really learning anything in many classes. He was told that "don't worry - it is much different in college!" Not so much - at least of the general ed requirements that the colleges have. SO - I can understand kids wanting to start college classes earlier via dual enrollment so they don't have to re take lower level classes in college. My husband goes to the same college, and there was a high school student in his class in dual enrollment. I wish I had thought about this earlier - but alas, hindsight is 20/20, right? Down here in TX, the particular college my son and husband go to is quite successful in that many of their 2 year graduates go to other state and private universities. In fact, they have a lot of students at other colleges come home and take a class or two in the summer. The key, of course, is to make sure the particular university will take the credits. There are a few other community colleges in our area that our community college won't even accept most of their credits because they don't feel their courses in many areas are up to snuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 You've all given me quite a bit to think about! I'm looking forward to the committee meeting at the college and am more prepared to ask (and answer) the questions that will arise. Dd is looking forward to attending next year and it will be a nice bridge year for her. She's feeling well prepared - which is quite different than some of her friends, one of whom has never had any algebra and her mom is sending her to the community college for her first exposure to it. I hope dd's experience is that she has to work more diligently than she does at home for me or her online courses. Thanks again for the food for thought. Our family has had many discussions about this topic this week! (Were your ears itching? My gram used to say your ears itch when someone is talking about you) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outtamyshell Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Nan, thanks for posting your thoughts. It may seem like a jumble of ideas in your head right now, but a jumble of ideas in your head always seem clearer to me than many people's published ideas. I think it comes down to what your goals are. I do wish we had school choice in the public schools because we don't all want the same thing out of education. I have found some charter schools that have me drooling. But most of the parents I know would have no interest in sending their kids there. There are other schools that I've seen parents very enthusiastic about that I would never want for my child. I think we're crazy to think that one public school system can meet the needs of everyone. I don't think it's too far off that we will have more customized educational solutions for all kids in the country. And I think that homeschoolers are on the cutting edge of developing the various options that public school kids will get to choose from someday. One day there will be books written that will help parents identify their educational goals, their child's learning style, and choose from the many educational options that are best for them. But we are still the pioneers discovering and creating alternatives. It's up to each of us to determine where we are trying to go and fill in the steps and resources we need to get there. Please keep sharing your thoughts as you work your way through the journey. Eventually, we'll end up with a more clearly-defined map that others can use to get to their destinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 So, My daughter will be 17 in time for this coming school year. I'm thinking about her starting Community College this coming year. How many classes does a 17 year old usually start with? Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 So, My daughter will be 17 in time for this coming school year. I'm thinking about her starting Community College this coming year. How many classes does a 17 year old usually start with? Carrie:-) I think the proper answer is "it depends!" It depends on what works for your daughter, what works for your family, what is available, and how affordable it is. My daughter started taking classes at the community college as a 16 year old 11th grader. She took a heavy load her first quarter (Composition, College Algebra and Introduction to Geology) which was in addition to classes she was taking elsewhere (AP Latin and AP Comparative Politics & Government). She did fine but for others it might not have been the right decision. Some choose to do one class in which the student has a great interest. Others choose to do a class they would rather not tackle at home (i.e., a science class with lab or a foreign language or advanced math). Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Our son is taking classes at the local college as a young junior (14) and I must agree with the poster who commented on the rigor of some college courses. The US History course he is taking, while really appealing to him, is not at all at the level of the "classical" history we have done at home. The professor, a former Cornell prof no less, seems to grade much easier than Mom. Now maybe I need to back off a little, yes, but I wonder what impact getting great grades in this environment will have on "reall" college or maybe real college is easy these days too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 we had ds take Economics for his first CC class, since the econ classes in TX are mandated to teach free market econ. I knew he'd get better coaching in composition continuing to take English with me or with a friend than if he took it at CC, so I never had him take English there. He only took one class at the CC, then he began taking classes at the local state university, so he had a total of 12 credit hours as a high schooler. He's had his share of lousy profs, and that's in spite of trying to hand pick his professors using PickAProf. Our experience so far is that the students' ratings are pretty true to life. For example, this semester, none of the good Physics profs are teaching, because Physics I for Engineers in the spring is not the "normal" pattern for engineering students, they usually teach it in the Fall. So, as you pick classes, make use of whatever resources you can to get good profs, find out when the courses are usually taken by students, and try to get in that flow. Another comment: if you have a homeschool community, your kid may prefer that group of homeschoolers as peers. Neither the CC nor the uni is doing anything for my two kids' social life. They just don't have much in common with the students there. For example, when ds (at 16) took that 8 a.m. Econ class, he was the *only* one there who wasn't an adult who then left class to go to work. By 9:20, when I picked him up, he said there were alway students in the quad having a quick smoke (legal and otherwise :eek:) before going to their first class. Dd16 didn't find anyone in her art classes with whom she had much in common, although she has been well-liked by both the teachers for her work ethic. I think it is partially age and partially her POV. (She never told anyone she was a homeschooler, and you can't tell by her dress or mannerisms.) She is now of the opinion that artists are a pretty crazy bunch. :001_unsure: So, that's my 2 cents...consider what all you might want from CC classes, and whether those needs might be better served elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 It sounds pretty efficient to me! I was so annoyed that after 4 years of honors high school English, math, science and history I had to basically repeat these classes in community college just to get the proper GE credits for a degree. This is why my 15 yo (if all goes according to plan) will attend a class at our community college this fall--just one class though. He may take one online too if he finds one that interests him (probably something computer programming related). He'll also be in his final year of high school level math next year. It makes sense to move on right away so he won't have to repeat/review any. We are taking it on a subject by subject basis as well. There are some subjects (literature comes to mind) where class discussion might be more enlightening than mom discussion. It's also a great choice for certain electives or a foreign language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Another comment: if you have a homeschool community, your kid may prefer that group of homeschoolers as peers. Neither the CC nor the uni is doing anything for my two kids' social life. They just don't have much in common with the students there. For example, when ds (at 16) took that 8 a.m. Econ class, he was the *only* one there who wasn't an adult who then left class to go to work. By 9:20, when I picked him up, he said there were alway students in the quad having a quick smoke (legal and otherwise :eek:) before going to their first class. Dd16 didn't find anyone in her art classes with whom she had much in common, although she has been well-liked by both the teachers for her work ethic. I think it is partially age and partially her POV. (She never told anyone she was a homeschooler, and you can't tell by her dress or mannerisms.) She is now of the opinion that artists are a pretty crazy bunch. :001_unsure: I was worried about this for my dd who started taking classes at 15. But she has found actually found a couple of friends her age through the CC! They are sweet girls that she has gotten together with outside of class. Taking classes at the CC starting at 16 is common in our area, so it's not surprising that each time she starts a class, she comes home to tell me about the 15-18 year old girls she has met. I'm still wondering about the *boys* she might be meeting but not telling me about, :) ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 So people are having their kids take CC classes instead of high school classes and then using those credits to go into higher level classes at a 4-year college? I have a dumb question then -- do some folks consider the first two years of college to basically be remedial? (I know it depends strongly on the college, but I am just having problems understanding how a student can just "skip" two years of education somewhere along the line and not end up with a weaker education because of it!) If anyone can explain, I'd appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 Gwen, that is exactly what I wondered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 It is more that the university classes (in my experience) don't really assume that you remember anything from high school, or even that you took the subject, unless there's a stated prerequisite or placement test. So classes like "US History I/II" will not usually have "High school US history" as a prerequisite, nor will they assume that you know much about it already. They will (usually) cover the subject matter faster and/or deeper than a high school course, but they cover the same subject matter. A student who is able to handle the accelerated pace should be fine, but a student who isn't yet ready at 16 might need the time in high school level courses. At some of the better universities, the background knowledge expected is much higher -- I'm thinking more of average community college/state universities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.