Just College Classes, no Degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by LadyExecutive, Feb 24, 2014.

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  1. LadyExecutive

    LadyExecutive Member

    A friend of mine, a young fellow from the Caribbean, moved to the United States where he was homeschooled for the last three years. Now that he has completed high school, he has decided that he wants to take a couple college courses without yet fully committing himself to a specific degree program or to a college. Although he is a permanent resident, he will be paying out of pocket and he does not want to matriculate into a degree program, as such. In a perfect situation, he’d be able to take two college courses transferrable in the future, to a college local to his area of domicile. His mother asked me to find answers to the following questions; (1) Other than Clovis Community College, do you know of any really ‘cheap’ college classes he can enroll in that does not require a formal application process? (2) Are there any really ‘cheap’ college classes he can enroll in that would be favorable [or interested] in accepting homeschooled students? Your response to the foregoing questions is tremendously appreciated.

    Respectfully,
     
  2. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    I think overall NMJC is a slightly better deal than clovis these days, but there will be a formal application process and an accuplacer exam will be required (he can arrange to take this at a local library or testing center). https://www.nmjc.edu/distancelearning/ this is going to run around $100/credit

    CSU-Pueblo will likely let him take classes with a credit card they are more expensive at around $165/credit Independent Study > Division of Continuing Education > Colorado State University-Pueblo , BYU is another slightly more expensive option. Online Course Catalog - BYU Independent Study

    Perhaps the cheapest is the University of Idaho at around $100/credit. I have no first hand accounts of their service, but it seems very friendly and approachable Independent Study in Idaho-University of Idaho

    I don't think there is much bias against homeschool students these days, though any given school may want you to take their placement exam (common) and there is typically some sort of application process, though none of the above are likely to exclude anyone...not like its competitive in any way.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 24, 2014
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Did he check with his local community colleges - that would be a smart choice so he could get acquainted with how courses in the US are ran. If he speaks a non-english language a course in that language that should make for an easy transition to college. Otherwise I would pick Clovis or one of the colleges rebel100 pointed out.

    Also I suggest a course in American Government - useful if he intends to become a US citizen.
     
  4. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    Are there any college's that let you take credit courses that don't require a proctor for a cheap price? (Below $200) ?
    So far I've found only 3 classes from U of Idaho's site that don't require proctors.
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    The on-line geology courses I took at Coastline CC in California did not require proctors. However I understand that some of their courses do need a proctor.
    Cost is low for in-state students but higher for out-of-state students. Check their website for fees.
     
  6. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    Depends on the individual class, at U of Idaho you can pull up the syllabus for each course and see how its graded. At CSU-P you can look at the downloadable course catalog and see the requirements. In general, expect any non proctored courses to rely heavily on writing projects. I took 6 courses at CSU Pueblo and two at COSC without ever seeing a proctor or even taking a test...but I had to write a lot of papers instead.
     
  7. My sister is at Allen Community College online. We're homeschooled, and there was no issue with that. Cost is the same for in-state or out-of-state. ~$110/credit including book rental. ($1769 for 17 units - that includes all fees, total cost; no break after 12). It's accredited, a regular brick-and-mortar school, and none of the online classes so far have been proctored except statistics (and they let her use a neighbor who works for the school district; could also have used a librarian). Good classes that require the work, but still possible to get As online. Bonus: they were terrific to help get everything going, and even stayed late one night to fix something for her. Very personable people. Typical of Kansas, I guess :).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 28, 2014
  8. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I agree with Rebel and Ian. A Community College is going to require a placement test, there really is only one exception that I know of, and that's if he's got an SAT or ACT exam score that is pretty current (inside a year maybe) some (not all) colleges will accept that instead of the compass/acuplacer/whatever brand they use. The formal application process is not nearly as involved as they think it might be though, so don't let that be a brick wall.
    There is some reason they are hesitant, some fear that I can read through your request, knowing that would help me make a better suggestion. There is education in this country for EVERYONE at every reading level, English level, etc. Homeschooling is also completely legal. So, I'm not 100% sure what they hope to avoid, but you might want to help them, even be willing to go to the campus with them as a friend. Good luck!
     

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