Community College Route: transcripts, schedule, and process of graduating

There are many reasons we chose Community College for our daughter, and after completing her first community college class with an A, we are feeling pretty good about ourselves with this decision.

1.  Our local community college is close to our home, is a safe school, Ian swims there, and she's already had plenty exposure to the campus.  

2.  Large fish, small pond.  I am an advocate of being in an academic environment that challenges the student, but also allows their (individual) achievements to be recognized.  Malcolm Gladwell outlines this well in his book, Outliers.  

To switch to another of Gladwell’s favorite metaphors, the point is that being a big fish is very helpful, even when picking the small pond means forgoing the high-status allure of the big pond. Second-rate schools can promote first-rate achievement, whereas more-selective environments can squelch it. 

3.  Texas community colleges and public universities share a common numbering system which enhances transfer of credit.  If the courses taken at the community college have a common number, it is accepted.  Therefore, no time is lost making the transfer.  

However, there are transfers at 1 year, and 2 years.  I plotted out the practical difference for Haley with tentative course-work (which has already been reconsidered and changed).   

The first option is transfer at 2 years - our original plan.  The advantage of this is, it puts Haley at 16.  Transfer to a "far away" University becomes an option (depending on lots of factors).  Also, schools (such as UTD) have automatic acceptance of community college graduates (and/or those with 42+ credits).  However, transfer after TWO years creates a situation where many of the 2nd year courses may not be accepted as major credit. And that is almost a guarantee if the transfer school is prestigious (which would be the only reason to leave home).  Therefore, a year is added to the program.

The second option is a transfer after 1 year with 30 credits.  This is advantageous over less than 30 units because no high-school credentials are necessary.  No SAT/ACT, no AP, no high-school GPA.  As a homeschooled student, it is 'helpful' to not have to 'justify' the transcript, or otherwise 'prove' competency (beyond the TSI, and the ACT she already took - which, BTW, she actually scored above the average incoming score for Xavier Univ of Louisiana freshman, and Prairie View, and TSU).

The second option allows her to get to the University sooner, so that, even IF she takes an "extra" year, that only meant that she either had follow-up chances to maximize success in a class, or had a lighter load to focus on the classes that matter.  Also, she is EAGER to get to a University.

My logic is, try for the 1 year transfer.  Worst case, its a 2nd year transfer.  Winning either way...

4.  Community College (in Texas) is like a secret back-door way of getting into college without all the "high-school drama."  Literally, Haley completely "skipped" high-school, and is "doing high-school" in a truly dual enrolled environment in a class of people who are essentially...in high-school.  BUT she's getting *credit* (real credit, not DE credit) and marks towards completion in a very real and practical way.  This is sans the SAT/ACT.  She was not trying to take SAT II Subject tests, and AP exams, and do the dance to get into a "prestigious" University.  And as soon as I realized this, this CC option became GOLDEN.

5.  Because she can do it NOW.  No waiting.  No age-restrictions.  The process was simple and confusing at the same time:

• Apply online

• Create a transcript (and get it notarized) - transcript must have junior level amount of credits.

• Meet with an advisor

• Take (and pass) the TSI exam. 

• Decide to jump all the way in:  Graduate the student (now senior level of classes on transcript composed the way they recommend online).**  

• Register (online) for courses***

• *Haley had CLEP credit that is $25 to post, and has to be done by the student (with an ID) in person, while enrolled.

• Get a student ID

Register for class and do well.

** Haley's Transcript - created by me.  Complete and submitted.

***schedule considerations:  based on time, gaps, days, teachers, subjects, transferable, prerequisites, interests.

Transcript - lets get started

Work in progress - the transcript

A few nights ago I attended a seminar on how to do the high-school transcript.  Creating this document is the cornerstone of the homeschooling parents duty!!  It is important to plan the high-school curriculum, and the advice we received was to look up what the local public schools are doing and see if you can make your own homeschooling curriculum "fit."

So I looked up the TEA website, saw the requirements for a diploma in Texas to be only 22 credits.  Haley is taking 8 credits each year - so that's 32 (almost 2 extra years of school!!).  Some consolation is that the "distinguished" diploma from the State of TX is 26 credits.  So she won't be TOO far above her public school counterparts.  I didn't want her to be so much in the stratosphere on *this* document because admissions counselors may not know what to think of that.  And in "not knowing," it may be dismissed.

One major advantage the homeschooling student has is:  everything they do can be "for credit."  For instance, if Haley attended public school and took afterschool private piano lessons, she wouldn't be able to get "school credit" for all that work unless she ALSO took piano at school.  But in taking piano AT school, she has less spots to fill with OTHER classes, like fencing for PE, or orchestra.  As a homeschooler, she can get a credit for piano, orchestra, fencing, AND still have "room" in her schedule for all the 4x4 (4 years of English, 4 years of Social Studies, 4 years of Math, and 4 years of science).  Fine art and PE are covered as mentioned.  That's 18 credits right there.  Remember she needs only 22 to graduate!!

Then she does speech and debate.  Speech is a credit.  She has to take some elective.  Well, all those extra music classes can serve as elective (AP music theory, orchestra, harp, piano).  That's 23 credits if she only does each of her musical endeavors for one year for a single credit (which she's NOT going to do, she'll do them for 4 years).

Additionally, Haley is taking many AP classes, extra classes in humanities.  Because colleges require foreign language, she is taking 3 years of American Sign Language, and 3 years of Spanish.  Now you can see how she's at 32+ credits!!

Nonetheless, I did look at what our local public school system offers and the course descriptions, so when things can match (when it makes sense for her to try to 'match') we can do that (such as with American Sign Language being a foreign language).  The freedom of homeschooling comes from not being obligated to engage in coursework if it doesn't fit in the larger picture of her life.  It also (and primarily) allows her to spend her valuable time engaging in activities that play to her strengths and interests while minimizing those activities that serve as "busy work."

The transcript is also serving as a road-map for high-school.  This road map is allowing me to plan this upcoming year (as Haley begins taking high-school classes like geometry and possibly a science).  Even IF she goes back to public school, or private school, the transcript will help make the transition a tiny bit easier.  It will demonstrate her level of education, and while I'm sure there will be exams and what-not to confirm the proper placement, I am not concerned because the coursework she's doing is actually more rigorous than that in public school....so she'll do fine.

People frequently ask me how the kids are able to find the time to do all the activities that they do.  The answer is, they don't *waste* time at school 40 hours each week doing stuff just because that's what everyone else is doing.  FORTY hours a week is a TON of time.  Time enough to explore and develop almost anything.