Hear from those that have gone on to college

Hey there,

We have two college students at the moment and one that is looking forward to a career as a history teacher (she’s only a junior in hs now, though, so that could change). Our oldest is working through College Plus for a degree in communications. His end goal is to have a ministery to youth. Our next youngest did some clepping in highschool and is currently enrolled as a distant student with Liberty for a degree in musical theater with the goal of ministering in the inner cities. She is on an accelerated path to complete two years of college in one year and then go onsite for the rest of her classes.

I do not know if you had specific questions, but I will be happy to answer any that I can.

Blessings,

Cindy

Our oldest recently started college studies using a creative mix-and-match approach. Much of the first year or two of college is high school review so he has been taking CLEP tests to earn those credits. It took him just over four months to complete the first year’s worth of credits. The independent study skills and in-depth learning from homeschooling has served him well.

His plan is to transfer his test scores to a distance learning college to finish a bachelors degree in business. After that, he’s looking at a one-year, hands-on, intensive film school.

We’ll have to wait until he gets to the end to say how much of a success story it is. 🙂 But it looks good so far.

Here you go:

http://www.collegeplus.org/

I’d like to hear more about how previous CM students have found the transition from homeschooling to college classes (or high school, for any that have done CM only through middle school). Were the grading systems, writing styles, lecture styles, class discussions, exams, etc. a big adjustment for them? How have you seen their CM education pay off in terms of how college/high school felt as they figured out who they were and where they were headed? Just looking for stories, not expecting formulas. 🙂

Thanks!

-Ellen

CLEP stands for college-level examination program. CLEP tests can be taken for college credit for a variety of subjects, from English composition to business management and everything in between. Passing a CLEP exam means that the student earns college credit without having to attend a class. Since a CLEP exam costs less than a hundred dollars, you can see how you can save literally thousands of dollars by earning credit through CLEP. Most colleges limit the number of CLEP-earned credits they will accept when a student enrolls in the college, so it is best to check with potential colleges before taking too many exams.

One other thing about CLEP exams: the credit earned is kept on file for twenty years. There is no age limit on who can take CLEP exams. You only need two forms of ID, one must be a photo ID. So, for the really ambitious, your kids can earn college credit while they are still in high school, junior high, and in some cases even elementary school. 🙂

That is so funny-we just received College Without Compromise in the mail today. We also have a daughter who is going to be a senior next year. We can’t wait to read it! 🙂

Has your daughter taken any CLEP tests yet?

Danielle

Danielle,

Our daughter has not taken any CLEP tests yet, simply because we’re new to that whole idea. She just completed her first ACT test; she could have graduated this year, but life circumstances and prayer has helped us make the decision to do an extra year of high school. We plan on using next year to get in her required U.S. Government credit and possibly a dual enrollment class at a local community college. We also want to do more research into the CLEP testing and have her take a few of those next year as well.

Heather,

I wish we had known about this book before now because I think the information in it would have helped us make better informed decisions about the high school work we had her do. Also, some people work well under pressure and time constraints…I am NOT one of those people, especially when it comes to really important things such as this. I need time to get the information, process it, read it again, pray over it, process it again, pray again….you get the picture!! I feel like I’m cramming for a life changing final exam!! LOL I’m sure after you do this once, it’s easier with the next child. She and I read the book separately one chapter at a time and then we would get together and discuss what we had read and apply it to our situation. If I had known about this book when she was in 8th, I would have read it myself first to help hubby and me plan, and then maybe when she was in 10th let her read and discuss with me. I just happened to be one of those people who likes to be prepared.

Also, in our area, many 8th grade subjects can be counted for high school credit. So she really could’ve worked off more credits earlier on.