Major differences between the 3?

[HomeschoolingUniversity]

We are homeschooling our daughter through high school and she's planning to take CLEP tests (as her final exam) to accumulate as much credit as she can. And possibly take online courses after hs and whatever else to learn and get college credit. At some point down the road she'd like to transfer that credit to a clep-friendly college. She's not exactly sure what she'd like to get her degree in, but she's a figure skater and has said she wants to coach figure skating (perhaps something like sports science).(At the risk of sounding like an over-bearing mom, I confess that I'm worried about her making a living in that field. But she is a hard worker and highly self-motivated, so who knows?) She is not interested in "going away" to college and studying full time. She wants to continue skating as long as possible while learning--on her schedule. We're giving her a college prep education so she'll have options (teens change their mind). I'm trying to figure out which of the big 3 would align most towards her goals (related to figure skating?).

With all that in mind, is there some sort of a chart :o that shows the major differences between the 3 so we can plan better?

[sanantone]

None of the Big 3 offer degrees related to sports or kinesiology. COSC and TESC will let you design your own degrees, but their official titles will be individualized studies and learner-designed area of study, respectively. None of the Big 3 offer many courses in this field. TESC's undergraduate certificate in Fitness and Wellness is probably the closest thing. Since she would have to take many sports-related courses at another school and transfer them to the Big 3, then she might as well earn a degree at the school that offers it. There are traditional schools that will accept 30-60 CLEP/DSST credits.

Personally, I think the best way for her to secure her future is to get a degree in a common K-12 subject (or education depending on the state) receiving certification as a teacher and minoring in something like kinesiology. When I was in school, all of the middle school and high school coaches were expected to be able to teach something. There were only so many sections of P.E. that could be taught.

[Prloko]

A major home schooler and respected member of this site, cookderosa, would most definitely advise against sending a traditional age student, even a home schooler to one of the big 3. I also agree.

In all honesty, most colleges are CLEP friendly. In my research, many colleges will allow 30-60 credits. I even found some that had no limit, just the 30 resident credits. These were good schools. For example, Penn State (including the well regarded main campus), accepts 60 CLEP/DSST credit. Add to that some independent study and online courses taken by your child in their AA, and you will only need the courses in her major most likely, possibly some college requirements. Not a bad deal and only puts your kid in a traditional setting for a year or so, while learning VALUABLE life experience and padding the ole resume.

In the end its the decision of you and your child, but these schools do not serve traditional aged students with no job experience well. If she is undecided, go ahead and do some CLEP/ AP and think about sending your child to a local CC, even online if you have to. This will open up more doors for your child, will cost about the same, and provide easier transfer to a traditional school if/when she changes her mind.

[cookderosa]

Whether or not a person makes a living in a field is a valid question, but having a degree doesn't' automatically provide that answer. Since she is a figure skater, she must have contact with at least 1 or 2 coaches. Those are the people she should get career planning advice from. If she can ask them what they did, what they'd do differently, and if they could offer a suggestion for her- she'll have a lot more insight that any of us here will.

Think of it this way: if your daughter wanted to start a small business, she could earn a degree "in" small business, but that doesn't automatically give her a job or propel her small business toward success- it gives her skills that may help her in small business, but a person can still be successful in small business without a degree; the two are not essentially linked.

To look at the other side of the coin, if she wanted to be a doctor, she couldn't do that without the degree and license, those two things are essentially linked.

So- my advice in cases where the degree isn't essentially linked to the field:

1) get advice from several people doing what you want to do (see above)
2) find out what the right training is for that field- in many cases it the type of education may not be a 4-year degree. CE or adult education, certification, apprenticeship, seminars, on the job training.
3) don't do something just to do something. Find out the right steps and do those instead.
4) do things consistent with your age and station. For example, 18 year olds are traditional students while 48 year olds are non-traditional students. 48 year olds don't live in dorms, 18 year olds do. It fits. No one thinks twice about a 48 year old earning a master's degree online. When an 18 year old has an associate's, bachelor's and masters...it looks fishy and millish (not that it IS, but not everyone is as enlightened as those here who make a hobby of it) There are perception issues to deal with when your actions don't match your age and station.


I also found this: Welcome to U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure Skating appreciates the cooperation and understanding of all members to help implement these minimum requirements to ensure that the environment in all U.S. Figure Skating programs is as safe as possible for all participants. This will help give parents the highest degree of confidence that their children are not only receiving good care and proper instruction but are safe from improper conduct.

Five Requirements
1. U.S. Figure Skating Full Membership (either through a member club or as an individual)
2. Successfully pass the annual background screen
3. Verification of current coach liability insurance
4. Completion of CER Courses
5. 5. Additional requirement - PSA Membership if coaching in qualifying competitions only
Note: Non-compliant coaches who attempt to coach at a test session or competition are subject to disciplinary action by U.S. Figure Skating and/or the PSA.

CER courses here: Professional Skaters Association

[cptdilbert]

A major home schooler and respected member of this site, cookderosa, would most definitely advise against sending a traditional age student, even a home schooler to one of the big 3. I also agree.

I'm going to echo this comment. I think trying to reduce the amount of years needed to complete a degree through CLEPs and other options is great, but fully utilizing alternative education for college at 18 misses a lot of opportunities.

Directly post-high school college is about education and transitioning into the workforce. Getting the additional exposure and resources might be worth her time. If she wants to coach, getting involved with an athletic department in anyway will help build her resume, especially if she can find a related job or internship. It will also provide far more opportunities for her to open up her own perspective to other opportunities.

My partner of over seven years was an only child with an incredibly involved mother. She also was positive she knew what she wanted to do at 18. She was completely convinced she wanted to study French. Luckily, for us financially anyhow, within one or two semesters of her attending college, she happened to take a course that totally changed her interests and she's now been in that career since graduation.

Even though I am a community college dropout, I found a real job and a real career through community college that has led me to where I am today.

Generally when you do adult or alternative education, you are checking a box or focusing on completing a single thing. There are fewer opportunities to get exposure to other ideas, people, and opportunities. At 18, that means a lot more than when you are mid-career.

[Life Long Learning]

The United States Sports Academy is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

They claim to take some CLEP.

Tuition & Fees | United States Sports Academy

Partners

NACDA – National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics; $150 per course, 4 CEUs
NFHS – National Federation of High Schools; $75 per course to record CEUs, 2 CEUs
NSCA – National Strength and Conditioning Association; $150 per course, 4 CEUs
NSCAA – National Soccer Coaches Association of America; $187.50 per course to record 5 CEUs
NWCA – National Wrestling Coaches Association; varies, $37.50 per CEU
USATF – USA Track and Field; varies, $50 per CEU

[sanantone]

The CEUs won't count toward a degree. These are their tuition and fees for their degree programs.
Tuition & Fees | United States Sports Academy

[Life Long Learning]

I admit I know nothing on this University, but I like the name.

The CEUs won't count toward a degree. These are their tuition and fees for their degree programs.
Tuition & Fees | United States Sports Academy

[HomeschoolingUniversity]

Thank you all so much for your input. Here is some more info--

My daughter and I are well aware of what she needs to do to become a figure skating coach and she has been paving the way for that. She has stated numerous times that she has no interest in going away to college. When people say that she'll "miss out on the college experience" she emphatically says, "why would I want that?" I understand that teenagers (and adults for that matter LOL) change their minds, so my husband and I are continuing to give her a college prep education so she'll have options (whether it involves more education or straight into the world field). If she decides to not do any college after high school, at least she'll have had an excellent high school education.

Of course, people are asking about her "plans for the future" and virtually everyone expects her to include college in her plans. So she is wondering whether there is something she could do to complement her figure skating plans. And when she learned that she could get college credit through CLEP for what she is studying now, she was very excited about the idea. She felt that, if she decided to pursue any college, at least she wouldn't have to "repeat" classes (that's why she took the biology clep as a "final exam" after she did biology this year--b/c she did not want to do it again). But we are not trying to graduate her out of high school early. She is just trying to get some general education class credits under her belt in case she needs them for the future--after all, those credits are hers for 20 yrs and who knows what she'll do over the next 2 decades?

[HomeschoolingUniversity]

A major home schooler and respected member of this site, cookderosa, would most definitely advise against sending a traditional age student, even a home schooler to one of the big 3. I also agree.

I did not realize that. I have her book "HSing for college credit" and didn't get that impression from the book.