I mentioned, up above Portland State University and Oregon State University. Now, Portland State is more of a commuter university, although they do have those who live right next to the University, too. But, I would say that most of the students there commuted from the Portland area. That was what I did.
And those courses that I was talking about were at Portland State University, and again, I did not live on campus. But, I still spent time in the labs, at the University library, and stayed there in between classes, had group assignments, worked with other people in those classes, and had the same kind of university class experience as being on campus.
In fact, I was more likely to stay “on campus” in between classes at Portland State University than I was at Oregon State University. At Oregon State, since I was on campus grounds (it was quite large), if I had a gap in between classes, I would just go back to my residence.
At Portland State, I would not go back home again, I would stay right there on campus. So, it might be the reverse of what you might think at Portland State as compared to Oregon State — in that I stayed on campus around the core of the University a lot more at Portland State (the commuter school) than I did when I actually lived on campus, down at Oregon State... LOL ...
I didn’t live in a dorm at either one of those universities. At Portland State, I lived in a house in the Portland city proper, but yet, had the same experience in terms of classes and labs and meeting course requirements and having to take whatever scheduling I could get for my classes.
And it was the same for a lot of other students at Portland State University, in having to schedule the full-time classes and yet not live on campus, and do all the same things for university classes as would go on at Oregon State University.
Now, at Oregon State University, I didn’t live in a dorm there either, but lived on campus in a group housing facility called a “co-op” (kinda of like a fraternity, in a way, except not one ... :-) ...). But, we were right next to all the big dorms, just a couple of hundred feet away from some (one was “the Quad”, if anyone has been to Oregon State). And then later, I lived slightly off campus (a couple of blocks away, in an apartment) on one side of it, but I was closer to some of my classes than when I lived “on campus” (just because of the location of the apartment, as compared to the location of the “co-op” even though the co-op was squarely on campus).
The class load and work was the same, the scheduling problems were the same, in the living situation, I lived on campus and off campus, both, at Oregon State, but it was a college town, as opposed to Portland, which was a city in its own right. I still had to meet the proper course requirements in both universities, had to keep up the right schedule of classes from quarter to quarter and year to year in both universities for the major. It was no different in that respect and in the pace and the course load. You still had university friends at either place.
The only thing I see that is different from what you’re saying is “not” a difference between a commuter school versus campus-living — that’s not the difference. The real difference is if you’re serious about getting your course work done in the proper amount of time or not. Sure, back then there were some who were taking about six years to get done what others were getting done in 4 years, but most all students were getting all their course work done in four years, no matter whether they lived on campus or not.
At the university level, pretty much all your courses were transferable from one university to the next. But, if you went to a Community College, you might find that those courses were not as easily transferable, as the ones at the university level. I wouldn’t go to a Community College back then, because it would have slowed me down (wouldn’t get credit for all courses) and would not have been as good courses as those at Portland State and Oregon State.
And talking about a “full course load” when I was in high school I was taking a full course load there (and picked courses there, too, to get be ready for college) and I jumped straight into a full course load in my first term at college, and had no problem at all. I never missed a beat.
At first, I was called into Portland State (before starting) and asked if I wanted to set up my entire course structure, itself, from the ground up and I would work with professor/advisor who would oversee me setting up all my courses. I would basically “self-construct” my courses and basically self-teach and get university credit for all my course work. They told me that I qualified for that. But, when considering that, I figured it was a lot more work than I wanted to put into it, than taking the “ready-made courses” that everyone else was taking. So, I didn’t go for that one ... LOL ...
So, I’m not talking about just taking a few courses here and there, but being serious about the university work and getting it done just like any other regular university student.
And talking about Community Colleges, I would say that is for those who want to “bootstrap” their way into university level work and don’t feel like they can meet up to university level work, right off the bat. And I suppose there are many like that, but that’s not the way I did it or many others in the thousands that were going at the same time I was going to the universities [and right now there’s about 24,000 going to Portland State University and about 22,000 going to Oregon State University].
Four, five, six years... The amount of time has nothing to do with whether or not a college student is serious. Everyone I know who took a longer amount of time did so due to financial reasons. Most of us took the community college route to university to save money. It was the sensible thing to do. And, in the five-year work co-op program I mentioned that is offered by universities, students gained experience in their field of study; they were serious students, offered jobs by those companies upon graduation.
OTOH, there are serious students who go right into a four-year university, only to drop out for financial reasons. So, the decision should be made based on a student's financial circumstances.
At the university level, pretty much all your courses were transferable from one university to the next. But, if you went to a Community College, you might find that those courses were not as easily transferable, as the ones at the university level. I wouldn’t go to a Community College back then, because it would have slowed me down (wouldn’t get credit for all courses) and would not have been as good courses
You'd have to plan well and find out first which credits the university will accept. Most of my credits were transferable, and I didn't even take the transferable track. TODAY, the community colleges around here have close relationships with universities. You can even earn a four-year degree from certain universities on the campuses of some community colleges. The universities send their professors to teach the courses on the CC campus, and students are guided to take two years of certain CC courses in order to transfer right there to the university level courses.
I’m not talking about just taking a few courses here and there, but being serious about the university work and getting it done just like any other regular university student.
Remember, we're talking about a 13yo student. Maybe her parents plan to put her into CC full-time. But, my point was that she wouldn't need to attend full-time, if there was concern about her safety and security. In starting college at age 13, she would have plenty of time to spend taking courses at her leisure, while still enjoying the life a typical 13yo girl might lead.
I'm going to be attending a free seminar offered by a college recruiter who will offer advice specifically for homeschoolers. And, guess what the first piece of advice is: She advises homeschooled students to take dual-credit courses at CC while they're high school age. It's what many homeschooled students around here do. Some might have their degrees by age 18, but it's not necessary to rush through when you're starting so early.
And talking about Community Colleges, I would say that is for those who want to “bootstrap” their way into university level work and don’t feel like they can meet up to university level work, right off the bat. And I suppose there are many like that, but that’s not the way I did it or many others in the thousands that were going at the same time I was going to the universities
Here's a secret I learned: There isn't a dime's worth of difference between the courses at a community college and the same courses at a university. There was no difference between the professors at CC versus the university.
I earned mostly A's at the CC, and, at the university, I was the only A-student in some of my classes. (I was paying full-price, so I took it seriously.) ;-) The professors themselves told me I was their only A-student. One professor told the whole class. One day, in that same class, the other students started talking about CC students and how "stupid" they were. The professor was laughing along with them. It was amusing because they had no idea I'd transferred from CC. Personally, I thought they were gullible for paying the higher university tuition the first two years. ;-)
One guy I knew was the son of a widow, so he had to work his way through college, like so many of us did. He started at community college, transferred into a university's work co-op program (and commuted to the university), and upon graduation was hired immediately as an aerospace engineer at around age 23. He soon earned his masters. Do you really believe someone who fits that description is not a "serious" student? IMHO, that type of student is far more serious than the type who is there partying half the time. :-)