College Home Study Program: $3100 Degree with Dual Credit
Amazing, intelligent, and extremely distinct from other programs, this College Home Study Program is also quite affordable.
It is imperative that you read what Becky and her children have done whether you have children who want to get a head start on their college education or if you are an adult seeking an economical and expedient method to get that degree. I think it’s really brilliant.
The two of us ran across Becky Muldrow while presenting at an event in San Antonio, Texas. Becky is a mother, and she is an astute mother at that!
She has to be, with ten children.
Her very brilliant method of assisting her children to complete college home study in less than two years, with low expenditures and mostly from home, struck out to us the most.
Even though this study from home program is intended for families with children who are not in school, we are asking you to consider some additional considerations before proceeding. A similar approach might be useful for adults who want to complete their college degrees, as well as for determined students who attend public or private schools and want to gain a head start on their college careers. Always keep your mind in the right frame of mind.
The following is a lengthy piece… rather, more accurately, it is a transcript of Becky’s presentation, which she gives all over the nation.
Decisions on whether or not to employ Dual Credit at Home will not be made in a flash. You will discover a special discount offer for our readers only at the bottom of this page if you do decide to pursue Becky’s approach. Please see the bottom of this page for further information.
How to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree While Attending High School Online
Hello, my name is Becky Muldrow, and I, like many of you, am a homeschooling parent of three children. Our family has been blessed with 10 children ranging in age from twenty-eight to ten, with the youngest being ten.
I’m certain that all of you parents will agree that there is a significant difference between home schooling a ten-year-old and home educating a teenager. When your kid is 10, you’re just concerned about assisting him in being focused long enough to complete a full day of school! Once your child enters the teenage years, though, you begin to be concerned about a huge seven-letter term. C-O-L-L-E-G-E!
Program for College Students to Study at Home
Is a college diploma a blessing or a curse?
College represents the apex of educational success in our society. It’s also a financial burden on our wallets. You may find yourself up at night worrying about your child’s future education, and your bank account may begin to drain. A degree entails more than simply financial expenditure. It may also cost our young people a significant amount of time, which is their most valuable resource.
College isn’t always a boon for the members of many households. It might also be a source of concern.
Whether we’re homeschooling or not, we’ve undoubtedly been thinking beyond the traditional box. My spouse and I like challenging our children to be problem solvers who are creative and imaginative. Albert Einstein, one of the most renowned homeschool students in history, has some wise words for us all: “We cannot fix our problems with the same mentality that we used to create them,” he says.
Now, neither you nor I am responsible for the current difficulties in higher education. Our way of thinking can’t be influenced by the way the rest of the world thinks when it comes to determining how we’re going to handle college home study, both in terms of METHOD of education and COST in our own households.
How We Overcame the Problem of College Costs and Scheduling
Today, I’d want to share with you how our family has overcome the challenge of paying for college. I’ll discuss an alternative route to acquiring an approved bachelor’s degree in the next few minutes, one that has proven beneficial not just for our family, but for hundreds of other families as well. You’ll learn about the six major benefits of the dual credit system as well as how to acquire a bachelor’s degree while still in high school.
It saddens my heart to read stories of parents who decide to stop homeschooling their children once they reach high school. This is an excellent opportunity to end strong! Throughout the early school years, you and your children have shown initiative and a willingness to think beyond the box. Allow me to urge you to continue to be creative!
Please allow me to introduce you to my family first, before we go further.
The Muldrow family is credited for inventing dual credit at home.
The Muldrows are a family of squatters. Becky is on the left, wearing a blue shirt, and Gene is on the right, next to her.
A little background information about the Muldrow family
The occasion of our 32nd wedding anniversary was just recently celebrated by Gene and myself. Here we are with our ten children – Adam, Katie, Stephen, Melanie, Dianna, Nathan, Julie, Kristin, Michael, and Jason — in front of the family photo.
It is with Adam’s narrative that I would want to begin since it was the impetus for my first investigation into alternatives to a standard college degree. At the age of fifteen, Adam shared his ambition to become an attorney with us and said, “How quickly can I acquire my bachelor’s degree?” As a result of my inexperience, I replied, “four years.”
However, after seeing his enthusiasm, I began doing my own study.
Adam’s experience with dual credit at home study
An education secret has been discovered — Credit by Exam!
That’s when I learned about one of mainstream education’s best-kept secrets, and it changed my life. It’s referred to as the credit-by-exam system, and it goes far further than just “clearing” one or two subjects.
Defining Credit Through the Use of Exam Terms
Let’s start by defining some terms. First and foremost, dual credit, often known as dual enrollment, is an option. Simply put, this is the process of getting both high school and college credit for the same subject at the same time. Students may do this by enrolling in a course or taking an exam. You, as a parent, will then record these credits on their high school transcript and grant them high school credit as a result of their efforts. However, you must always adhere to the laws and regulations of your state regarding homeschooling. (And keep in mind that this strategy may be used with any student, whether they are in public, private, or homeschooling!)
The Myth of the Dual-Credit System
Often, when parents hear the word “dual credit,” they immediately think of an on-campus course, usually at a junior college or community college. The fact that this is not the only dual credit opportunity accessible to your child should be stressed. A three-credit on-campus course requires your kid to devote a whole semester of his or her time to it.
On-campus programs do not shorten the amount of time a student must devote to getting a degree; rather, they allow him or her to spread it out over a longer period of time. The majority of students who enroll in conventional on-campus dual credit courses throughout high school continue to work toward a degree for four or more years following graduation.
Despite the fact that many junior colleges may offer “free tuition” or “reduced tuition” for dual credit courses, when you check into such offers more deeply, you will discover that the selection of programs is quite restricted. Aside from that, the cost of textbooks, campus-use fees, and other expenses are not waived or lowered in any way.
Defining the Requirements for General Education
An additional phrase that has to be defined is “General Education (or GE) requirements.” For all students to successfully finish their degree, they must take the following courses: These are the “core” disciplines, which include well-known topics like as arithmetic and physics, as well as a humanities or fine arts course, freshman English, and so on.
Everyone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is required to finish all of the required core disciplines. Students must have a broad understanding of each of these courses, regardless of their academic major or specialization.
Here’s a link to the “credit for testing and standardized examinations” page on the Charter Oak State College website. But I wanted you to see how a regionally recognized institution offers credits for “previous knowledge” of the core courses. We’ll speak more about this in a minute, but I wanted you to see how a college awards credits for prior knowledge of the key subjects.
There are two options for students who want to complete their core requirements:
#1 – Enroll in the course or
Second, pass a college-level test to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and you will be excluded from the class.
Understanding the Importance of CLEP Examinations
CollegeBoard provides examinations that your student may take, which are referred to as CLEP exams (College Level Examination Program). The DANTES program, often known as the DSST program, is another approved exam program.
You may be wondering why DSST is pronounced “DANTES,” so here’s a little information for you in case you ever find yourself on Jeopardy! : The DSST examinations were initially developed by the United States Department of Defense for veterans who were finishing their undergraduate degree at the time of creation. Known as DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support), the assessments were conducted in the United States.
To summarize, students merely need to go deeper into the subject(s) that comprise their major or focus to achieve success. Students just need a basic understanding of the subject matter in the core areas.
This is a degree of information that a conscientious learner may acquire on his or her own. In this case, taking a test to obtain these credits makes more sense than paying for tuition, books, and potentially even a housing package at a regular institution. Students might spend at least two years of their life in this process, according to some estimates.
What I did when Adam, a 15-year-old, declared his desire to be a lawyer.
Adam was just fifteen years old when he approached us about pursuing a legal degree. And three years away from the age at when the majority of teenagers begin college. As a mother, I hated having to tell my son, “Okay, so you have three more years of high school to complete, four more years to get your bachelor’s degree, and then three more years to complete law school.” What a discouraging situation! As previously stated above, he had only lived on our planet for fifteen years, thus 10 years would have looked like an eternity to him!
After seeing his enthusiasm, I was motivated to come up with an innovative, but genuine method of assisting him in achieving his goal.
After doing some research, I discovered that Adam could receive college credit by taking the CLEP or DSST examinations, and that he could begin studying and testing immediately for both high school and college credit at the same time.
We picked a locally approved institution that would provide him with the option to achieve all of the 120 credits he needed via examinations and other means. This was the ideal solution to both of the difficulties associated with an undergraduate degree — the overly lengthy time commitment and the prohibitively high expense. All that was required of us was the following information:
What topics (and in what sequence) he would need to study/test, and how he would go about doing it in an effective manner while yet mastering the subject material
a brief description of Charter Oak State College
This occurred in 2002, although the regulations have only marginally modified since then. Charter Oak State College, a regionally recognized institution, currently only accepts 114 college credits via test and forces students to acquire the remaining six credits by enrolling in their online Cornerstone & Capstone courses, which are available 24/7. The Cornerstone course provides students with a solid basis for their future college courses while also teaching them how to do research. The Capstone course highlights what your kid has learned by the time he or she has completed what may be his or her college-level home study curriculum.
How Adam was able to get 120 credits in under 22 months!
Adam began taking exams as soon as he arrived. While it took him 17 months to obtain the first 60 credits, it only took him five months to achieve the other 60 credit requirements. Our willingness to go outside of the box and create a route that would allow him to maximize the usage of credit-by-exam enabled him to advance his college home study undergrad degree by a significant amount!
He was able to significantly cut both the time commitment and the expense while still earning the precise degree.
This is a Bachelor of Arts degree from a regionally authorized institution. A typical student would spend four or more years on a college campus and pay somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000.
How Adam went about earning his college degree.
From start to finish, it took Adam 22 months and only cost him $3,100.00 in total, which included the examinations and one year of out-of-state tuition at Charter Oak State College at the time.
It is estimated that the typical student attending a public four-year college for the 2018-2019 academic year would spend more than $1,200 per year on books and supplies alone, according to CollegeBoard.
There are more books/texts available for sale secondhand than you could possible require.
Adam, a 17-year-old student at Amazon University of Houston Law School, has been accepted!
Despite the fact that Adam received his high school diploma in May of 2004, his graduation was somewhat of a letdown due to the fact that in March of that year he had been awarded a fully accredited bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak State College and had been accepted to the University of Houston Law School. He was 17 at the time.
Exactly what our other children thought about Adam
As soon as our other children witnessed this, they said to themselves, “This is ridiculous; if the alternative is to spend four more years in school, I want to do what he just did.”
This year, our family embarked on a Dual-Credit At-Home Marathon challenge.
This is what sparked our family’s interest in dual credit in the first place. And we’ve put what we’ve learned into practice as our other children approach high school age. In fact, we recognized that we didn’t have to wait until they were 15 years old, as we had done with Adam, to adopt them. They may begin earlier, at the age of 13, and can mix college-level academics with their “high school” years to complete their education. For our family, the college home study program has been a tremendous asset.
We allow kids to have regular lives, including music, sports, co-op programs, martial arts, friendships, mission trips, and other activities. In contrast, when it comes to their academic topics, we raise the bar to a college-level standard and provide college credits for each subject that is finished successfully.
You don’t have to be a genius to make a plan — all you need is a plan.
That is the first benefit of the credit-by-exam strategy that I would want you to keep in mind – it is a STRONGLY ACHIEVABLE approach. Let me be completely honest with you: our children are not geniuses. Believe me when I say that if ours can do it, so can yours. It is not true that our children are any smarter than the typical homeschooled child or any other student. It’s just that our family has a goal of completing bachelor’s degrees while earning credits via examinations.
Scholars Earning Dual Credit at Home — Real-Life Stories
I’d want to expose you to a few more genuine people so you don’t get the impression it’s just our kids.
The account of Henry’s college education from home.
The Life and Times of Henry
Let me introduce you to Henry. Henry seems to be a typical young man who enjoys sports and is a sports lover. Henry, on the other hand, was recently featured in the Cavalier Daily, which is published by the University of Virginia. Why? We chose him because he’s one of their first-year Engineering students, and he’s just twelve years old.
How did Henry get inside the building? During high school, he participated in AP (Advanced Placement) tests as well as on-campus courses for dual credit. (One of our boys took three Advanced Placement examinations some years ago and was able to get high marks and use the credits toward his degree.
Due to the fact that AP examinations must be taken at your local public high school, which may not be enthusiastic about allowing you to do so for a variety of genuine reasons, we no longer utilize them. In addition, each AP test is only given on one day each year, and we would appreciate greater flexibility in scheduling.
Of course, not everyone achieves the same level of success that Henry achieved at the age of twelve, which is why I’d like to introduce you to another dual credit graduate.
Travis’s tale of home study for college and graduating early is featured here.
Travis’s Life Story
Hello, my name is Travis Ward. The Meridian Star in Mississippi published an article on Travis. Why? Because Travis, an eighteen-year-old high school senior, graduated with his diploma in May of last year. In the end, he was able to finish a certificate in Practical Nursing in only seven months. His solution consisted of dual credit and college home study.
These students are not any brighter than the ordinary student; rather, they have followed a strategy to accomplish their degrees via the use of dual credit.
However, I’d like to point out the second benefit of the credit-by-exam method — that it is REPUTABLE. We’ve already discussed how credit-by-exam is attainable, but I’d want to point out the third advantage — that it is FLEXIBLE.
Begin to consider earning dual credit in a different light..
Far too many parents are bound in the belief that conventional on-campus education is the only option to acquire a college degree that is recognized by the institution. If there is such a thing as a myth, it is that self-paced college home study programs are inferior to traditional college courses. Didn’t you have to deal with education misconceptions when you made the decision to educate your children?
Believe none of the same fallacies when it comes to applying to college, either! We feel that providing our children with an at-home, self-paced education is the greatest option. And it may still be the most effective strategy throughout the college years.
Why should it be any different when it comes to meeting the general education requirements of a college? You, too, may have come to feel that four years on a college campus is the most renowned and finest method to educate yourself. The fact is that respected universities that issue degrees with a large number of credits gained by test, such as Charter Oak State College and Thomas Edison State College, are not only recognized, but also regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Take a look at this Bachelor’s Degree.
Allow me to introduce you to Charter Oak State College (COSC). Connecticut State College is a regionally recognized institution of higher learning. You may not have heard of Charter Oak before today, but I’m certain that you’ve heard of some of the other institutions that are recognized by the same regional body, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, that Charter Oak is affiliated with. Any of the following colleges or universities are familiar to you: Yale, the University of Connecticut, Amherst, Harvard, MIT, or Dartmouth.
Schools that provide college credit based on an examination.
Charter Oaks’ academic standards are reviewed by the same institution that evaluates Harvard’s and MIT’s academic standards. Simply simply, it doesn’t get much more credible than that!
What do Professional Educators think of the concept of Dual Credit in the Homeschool Setting?
However, what do education experts think about dual credit opportunities? When it comes to the lives of their pupils, what changes have they noticed?
Lance Brand’s comment on studying at home and earning a college degree.
Read what Lance Brand, a high school Biology teacher in a public school system, has to say about the advantages of dual credit: “For all students, the chance to enroll in dual credit courses while still in high school alleviates some of the anxiety associated with the unknown. Students may realize that going to college is a possibility for them. As a result of their first investment, individuals are more inclined to continue along this route.”
Mr. Brand is most likely referring to students who are enrolled in dual credit courses on campus. Students gaining college credit by examination or college home study, on the other hand, are subject to the same rules. In fact, it’s probable that students who take credit-by-exam are even more likely than other students to complete their degree successfully.
It’s a little-known reality (but one that is still accurate) that many college students drop out or at the very least reduce their course loads as a result of increasing student loan debt and credit card debt.
But, more importantly, are these institutions of higher learning reputable?
Another often asked issue is if bachelor’s degrees from Charter Oak State College or Thomas Edison State College are recognized by respectable graduate institutions after completion of the program. Dianna, our daughter, was the one who learned the answer to this question first-person.
Diana’s Story about earning dual credit while at home for school.
Dianna’s Life and Times
Dianna, like our son, had aspirations to go law school. She finished her bachelor’s degree by gaining credit via examination, enrolling in one on-campus course, and completing the Cornerstone and Capstone courses offered by Charter Oak State College. Dianna is now twenty years old and will get her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas Law School in Austin later this year.
That she was able to transfer from Charter Oak to UT Law School, which is ranked #9 in the country, demonstrates that a student’s undergraduate degree just has to be regionally recognized to be considered for advancement. However, they will need to have a superb LSAT score as well.)
Dianna not only saved crucial time by using the credit-by-exam method, but she also saved thousands of dollars as a result of her decision. As previously said, college home study is a good fit for our family’s needs.
Dual credit is financially responsible since it reduces the amount of student loans required.
Dual Credit at Home is a financially responsible way to a college education, which takes us to the third advantage: it is less expensive than traditional college education.
I brought several of our children to the Houston Health Museum a few months ago, and they had a great time. A mental health exhibit was on display at the museum, where individuals from all walks of life had written down their anxieties. Concerns about the future. Some Fears are resurfacing from the distant past. There are enormous anxieties and tiny fears.
One specific worry, on the other hand, drew my attention and caused my heart to skip a beat. There were the words “I’m concerned I won’t be able to pay off my college debts” written down on a piece of paper.
Student debt data are shown below.
The burden of student loan debt is crippling!
Student loan debt is an epidemic in our country, and this is especially true for parents. According to a research published by U.S. News & World Report, the Institute for College Access and Success, almost seven out of ten graduating seniors left school with an average of $28,400 in student loan debt. The amount they received also varied depending on the institution they attended. Some universities had debts as high as $71,000, according to the data. And the debt piles up much more when it comes to graduate school.
It’s the same as graduating from college with a mortgage on a house, but without the house!
In comparison to traditional college, credit-by-exam is much less expensive.
Even if you opt to pursue a regular college degree, both dual credit and credit-by-exam programs may help you save a considerable amount of money. Students at Liberty University, for example, will be able to carry up to 60 college credits with them when they begin their studies. Obtaining 60 college credits is equivalent to completing two years of college – and two years at Liberty University costs around $60,000. That’s a significant amount of money saved! College home study is a fantastic alternative for some students, since it allows them to save both time and money. And the HSLDA refers to it as a “2-for-1 offer”!
Liberty University is a private Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Savings from the test are credited.
The majority of institutions will only take a few of credits — possibly 18, 24, or 30. The fact is that obtaining those credits in advance of enrollment (or while enrolled) will still be advantageous to your kid. Although it will not save as much time and money, the cash and hours saved will mount up!
Whatever college your kid picks, make sure they are aware of the institution’s dual credit policy and take use of it to the fullest extent possible. I would be delighted to assist you in determining what would be acceptable and how to prepare your student for those tests!
We, as parents, must be aware of this kind of information in order to aid our children in making sound financial choices. The responsibility to be good stewards of God’s resources falls on ourselves, our children, and future generations.
How We’ve Structured the Home Study Process for College Students
Many of our friends have inquired about how our children are getting their bachelor’s degrees while still in high school in the years after they began earning college credits via examinations.
After years of refinement, we have translated the process into weekly lesson plans for our students. The program is currently referred to as the Dual Credit at Home program. In addition, Dual Credit at Home provides lesson ideas.
The exact cost of this scheme has yet to be determined.
Is it true that the typical American worker spends $1,092.00 per year on coffee, according to Consumerist, merely to stay awake? That is only for the sake of coffee. In fact, my spouse was completely opposed to this amount until he recently purchased a cup of coffee for me at a local coffee shop). He quickly agreed that there could be some truth to what I was saying!)
But take into consideration this: the average cost of a bachelor’s degree achieved from Charter Oak State College utilizing our Dual Credit at Home study programs is less than $5,000.00, which is equal to less than five years’ supply of Starbucks coffee! We’re fortunate in that we don’t have to give up coffee in order to save this much money for college. A bachelor’s degree for $5,000, though, is absurd.
Why isn’t this message being heard in the midst of all the discussion about the exorbitant expense of higher education? Because it is not a financially viable choice for traditional brick-and-mortar colleges. And that’s OK with me. There is enough market demand for an on-campus college experience, as well as enough students and parents who are prepared to pay for it, that those of us who prefer a different choice may take advantage of it and gain a leg up on the competition.
A College Scenario in which the student is not in debt
Consider having your student complete their undergraduate degree via credit-by-exam or college home study before continuing their education with an on-campus experience in a master’s or doctoral program. They would be roughly 18-19 years old when they would begin graduate school, debt-free!
How Dual Credit at Home may be customized to meet the needs of your family
Credit-by-exam has already been discussed in terms of its feasibility, reputational risk, and financial responsibility, but now it’s time to speak about one of its most appealing features: it can be customized to meet your specific needs.
All of us, as mothers and fathers, realize that God has created each of our children uniquely—and that they learn in their own unique ways—with interests, abilities, and talents that are unique to them. Unfortunately, a standard college education does not take into consideration a child’s individuality and abilities.
Traditional education, particularly now that we have reached the age of Common Core, is concerned with generating a cookie-cutter, assembly-line-style production of college graduates in large numbers.
Self-study or college home study, as well as obtaining credits by examination, are diametrically opposed.
Self-study at the college level provides your family with the flexibility to create a learning method that is tailored to your child’s interests, abilities, and limitations, as well as his or her current timetable.
If your kid want to speed his or her education, he or she may complete the first 57 college credits in 49 weeks, which is the suggested pace for Dual Credit at Home students.
However, what if your family already has a hectic high school schedule or if your kid need more study time? That’s OK with me.
You may keep your college credits for up to twenty years if you use CollegeBoard. And while Dual Credit at Home is comprised of 49 weeks of lesson plans, most students spend approximately 2 years on average earning those 57 credits for a variety of reasons, including continuing to participate in co-op classes, music lessons, sports, part-time jobs, and other activities outside of school.
You may even begin before you graduate from high school!
Even at an early age, you may get your children started on the path to earning dual credits in school. We found a blog by one of our daughters on Class Hacked, where she writes about her dual credit experience as she works toward her BA degree this year! CLEP examinations were just introduced to another daughter, who is now 13 years old, and she has already earned twelve credits in addition to her usual schooling schedule.
You may profit from credit through examination in more ways than you would imagine.
It is also PROFITABLE for your student, which is the sixth benefit of credit-by-exam, in addition to being monetarily advantageous.
This strategy will push your kid intellectually while also assisting him in the development of important life skills such as self-motivation and the ability to think critically. College home study is also a winner in this case!
“The significance of a college education is not the acquisition of numerous facts, but the training of the mind to think,” according to Albert Einstein.
Unfortunately, many universities no longer teach our pupils how to think critically and analytically. College students now spend far less time thinking and learning than students in prior generations.
According to the Washington Post, these startling findings were obtained via a poll. Seniors at the University of Virginia were questioned, and they revealed that they spent an average of just 16 hours a week studying. That equates to fewer than 2 1/2 hours each day on average.
The amount of time college students spend studying per day.
Your youngster have much more abilities than the ordinary person! Credit-by-exam or college-level home study will encourage your youngster to think critically and imaginatively.
They will be put to the test. Academically
Dual credit courses may sometimes be difficult in terms of academics. We as homeschoolers had a vision when our children were five or six years old that we could provide them with a superior education than formal schooling. However, as they reach high school, we frequently find ourselves not setting the bar very high.
Our children are capable of much greater things than we would imagine. Put them on the spot. Give them a sense of direction. Your kid will respond positively to what you, as parents, say… “I know you’re capable, and we’re going to work together to achieve our goals.” You will be astonished at what your children are capable of!
As opposed to testing your kid’s knowledge, college-level tests enable your child learn how to completely self-teach, a talent that they will value for the rest of their lives, regardless of the subject matter.
Your child’s future is built on the foundation of his or her education.
College is not the be-all and end-all of your child’s educational experience. The basis for lifelong learning does not begin and end with a university or college education. In the words of Jon Acuff, “Your graduation is the beginning of your education, not the finish,” he effectively summarized the situation.
Make a solid foundation for your business.
It is possible for your family to earn dual credit at home.
The last benefit of credit-by-exam is that it is a realistic option for your family’s schedule. The last thing I want is to offer this choice with you and have you get confused and overwhelmed as a result of your knowledge. I’d want to walk you through the processes necessary to acquire a bachelor’s degree while still in high school.
As previously stated, the Dual Credit Approach may be customized, so although it does not have the 87,000 potential combinations that Starbucks says, it does have a considerably greater number of choices than one would anticipate. Everyone can benefit from college home study!
Meet Emma, one of my students enrolled in Dual Credit at Home.
Let me introduce you to Emma, a dual credit student who is currently enrolled. Currently, she is fifteen years old and homeschooled. She is involved in her church and athletics, and she also volunteers once a month at a nearby nursing home.
Emma’s college study at home experience is told in this narrative.
Emma is unsure about what she wants to do with her life.
Despite the fact that Emma is an ordinary student who likes being outdoors and suffers with a few topics, she hasn’t chosen what she wants to do with her life. In addition to considering coaching, she is also considering a career in physical therapy.
Pause Consider this scenario for a moment: what happens to a kid who isn’t sure what he or she wants to major in throughout their college years? What are the advantages of credit-by-exam for them?
The majority of college students are unsure about what they want to do in life.
It is estimated that 80 percent of students will change their major at least once while in college, according to the National Center for Education Additionally, their study found that many students would change their majors an average of three times throughout their undergraduate careers.
Uncertainty Comes at a High Price
Parents, please understand that this does not just imply a shift in the learning route. This will have a significant impact on the student loan package as well as the number of years it will take for a student to complete their undergraduate degree.
The Advantages of Getting Started Even When You’re Unsure
I remember overhearing a discussion between one of our boys and his younger sister one day, and it made me sad. He inquired as to what she want to be. She replied that she didn’t know yet, and what he said after that was a pearl of great wisdom. “It’s all right,” he said. But if you just go ahead and start, you’ll be halfway there when you finally make your decision.”
He was encouraging her to go ahead and get high school credits as well as college credits for the main topics she had already completed in high school. Then, after she’d made her decision, she’d be prepared to begin taking the courses required for her major. Home study for college students can only be advantageous.
Getting Started Early Give your child the gift of independence.
This is one of the reasons why I propose the credit-by-exam strategy for parents. Allow your kid the latitude and time to decide on a major, but encourage them to complete their coursework to get closer to graduation. These general education requirements for college home study will help students save both time and money to the degree that their institution of choice permits it to do so.
Uncertain Emma This program initiates the Dual Credit at Home program.
Let’s go back to Emma. She is undecided of which degree she wants to pursue, but she is aware that she must finish the general education requirements first. She ultimately intends to enroll in Charter Oak State College because she is intrigued by the prospect of earning up to 114 of the 120 credits required by passing college-level tests in her spare time.
Considering that Emma and her parents are fresh to the world of dual credit, they opt to acquire Emma’s curriculum from the company Dual Credit at Home. The 49 weeks of our family’s real lesson plans are given weekly via email, or all 49 weeks may be delivered at once if that is what the student prefers).
Emma’s Future Destination
Emma will have earned 57 college credits and acquired the fundamentals of efficient self-taught education by the time she is completed with Dual Credit at Home. Emma will use the same study/test strategy to complete the remaining credits required for her bachelor’s degree in the near future.
Emma’s college dual credit study plan is outlined below.
Emma’s Very First CLEP Exam
Armed with her Dual Credit at Home lesson plans and her first CLEP, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, Emma begins her preparations for the course. On test day, her mother takes her to a nearby testing facility, which is often located at a junior college or a four-year institution in the region. On the CollegeBoard’s website, you may find a list of testing centers in your area.
The Fees for CLEP Examinations
Emma’s first exam will cost around $100.00, which is a reasonable price. Eighty dollars of this cost is paid online with CollegeBoard to buy the exam, and $15-$20 dollars of that cost is spent at the testing site on the day of the test to pay the cost of proctoring the exam on the day of the test. It is customary for this literary exam to be awarded 6 college credits (and therefore 2 high school credits). Emma would have had to spend many times more money to get six college credits in an on-campus classroom or via one of the numerous dual enrollment programs offered by colleges and universities.
Emma is on her way to earning a bachelor’s degree!
Emma receives her result immediately after the conclusion of the exam, and she is delighted to see that she has passed! Emma is overjoyed, her parents are overjoyed, and they will continue the process until Emma has earned 57 credit hours by following the study plans provided by Dual Credit at Home, which is already underway.
Emma’s journey to this point took around 1 12 to 2 years due to the fact that she took time off from school each day to assist in the care of an ill grandma. She is now sixteen years old, but she has made the decision to pursue a career in scientific education during the previous year.
Emma decides to attend Charter Oak College.
Having completed her CollegeBoard and DSST core courses, Emma applies for admission to Charter Oak and requests that both testing organizations transfer her credits in order for her to be able to matriculate. This implies that she pays the tuition and enrolls in a degree-seeking program as a result of her actions. (Please see this blog post for instructions on how to transfer these 57 college credits to your child’s high school transcript.) Always adhere to the standards of your state’s high school diploma program.)
Emma is well aware that she must enroll in Charter Oak’s Cornerstone course, which will teach her research skills while also awarding her three more college credits to her transcript. This eight-week course is offered many times a year, allowing her to enroll at a time that is appropriate for her schedule. Emma will also enroll in Charter Oak’s online Earth Science course, which will allow her to acquire the required science lab credit for her high school diploma (students can also earn this lab credit locally, perhaps at a junior college).
Emma is continuing to earn college credit from the comfort of her own home!
The method of getting the remaining credits is identical to the one she went through to earn the first 57. Emma’s experience with Dual Credit at Home has taught her how to study effectively, and she will most likely graduate within one year.
Emma has a list of criteria, and she is currently working with an adviser, so she is in good shape. She begins taking tests that will earn her 36 credit hours in her focus (or her major), with 18 of those hours being at the higher level for her major, which will be used toward her degree.
At fact, we only enroll our own children in Charter Oak State College after they have acquired 80-100 credits and we can see the end of the road in front of them. In this manner, we just have to pay for one year of college.
It Is Important to Take the Course in the Correct Order
It is critical for Emma (and for any student) to take tests in the proper sequence, and it is in this regard that she is grateful she followed Dual Credit at Home’s schedule first, which she did.
In light of Emma’s previous participation in the Natural Sciences test, she is now entitled to participate in the Biology exam for the purpose of earning extra credit. However, if Emma had taken the Biology test first, it is possible that she might not have received the full amount of credits that were available.
Emma enjoys science so much that she may even decide to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) subject exam in Biology, which may earn her up to twenty-four college credits! This $150 exam is equivalent to one semester of science credit!
Emma receives elective credit for her work.
In order to complete her hours, she still needs a few of electives. Because Emma adores reading, she chooses to take several more college-level examinations in Literature, as well as the GRE Literature test, which may earn her up to 18 credits if she passes the exam. Not everyone enjoys reading or science, but there are approved tests available in a variety of areas such as history, computer science, business, and many more.
In exchange for $5000, Emma receives her Bachelor’s Degree.
Emma has completed her 120th college credit hour in less than a year of working with Charter Oak Financial. She’s spent around $5,000.00 thus far, and she’ll be eighteen in little over two months. Emma is now free to pursue her teaching certificate or master’s degree at her own pace. She does not owe any college debts, thus she has a promising career ahead of her. She is not required to base her future goals on financial considerations.
This might be your story as well, like Emma’s.
Parents, although Emma’s journey may only have a few parallels to your student’s plan, there are hundreds of other children who have similar routes mapped out in front of them for every “Emma.” Berkley, Caleb, Kristin, Julie, Mateo, Cassidy, Chloe, Seth, and Marie are some of their names…
And your child’s name may be included on the list right beside theirs! All that is required is your willingness to assist YOUR kid in thinking beyond the box.
Take the risk of being unusual. So far, you’ve shown a lot of imagination. Keep it that way!
It is possible to get dual credit or do college-level home study. It’s something that other families are doing, and your family can too!
Let’s go through the process of earning a bachelor’s degree while still in high school one more time, shall we?
Getting a College Degree Through Dual Credit at Home 1. Choose the option of getting a regionally approved bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak State College through credit-by-examination. Alternatively, you might choose to get your degree from a different institution and take advantage of their credit-by-exam approach for your college home study program.
Self-teach/study and take college-level examinations to meet general education requirements as permitted by the institution of choice. Using the Study Plans provided by Dual Credit at Home makes this a lot easier! Your student will learn how to study for a topic and will be prepared to pass the test – they will then apply what they have learned during this period to the process of earning their bachelor’s degree. We’ve applied what we’ve learned to the Study Plans since many of our children have gotten their degrees in this manner and gone on to law school or graduate school.
Additional tests should be taken to meet other degree requirements for your major as well as for optional courses. Earn credits via DSST and CollegeBoard – as many as 80-100 credits, if possible – before enrolling in a program. Keep in mind that they will keep scores for up to 20 years!
4. Submit an application for admission to Charter Oak (or another school of your choosing) and request that your tests transcripts be sent to the school for assessment. Charter Oak’s application is a straightforward web form – it is NOT a conventional application.
