Traditional College Flack

[cookderosa]

Yes, it is indeed an experience, but is it worth 80,000 dollars??? Is that good stewardship? (By the way: where I'm at with everything, I would either go to a private college [$20,000+ a year], or do distance education.)

Why do we get college degrees? To run through the rat race or to learn? Being run through the system doesn't appeal to me, partially because I'm homeschooled. May I add that stats for B&M college aren't exactly impressive these days?

Asking more questions than I answer,
Ruddigore[/QUOTE]
>>


I think you should apply directly for an on-campus PhD program while you have the steam to do so.
A lot (most) of people burn out after 5+ years of trying to finish their traditional bachelor's degree, but you can be Dr. Ruddigore 5 years from today. Besides, when you have your PhD before age 25, people figure you're a genius.

[cookderosa]

>>

When I started homeschooling 14 years ago, I found that people (to my shock) might be against what I was about to do for my child(ren).

Like you have discovered, not everyone will be supportive. While homeschooling children is different than seeking a college degree, I have found a zillion similarities between the two. For the most part, you are getting words that say one thing, but that mean something else all together! So, for fun, here is my translation guide (It's PG-13)

"That's where you meet most of your life-long friends."
means:
I had a blast at my college, it was fun. What your doing doesn't sound fun- if you take "social" out of college, all you have left is learning, and who wants to do that?? Dude, the parties were the only good thing about college!

"That's where you'll probably meet your future spouse."
means:
I had sex with a different girl every weekend! It was great! After a few years of that, I was able to get that out of my system and finally had to grow up and get a wife, so I knew which ones had character (those who hadn't said yes to me and my friends and their friends and their friends) and it helped me narrow down my list. (Full disclosure: I met my husband in college)

"Something [I]must be said for being in a classroom and having a professor share his (or her) knowledge with you." [/I]
means:
I wasted all that time sitting there for nothing!? DON'T EVEN tell me that I could have skipped all that? How can that be?

Or it could mean:

If I have to sit there, so should you!

"The college experience is something that will shape your life."
means:
the college experience is something that will shape your life As will graduate school, your jobs, your hobbies, your family, your friends, getting married, having children, etc.

It's worth pointing out that 50% of people who take their first class will NEVER EVER finish their bachelor's degree. Ever. What your doing is good.
You are not cheating, these programs EXIST, you didn't create them. You are using a program that is there for ANYONE to use. (including the nay-sayers) You are doing what a lot of people fail to do. A lot of those people who fail to do it, were having the "experience" but it got in the way. Could we argue that the traditional format of BM butt-in-seat learning has a terrible success rate? Let's be glad that the airlines don't crash 50% of the time, or that doctors don't have patients die in surgery 50% of the time! But, arguing about the effectiveness of the "golden experience of college" is for another day.

What your doing IS ALSO shaping something inside you that a lot of other people never develop. What have you learned about resourcefulness? What have you learned about efficiency? What have you learned about discipline? Rather than say what "I" think you are learning, you can probably think of your own list.

Finally, my personal philosophy is: don't evangelize don't deny. If I know someone may benefit from testing, I mention how it helped me earn my degree. College graduates don't care- they're already done. You may find 1 person is interested and wants to know everything they can. Help that person, and smile at the rest. They have to find their own path.

Thanks Publis, I had forgotten about that post. Every now and then when someone pulls up something I wrote 2-3-4-5 years ago, I always hold my breath and hope I didn't sound like an idiot lol. I hate reading what I wrote years before, so anxiety provoking lol!

[Publius]

Thanks Publis, I had forgotten about that post. Every now and then when someone pulls up something I wrote 2-3-4-5 years ago, I always hold my breath and hope I didn't sound like an idiot lol. I hate reading what I wrote years before, so anxiety provoking lol!

I reallly enjoyed that post (the "translation guide" was great!)! I guess the "like" feture is relativly new because very few old posts have any likes. I guess it would be interesting to see a post from several years ago resurect. There is a lot of good stuff but it's been burried and hard to locate!

[MomOfMany]

The shocking thing for me was how aghast many fellow home schoolers would be! All the same arguments they likely fought against when they started home schooling are the exact same arguments they agree with for college. It was/is a very weird phenomena to encounter.

Where's that book you were writing, cookderosa?

[Publius]

I've been asked about missing the "college experience" and every time I was pretty close to saying something like "What? You mean spending 5 years, half the time in a hangover, working full time, spending 10s of thousands of dollars, crippling my financial future as an adult with 20K of debt, just to get a piece of paper and maybe a wife? I can get that same piece of paper in 18 months and at a fraction of the price and I get to fit it around my own schedule not other people's."
That's just what I thought and not what I said... yet (if someone get's really adamant and starts attacking the whole thing, I may be pretty tempted to say that and more).

The conversation rarely gets that far, if I'm asked what college I'm going to I just reply TESC which is in NJ and I'm doing it online.

[ryoder]

People who homeschool think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. People who send their kids to private school think its the best option. People who send their kids to public school think that is superior.
People who buy a hybrid swear by them. Whatever choice a person makes, they usually defend it vehemently. Its just human nature.

The shocking thing for me was how aghast many fellow home schoolers would be! All the same arguments they likely fought against when they started home schooling are the exact same arguments they agree with for college. It was/is a very weird phenomena to encounter.

Where's that book you were writing, cookderosa?

[cookderosa]

The shocking thing for me was how aghast many fellow home schoolers would be! All the same arguments they likely fought against when they started home schooling are the exact same arguments they agree with for college. It was/is a very weird phenomena to encounter.

Where's that book you were writing, cookderosa?

As I hang my head in shame, I've been procrastinating! Well, sort of. It's not like I don't have "any" time- but I had a pretty difficult semester tied with an announcement that dh got a job half way across the country- so I've been working endlessly getting the house ready. My book is 90% done. I had help with editing, which is good since I have a few bad habits (I write in passive voice all the time lol) and decided I needed 2 more chapters to expand on a few things that were kinda crammed into the end of 1 chapter. So, it's sitting here on my computer waiting for me to finish it! I wanted it done by June 1....arghhhh. I should have worked harder before my semester ended at HES, I had some lag time that I didn't use.

[MomOfMany]

People who homeschool think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. People who send their kids to private school think its the best option. People who send their kids to public school think that is superior.
People who buy a hybrid swear by them. Whatever choice a person makes, they usually defend it vehemently. Its just human nature.

Well yes, I understand that. What is befuddling is their complete 180'

For example, it is typical to hear when beginning home schooling, "OMG! What about socialization?! They need to the school experience and to make friends!" and most home schoolers are mentally thinking they would give anything to just sit at home for any one entire day. So we roll our eyes at them mentally.

And yet, when contemplating not using a B&M school for the entire degree process or any of it, what does the home schooler hear from other home schoolers? Yep. "OMG! what about aocialization?! They need the school experience and to make friends!"

I'm still rolling my eyes mentally about it, but most don't think twice about it. It's really... Awkward... When I point out the inconsistency in their thought process. LOL

[MomOfMany]

No shame needed! Life happens! And in this market, I completely understand ditching stuff for dh's employment. I was just thinking I need something need and encouraging to read about this later part of educating the kids. Got me wondering about our book.

As I hang my head in shame, I've been procrastinating! Well, sort of. It's not like I don't have "any" time- but I had a pretty difficult semester tied with an announcement that dh got a job half way across the country- so I've been working endlessly getting the house ready. My book is 90% done. I had help with editing, which is good since I have a few bad habits (I write in passive voice all the time lol) and decided I needed 2 more chapters to expand on a few things that were kinda crammed into the end of 1 chapter. So, it's sitting here on my computer waiting for me to finish it! I wanted it done by June 1....arghhhh. I should have worked harder before my semester ended at HES, I had some lag time that I didn't use.

[MRHTOAD76]

People who homeschool think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. People who send their kids to private school think its the best option. People who send their kids to public school think that is superior.
People who buy a hybrid swear by them. Whatever choice a person makes, they usually defend it vehemently. Its just human nature.

So true so true. My wife and I were just talking about this the other day. People can't see outside of their own life/universe to apply how something may work. It is a shame that so many people are scared to try these methods ,but in the long run it is their own loss. It is funny I thought I would really miss the whole college experience since hearing my wife and others talking about it ,but when I worked security at a college campus I learned that if I had gone back then I would have just been partying and would have ended up somewhere else anyway so everything works out how it should sometime.

Forget the haters people will always try and pull ya down!