March 2010

Taking College Courses in High School
By: Christine Pritt

One way to cover subjects that are difficult to teach at home (for example, lab science, advanced math, and foreign language) is to have your child take courses at a local college. This will also give your child a chance to manage deadlines independently and will show colleges that she is able to handle a classroom environment. It will also provide your child with outside teachers who know her abilities and will be able to write recommendation letters for her when it is time to apply to college.

Frederick Community College (FCC)
Students who are 16 years of age and older can apply to FCC’s Open Campus Program which allows them to take classes at FCC while they are still in high school. Information on how to apply can be found here.

Students under 16 can take classes at FCC if they qualify for a special “Gifted and Talented” program the college offers. To qualify, students must either score 550 on each section of the SAT or pass all of FCC’s admissions tests. Students and parents must meet with a counselor to talk about program requirements and expectations. To set up an appointment, contact Rachel Nachlas at 301-624-2836.

Hood College offers a program called Hood Start which allows high school juniors and seniors to take classes at a reduced price. You can get more information by calling (301) 696-3400 or by sending an email to hoodstart@hood.edu.

Hints for Success
There are several things you can do to help your high school student succeed in a college setting. First of all, talk to other students who have taken classes and their parents. Get recommendations on courses and professors. Some classes, for example, will cover mature material that your child may not be comfortable with. Talking to experienced families will help you decide which classes are best for your child.

Another suggestion is to find a friend to take a class with your child. We have always had our children begin taking science classes at FCC with another student. They are able to sit together, be lab partners, quiz each other before the tests, remind each other when assignments are due, and so on.

Finally, remember that when your child takes college courses, he will be treated as an adult. The professors won’t make any special accommodations for him. Don’t expect teachers to talk with you about your child’s progress. In fact, federal privacy laws forbid them from talking with anyone, even parents, about a student. This may seem shocking, but it can provide an important step toward independence for homeschooled teenagers.

See other articles in this series by Christine Pritt:
December 2009: High School Homeschooling
January 2010: Standardized Tests Part I : The SAT
February 2010: Standardized Tests Part II: AP Classes

Christine Pritt lives in Walkersville, where she has been homeschooling her six children, with lots of help from her husband Mark, since 1998. Her two oldest were homeschooled through twelfth grade and are both students at Harvard. Her children at home are 16 (11th grade), 14 (9th grade), 13 (7th grade), and 11 (6th grade). This is the fourth in a series of articles on homeschooling through high school.