Advice for a 13-Year-Old Working Toward a Finance Degree

[zapproximator]

I'll look into those too!

Thanks!

[dfrecore]

I definitely agree that AP is the way to go if you are high school aged, and can find a school that will let you take the exams (schools do not HAVE to let everyone on campus to take these, unfortunately). But they are much more widely accepted than even CLEP/DSST. My son wants to go to the Naval Academy, and they will accept AP exams, but will not accept any other type of transfer credit (not even from a CC or 4-yr school!). I know they're not the norm, but there are lots of other schools with this type of policy (the UC system here in CA is an example - AP is a yes, CLEP/DSST is a no).

I also suggest Dual Enrollment, especially if it's free. There may be fees, and books, so it's not completely free, but may still be cheap. The only issue I've come across is that my local CC makes you get signed off by the local principal to be able to take courses if you're younger than 16, and then the instructor of each individual course has to also sign off as well. I've already been turned down by 1 professor who will not accept students younger than 16 for any reason (even computer programming? really? I know kids have gone to coding camps since they were 7!), and told by another that they would prefer my child take a 16-week course instead of the 8-week course being offered this summer. So find out if it's possible at your age to take courses.

CLEP/DSST would be my next choice, because of what rebel100 said.

My final choice would be the other options on this forum (SL, Study.com, etc.). It's not that I don't appreciate these options, it's just that for a teenager, getting these credits may actually shut doors instead of open them.

Good luck!

[rowan555]

Good points have been raised here. I suggested Straighterline because you seemed to be planning to get your degree with TESU. If you aren't certain of that path versus attending a more traditional college/university, the ACE credits could indeed cause issues. For my kids, they knew the path they wanted to take, so it was a no-brainer.

[rebel100]

Good points have been raised here. I suggested Straighterline because you seemed to be planning to get your degree with TESU. If you aren't certain of that path versus attending a more traditional college/university, the ACE credits could indeed cause issues. For my kids, they knew the path they wanted to take, so it was a no-brainer.

I'm completely OK with this, just know, as you did, what the ins and outs are and this is fine. I would also be warmer to it if he/she was 17 or 18 and well under way. At 13 and because they don't know they need to fully explore other options.

Heck, my kids even did free FEMA that never got used as college credit.

[zapproximator]

So to sum this all up: take AP/dual enrollment/CLEP/maybe DSST now, and as I get closer to enrolling in a college and knowing what they accept, try Straighterline/Study.com etc.
Does anyone know how AP exams compare to CLEP? AP Biology vs CLEP Biology etc?

EDIT: I am pretty confident I want to do something nontraditional like online college/transferring credit but obviously, who knows! My parents said that this could be used to hit two birds with one stone, getting both high school and college done (since I think I heard a basic degree is roughly high school level of a few decades ago) so I could move on to something that like a masters program or whatever ends up happening in 5 years.

Thanks for all your help!

[Mamasaphire]

So to sum this all up: take AP/dual enrollment/CLEP/maybe DSST now, and as I get closer to enrolling in a college and knowing what they accept, try Straighterline/Study.com etc.
Does anyone know how AP exams compare to CLEP? AP Biology vs CLEP Biology etc?

EDIT: I am pretty confident I want to do something nontraditional like online college/transferring credit but obviously, who knows! My parents said that this could be used to hit two birds with one stone, getting both high school and college done (since I think I heard a basic degree is roughly high school level of a few decades ago) so I could move on to something that like a masters program or whatever ends up happening in 5 years.

Thanks for all your help!

Zapproximator, you've got some great goals in mind!!
Have you had a chance to read Jennifer (cookderosa)'s book? http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Coll...00M9NZVOQ/

[zapproximator]

I haven't! I've heard of it though.

[rebel100]

I did roughly the following with my daughter, you could work out the same thing:

CC dual enrollment (free or low cost), use CLEP/DSST for about half or 30 hours of the work and take 30 hours at the school. Join PTK the national two year honor society. Use PTK scholarship money to fund all or part of the rest. In my daughters case this meant using PTK for her pre admission courses to Harvard Extension School. Once she passed those three and transferred her CC work in she had to complete 2 years at HES with a partial merit partial need based aid (Pell and school scholarship). You could potentially have a finance degree from one of the most recognizable academic brands in the world at rock bottom budget prices. Or just do the 30/30 above and transfer to just about any college in the country.

I would look into the AP, but would discard it if its too tough to accomplish locally. It can be difficult finding the tests in some places. The instances where AP trumps CLEP can be counted on one hand I suspect.

My other favorite CLEP/DSSt research site: Free Clep Prep.com

[zapproximator]

That's really interesting. I read that the Extension school would cost around $40,000 so that's a lot more than getting a degree from TESU for $10,000. What are the requirements to get PTK scholarships?

[rebel100]

[quote=zapproximator]That's really interesting. I read that the Extension school would cost around $40,000 so that's a lot more than getting a degree from TESU for $10,000. What are the requirements to get PTK scholarships?[/QUOTPTK is by invitation to CC students with GPA of 3.25+, it costa about $75 to join....this is the biggest reason I recommend a CC for you rahter than one of the big three. Through PTK my daughter had a full ride at a state school offered, a near full ride at an in state private school offered, and the took the three PTk courses at HES.

Once in HES she was offered PELL and other aid....it took her a few years to get through, but all in we probab;y have less than 10K in her Bachelors...and it could have been about half that as I'm counting the cost for the family to go see her graduate and the cost of a vacation that included her being in Washington DC for a week. The $40K you reference is rack rate for 4 years at HES....with htis plan two years would be transferred in and we would hope for soem aid for the rest. Not a sure thing, but probably the surest thing in the Ivy League.