Enrolled today

First - congrats. It's very exciting, isn't it? LOL! I'm sitting here grinning widely for you, and I don't even know you!

I would like to ask all of you (points at Shawn, too) a question. What made you choose Clovis over a local-to-you CC? Or did I miss something somewhere and Clovis *is* local for you? Are you paying in-state tuition? And I realize it may not be all money-based. Do you feel Clovis is simply better than your local CC?

Erm... yeah. That was more than "a question," huh?

I'm just wondering because I realize it may come down to my children needing/wanting some courses that aren't test-out-able. My son's current degree plan is based almost entirely on ALEKS and testing, but I recognize that as he moves along he may find a more narrow interest that will require more specific classes. For now, he's happy with what he's doing, but it's early enough on that it isn't set in stone. And my almost 13yo hasn't any idea what she wants to do yet.

For now, it makes sense for us to use dual enrollment. We can go to a small local "state school" - formerly a CC that now offers bachelors - for free, with no fees whatsoever beyond the cost of the books; however that option only lasts as long as a student isn't a high school grad. (And something tells me I can't drag that out 'til my kids are 22! *snort*) We have visited the campus and spoken with an academic advisor and I was pleased with the friendliness of the people we encountered.

Still, I am trying to make sure I know about as many options as possible, so I would like to know what specifically drew you to Clovis over a local school - assuming you don't all live there!

Thanks!

 

What made me choose Clovis over the few others I know of and my local is simply cost and reviews on here! You can not beat that I enrolled in the summer term for 7 credits for 230 bucks total out the door For one class alone at my local CC (3 credits) it is 336 if you do online classes. The same 7 credits locally would have set me back at least 650-700 bucks.

So for me who needs a few lower division classes for my Bachelors that I will complete soon I choose CC because it was 1. much cheaper than the 400 I pay at my university and 2. much cheaper any other local colleges or colleges I knew about online to get such credits.

 

I just had to go back and check the costs at my local CC. Clovis is half the price and offers all online classes. My local CC does half and half. I am signed up for the AGS or General Studies Degree program. You only have a few core classes; I think it’s three or four. I might be wrong. The rest of the program you can use anything you want. This is perfect for people who have amassed a large amount of credits in different subjects. You only have to take 15 credits with Clovis and rest can come from anywhere. They take DETC credits as well as credit from most CHEA approved accerditiors. Well as you can see there are a lot of reasons why I picked them, just to add one more, you can take up to 18 credit hours for under $500! You cannot find this anywhere else.

 

My reasons to start my kids at Clovis:

1. COST! For an RA community college - Clovis is the best deal I've seen. (CA Community Colleges don't count - I live in WI).

2. Reviews on Degree Info.

3. Homeschool friendly - kids just needed to take the Accuplacer Assessment.

4. Great customer service - very responsive to questions.

I will also point out that I am a division chair at a community college in WI, and while I love my institution, they wouldn't accept my daughter when she started her journey because she needed to be a junior in high school before taking classes. Besides my CC is $140/credit (no breaks for tuition for family members), so that goes back to cost again.

The education my two oldest children received at Clovis was top notch, especially in math. Mary Caffey teaches math online (Basic Algebra 2, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, and Plane Trigonometry.) She is an outstanding online teacher (but old school, proctored exams and students have to have formulas memorized.) My daughter went on and studied Calculus on her own after Clovis using Thinkwell, and passed the Calculus CLEP.

I've also had the opportunity to meet Dr. Becky Rowley, the Executive VP at Clovis, and she is very committed to online learning, and working with the homeschool community.

So yea, I love Clovis!

Shawn

PS - For homeschooled children in Wisconsin, dual enrollment is not an option. Dual enrollment can only be obtained if the student is enrolled in the local district. So we needed to think out of the box.

 

See? This forum is awesome. Thanks, y'all for your answers. Clovis is now *high* on my own list of schools to consider.

Youch!

 

RE: CLEP Testing

First, congratulations on taking this step at continuing your education. I took six CLEP tests over a three month period back in the summer of 2009. I, too, was very apprehensive at first. I started reading the posting and suggestions over at CLEP Forum - CLEP Study - CLEP Testing - Study Guide and Strategies. The information was invaluable for me along with the confidence building. I chose an easy one to try out first. I consider myself rather computer literate so I took the Information Systems and Computer Applications test cold (no studying). I passed it with little problem. From there, I continued by taking the flash card tests on the site and bought a couple of self teaching books on the other subjects. Long story short, I passed six tests in three months and obtained 22 credit hours in that time. Not a bad deal. Give it a try or contact me if you have anymore questions or concerns about CLEP testing. I am sold on it.

 

Does anyone know where a list can be found of what CLEP tests Clovis accepts and for which classes? I couldn't find it in their catalog. Thanks!

 

I have taken one CLEP (English with Essay) - that was at CSUDH where I sat in a classroom with around 20 other CLEP test takers. It is no different than sitting in a classroom and taking a regular course exam.

 

You will have to call and ask, but I'm sure if you took Clep Spanish then it would go to Spanish 1 at Clovis etc. not trying to be a smart arse. They do say on the website they take it........

 

I'll give them a call then. I know most schools only take some clep tests and often it seems like they apply them a smidge oddly. I was hoping they had a quick reference table on their website that I was just missing. Thanks for your reply!

 

I found some info on clep exams for Clovis for you.
Page 25
http://www.clovis.edu/Downloads/09-11Catalog.pdf

 

I found out today that Clovis accepted 55 of my previous credits!! Spoke to an advisor (who emailed me today) and he told me to talk to financial aid.

The woman in financial aid said it's not too late to appeal for the summer session - so I did!!

I don't know what is more amazing - the way everyone there seems to really be trying to help - or just the fact that with all of my phone calls, never, ever once did I get a voice mail. A couple of times people actually called me back - not only the same day, but fast.



and... they had answers to my questions...

What planet are these people from???

This is like an alternate universe compared to the experiences I've had at my [former] community college here in MA. I swear I'd end up breaking out in hives if I tried to talk about those trials and tribulations. ARGH! So frustrating...

I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat until I hear from them. Even though the tuition is unbelievably cheap, I have nothing left over after rent is paid every month (I live on a meager disability check), so I doubt that I can pay out of pocket.

 

I wish you luck with the funds issue. I to am low on cash and could have finished this summer semester if I could have taken 15 credit hours.

 

Please explain.......

 

Here's a paste from the IRS website. Hope this helps!

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more parents and students will qualify over the next two years for a tax credit, the American Opportunity Credit, to pay for college expenses.

The American Opportunity Credit is not available on the 2008 returns taxpayers are filing during 2009. The new credit modifies the existing Hope Credit for tax years 2009 and 2010, making the Hope Credit available to a broader range of taxpayers, including many with higher incomes and those who owe no tax. It also adds required course materials to the list of qualifying expenses and allows the credit to be claimed for four post-secondary education years instead of two. Many of those eligible will qualify for the maximum annual credit of $2,500 per student.

The full credit is available to individuals whose modified adjusted gross income is $80,000 or less, or $160,000 or less for married couples filing a joint return. The credit is phased out for taxpayers with incomes above these levels. These income limits are higher than under the existing Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits.

 

Looks like $2500 now. Very nice!

 

I'm hoping right there with you. It could help me for 2010.