A "is this a good college" thread for all college searchers...

[Robinrs]

DS's school has this AND you use a swipe card vs coins-just preload some money on the card and off you go. No more hunting down quarters

Yes, they have a card for just about anything. I swear that blew my mind because I graduated in the 70's and we had NOTHING that told us about the end of a cycle! I'm amazed that I'm going thru this new world with my one and only son!

 

[cathyce2]

Thanks for the shout out for my undergraduate college. I had an excellent experience there, back in the dark ages when it was a woman's college. I love where it is heading.

I think to automatically rule out a private school, just because it isn't Duke, Davidson, or Wake does the student a disservice.

Just wanted to say hi to another Queens grad! I too was there in the dark ages and had an awesome experience. I was completely prepared for grad school at a huge state univerity so they must have done something right.

 

[MrsPete]

I said that no college is going to give course credit for simply TAKING an advance-placement EXAM (as opposed to passing that exam with the required score), and you said, "Yes they do", but then went on to explain why not, which is very confusing.

Yes, colleges DO give credit for the exam:

- Most people who intend to go this route take the AP class in high school. The class will prepare them to take the exam.

- Some people take the class and decide, "There's just no use for me to take the test." I did this. Why? Because when I was a junior in high school and signed up for the AP classes, I didn't know where I was going to college. By May of my senior year, I knew where I was going, and I knew they weren't going to give me any credit no matter what score I earned -- so I didn't spend the money to take the tests.

- Some people just up and take the exam; these people have a significantly lower pass rate, but some DO pass.

- The tests are very, very hard. Even top students don't always pass.

- The exam is scored 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.

- The college decides it'll accept only scores of 4 and 5 (or whatever); the more selective the college, the higher the necessary score. Some colleges choose not to accept the AP test scores at all. If you qualify, you DO receive credit for the class based solely upon the AP test grade.

- The AP class taken in high school gets you no credit for college (though it will be good preparation for college courses).

 

[NotUrsula]

[sigh]

What I have been saying all along is that it should go without saying that merely TAKING the exam does not get you the credit, that you have to PASS the exam to get the credit, and that you only will get the credit IF the college that is your target accepts that test for credit with the score that you made. Not once did I ever imply that there was ANY college credit to be gained from any kind of AP class alone, or by taking the AP or CLEP exams but not passing them.

Yes, taking a prep class is good if you have that option available; I never said that it wasn't good. However, it is possible to pass the exam even if you don't choose to take such a class or do not have such a class available to you (which is not uncommon in rural America.) You can still embark upon a personal course of study to cover the material and do it on your own. Yes, it takes initiative and dedication, but it is do-able.

I started this part of the discussion because IME, families in rural, working-class schools (and in poor urban schools, too) often do not know that it is possible to take exams for advance college credit and save money in that way, even if your school didn't offer "AP classes". Kids whose schools have such classes tend to know about the exam options only for that reason; they hear about the tests because people who they know take AP classes and then take the tests.

I know that MrsPete knows what she's talking about as a teacher. However, I know a little something about what it is like to live in an underprivileged area and have your friends and family (and yes, sometimes even your teachers and guidance counselors), continually tell you that that means that you cannot go where the middle-class kids can go because you don't have access to their advantages while you're still in high school. Yes, it's very difficult, and it sometimes means that you have to swim hard against the tide of conventional wisdom, but it is NOT impossible.

PS: Just FTR, CLEP doesn't use the 1-5 scoring scale. CLEP exams (other than the Composition exams) are scored on a scale between 20-80. Most schools that accept CLEP exams for credit require you to score at least 50 to get that credit, though of course, some will set the bar higher than that. (And sometimes the required minimum score varies depending on the course.)

 

[tar heel]

The laundry isn't the only place students swipe their cards -- also to print copies and in the vending machines, just to name two.

As far as laundry goes, email is cool, but not as convenient as what they do at Davidson College where laundry service is part of your tuition, just like it was when my 91-year-old FIL was a student. Come to think of it, it's probably like it was when HIS grandfather was there!

 

[NotUrsula]

The laundry isn't the only place students swipe their cards -- also to print copies and in the vending machines, just to name two.

IME, very few students regularly PRINT copies anymore unless they need the hardcopy to be turned in, and that is getting rarer as well because of the popularity of services like turnitin.com

Saving a PDF copy to a USB drive via download or scanning is getting much more common. The new copiers that I'm in the process of leasing for our library have USB ports so that students and staff can scan directly to the thumb drive, or they can email the document directly from the machine. (Personally I'm jumping for joy; paper has become a much smaller line item in my budget.)

Direct scanning or emailing for documents goes one step further than scanning your ID card, because it obviates the expense altogether.

 

[MoniqueU]

We got the financial aid workup from ASU. It is way off what we were hoping for and nowhere near bridging the gap between our EFC and tuition. I am bummed and hope it is still workable. We leave for orientation in 2 weeks. I don't see them increasing it but we can try while we are there. Sighhhhh bummer.

 

[geffric]

The laundry isn't the only place students swipe their cards -- also to print copies and in the vending machines, just to name two.

!

we sent my oldest son with a brand new printer and a ream of paper.. he is a second semester sophmore.. never has used either.. papers are emailed or handed on a USB..laundry is in the fees.. so no qtrs.. nada..


Eric is still between 2 schools..left tonight for a visit to the second school.. then decision time for him..( fingers crossed)

 

[tar heel]

Whether a student ever needs to print something depends on their field. My son still has some, but it's not stuff he can print on his printer.

 

[tar heel]

So were you Queens grads there when Alf Canon was president?

 

[golfgal]

we sent my oldest son with a brand new printer and a ream of paper.. he is a second semester sophmore.. never has used either.. papers are emailed or handed on a USB..laundry is in the fees.. so no qtrs.. nada..


Eric is still between 2 schools..left tonight for a visit to the second school.. then decision time for him..( fingers crossed)

Ok, I have to check this out with my DS. He brought his printer home because it wasn't working right (but didn't bring the USB cord or the CD that goes with it) so I was going to send our older printer with him so he had one. Maybe he doesn't really need one. He keeps saying he will be fine without one but I didn't believe him .

 

[js]

Villanova grad here Fell in love my junior year of HS and never looked back. It was a wonderful 4 years of college - my closest friends are all fellow Villanovans. Even though scattered throughout the country now, we are all in touch and get together for a day or a week whenever we can. My father still teases me that the other schools I applied to never mattered because there was no changing my mind (wasn't even tempted by a large scholarship to another school - worked my way through with a little help from mom & dad, jobs, grants & some loans). I am hoping that my own children can find that same connection, wherever it may be.

It's been a while (ok, a long time) since I was a student but I'd be happy to try to answer any questions that may pop up for your DD.

Also, a friend from HS went to Bucknell (for accounting) and loved it. I was only on that campus once, but it seemed really nice, just a little more out of the way of everything than I liked.

Thank you for the kind words and offer to help with any questions.
I'm sure there will be some shortly.
My dd will call after May AP tests and set up an interview to show more interest.
One more SAT this Saturday and she will be done.
Focusing on APs, SATIIs and essay (she had to hand a rough draft in to college advisor in December and getting back in 2 weeks to work on again).

I'll keep in touch. Thank you.

 

[js]

Yes they do--the ONLY credit given for AP is getting a 3 or higher on the test-it has NOTHING to do with taking the class at all. Now, most highly competitive schools you have to get a 4 or 5 on the AP test-some don't give credit at all any more too.

The schools my dd is looking at take 4-5s, not 3s.
But, it was explained to us that just because a child passes, for instance, AP Bio and gets a 4-5, you should seriously consider if you really want your child to opt out of not taking that 100 course, if they are in that major.
I hope I am explaining this correctly.

An example is, my dd wants to be an othodontist and will probably major in Bio. It may not be in her best interest to skip Bio 100 since that will be her foundation for the next level in her major. I believe at Villanova they said your AP could be used towards your Elective. They also said basically the same thing at Quinnipiac, and for us, those two schools were academically different but both said the same thing about APs.

I haven't read all the posts concerning what you are all talking about with APs but I want to let you know what I heard about them, which, to my dd, dh and myself, made perfect sense.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

The schools my dd is looking at take 4-5s, not 3s.
But, it was explained to us that just because a child passes, for instance, AP Bio and gets a 4-5, you should seriously consider if you really want your child to opt out of not taking that 100 course, if they are in that major.
I hope I am explaining this correctly.

An example is, my dd wants to be an othodontist and will probably major in Bio. It may not be in her best interest to skip Bio 100 since that will be her foundation for the next level in her major. I believe at Villanova they said your AP could be used towards your Elective. They also said basically the same thing at Quinnipiac, and for us, those two schools were academically different but both said the same thing about APs.

I haven't read all the posts concerning what you are all talking about with APs but I want to let you know what I heard about them, which, to my dd, dh and myself, made perfect sense.

You guys know whats best for your dd. Follow your own advice. At the very least these classes will be easier for her.

At Kevin's school they give them $7 each semester for printing. I hope he will be able to use that up. Its also on the list to bring cd's/dvd's for burning. Some classes still uses those.

 

[cathyce2]

So were you Queens grads there when Alf Canon was president?

No, Billy O Wireman was President while I was there.

 

[Buckalew11]

The schools my dd is looking at take 4-5s, not 3s.
But, it was explained to us that just because a child passes, for instance, AP Bio and gets a 4-5, you should seriously consider if you really want your child to opt out of not taking that 100 course, if they are in that major.
I hope I am explaining this correctly.

An example is, my dd wants to be an othodontist and will probably major in Bio. It may not be in her best interest to skip Bio 100 since that will be her foundation for the next level in her major. I believe at Villanova they said your AP could be used towards your Elective. They also said basically the same thing at Quinnipiac, and for us, those two schools were academically different but both said the same thing about APs.

I haven't read all the posts concerning what you are all talking about with APs but I want to let you know what I heard about them, which, to my dd, dh and myself, made perfect sense.

We've been told the same thing. DD loves Science so she would choose to take lots of all kinds of science classes. We were told to wait until she was in college and not do APs, dual credit, CLEP for science classes and to wait and take them while she was there since she will be a Bio major also.
I was thinking the opposite because she likes all that so much. It was good info to for me to hear.

A dual enrollment English class at our CC will count as humanities at her college of choice. I'm fine with that as I want her in a English class next year.

My nephew took AP classes in HS but didn't take the tests. He received HS credit for the class but since none of those would transfer to Furman University, he opted out of taking the tests.

 

[hj0519]

Whether a student ever needs to print something depends on their field. My son still has some, but it's not stuff he can print on his printer.

Yeah, it really depends...I print out a ton of stuff. I have my own printer in my room and I print stuff at the library, too, depending on how long it is/if I want to save paper and print double sided. Some of my classes have online journal articles that we have to read, and I always print those out so I can bring them to class. I've only had one professor that allowed paper submission by email. I always make my study guides on my computer and print them out . My school has unlimited free printing.

 

[dejr_8]

Advanced Placement
In my opinion, if you place out of a college course by taking the AP you SHOULD NOT repeat that class in college.

The goal in college is to learn as much as possible and expand your horizons. By repeating classes that you have placed out of prohibits you from

1) taking more advanced classes in your major

2) taking more classes in your minor

3) exploring classes outside your major/minor

4) reducing your class load in a subsequent semester that could be intense.

 

[golfgal]

The schools my dd is looking at take 4-5s, not 3s.
But, it was explained to us that just because a child passes, for instance, AP Bio and gets a 4-5, you should seriously consider if you really want your child to opt out of not taking that 100 course, if they are in that major.
I hope I am explaining this correctly.

An example is, my dd wants to be an othodontist and will probably major in Bio. It may not be in her best interest to skip Bio 100 since that will be her foundation for the next level in her major. I believe at Villanova they said your AP could be used towards your Elective. They also said basically the same thing at Quinnipiac, and for us, those two schools were academically different but both said the same thing about APs.

I haven't read all the posts concerning what you are all talking about with APs but I want to let you know what I heard about them, which, to my dd, dh and myself, made perfect sense.

I guess it really depends on how strong of a student they are in that subject. Our twins are sophomores taking AP Bio this year, they have 98% and 97.7% cumulative grades so far this year. I would not make them retake Bio 100 in college and would have them take the next level. Now if they were getting a low B, I would probably make them retake that. They have the option of taking an advanced Biology class through the CIS/Post-Secondary option which in our area is a college course from the University of MN, not a community college. If they take that, they will take a 200 level course and if they score well in that, I wouldn't make them retake that. This is a class they could take senior year. DD15 is thinking about going into the sciences.

Now, if they can get credit for an English requirement, neither of them have an interest in going that route for a major, great, take the test and don't take that class in college if their chosen colleges take credits.

We've been told the same thing. DD loves Science so she would choose to take lots of all kinds of science classes. We were told to wait until she was in college and not do APs, dual credit, CLEP for science classes and to wait and take them while she was there since she will be a Bio major also.
I was thinking the opposite because she likes all that so much. It was good info to for me to hear.

A dual enrollment English class at our CC will count as humanities at her college of choice. I'm fine with that as I want her in a English class next year.

My nephew took AP classes in HS but didn't take the tests. He received HS credit for the class but since none of those would transfer to Furman University, he opted out of taking the tests.

We have a lot of kids that end up not taking the tests too. If they know where they are going and that school doesn't take AP credits, it isn't worth taking the tests. Usually in our school you see a lot of kids taking the AP tests as sophomores and juniors, not so much as seniors.

 

[NCRedding]

No, Billy O Wireman was President while I was there.

Billy Wireman for me too. He did an amazing job with the college in some really difficult financial times.