Wow! I can't believe I am looking at College (and beyond) for one of my kids. It seems so far off, yet so close. BG is in 9th grade, but since he just came home two years ago, my goal is to prepare him to pass the entrance exam so he can attend our local community college. He is doing fine with his math, it is the reading that we are working on so diligently.
JA will be entering 9th grade in a few weeks (since we school year-round). And what I am discovering is O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-I-N-G!!! In many ways, I am thankful. He is a bright kid with a bright future. I just didn't realize how much planning for his future I would be doing when he was 14.
You see, JA has decided he wants to be a doctor. And not just any kind of doctor, but a surgeon. And not just any kind of surgeon, but a neurosurgeon. And hence, my dilemma.
You see, I have looked into my crystal ball and here is what I see:
4 years of high school
4 years of college
4 years of med school
7 yrs of residency
19 years from now, he will begin practicing as a neurosurgeon (assuming he stays on this path) with T-O-N-S of debt (unless I can help him change the odds)
So, my dilemma is to figure out the best way to help him achieve his goals in the shortest time and at the lowest cost.
I have looked into a variety of ways for JA to complete the next four years. I like the Robinson Curriculum and am convinced that it is sufficient for a college preparatory approach. However, I had been branching out some and taking a more eclectic approach for high school - including ways for him to earn college credit while still in high school.
Many high school students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams to earn college credit. However, the exams are pretty difficult and many schools only grant credit if you earn a 4 or 5 (out of 5). The cost is $89, so it does reduce the costs of college as most are worth 3 college credits.
Another way to earn college credit is taking CLEP exams. These are exams that a student can take after studying material and get college credit for passing the test. A passing score is usually around 50. This is a very inexpensive way to earn college credit as each test is approximately $80 and most get you 3 college credits.
Another way we have of earning college credit is through dual-enrollment at our local community college. The state of Florida (and many other states as well) allows high school students to take courses at the local college. In Florida, this is FREE (except home-schoolers pay for books). The student is allowed to enroll in 10th grade and so has 3 years of high school to earn 2 yrs of college credit.
These are GREAT ways to eliminate two years (or more in some cases) of schooling and reduce the cost of college by anywhere from $8000 (community college cost for 2 yrs) to $40,000 (state university cost for two years). However, I discovered that many Medical Schools do NOT accept CLEP credits for the entrance requirements (i.e. Freshman Biology, Freshman Chemistry, Sophomore Chemistry, Freshman Physics, Freshman English, College Math), so that rules out that option for us. Some med schools do not accept AP credits (and some do), but finding a class would be necessary - and personally, I think these tests are harder than they really need to be. So I had been seriously considering dual enrollment for JA.
However, I began to read that many Med Schools won't accept "junior level" college classes for your entrance requirements. So, I started re-thinking the possibility of trying to earn college credit early. This led me to consider the possibility pursuing Early Admission for JA (i.e. going to college during his Senior year of High school). This would help with the time in college, but wouldn't help with the cost at all.
FRUSTRATION!
But I started doing more research on the acceptance of Junior College credits. I began to discover that some Medical schools (particularly the State Medical schools that also have matriculation agreements with the state community colleges) DO accept Junior College credits. In addition, since JA would be taking these classes as a High School student, I think this shows advanced ability to do college level work. Finally, JA is seriously considering a major in Biology. This will require many Senior College level science classes so he can easily demonstrate his ability to do well at the College level.
Finally, I had my answer (or so I think) for how to plan the next four years of his education.
Whew! Of course, I need to discuss this option with him and make sure he is OK with it.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46
5 comments:
Whew, overwhelming is right! Funny, I wanted to be a pediatric neurologist at one point, but was deterred by realizing just how old I would be by the time I could start! Kudos to JA for his determination.
We dual enrolled my son's 11th & 12th grades. It worked well for us and allowed him to get acquinted with college life before being thrust into the real deal. We still did some subjects at home but got englishes and maths out of the way. Praying for His guidance!
I saw your link to this post on the new Yahoo group that was formed for teens (CollegePrep). I have a rising 9th grader who knows he will be a biology major (wants to be a zookeeper or work at an animal sanctuary). One thing I have been warned about dual enrollment is to tread those waters carefully - only allow your child to go this route IF the child is capable of making a good grade because the grade will go on his/her high school transcript and permanent college record. A poor grade could negatively impact scholarship chances. My son has spoken with a current homeschool senior who is doing dual enrollment at the local community college, and she expressed to him she is having a very rough go and is struggling to make a C in her classes. That is not what I want for my son, so I feel very torn. The other position I find myself in is one of the colleges my son has expressed an interest in does weight grades, so "honors" courses in high school is a must in the eyes of this particular college. None of the other colleges I've briefly looked into state this on their websites. I'm so glad you mentioned the CLEP not being accepted for the biology, etc. courses. Definitely a topic we should explore at our group meetings.
Dual enrollment was a wonderful experience for my son! He went to college full time his sr year of hs. AP tests are very difficult. My very bright daughter had a 99 in AP Statistics but did not score high enough on the AP exam for college credit & was heartbroken. I would say focus on writing as my 2 in college had to write ALOT of papers their 1st 2 years and kudos for looking into options so soon! Best of luck to your future Dr.!
Joy
free learning online that may supplement college work. There's also a link to college credit-by-exam, including CLEP.
http://education-portal.com/academy/course/index.html
Before he sets out on this career, has he talked to a neurosurgeon? If you live by a medical center he can volunteer there (some surgeons will let you observe) to see if he really likes healthcare. Would be bad to get all the way to med school and realize he doens't like blood :)
I too thought I wanted to be a surgeon after college. Thankfully I talked to a bunch of healthcare providers, including surgeons prior to med school apps. One surgeon told me, 'the more specialized you get, the more money you will make, and the more boring your job will be. If you are top notch cardiac surgeon, you will make a ton of money, but you will do two quadruple bypasses a day for the rest of your career'. That sounded boring to me, so I decided to go into primary care instead (as a nurse practitioner, not doctor- way cheaper, 3 years vs. 7, and I do the same thing as a primary care doctor), and I get to see all kinds of patients. :)
Here's a great article about the costs of being a doctor:
http://benbrownmd.wordpress.com/
(I would also suggest reading the comments; some of them are quite insightful)
-molly
ps nothing against doctors, just suggesting to your son that he really consider the time, cost, and sacrifices (for him and his eventual family/kids) he will have to make to achieve his goal. The 'bad' thing about being a doctor is if he stops any where in med school prior to completing residency, he canNOT practice. So even if he completes med school and does not do a residency (for whatever reason... life changes, gets bored, etc), he cannot legally see patients! But obviously, if he does go all the way through the rewards are worth it :) Good luck JA!
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