Credits Before College

[JMarie]

Looks like CollegeMinus has some competition:

creditsbeforecollege.com

[Mercer]

I don't really get why some fundies act like they invented earning college credits during high school or as if you need to join some special program to figure out how to do it.

I earned some college credits while I was in high school many years ago, and it wasn't unusual or particularly complicated to arrange.

Of course, I also had a lot more freedom than fundie kids did. I took the classes on a college campus with college students, and I was allowed to walk (unchaperoned!) from my school to the college for class and back. :o

[47of74]

I took the AP History class in high school instead of the regular History class. My 10th grade Social Studies teacher thought I would do well in such a class and I was (and still am) very interested in history. One of the things you could do if you took that class was to take an exam towards the end of the year and if you did well in the exam you would earn college credit for having taken the class.

I struggled in that class, they weren't kidding when they said it was advanced. I think I got out of there with a B or a C+. (That was almost 25 years ago so my memory is a little fuzzy). I didn't take the exam because I didn't think I'd do well enough to earn college credit. But taking the class really helped two years later when I went into college because I had something of an idea of what college level courses would be like beforehand.

[FundieWatcher]

There is a public high school here that is grades 9-13, you graduate with an Associate degree. You have that extra year plus they dont offer extra curricular activities (sports, clubs, prom). No charge to the parent for high school or the college classes. Kinda beats College Plus $150-600 per course.

[Growelly]

I teach at a public high school, and I teach an English course where students can 8 college credits if they qualify for a very reduced price.

I teach another writing course where they can earn 3 credits for free through the local technical college.

We have so many classes - both through the technical college and through a 4 year university. Plus, our student have the option of distance learning and taking courses through the the 2 year college in our city.

Playing their cards right, a student who graduates through our high school can start "real" college with sophomore status.

It's not that big of a deal - especially if you are positioned like we are with the resources we have.

[cindyluvs24]

Our public high school offers seniors the chance to take college accounting, writing, and calculus at the high school and get credit from the local community college. My son took calculus and he got 4 credits for only $125. The credits also transferred nicely to Rutgers.

[Guest]

I am student teaching in a public school district that will begin requiring their students to graduate high school with some college credits, an ACT score of at least 21, or a technical certificate. It's free for the students to take college classes while they are still in high school. It's crazy to me that they are willing to pay that much when they can take the same classes for free through the local public school system (if they have it).

[skrmom]

My son graduated high school with 36 college credits. He began college as a sophomore.

[TenderloinTrash]

My son graduated high school with 36 college credits. He began college as a sophomore.

Same here! I took a bunch of dual credits and AP courses. I think nearly everyone in my graduating class had some college credits because of how the English and Math departments are set up.

Something I'll never understand is why fundies don't take advantage of the numerous actual online courses out there. They're so much cheaper, especially if you do them while in high school instead of college. Of course, there's the possibility of worldly influences (and the fact that some of them would have no hope of passing some classes).

[Jana814]

My son graduated high school with 36 college credits. He began college as a sophomore.

I know someone who that happened to also. Good for your son.

[guitar_villain]

It's so common that the small college where I work is having discussions about limiting the amount of advanced credit. We occasionally have folks coming in as juniors with enough classes to basically exempt themselves out of the entire general ed curriculum, and the faculty are a bit uneasy claiming the education is the same. The folks who do this almost always excel though- if you managed to package that much into high school you're going to be able to handle college work through sheer raw effort if nothing else.

[VVV]

My son entered college with 54 AP credits...he was almost a junior. Part of that was taking a lot of AP tests and doing really well on them, and the other part was choosing a university that granted so much credit based on AP scores. Universities, and departments within universities, can pick and choose what credit to offer, based on what score.

That the fundies get so excited over programs like college minus and credits before college only goes to show how very ignorant they are of what is available at virtually all good public high schools.

Edited to apologize for bragging. :whistle:

[Jana814]

That the fundies get so excited over programs like college minus and credits before college only goes to show how very ignorant they are of what is available at virtually all good public high schools.

Agree!! They don't get it and many don't want to.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Homeschooled students can take the AP tests and other mainstream credit-earning tests. I know several people who were homeschooled by secular parents and took AP exams. And I'll join the chorus of people who earned college credits in high school through well-established programs. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel unless you are worried about what your kid will learn, or how she will compete, with existing courses.

*edit: looking at the website more closely, they're not even reinventing the wheel. They just charge people for informational workshops about taking the CLEP tests. Yawn.

[snarkopolis]

There is a program in my state that has allowed some schools (I think a shortage of teachers is a limiting factor?) to offer community college classes for credits so that you could get an associates by the time you graduate from high school.

[nelliebelle1197]

My son entered college with 54 AP credits...he was almost a junior. Part of that was taking a lot of AP tests and doing really well on them, and the other part was choosing a university that granted so much credit based on AP scores. Universities, and departments within universities, can pick and choose what credit to offer, based on what score.

That the fundies get so excited over programs like college minus and credits before college only goes to show how very ignorant they are of what is available at virtually all good public high schools.

Edited to apologize for bragging. :whistle:

I will brag, too, just to make you feel better. I started as a second semester sophomore and only had to take the required for everyone freshman English; every other course I took in undergrad was a 300 or 400 level course. I graduated with 2 full BAs.

How these fundy homeskoolers think CLEPs and CollegeMinus are equal to real AP/dual enrollment classes taught by actual learned people (my high school had a shocking number of MAs and PhDs teaching, usually spouses of people at the local air force installation where a whole bunch of scientists are based,working on new ways to kill people; my English, American history, chemistry and calculus teachers were all PhDs) is beyond me.

[socalrules]

I am still waiting for the fundy kid that takes and passes a college level course at a real brick and mortar accrediated college.

[Toothfairy]

My son entered college with 54 AP credits...he was almost a junior. Part of that was taking a lot of AP tests and doing really well on them, and the other part was choosing a university that granted so much credit based on AP scores. Universities, and departments within universities, can pick and choose what credit to offer, based on what score.

That the fundies get so excited over programs like college minus and credits before college only goes to show how very ignorant they are of what is available at virtually all good public high schools.

Edited to apologize for bragging. :whistle:

Wow that's amazing. My daughter wanted to graduate with 60 college credits so she can graduate early from college. A school in my area does this where kids enter college at 16 and graduate with their AA degree and high school diploma. Of course there's a catch not every college will accept every credit. My daughter did get 30 college credits but unfortunately her school uses AP as placement and don't accept CLEP credits. But it still looks good on her transcript.

[Toothfairy]

I am still waiting for the fundy kid that takes and passes a college level course at a real brick and mortar accrediated college.

Unless it's Jesus college no way can they pass real school.

[Growelly]

We offer the CNA course at our school for free, too.

Neither of my kids at this point want to go into the medical field, but I wouldn't be against them taking it - great way to get a decent paying (for high school and college age) part time job.

[Laurabelle]

Unless it's Jesus college no way can they pass real school.

Hate to burst your bubble but a co-worker of mine grew up fundie (I think her family leaned towards fundie light, they watched some tv and such, but wore skirts/dresses and her mom still gets bent out of shape when my co-worker posts a fb picture wearing a shirt showing the very top top of her chest. My co-worker is in her thirties, married, with a kid)--went to an accredited college and got a BA. Not saying someone like a Duggar could do that, but all homeschooling is not equal.

[JMarie]

I don't really get why some fundies act like they invented earning college credits during high school or as if you need to join some special program to figure out how to do it.

I earned some college credits while I was in high school many years ago, and it wasn't unusual or particularly complicated to arrange.

Of course, I also had a lot more freedom than fundie kids did. I took the classes on a college campus with college students, and I was allowed to walk (unchaperoned!) from my school to the college for class and back. :o

What does the chaperon do, exactly? Does he or she wait in the hallway while the student is in the classroom? Does he or she sit with the student and promise not to pay attention to the lecture? Several years ago I went back to college, first at a community college then at a state U. I've never seen any chaperoning at either campus.

[EmiGirl]

I am still waiting for the fundy kid that takes and passes a college level course at a real brick and mortar accrediated college.

My husband was pretty funny when he graduated Marshall University in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA.

[EmiGirl]

My husband was pretty fundy when he graduated Marshall University in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA.

[nelliebelle1197]

I think the fundies and homeschoolers to which the posters here are referring are not the ones who go to regular colleges but rather the ones who use College Minus, etc., thus the point of this thread.