Where to begin?

[mom2paul]

We are wrapping up our last year of homeschooling and are starting to study for CLEPs. I understand that if passed, these will count towards college credits.

I guess where I am confused is where to start after 12th grade graduation. Do I continue with him in testing out and once I have these scores enroll in TESC or can I enroll him now?

My son wants to go into occupational therapy so we have many years ahead of us to reach that goal and I want to lead him correctly. I never attended college and am, unfortunately, lost at sea here.

What's the first thing to do? Does my son have to take CLEP classes at TESC or is that something we do on our own? Can he attend TESC and CLEP at the same time.

Sorry for the confusion everyone, but you can see I'm at a loss here. Help!

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

A fellow homeschooler! Yay! It is unnecessary to enroll at TESC right away; you will need to enroll towards the end in order to graduate (and if you end up taking any classes with TESC). You can definitely begin earning credit via CLEPs, DSSTs, FEMAs, ALEKS, etc. before you are enrolled anywhere. When you are ready to enroll, all you have to do is mail a transcript request form to CollegeBoard (CLEP), Prometric (DSST), FEMA, ACE (ALEKS), etc., and for a small fee, they will send your son's scores to TESC. You don't have to take CLEP tests at TESC; you can do that at a local college that offers a proctoring service. Just curious: what is your son planning on majoring in?

[Prloko]

Welcome to the forum. There are many homeschool parents on this forum who have done what you are doing and I'm sure they will chime in soon.

The best CLEPs to start with are the introductory courses (math, sociology, humanites, psych, etc.) because these are the courses most schools will accept. Not every school takes every exam, with The "Big 3" being one of the few exceptions that accept all of the exams. If he takes english comp, make sure he takes it with the essay, because TESC and many other schools will not accept it without an essay. He can start taking them right away and does not have to wait till graduation.

Many people do not enroll into one of the Big 3 (TESC included) until they are done or close to being done with testing because you have to pay an annual enrollment fee ($1500-8000 depending on the option) in addition to tuition. This is a good idea, but a big downside is that requirements change every year and you are bound by the requirements at the time you enrolled. Some people waited and found out they had to take a capstone that was added after the fact. If you want peace of mind, take a few cleps and then enroll, but if you're flexible, the best option is to take as many CLEPs/DSSTs as you can before enrolling. Some members of this site created the "degree forum wiki" on wikia and they have posted degree plans they used to accomplish their goal.

On a separate but related note, there are a few members on this site who are high school students who are almost done with their bachelors through TESC, and planned it out on their own. It would be great for him if he created his own account on here and took charge of his adult education.

Also, is TESC the best option for your son? There are many colleges that accept CLEP/DSSTs and he can still finish off at a school. If your child is intelligent and a hard worker, you will be shutting him out of an opportunity to get into some of the best schools. The stats for TESC students show that we do well for ourselves, but those stats are skewed because it doesn't take into account that we are usually adults with years of work experience who need the degree to move up. Your child with a TESC degree, may not open as many doors considering there are students with degrees from better schools that are struggling to find work.

[AlbaTiVo]

I don't think TESC offers a degree in occupational therapy, so you should figure out what school he will be attending for this and then work backwards from there. Depending on the school he may be limited on how many and which CLEPs or DSSTs he takes.

[cookderosa]

I don't think TESC offers a degree in occupational therapy, so you should figure out what school he will be attending for this and then work backwards from there. Depending on the school he may be limited on how many and which CLEPs or DSSTs he takes.

This is the best suggestion. Attending TESC shouldn't be the goal, his career is the goal.

I would work through the CLEPs that you already have planned (are they already planned?) and if they work for his degree GREAT, if no, that's not a huge deal- and it's not a reason to jump ship and enroll at TESC. CLEP can help your son by earning potential credit, and it's a good investment when you consider the cost return. ($80 can cover an entire class that otherwise can cost $500 or more!) My son's English 101 at my local community college would have cost me $750!

So, if the program your son wants to enroll in requires US History 101, you'll see that there is a CLEP matching that course. If they accept CLEP, he can take the CLEP instead of the course. If they don't accept that specific exam, he can still take it for you, but it likely will not count towards the degree he hopes to earn. (again, not a reason to change schools, but something that you knowing in advance helps minimize too many of those from happening)

Do you mind sharing the name of the school(s) he is considering after graduation? First thing to do is find out what they accept and move from there.

P.S. You are more than qualified to walk him through this process even though you didn't go to college. When I started, I had only attended trade school. I took a CLEP to see if I thought my son could handle it, not because I wanted a degree! Caution: this process sometimes entices homeschool moms to earn their degree too

[Daithi]

This site is great at helping to answer all your questions and will be great in getting you to a point where you don't feel lost. However, if you are looking for more in-depth coverage of "homeschooling and college credit" then you probably couldn't do any better than getting the book Homeschooling for College Credit by Jennifer Cook DeRosa ($13 at Amazon). Jennifer is a major contributor here on these boards. Actually, it is largely her posts that have made this site so valuable --- she really knows her stuff. I can't recommend her book more highly in giving you all the ins and outs of helping your son earn college credit through homeschooling --- even if he has finished the high school portion.

P.S. I was writing my post when she posted above me.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

You don't have to take CLEP tests at TESC; you can do that at a local college that offers a proctoring service.

The only correction I have to what has already been shared is you cannot simply take a CLEP (or DSST) at any local college. You can only take these exams at certified test centers for each program. You can find the test centers closest to your location by visiting the CLEP website (http://www.clep.collegeboard.org) and selecting the link to "find a test center" (same for DSST by visiting DSST | Get College Credit).

You have come to the right place to get your questions answered. Never be afraid to ask!

[mom2paul]

So much great information! Thank you all so much.

I'd like Paul to go to FSU, but nothing is written in stone at this point. They have a very good Occupational Therapy Program there.

We have started preparing for CLEP via the schedule I got from "Clep Prep." American Govt, Amer. History I and II (he's a natural American Historian ) I guess my confusion came because I thought I needed to enroll him in college right after 12th grade graduation. Am I correct in that Paul can just focus on Clep now and not have to worry about enrollment?

Major? Well, I don't know. He loves children and wants to work with them in Occ Therapy. I would think that he must focus on Science/Math...but hey guys, I'm all ears here!

I thought TESC was the way to go? Maybe not now? Other schools that will accept?

I do love the idea that he can get a degree and bypass much of the big tuition bills.

Thanks all

[rebel100]

If you homeschool in Florida he could have been going to college for free.

Also, in Florida the local CC should take up to 45 credits via CLEP/DSST and he should be able to do another 30-45 for his Bachelors (assuming they fit the program he's in)

[cookderosa]

This site is great at helping to answer all your questions and will be great in getting you to a point where you don't feel lost. However, if you are looking for more in-depth coverage of "homeschooling and college credit" then you probably couldn't do any better than getting the book Homeschooling for College Credit by Jennifer Cook DeRosa ($13 at Amazon). Jennifer is a major contributor here on these boards. Actually, it is largely her posts that have made this site so valuable --- she really knows her stuff. I can't recommend her book more highly in giving you all the ins and outs of helping your son earn college credit through homeschooling --- even if he has finished the high school portion.

P.S. I was writing my post when she posted above me.

Seriously, I didn't pay for that ad, but maybe I should