Homeschooling for College Credit: A Parent's Guide to Resourceful High School Planning

by Jennifer Cook DeRosa, Cindy LaJoy (Contributor), LeAnn Gregory (Contributor)

#1 New Release on Amazon in Homeschooling
“Recommended Resource” -Home School Legal Defense Association The U.S. Department of Education reports that about half of the students who start college will never finish and 75% will graduate with student loan debt. Homeschooling for College Credit teens graduate high school with about 1 year of college under their belts, but motivated teens can finish their degree. Homeschooling for College Credit brings the goal post closer and teaches you how to pay cash as you go. Homeschooling for College Credit will challenge you to reconsider the wisdom of popular college propaganda, and how to make better choices for your family.Even if you've never been to college, this book will turn you into a well-informed homeschool guidance counselor ready to proceed with confidence. "Jennifer Cook DeRosa is THE foremost authority on Homeschooling for College Credit in the United States.” -Dr. Shawn Ambrose, Higher Learning Commission and the American Council on Education. After two decades in higher education, Jennifer stepped away from college administration and teaching to homeschool her 4 sons. In 2012, Jennifer created Homeschooling for College Credit, a non-profit social community that teaches parents how to make the most of their teen's high school career.
Jennifer and her husband have been married for 25 years and live in North Carolina. All of her sons have earned college credit in high school, and collectively her family has 9 degrees from 7 different colleges.

Genres: Education, Parenting, Nonfiction

358 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

Jennifer Cook-DeRosa is the founder and executive director of Homeschooling for College Credit (HS4CC) and the co-founder of two national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. A national subject matter expert in homeschooling and nontraditional college credit, she is also a former college administrator, author, and speaker with decades of experience in higher education and workforce training. Jennifer generously gives her time each year to help tens of thousands of homeschooling families earn affordable college credit. In addition to her work at HS4CC, Jennifer consults with colleges and universities on how to effectively recruit, support, and retain homeschool students.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! I recommend this book to everybody I meet who is planning on or considering homeschooling through high school. It gave me hope that we, a family of eight on one income, can find creative ways to cut the costs of secondary school without going into debt. Even if you don't homeschool,the advice in here can be so helpful in thinking outside the box for college options.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, easy read as I begin my journey of homeschooling through high school!

[Roni · Rating 5 out of 5]

an indispensable resource for all parents who plan to homeschool their kids through high school

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book hoping it would help me with a few tips on how to homeschool my high schooler. I've homeschooled my son since kindergarten, but I was terrified of messing something up for him in high school that would not allow him to qualify for college. This book answered so many questions I didn't know how to ask. I can now move confidently forward with a better plan than I had before! I highly recommend this to the parent of any high schooler- not just homeschool students!

[Kisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a huge amount of well-researched information in this book. It's helpful enough that I am considering purchasing it, even though I read it via Kindle Unlimited, so I can continue using it as a resource after it's removed from Kindle next week. I have also gotten a lot out of the related Facebook groups that are associated with this book/author/website. This is a huge topic and it's very helpful as I have a high schooler that will begin hopefully earning college credit this semester.

Four star instead of five because.. there are a few editing/typo situations, and there does exist an uncomfortable section where the author discussed her viewpoint about the suitability of gender in various education paths. The point I believe she wanted to make is to match the child's future plans to the amount of education they should take on--that is, don't go into debt for medical school if the child plans to not use that degree. That isn't invalid--totally on board for that take. However, I did take exception to the part where she specifically said something along the lines that if you want your daughter to become a stay-at-home mom, you shouldn't really bother to prepare for a demanding career, whereas your sons will need to provide for a family. There are a lot of different kinds of families out there, and I don't think she had bad intentions in saying this in this way, but it came across as pretty outdated. A lot of the homeschooling world is pretty conservative, so the attitude doesn't surprise me, and I do think that she was attempting to avoid slamming that viewpoint throughout the book. I just think that part was poorly worded and her point could have been made in a better way. It's mostly confined to that one section, though, so f you can overlook it, the rest of the book is very valuable information.

[Kela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have followed HS4CC on social media for a couple of years now and walked the homeschooling high school path with my oldest so there was not a lot of new information in this book for me, but I would consider this a must read for homeschool parents. My son finished high school with about 30 college credits under his belt thanks to CLEP and dual enrollment. Not bad considering we got a late start, but we could've done so much more if I'd come across this book sooner. If you have a child in middle school, read this book NOW so you can optimize your plan for high school.

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book whether or not you homeschool your child. If you don't have a child but want a college degree yourself; read it! Many of these tips work for anyone, including non-traditional learners like adults seeking college degrees. Get a degree faster for a lot less money.

A few of my favorite topics covered: CLEP Tests, concurrent enrollment, return on investment: what you pay for a degree, how much time it takes, and what the career you get from it will earn. Also included: Where to find what careers typically pay and if they are in demand, and so much more.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful, if rather overwhelming. Realizing just how much more research I need to do and that we need to change some of our focus academically as we head into higher grades. Will be re-reading some of these sections a lot! Wanted to give this five stars, but the editing was making me a little crazy at times.

[Kristen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book!! This book encouraged me and answered a lot of questions I have. I will be reading parts of this book many times and would recommend it to anyone looking at homeschooling through high school.

[Andrew Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of options!

Very good summaries, to explore your options! Geared towards those who have just graduated from homeschool high school, however, it helps to expand one's horizons about *other* possibilities!

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very good guide to starting the college journey. I wish I read this book while my kids were beginning middle a school. The key is to start early and give yourself the time to learn the ins and outs.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and informative. I read the second edition, which is still pre-covid so I'm hopeful that much of the info is still fairly accurate. Gave me much to consider as we continue our family's homeschool journey. Some typos and grammatical errors grated my nerves.

[Ashlee]

Some great info and real life advice. My kids are still in elementary school so not super applicable to now, but I like to know what options are available. Glad to have read it.

[Damaries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

She covers everything needed in detail. Highly recommend it for kids in high school and for those planning high school.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information!

[Tatertot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for homeschoolers preparing for college. Breaks down AP, CLEP, and Duel Enrollment options. Great advice on how to plan out the high school years and write a transcript.

[Tnb · Rating 3 out of 5]

useful

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find out who you want to be, what you love and most importantly something that drives you every day for the next 20-30 years!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well put together - a must have resource for every homeschooling family of secondary students

[Tahlia Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful tips, insightful, makes an overwhelming task seem less threatening.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of information to take in that I read quickly as a deadline for book return was coming due. I think it was definitely worth reading and I learned quite a bit of where to do our research next.

[Cassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer has some great insight on how to guide your child through homeschooling in high school while getting the most college credit you can. I've been able to take advantage of all of her previous study.

[Clay Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. De-Rosa provides valuable information that I know is factual because of the college credit I graduated with. If I had had this book however, I could have saved myself the trouble of taking some classes, I would have know the most effective path towards you degree and saving money. The book really covers everything from maximizing your testing potential to test out past classes, to knowing which tests not to take. This is a valuable guide for anyone wanting to dual enroll their highschool student

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book excites me - not only for my children but for anyone looking to earn college credit without spending thousands of dollars. The author explains the ins and outs of studying and testing for AP, CLEP, DSST, and ACE exams. I can't wait to get started putting this "out of the box" approach to earning a college degree for less with my children. I foresee this as being a huge blessing to our family!

[Janine Deems · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. After reading it and thinking that I learned everything I could from Jennifer, I found her facebook page and her website. I have spent hours and hours learning about how I can help my daughter. I was completely lost on how to help her when she asked me to homeschool her and she was starting high school. I am no longer scared and my daughter is doing great. You will not be sorry for investing in this book. Just remember that she also has the website and fb page!!!

[Stephen Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that clearly lays out ways to manage the transition to a cheaper college experience, especially for those who homeschool. She goes into CLEP and other test methods. A clear writing and explanation of options with a fair, impartial view based on her own considerable experience as a student, technical degree, homeschooling parent and associates degree teacher.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needs an editor, pronto. So many typographical and grammatical errors. However, the content was great and very helpful. I feel more empowered to get my kids off to a solid start should they desire attending college.

[Emma Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful and encouraging

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful. Typos were distracting.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed full of valuable information! We'll definitely use much of the ideas Ms. DeRosa puts forth in this slim volume. The hard part for me was getting past all the typos and editing issues.