How early to start working on college credits?

[cookderosa]

Although I disagree with cookderosa on AP vs. CLEP, I agree that going to an online school (regardless of trad or nontrad) robs the teen of the opportunity to mature on-campus. I also agree about the dangers of mass CLEPing the courses outside of GEs. Some of the CLEPs are too easy. For example, A&I Lit can be taken cold so it's pretty useless as preparation for a traditional school's English Literature major which requires their own lower level courses which are likely to be much more rigorous.

Let me be picky for a second and emphasize that I didn't say that. I said "I think it's a shame when a parent signs Timmy up for TESU's distance learning degree in business *just because* it's low hanging fruit. It deprives the teen of a big stage in their maturity in my opinion <grin> which is worth exactly what you paid for it."

The helicopter-approach-over-parented-over-planning-degree-just-because the kid has to do what I say since they're homeschooled is what I think denies the teen an opportunity to mature. There is a "muscle" of sorts that atrophies when young people don't get to be undecided, unsure, confused... and then pull together a plan / decision with loving guidance and support from wise parents or mentors. Whether or not that teen goes on campus or online is really a matter of pragmatics. Not all degrees need 4 years face to face, and some degrees need much more.