Looking into online college classes for my 14 yo dd...

[Margaret in GA]

My dd is interested in taking a college course this summer and I do believe she could handle it. Our first thought was community college, but she feels uncomfortable given her age (as do I) and has suggested an online class as an alternative. Has anyone had any experience with a teen taking college credit courses online?

I found one college (oregon state university online) that would accept her with no pre-requesite or age requirement.
Any experience with that school? Is it for real? :confused:

thanks!
Margaret in GA

[Anne/Ankara]

Well, wouldn't the AP level online classes fit the bill? They are supposed to be college level (advanced placement) classes equal to those given on campus, and have an exam (which you take or not take) at the end of the course, validating the student's mastery of the subject. There are about 25 courses available this way, in all sorts of disciplines.

Here is a link to the PA Homeschoolers AP online classes, but there are also other alternatives.

http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/courses/index.html

[ddandgirls]

It is for real. The University is well known on the west coast. It is a large, full NCAA state university. I knew they had GT programs but was not aware they had a middle and high school program as well as a college credit in HS program and a distance learning online program. I just perused the entire site and it looks good to me. There's also a program out of the Univ. of Missouri.

Now you've given me more to think about.
D-

[NancyL]

Hi! I'm a OSU grad and grew up in Corvallis. My dad was a prof and walked to work, so I can assure you it is a real campus. (even has a nuclear reactor we had a tour of during Mid. school!) Anyway-when I went to an alumni event they announced that the distance ed has been very successful. Due to the difficulties in getting visas they are offering more classes for students around the world, that want to study but aren't in a position to actually come to Corvallis. It seems to be a niche for them, and I liked the look of the HS classes also. I have called and talked with them about how the classes work. I think they may even be used for some of the smaller schools in Oregon that may not cover certain topics. (HS) They also run Sat. programs, and summer teen programs.(residence) I can't speak from experience for my self, however. In my day, OSU took student education seriously and made sure that you had advising whether you wanted it or not! Most faculty seemed to work hard, at least all my dad's friends did.
We do the U. of Missouri and you should know that everything is multiple choice! The finals might have only 30-40 questions and you can really blow it if you have a bad day. (you need to really try to maximize all the points you can get from the open book progress reports) so that the tests won't hurt as much. You can get courses done very quickly as they have instant grading, but its hard to make your student cover all the material , they just go for the progress questions. I seem to like Indiana as its essays, and if you do the homework, you will do well on the tests. The U. of Missouri can have tricky questions. (I have never seen the tests, of course, and you never get them back) My kids have done either really well, or really badly.

[mcconnellboys]

University of Indiana will also accept her. My fourteen year old son (last year) took 3 college classes online from them. They were great! We were able to have the tests proctored at our local university and didn't even have to pay for that service, so that was a help, too!

Regena

[Mommyfaithe]

My 14 yo ds is definitely ready for a college class...but how do I go about enrolling him in an online one?? I could have him take courses through the SUNY network online...but then he has all these hoops and tests he has to do...and then get accepted first. I'd much rather get him signed up...pay for the course and sink or swim.

PLEASE tell me how you sign your kiddoes up for these out of state college courses. (NY is really tough on homeschoolers in this area...at least that has been my experience.)
Thanks,
Faithe

[NancyL]

Regena- would you mind telling me which Indiana courses you selected and how you liked them? Did they give you advice or did you just pick them at random? We are doing some HS classes and they said you can also do dual credit through them. They actually let us use the same librarian that we always do, which is nice, because the CC testing center charges $30 per test. (other colleges are sticklers about the proctoring and really don't go along with the librarian idea.) My older daughter did the precal and trig, but having only the one 3 hour test for trig was hard as she was a senior and had a lot going on. I think I would prefer at least 2 tests per course if possible. I like the look of some of the lit and also history. I was wondering how hard the history would be. My daughter is turning 14 soon. Thanks so much!

[nrg]

Our community college has plenty of online offerings. Sometimes they require one live orientation meeting, but usually these courses are all online. My son, 15, has taken several of these over the last few years.

[K-FL]

Just to give our experience if decide to do the local cc route:

My dd started at the cc at 15yo. She's had nothing but good experiences. The students are of ALL ages & most of them (profs included) just assumed she was 18. She's taken 12 credits a semester (incl. summers) so will have her AA when her age-mates will be getting their hs diploma. The great thing is that we don't have to pay tuition/fees due to dual-enrollment $, where any AP classes would be $ + $ for the test & of course if you don't score high enough you lose. I'm planning on dd #2 starting this summer (she just turned 15.)

[MelodyInTx]

My twins have started taking classes at our local CC; both are taking classes online. They are considered dual credit.
They are allowed to take a total of 27 credit hours for free. We pay for the books.

JUST AN FYI.....There was a discussion some time back about students going over 30 hours while in high school and what impact that would have on their enrollment status at a 4 yr college. Would the student go in as a Freshman or a Transfer student? The scholarship money is HUGE between the two.
I don't remember the specifics, maybe someone else does. :confused:

[Amanda's Mommy]

Eastern Oregon Univ www.eou.edu (http://www.eou.edu) will accept younger teens into their distance ed programs as well.

[Margaret in GA]

I'll look into the dual enrollment thing. It would be nice to do this for free, but I'm doubtful that will fly in Georgia.

At any rate, I've got some real options here.

Thanks!!

Margaret

[SallyMac]

DS took a year of French at the local university when he was 15. Luckily, it is only 15 minutes from our house. He was a bit nervous going into the first class, but his classmates and professor were supportive. The university asked no questions at all. Now he is taking courses at the CC, but in our state they require you to go through your local superintendent's office, fill out a form, and get permission first. For some intro courses such as math and writing there are tests to see if you have the necessary skills to be in the class...but I think that is for all students and not just high school students. There were no requirements at the university like this. Of course, it is hundreds of dollars more per course, so we go to the CC now. He can take only one more college course, then he has to stop as he will not be eligible for many scholarships after he earns 21 college credits.