Transferring from a Big 3 to a state school

[dfrecore]

Totally agree - which is why I'm getting the stuff I'd already do in high school (like math, econ, English, science, etc) and getting it over with so I don't have to do it twice so I can go to a brick-and-mortar school once I've figured out what I want to study and really go hard networking and doing all the college stuff. So I definitely agree, I just think that it doesn't make a ton of sense to spend tens and tens of thousands on your gen. eds. and two extra years when you've already done a lot of the same stuff in high school.

And I agree with you.  BUT, what you MAY end up doing (not will, just may) is limiting your options rather than opening them up, by using alternative credits.  When you do your AA alternatively, you will close doors to MANY schools who won't take a block transfer of your credits, and won't take your alternative credits.  So, you end up either having to continue on with the alternative route to keep the credits you took, or having to redo a lot of credits that you already took in order to get them accepted into a traditional school.

I have 2 kids; one who is highly motivated to get college credits while in HS.  For him, we will go the AP route, because he wants to go to ROTC for college, and then into the military.  Not conducive to alternative credits.  The other one wants to go to CC for a 2-yr degree in a specific field that does not lend itself to alternative credit.  Once that's done though, she is considering getting her BALS so that she can have that piece of paper.  All of her networking will be done at the CC level, because the degree terminates there (there is no 4-yr degree for what she wants to do).  Instead of college credit, she is looking at things like internships and jobs in the area of interest - which is another way of networking.

I'm not bashing you, just suggesting that alternative credits at your young age, when there are so many other options, MAY not be your best path.  But, it's your path, and you get to choose it, so take everyone's advice with a grain of salt.  We have life experience, which is very helpful - but it's our life experience, and won't always pertain to yours.