Of all of the values we seek to instill in our children, it is doubtful that free-riding makes it into the top ten, or even the top 100. However, it is time for parents of today’s high school students to go to them with hat in hand and say three of the most difficult words, “I was wr...wr...wr...wrong.” Forgot all of those things we have said in the past. Sometimes, just sometimes, there is such a thing as a free lunch. Maybe it is okay to try and do two things at once. And, every once in a while, long distance relationships do work.
In today’s scary economy, when many parents are more worried about hot dogs and housing than Harvard, college has gone into the “other things to worry about” pot on the back burner. Newspaper headlines and television news stories are often bearers of the grim news facing California’s future college students. The Golden State may have to change its nickname to the “Iron Pyrite State” as we pan nearer and nearer to bankruptcy. Cal-kids who get Cal-Grants can’t help but feel like they are on a Reality-TV show. They need to keep their bags packed and at the ready in case they are “voted off” the college campus since “any Cal Grant award is tentative and subject to final approval of the State Budget Act.” The California University system has had to raise its tuition level to a point outside the financial reach of many. And, private college tuition?...really? All of these issues have combined to send students by the thousands flocking to California’s community colleges, making the campuses as impacted as a stadium full of teen-aged girls at a Justin Bieber concert. So, what is a concerned parent to do?
Before you start teaching your teens how to say “do you want fries with that,” take a moment to consider the idea of distance education, otherwise known as online college. The advent of the internet makes it possible for classrooms to accommodate e-learners by the hundreds as opposed to the physical limitations of a brick-and-mortar classroom. Most importantly, these mega courses are not in obscure subjects like elementary basket weaving.
California community colleges, such as Coastline in Fountain Valley, offer internet, television, or other formats of distance learning courses in subjects that are required in high school and meet general education requirements in college. Got a high school senior who needs American Government and Economics? Take both courses online at Coastline Community College. Their Political Science course has openings for 395 students. Economics has space for 220 students. Generally speaking, this is enough room to accommodate college students and those high school students seeking a head start on college. To spice things up a bit, these courses are often eligible for both high school and college credit at the same time, killing two birds with one stone (no offense intended to bird lovers). But wait, there’s more. Many of these colleges, including Coastline, do not charge tuition (called registration fees) to high school students. This is a win/win combination for all concerned. Moms love it because their high school student is safe from the influences of being on-campus with more adult learners. Dads love it because they are saving money. And kids love it because...well, they may not love it, but they will probably thank you for it later in life, when they finish their college a year or more sooner than their friends.
College registration dates are dependent upon the college credits that students have earned. Eventually, your high school student will have earned enough credits to get an early registration date. This will allow them the opportunity to grab some of those on-campus courses as they become available, although you don’t have to let your kids know that if you don’t want to. My own son, Michael, entered college at fifteen and started taking on-campus courses at sixteen, before he got his driver’s license. He thought it was pretty cool except for the part where he had to tell his fellow college students that his mommy was here to pick him up. Sometimes, you just have to take the good with the bad.
Early college graduation gives students an advantage when it comes to entering the job market. Flipping burgers is fine for a season, but eventually most young adults want to be able to make an income that gives them more than pocket change. Michael received his Associate’s degree one week after his eighteenth birthday and two weeks before getting his high school diploma. Now, at twenty-one years old, he has completed his Bachelor’s degree and makes $4.00 more an hour at his part-time job than most of his fellow graduates. He has decided to continue taking courses for enrichment and loves it. And perhaps most importantly, he drives himself to college these days, although his registration fees now come with a price tag. I guess free-riding only lasts so long.
One last word of advice, getting enough credit to graduate from college today is similar to what some people say about voting: apply early and apply often! Don’t be afraid to apply for admission at several colleges at once. Teens may only be able to get a few classes at this campus and a few classes at that campus, but eventually, they can transfer their credits to the one campus they choose to get their degree from. That is the benefit of this type of long distance relationship: two-timing (or three, four or more) is okay and free-riding is a virtual virtue.
(Parents and students who want to know more about this subject can visit the websites of any California campus and look for information regarding concurrent high school and college enrollment as well as the details regarding the college’s distance education program. They may also want to search www.assist.org or California’s virtual campus website at www.cvc.edu.)
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