Harcourt High School program?

I just wonder if the Harcourt High School corespondence program is adequate for prepariing an adult to enter college. I dropped out of school eight years ago and got my GED quickly afterward, but that was quite some time ago and I don't feel anywhere close to being prepared for a college curriculum. I've been in land surveying for the past seven years and my goal is to eventually earn a civil engineering degree to become a professional. Would Harcourt be the way to go or something else? Oh, and I don't live anywhere near any community colleges so that's out, and my local university doesn't offer high school-level courses. Thanks.

 

My first guess--which will sound patronizing, but isn't intended to be--is that you're probably better prepared for college than you think; many colleges actually waive the high school diploma requirement for students 24 and up. If you feel like you might need to review one or more subject areas, there are a number of options available to you:

* Your grammar seems superior to that of the average high school graduate, but if you really do feel like you should brush up on composition, get your hands on a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. It's probably not necessary to review your grammar vocabulary (gerunds, participles, etc).

* If you want to brush up on algebra, I recommend Saxon's textbooks. All of the more esoteric math subjects (calculus, trigonometry, etc.) should be covered as part of the college program, so you can cross those bridges when you come to them.

* For physics, I recommend Isaac Asimov's Understanding Physics (now available in one volume); much more fun (and less time-consuming) than a high school physics course, and more comprehensive to boot.

If you really do want to do a nontraditional high school program, the resident expert is Thomas Nixon (who is actually writing a book on the subject).

Good luck!


Cheers,

 

It's nice to have a fan club. A fan club of one, but a fan club nonetheless.

Probably a good idea to pay attention to TH because he completed his high school diploma nontraditionally (albeit at the age of 4 or somesuch). I think he does offer good advice. I'm not sure there is much value for you in getting a high school diploma unless you

a. want the piece of paper (which is entirely reasonable)
b. want the breadth that a diploma program will give you (as opposed to just courses in one specific area).

One resource that I would check out would be http://www.detc.org. They accredit about a dozen high schools and, unlike their college degrees, most seem quite acceptable to everybody. Regionally-accredited colleges seem to accept them just fine.

I think, though, that it's likely you really only need to take courses in one or two areas, and given your interests, math seems likely. After that, you're probably good to go.

However, please feel free to write me directly or post additional questions here. If you'd like me to post some additional programs, feel free to ask.


Tom Nixon

 

I really only want to brush up on my high school subjects. I already have the GED so another diploma doesn't mean much. My main problem area is math, which I remember very little of and of course will need to know thoroughly. If they teach most of that stuff in college then that'd be fine, but I still need to do alot of brushing up to get an acceptable score on the ACT. Thanks for the replies.

 

You might find this series useful (you should be able to find the books cheaper on Half.com or BookFinder):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375750738
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375750746
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375750754

Good luck!



Cheers,

 

I think most any university that you would choose will have all the math courses that you would ever need from quite basic to very advanced. Even though they don't offer high school level courses, they may offer college remedial courses (which is basically the same thing). It may be possible for you to take the math courses you need through their Extension office before you're officially enrolled.

Perhaps one idea would be to take a test prep course for the ACT. You may want to check with prospective universities, however, because some waive ACT/SAT tests for students over a certain age (because it's really intended for 18-year-old high school students).


Tom Nixon

 

hartcourt high school diploma

I completed my hig:biglaugh:h school thru hartcourt and i was accepted by every college i applied to. 2 yr and 4 yr colleges.. I have a criminal justice degree and currently I am finishing up on my nursing degree, will be done in 1 yr. I say go for it.. I am 48 and quit school in my jr yr 1979, I finally got my high school diploma in 2000. Yes it is legitimate! DETC rocks! I live in ohio and didnt have any problems with my high school diplome earned from Hartcourt! GO FOR IT!

 

Way to go nursingstudent12! I'm always thrilled to hear a DETC success story. You may wish to post in that thread if you haven't already.

 

Same here.....stay and share!