Advice for our 13 year old?

[rachel83az]

1.) Do not take Sophia's regular English Comp courses. The grading is inconsistent, at best, and your kid will get frustrated. For someone so young, I would recommend an actual English Comp course anyway so that they learn how to write college papers properly. College Readiness may be good for her, even though it's not usually accepted for credit. Avoid the Database course; it's a lot more work than most Sophia courses. Check https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/So...lency_List to see which courses are near-universally accepted (at least by the Big 3).
2.) Depends on where she's getting her degree. For instance, if she's going to Excelsior or will enroll at TESU once she hits 18, she could do American Government through InstantCert. Otherwise, either TEL Learning or a dual enrollment class for that requirement.
3.) Excelsior and COSC have ways around their age requirements. There are pros and cons to both schools. Neither have a wide variety of degrees available: it's mostly just BALS and business degrees. TESU has a wider array of degrees but you need to be 18 to enroll. UMPI has fewer options than TESU but more than EC and COSC; you need to be 20 to enroll, though.

Depending on your budget and goals, you might want to consider one of TEL Learning's Associate degrees for HS students: https://degrees.tellearning.org/ The RA credits of the Associate's degree would be much more widely transferrable than the credits from Sophia. TESU and COSC already require at least 30 RA credits anyway, so getting the AS or AA in the process isn't the worst idea. There are thoughts that EC might also soon have that same requirement, too.

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I’m guessing what she has talked about wanting to study before really isn’t an alternative degree type field, but I could be wrong. She’s always talked about being a doctor, or getting into medical research. My thought was “if we can get her a degree before she’s eligible to go to a state school, she would have a solid fall back” so, I’m open for suggestions as far as going this route.

Biology is possible, though it wouldn't necessarily be a cheap degree. (Cheaper than most schools, though!) It'd be cheaper if she can do her ULs through an affordable dual enrollment program. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan