Posted on 05/30/2010 4:41:07 PM PDT by JoeProBono
I started 12th grade at 15 years old and college at 16. Hearing “adult” things from classmates didn’t stigmatize me!
NO commuter wants to schedule classes with that kind of free time and I don’t believe for a minute that this this girl’s parents would permit it.
LOL .... I see you haven't "scheduled" college classes before, have you? :-)
It's not a matter of what you want, but it's a matter of "what you get" ... You can always try, but anyone who has been in college knows that it doesn't work the way you want, many times.
“Nothing, except the shopping mall is not likely to be held liable, the college probably is...”
Sorry. Don’t agree with you there, either. A state run college is likely to have some level of sovereign immunity.
ST, why is your mind so in the gutter? Your posts on this thread do nothing other than demonstrate a very warped, twisted view of college students, their behavior as a whole, homeschoolers, and your past, as revealed in your own posts about YOUR college life.
You need to get into college and check out what's going on there ... :-) .... it's not better these days, it's worse ...
Where did you see in the article that the parents want their daughter to go to community college so that she can “make friends?” Who said anything about “making friends?” This is about taking college courses.
I went to a community college starting around age 18-19, and I wasn’t there to socialize. I went to my classes each day and then left.
In our state, homeschoolers typically begin dual-credit community college courses (or sometimes courses at universities) between the ages of 13 and 15. I have a 14yo son, and we’re looking into it now.
These young students already have friends. They don’t want to go to college to socialize. They’re going for a headstart in their college education.
My concern has always been the subject matter covered in class by a professor. To try it out, at 13, my son enrolled with me into an open class at the CC for five weeks; he was the only “kid” there. He handled it well. Parents who are concerned simply need to pick the subject carefully.
And they're far less likely to encounter them in college, where there are actually mature adults around.
No, actually they're much more likely to not only be aware of it, but to be confronted with it directly and personally, much more likely than in junior high or high school.
That's not saying that nothing like that goes on with junior highers or high schoolers -- but rather -- if you think it's a problem for them ... it's much more a problem in college and whole lot less supervision.
What this girl wants to do is not unusual at all. Where we live, many 13-15 year-old homeschooled students take dual-credit courses at community colleges.
My daughter is 9 and we just got the results of her achievement tests. She is scoring post high school in most subjects. But then, we have her in a private Christian school.
I suppose that since most people seem to think going to school is about education, it just goes to follow.
It's apparently beyond some people's comprehension that kids might actually want to go to college to learn something, you know, get an education for example.
Excellent point! Around here, the community colleges offer classes and programs for children up to age 12 or 13 all year long, as well as summer camps and sports camps in the summer.
“It’s not a matter of what you want, but it’s a matter of “what you get””
Perhaps we then have different experiences...
I went to a community college starting around age 18-19, and I wasn’t there to socialize. I went to my classes each day and then left.
I don't know about your total experience in college/university, but like I was saying in another post, there was a formula (told to me) that about three to maybe four hours of additional time spent on course work and study for every one credit hour of class time.
It could vary from class to class, but you'll have group projects, where you'll have to get together with others to do some group work, and then you'll have lab time in some classes, you'll have library time, and then you'll have some people you'll get together with and share notes and work together on covering the subject matter. Sometimes you'll help someone else, and sometimes they'll help you (different people with different classes). You'll have down-time between classes, you'll also have (sometimes, and depending on how your courses are spread out) lunches and then dinners there. You may end up spending libary time, quite frequently) until 11 PM at night. I think the one at Oregon State went to midnight, if I remember correctly, and for good reason, too.
As far as "socializing" -- that would be part and parcel of the normal interaction you would have in doing those various things, for all your class work and class time. Any other "additional socializing" would be something, yet again, outside of your normal interactions with students during the many different university activities and classes.
For all the university work that I did, there was never a single time in any single quarter where I could ever just "go to class and leave after class" (and that was it). That would be impossible.
And depending on how many quarter hours you had, you could end up almost "living at the university" (even if you didn't). I remember one time I was taking about 24 quarter hours... hoo-boy! .... :-) You might as well "camp out" at the university, if that was the case.
Perhaps we then have different experiences...
Apparently so. I know that you had to really "juggle" things. You would start with those things that you "absolutely had to have" for this quarter. You know... things that were done in order from Fall to Winter to Spring ... and they wouldn't be offered outside of that sequence. If you missed one of those classes, you had to wait until one year later to get it. You definitely didn't want that to happen. That would really mess up your four-year curriculum.
Then you would have your various electives, certain ones you had to get in certain "departments" -- but sometimes they wouldn't be offered but one or two quarters, and then you had to balance that out with the future electives, too. And then you had to have certain upper level classes, but if you didn't get the pre-requisites for thos upper level ones, and still had to take the pre-requisites, then you were really screwed for when the upper level ones had to be taken.
So, you had to juggle and juggle every quarter. You would get some messed up schedules because of how your electives would pan out with what were pre-requisites for your coming "upper level courses" in another year or two and then that you had to get your "sequences" in, too (like the Fall, Winter, Spring sequences that were only offered in that order once a year).
There were a number of times when the class was full and no more student would be allowed and I had to beg professors to allow me in. Hopefully I wouldn't have a "class conflict" from another class, or I could give up on that course.
So, yes... definitely ... you got "what you could get" -- not ever "what you wanted".
This was all done because of a student having to meet a "four-year degree" course... which had so many electives, so many mandatory classes and then, you had to get your "pre-requisites" in before you could take your "upper level courses", too. Either you did all that, or else -- you were not going to make your four-year course... you might end up taking 4-1/2 years or 5 years, instead. I guess if you didn't care about that and wanted to go five years, then you could let things slide and not care about getting this course or that course, this quarter or else you had to wait until "next year" to get it and that would throw everything off.
I’m not sure why people here have a problem with this young girl attending college. How many stories have we read about children graduating college at her age? There have been children in college as young as nine.
Of course, there might be more to this story; it’s possible that the college determined she wasn’t ready through an interview process. That was my concern when our eldest was 13: Even if he passes all the tests, he might tell them during the interview that he wouldn’t feel comfortable in a college class with older students. I wonder if that’s what this young girl might’ve indicated during a college interview... That was my first thought when I read this article.
If nothing else, your arguments in this case have given a very revealing insight into your mind and what you’re really like.
What it reveals is what is going on ... :-)
History, and non-liberal, non-’soft science’ literature sez otherwise. Remember that females of 13/14 were not only choosing mates, occasionally one sat on a throne. And, I mean ruled, not just passed time while a regent made all the decisions.
I'm just telling you what I've read here on Free Republic posted by FReepers themselves. You'll see it "quite frequently said" that a 14-year old girl cannot (meaning is not mentally/socially capable to) decide for herself to have sex with an older boyfriend (let's say like someone 20 or 24 years old, for example).
Many FReepers will absolutely maintain that it's literally impossible for that 14-year old to make that kind of decision.
BUT, then I read here, on this thread, that a 14-year old girl, if she is homeschooled, can very well be developmentally and mentally/socially advanced -- so that she's actually the equal of another girl (not homeschooled but in public schools) who is perhaps 18 or 19 years old.
So, that would seem to conflict with one another -- some FReepers saying that it's impossible for a 14-year old girl to decide to have sex with a 20-year old boyfriend, while others say that a 14-year old girl who is homeschooled is as advanced socially and mentally as that public-schooled 18-year old ...
The two (sides of that argument) can't both work that way at the very same time ... :-)
No commuter in their right mind wants to kick their heels around campus with nothing to do for hours on end.
If you're taking courses at the university level, believe me, there's never a time when there's nothing to do for hours on end, unless you're simply intent on wasting your time ... LOL ...
When you've got a four-year degree course of studies laid out and electives, plus prerequisites for other required course that must be taken, but your prerequisites have to be done first, and then you have to coordinate your upper level course, to fit in there, and get it all done within each of those quarters and some classes are only offered once a year and that's it -- then you don't get to choose whatever schedule you want. You get what is handed to you in order to meet that four-year deadline and your course curriculum and requirements which are laid out for you.
If you've got a gap of four or five hours (let's say) on a Thursday of the week, then that's just the way it's going to break for you and there's nothing you can do about it. And if you think you have to sit around for four or five hours, then you're not using your university time to the utmost. Some labs can be done at your own choosing, and you can get them in when you have gaps. Other times, you can usually spend at the library doing research. And other times, you can always read and/or do your weekly course work that you have to get in that week.
I've never known a time, in my university work where if I had a gap in time like that I would say, "Gosh, I've got nothing to do except just sit here for four hours..." LOL ...
Have you considered that a home schooled female may well decide that sex in her early teen years is not a good thing for her?
Having arrived at such a decision, a home schooled student would be rather more likely to be able to deal with the inevitable offers, probably without even causing hurt feelings.
The social skills of home schooled students really is higher than those in the public schools.
First, I went to a community college full-time for two years. Then, I transferred those credits later to a university where I took classes sometimes full-time, sometimes part-time, for a few years. Like metmom, I always commuted; I never lived in a dorm. (I did visit dorms when I was young and had friends who lived in them.)
Back then, in CC, the students were all different ages, from young adult to older adult. Most of us were going to CC for an education; we were working people. It was a very different atmosphere from a university. At the university, I had an apartment off-campus, so I was there only to attend classes. The night courses especially had older adults who were serious about their education; a young boy or girl wouldn't have had a problem in those night classes at all.
At both the CC and the university, there were only a few classes where the students were expected to work on a project together. For most of the classes, all the work was independent.
My young son and I sat together in an economics course at the CC last year. The professor told us the CC students were working students who mostly came for class and left - the same type of students I remember at CC.
Also, community colleges offer many programs for people of all ages today - including programs for young children and teens.
My only concern with enrolling a 13 year-old into CC college-level courses would be the subject matter covered in the courses. There are professors who look for ways to cover topics like sexuality explicity. I remember those topics being covered in courses when I was in college. So, I personally wouldn't put a 13yo into English Comp, Literature, History, Statistics, or Biology. A mathematics or science course (other than Biology) might be more appropriate, IMHO. But, different parents see things differently.
Have you considered that a home schooled female may well decide that sex in her early teen years is not a good thing for her?
Oh... absolutely so... that's just as much a possibility and a legitimate decision for a 14-year old who is advanced in her social skills and capabilities -- as it would be for that same 14-year old to decide that she did want to do so.
So, definitely, either one of those two decisions can be made, just like either one of those two decisions are made for females who are 20 years old and they can do so legitimately.
What I'm pointing out here, more than anything else, is not that just one side of that decision would be made -- no..., not at all. Both sides of that kind of decision would be made by various different 14-year old girls.
So, those 14-year old homeschooled girls, being as advanced socially/mentally then "either one of those two decisions" (no matter which one that 14-year old chooses for herself) is to be respected as much as one would respect that for an 18-year old or 20 year old. That's because that 14-year old is as capable as that 18-20 year old is (being that she is homeschooled).
If one is going to accept and have confidence in that 14-year old girl to be as advanced as that 18-20 year old is -- then one must accept either side of that decision that the 14-year old makes for herself.
The social skills of home schooled students really is higher than those in the public schools.
And thus, in that light -- one would have to accept the decision that this 14-year old girl would make -- is legitimate, if she decided she was going to have a 20-year old boyfriend at that stage in her life (and, of course, like I said up above, for different 14-year old girls, it could be either side of that decision) -- and one should accept either side they choose for themselves.
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