Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: college?
Bonni Sollars
Sharon, I wondered about homeschooling my children because I knew in high
school they teach accredited classes to graduate and get into college.
So I actually looked at the college literature to see if it mattered.
First of all, the community college does not require a high school
diploma or ged to get in. All we need to do is to take whatever classes
we want, take an exam, talk to a counselor about what major we're
interested in. If we want to be in a specific program, then we need to
meet certain requirements. But they show us what these are and how to
meet them. Then, the other thing is, when I went for a nursing course
several years ago, I found that all the college level courses I took in
high school meant nothing because after five years those credits don't
count. (So much for girls who take a break to bear children.) Even if I
don't do great on their exam, or don't meet their requirements, they show
how to get these things. I looked into film production, and
engineering, since those are what my two oldest are interested in. Boy
was I surprised that they did not even need a diploma to become these
things. I looked into the local colleges, and they take homeschooled
kids, they just want paperwork demonstrating or describing what sort of
things they've learned. In my area, home schooled kids are required to
take an exam every three years to prove they are learning. My oldest
needs to take it every year to stay in sports. He wants to get his ged
as soon as it is legal, and to start at the local community college as
soon as possible to become an architectural engineer. He plans to finish
two years locally, then finish his degree at a school about 30 miles
away. (I think of this as locally, but around here everything is so
close that 10 miles seems "too far to drive" to most people-haha:). He
is already saving up for college, and we are looking into scholarship
opportunities.
My oldest sister dropped out of school in the ninth grade and worked
three jobs to get a place out in the middle of nowhere (rural Oklahoma)
when she was 21 where she lived with her first husband who was also a
school drop out but made his living as an organic farmer and mechanic.
During this time she worked at a health food coop where she learned a lot
about natural health. They divorced. She got massages from a customer,
who taught massage therapy at the community college. At age 32, she got
her ged, which involved the dreaded algebra, became a massage therapist
and met her present husband in the same class. The two of them and his
friend opened the first massage therapy clinic in Fort Smith Arkansas
when she was 33. They are verrrry successful. More than I am. They
will retire five years from now, when she is 46.
I graduated from high school and never got into partying and skipping
school. I was on honor roll and had an A- average. Whoopdedoo. It
means nothing after five years. My point being that you don't need to
have some sort of special credits, etc. to go to college and get degrees.
You just find out what the school of your choice requires and endeavor
to meet those requirements. My thinking is that if you don't do well on
their entrance exam, then take local community college courses, or buy
their books and study them at home, and then take the exam again. It all
depends on how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the subject area.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Oh, I should mention correspondence schools. I know a woman who never
graduated from high school, but went to work in doctors offices at a
young age before you needed all the certificates. At 50 something, she
began to take a correspondence course to become a nurse while working
days for the doctor. She had to miss work occasionally to go to the
local community college for certain classes, but not too much. Five
years and a lot of books later, she took her nursing test and is a
licensed registered nurse.
Sorry if this is long, there are others who know more than I do about all
this. I think this has been discussed before and may be on the message
boards.
Bonni
school they teach accredited classes to graduate and get into college.
So I actually looked at the college literature to see if it mattered.
First of all, the community college does not require a high school
diploma or ged to get in. All we need to do is to take whatever classes
we want, take an exam, talk to a counselor about what major we're
interested in. If we want to be in a specific program, then we need to
meet certain requirements. But they show us what these are and how to
meet them. Then, the other thing is, when I went for a nursing course
several years ago, I found that all the college level courses I took in
high school meant nothing because after five years those credits don't
count. (So much for girls who take a break to bear children.) Even if I
don't do great on their exam, or don't meet their requirements, they show
how to get these things. I looked into film production, and
engineering, since those are what my two oldest are interested in. Boy
was I surprised that they did not even need a diploma to become these
things. I looked into the local colleges, and they take homeschooled
kids, they just want paperwork demonstrating or describing what sort of
things they've learned. In my area, home schooled kids are required to
take an exam every three years to prove they are learning. My oldest
needs to take it every year to stay in sports. He wants to get his ged
as soon as it is legal, and to start at the local community college as
soon as possible to become an architectural engineer. He plans to finish
two years locally, then finish his degree at a school about 30 miles
away. (I think of this as locally, but around here everything is so
close that 10 miles seems "too far to drive" to most people-haha:). He
is already saving up for college, and we are looking into scholarship
opportunities.
My oldest sister dropped out of school in the ninth grade and worked
three jobs to get a place out in the middle of nowhere (rural Oklahoma)
when she was 21 where she lived with her first husband who was also a
school drop out but made his living as an organic farmer and mechanic.
During this time she worked at a health food coop where she learned a lot
about natural health. They divorced. She got massages from a customer,
who taught massage therapy at the community college. At age 32, she got
her ged, which involved the dreaded algebra, became a massage therapist
and met her present husband in the same class. The two of them and his
friend opened the first massage therapy clinic in Fort Smith Arkansas
when she was 33. They are verrrry successful. More than I am. They
will retire five years from now, when she is 46.
I graduated from high school and never got into partying and skipping
school. I was on honor roll and had an A- average. Whoopdedoo. It
means nothing after five years. My point being that you don't need to
have some sort of special credits, etc. to go to college and get degrees.
You just find out what the school of your choice requires and endeavor
to meet those requirements. My thinking is that if you don't do well on
their entrance exam, then take local community college courses, or buy
their books and study them at home, and then take the exam again. It all
depends on how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the subject area.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Oh, I should mention correspondence schools. I know a woman who never
graduated from high school, but went to work in doctors offices at a
young age before you needed all the certificates. At 50 something, she
began to take a correspondence course to become a nurse while working
days for the doctor. She had to miss work occasionally to go to the
local community college for certain classes, but not too much. Five
years and a lot of books later, she took her nursing test and is a
licensed registered nurse.
Sorry if this is long, there are others who know more than I do about all
this. I think this has been discussed before and may be on the message
boards.
Bonni
sharon childs
Thanks Bonni,
Now I am feeling pretty confident that these things can be learned without
going and buying a set of text books every year. It is just a little
difficult grasping a new concept after so many years at the old one.
When I went into nursing school all we had to do was take the entrance
exams. They were based on 10th grade knowledge and was mostly reading and
math. Very easy to pass. I had already graduated from high school and
taken college courses in english, math and history but I had been majoring
in music. It would not have mattered if I had not gotten the diploma or
taken any courses as long as I passed that test. They only needed to see
that you would be able to get all the reading done ( I am sure you know how
many tons of reading that was so your speed and comprehension had to be
up ). The math you had to know only basic math and be able to learn to do
drug formula conversions.
I guess it is just full speed ahead and hope to do our best.
.·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·.
*: * Sharon * *
*·. .·*
`*·-:¦:-*´
³´`*:»§«:*´`³
Now I am feeling pretty confident that these things can be learned without
going and buying a set of text books every year. It is just a little
difficult grasping a new concept after so many years at the old one.
When I went into nursing school all we had to do was take the entrance
exams. They were based on 10th grade knowledge and was mostly reading and
math. Very easy to pass. I had already graduated from high school and
taken college courses in english, math and history but I had been majoring
in music. It would not have mattered if I had not gotten the diploma or
taken any courses as long as I passed that test. They only needed to see
that you would be able to get all the reading done ( I am sure you know how
many tons of reading that was so your speed and comprehension had to be
up ). The math you had to know only basic math and be able to learn to do
drug formula conversions.
I guess it is just full speed ahead and hope to do our best.
.·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·.
*: * Sharon * *
*·. .·*
`*·-:¦:-*´
³´`*:»§«:*´`³
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bonni Sollars" <BSOLLARS@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: college?
> Sharon, I wondered about homeschooling my children because I knew in high
> school they teach accredited classes to graduate and get into college.
> So I actually looked at the college literature to see if it mattered.
> First of all, the community college does not require a high school
> diploma or ged to get in. All we need to do is to take whatever classes
> we want, take an exam, talk to a counselor about what major we're
> interested in. If we want to be in a specific program, then we need to
> meet certain requirements. But they show us what these are and how to
> meet them. Then, the other thing is, when I went for a nursing course
> several years ago, I found that all the college level courses I took in
> high school meant nothing because after five years those credits don't
> count. (So much for girls who take a break to bear children.) Even if I
> don't do great on their exam, or don't meet their requirements, they show
> how to get these things. I looked into film production, and
> engineering, since those are what my two oldest are interested in. Boy
> was I surprised that they did not even need a diploma to become these
> things. I looked into the local colleges, and they take homeschooled
> kids, they just want paperwork demonstrating or describing what sort of
> things they've learned. In my area, home schooled kids are required to
> take an exam every three years to prove they are learning. My oldest
> needs to take it every year to stay in sports. He wants to get his ged
> as soon as it is legal, and to start at the local community college as
> soon as possible to become an architectural engineer. He plans to finish
> two years locally, then finish his degree at a school about 30 miles
> away. (I think of this as locally, but around here everything is so
> close that 10 miles seems "too far to drive" to most people-haha:). He
> is already saving up for college, and we are looking into scholarship
> opportunities.
> My oldest sister dropped out of school in the ninth grade and worked
> three jobs to get a place out in the middle of nowhere (rural Oklahoma)
> when she was 21 where she lived with her first husband who was also a
> school drop out but made his living as an organic farmer and mechanic.
> During this time she worked at a health food coop where she learned a lot
> about natural health. They divorced. She got massages from a customer,
> who taught massage therapy at the community college. At age 32, she got
> her ged, which involved the dreaded algebra, became a massage therapist
> and met her present husband in the same class. The two of them and his
> friend opened the first massage therapy clinic in Fort Smith Arkansas
> when she was 33. They are verrrry successful. More than I am. They
> will retire five years from now, when she is 46.
> I graduated from high school and never got into partying and skipping
> school. I was on honor roll and had an A- average. Whoopdedoo. It
> means nothing after five years. My point being that you don't need to
> have some sort of special credits, etc. to go to college and get degrees.
> You just find out what the school of your choice requires and endeavor
> to meet those requirements. My thinking is that if you don't do well on
> their entrance exam, then take local community college courses, or buy
> their books and study them at home, and then take the exam again. It all
> depends on how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the subject area.
> Where there's a will, there's a way.
> Oh, I should mention correspondence schools. I know a woman who never
> graduated from high school, but went to work in doctors offices at a
> young age before you needed all the certificates. At 50 something, she
> began to take a correspondence course to become a nurse while working
> days for the doctor. She had to miss work occasionally to go to the
> local community college for certain classes, but not too much. Five
> years and a lot of books later, she took her nursing test and is a
> licensed registered nurse.
> Sorry if this is long, there are others who know more than I do about all
> this. I think this has been discussed before and may be on the message
> boards.
> Bonni
>
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