Beginner...and currently a junior in high school. Need advice :)

[HSjunior]

Hi,
I'm in 11th grade and doing well in advanced classes (Pre-calc, natural sciences, AP history, etc.)
My dad says he will pay for any CLEP tests I want to take. Can I take these test while still in high school? I have not picked a college yet, but what I would really like to do is get an Assc. degree and get to work as soon as possible. Any advice? There are some good small schools nearby.
Thanks in advance!

[EI2HCB]

Hi,
I'm in 11th grade and doing well in advanced classes (Pre-calc, natural sciences, AP history, etc.)
My dad says he will pay for any CLEP tests I want to take. Can I take these test while still in high school? I have not picked a college yet, but what I would really like to do is get an Assc. degree and get to work as soon as possible. Any advice? There are some good small schools nearby.
Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the forum, you'll get detailed replies from some experts in this area, but the short answer is that you can take CLEP test while in high school. You will need a government issued ID like a drivers licence or a passport in order to take the test. If you are taking AP classes you should be careful to choose between AP and CLEP as you don't want to take a CLEP test that you already will be gaining credit for using your AP scores as this would be waste of money.

What AP classes are you currently taking? Will you take the AP test for those classes? If you are doing well in high school you should be able to progress towards taking a CLEP test in a subject you are familiar with a little bit of extra study that isn't one of the AP exams you take. Feel free to ask questions there is a great lot of help and encouragement available on this forum.

[dfrecore]

The only thing you need to make sure of is whether or not the school of your choice accepts CLEP tests, and the number of units they will accept. My kids are both going to be taking CLEP tests when the time comes, and I've already researched area schools to see what will be accepted.

Do a little research at several schools that you're thinking of, to see what their policies are. The one that accepts the most CLEP's just might be the best choice for you if you want to get your degree quickly.

Also research "The Big 3" here on this forum.

Good luck!

[cookderosa]

Hi,
I'm in 11th grade and doing well in advanced classes (Pre-calc, natural sciences, AP history, etc.)
My dad says he will pay for any CLEP tests I want to take. Can I take these test while still in high school? I have not picked a college yet, but what I would really like to do is get an Assc. degree and get to work as soon as possible. Any advice? There are some good small schools nearby.
Thanks in advance!

Ohhhh!! I love your question, and YES you can rack up lots of credit between now and graduation. Before I give you a detailed response, can you tell me what state you're in and if you took any AP exams last year? Also, do you know if will you be pursuing a science or non-science major in college? If not, that's ok- just curious. And your dad rocks.

[KayV]

Wow, you and Dad for the win! It's great that you are thinking about your future at this point in high school. Also, have you taken or will you be taking any dual-credit classes? It sounds like you are looking for a job at the end of your associate degree, so do you have a particular major in mind?

[HSjunior]

I live in northwest Georgia. I am studying early childhood development in school, so I am thinking of working with kids. I love the special needs kids! Maybe occupational therapy assistant would be a good fit for me. I think Dalton State College has a program for that. Or maybe it is Georgia Northwestern. I have thought about researching dual enrollment classes for next year. I took AP World History last year. To tell the truth, I really want to be a stay at home mom in the future, that's why I'm thinking of a two year degree that will get me started in the workforce, rather than a four year program with student debt! Thanks for the advice so far!

[cookderosa]

I live in northwest Georgia. I am studying early childhood development in school, so I am thinking of working with kids. I love the special needs kids! Maybe occupational therapy assistant would be a good fit for me. I think Dalton State College has a program for that. Or maybe it is Georgia Northwestern. I have thought about researching dual enrollment classes for next year. I took AP World History last year. To tell the truth, I really want to be a stay at home mom in the future, that's why I'm thinking of a two year degree that will get me started in the workforce, rather than a four year program with student debt! Thanks for the advice so far!

Ok great! So, in your state, you have dual enrollment. Here is the link: http://www.gadoe.org/curriculum-instruct...now-de.pdf

So, you have 3 solid options in front of you.
AP classes- as you know, these are tons of work and count for extra points toward your high school GPA. If you take the AP exam for each class, and pass with a 3 or better, it is highly likely that any college you attend will award college credit in some amount (3 credits give or take). The AP exam is not free ($90), but AP classes are. *did you take AP World History exam?

Dual enrollment classes- these classes (or class) replace the time slot in your day in high school, and you take an actual college class either at your school or over at the community college. There will be homework and the grade will be part of your GPA. This will depend on your area's enrollment numbers, but many schools are able to bring the college teacher to the school, so no transportation issues. Also, like AP, this will count for both high school and college credit. It is highly likely that any college you attend will award credit for coursework completed. These classes in Georgia are free but books are not (about $100 per class +/-).

CLEP exams- these are completely independent study. You are responsible for finding your own study resources (online for free, no problem) and having the discipline to learn the material on your own. There is no homework and no influence on your GPA or future college application. If you fail, that is confidential. The exam is multiple choice and only pass or fail. You need to score roughly 60ish % or better to pass depending on the exam. There is a cost for taking the exam ($80) and depending on where you take it, there may be a testing center fee ($20).

Note- no matter what you choose, you can't duplicate credit. So, Since you took World History last year, you can't ALSO take a class or exam and get that credit again. Also, I know some folks will tell you to "make sure" that your future college accepts exam credit. I don't subscribe to that perspective. If you're interested in it, I think you should study it. If you can get potential credit- awesome. If you change your mind later, that's okay. No pressure. If, however, you're certain about your future plans, then it's prudent to go ahead and map everything out so you have a perfect transfer of credits from high school into community college. If you were my child, I would do that with you NEXT year, not this one; but talk to your dad, he seems to know how all this works.

Finally, you talked about AA degrees but your follow up to me was for bachelor degrees. You might want to see if your local community college has articulation agreements (they do) with those universities. It's possible that you can complete your AA degree in the summer after graduation and start your "freshman" year as a "junior!"

Let me know if I can be of any more help, good luck!

P.S. you can earn a degree and pay cash. A student loan burdens you and your future spouse, making staying home difficult to impossible if you have student loan payments. You are quite wise

[rebel100]

Just a thought, as Jennifer has already weighed in with expert advice...

You may want to look closely at Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) at a local CC. My daughter used a combination of dual enrollment, clep, and a single dsst exam to complete her AA while she was in high school. By keeping her grades up in the classes taken mostly online through the college she qualified for the honors club...PTK. On graduation she had several opportunities to utilize PTK transfer scholarships to finish out her BS/BA degree. A couple were essentially full ride scholarships when combined with federal financial aid. Scroll down to the University of West Georgia portion of this page Scholarships Archives - Georgia PTKGeorgia PTK

Whatever you decide, your clearly a bright young woman who should expect wonderful things to happen in the future, best of luck.

[Gooberman11]

Thanks to this forum I was able to complete my BA within a year of graduating HS (with no debt at the age of 17). Listen to these helpful folks and they will guide you all the way to your educational goal (whatever that may be). Cookderosa knows her stuff-listen to her words of wisdom. Many other folks will chime in with experience and wisdom also. Ask a bunch of questions, we will do our best to help ya out whenever we can!

[clep3705]

Joining Phi Theta Kappa is a must! You need to have completed 12 semester hours of coursework with a 3.5 GPA or higher. If you apply to public universities in Texas, the Texas common application has this question: Are you a member of Phi Theta Kappa? Phi Theta Kappa members sometimes get offers of admission to colleges or universities they didn't even apply to. I've seen such offers in my mail.

When you take a CLEP test, you can specific a college or university to report the scores to. If you specify a school you haven't been admitted to, don't expect them to keep your scores. So, if you have an open enrollment community college in your area, apply for admission so that you have an account in their student records system. Then have your CLEP scores reported there. Otherwise you'll have to pay for a transcript later, should you decide to go there.