I 100% understand the ideal of attending higher education for the purpose of gaining maturity and wisdom. I also know that that option is not financially feasible or wise for many, many students (including mine).

My daughter will graduate from a state university in 3 years thanks to her credits earned during high school. If university wasn’t so expensive, even more so for out of state students, it wouldn’t feel like such a necessity to shave off time. Our goal is to NOT saddle our children with immense student loan debt while giving them the education, opportunity and unique social experiences that college provides. If our other kids decide not to go the 4 year route we’re fine with that too.

I’ve kind of always felt that way. It’s why we’ve avoided AP and dual enrollment. The cost of post secondary education is the driver. If it was affordable, more people would take a more traditional approach

I definitely worked hard, attending a school online. It was not just a matter of racing through. I went year round to cut off time, so I sort of take offense to this, not because I don’t think it’s true in some cases. But I believe it has more to do with the attitude of the student and the way the school is set up.

I ask homeschoolers, and traditional schoolers, all the time… what is your purpose behind attending college? Is it solely a job training program for you, or is it about education more broadly? There isn’t one correct answer, but your approach, your needs, and your goals should try to connect somewhere.

Or some may find themselves in situations quite like myself - in my 40s, never completed my undergrad because I started a family young. But I have always been a lifelong learner and read and worked through all the material I required of my kids (3 in college now). I taught myself Latin so I could coach kids through Latin 3 in high school. I re-educated myself in physics so I could help my son through AP physics (5 on the exam). I have read and worked through many college texts, classic lit, outlined and wrote essays as examples for my kids. I helped my husband through his bachelors and now his masters. Now that I have kids graduating and moving on, I would love to finish my own schooling. But it puts me in a weird spot. While I do carry SOME credits, I will happily pass out of some classes to get into a place where meatier and deeper conversation can happen.

For my kids, college is about time to grow up, not just get a degree. Going from homeschool to community college for an AS degree to then attend a 4 year university has made the most sense as we are using it as a springboard for life- not just a certification. The combo of the cost and their maturity made community college a great choice for the first two years, and I didn’t want to rush them to do that while also in high school. Adulthood is long enough- we didn’t need to start it early.

Can't it be possible to do both-- testing out of classes known to be weed-out or other classes not meant to expand thought, but instead to get all students to the same begining levels, but then fill-out the 4 years at the university instead with research opportunities, honors and other specialized programs and classes, double majoring, and/or getting a minor, etc.?

This isn’t surprising to anyone who recognizes that most real learning happens outside the formal structure and limited hours of earning a degree, often after the “wizard” has already handed it out, like giving the scarecrow a brain. I’ve seen this firsthand with doctors and pilots. They complete years of study, yet patients still prefer a doctor with real world experience. Why? Because experience filters out the weak. Poor doctors graduate alongside excellent ones, but time and practice reveal the difference. The same is true for pilots. Those who are not capable are gradually weeded out through years of flying, often starting as copilots. College does not do nearly as much as we tend to credit it with. There is real value in networking through a university. But the uncomfortable truth is that the college system holds a near monopoly on the degree as a resume credential. The irony is that in fields like computer science, many people bypass the degree entirely. So what exactly prevents other fields from doing the same? The answer is different for each field, but generally it has more to do with power and money than protecting or educating people, especially in this age of information. To be clear: I am not anti-college. My kids use it. But our entrepreneurial numbers are down in the US. People have stepped away from self-education right at the time information has become most available.

I think monetary cost is a big factor in motivating students to try to accelerate. However , I do also agree that there is so much other growth that can happen during the college years that may be lost for some if they rush through completely, or don’t have the ability to have at least some on campus interaction and experience Navigating life in that arena . In either point - not every degree can or should be safely completed in a hurried or “check the box “ Manner . Students pursuing careers like Registered Nursing or other high -skill jobs truly need to have a legitimate amount of hands on and supervised education with experienced professors and mentors to ensure preparedness and competency

Mine did dual enrollment, and finished 78 credits, but then did four full years at a SLAC that offered placement, but not credit for work done in high school. I truly think it was the best of both worlds for my kid, who got to spend that four years on higher level classes that were interesting, without worrying too much about box checking…but also got the higher level courses needed in high school in areas I wasn’t comfortable teaching. Having said that, they have found teacher ed painfully slow and miserable, describing it as the worst year academically…ever. Luckily next year is mostly in the classroom…

We are homeschoolers and my oldest is just a few credits away from graduating college with a bachelors degree from a state school. He even has extra credits in there which may come out to a double minor because he spent time at the Community College his freshman year because he was deciding where to go and with his dual enrollment in high school. But what we have been seeing is that he has been encouraged to continue his education and get his Masters. His peers have been as well, no matter what major they are in, the bachelors degree is not considered to be “enough” education.

Can you speak to my story then? I will share here since I just wrote it for another page which I have utmost respect for, like I have for you as well. (Also, during the gap in my college studies, I had 6 babies and homeschooled 4 of them for 6 years during which I learned a lot!) I can’t read the article due to the paywall but I’d like to share my side of this story. I began my college education at the age of 17 after obtaining my GED since I was homeschooled in Utah and couldn’t get an official high school diploma. My first semester was at the SLC Theological seminary. From there I went on to complete 3 semesters of community college. All while working full time to support myself and pay rent. I burned out pretty quickly so I decided to take a break and work a few years as a camp counselor. Fast forward a bit, I was married and pregnant and still wanted to finish my degree, I loved learning! I just hadn’t had an opportunity to enjoy it. I completed two semesters through the online program at Grand Canyon University (don’t even remind me of the debt I obtained because of them and their sneaky ways while I was a twenty something). But then I went on to have 5 babies in 7 years and life kept moving along. Here I am now, attending UMPI AFTER having my 6th (surprise!) baby in my late thirties. And since I can’t afford daycare for this now toddler, I’m utilizing my time to finish my degree. I transferred in over 90 credits from the variety of classes I’ve completed over what is now a 20 year span. However, due to being a mom of 6 and having a husband who works 2 jobs to support us, I am not completing my degree in months, but rather over the course of 4 semesters. I do understand though, how it is possible for some individuals to obtain their degree in a much shorter timeframe because if you have the privilege of time and if you have worked in the field for a number of years, it is more accessible. It is competency based after all. I am concerned that articles such as this one (granted I cannot read the content but have seen is shared several places today and have read much commentary about it) will have a negative effect on those of us attempting to finish a life long goal of ours, like mine has been, and perhaps opening up opportunities to enhance our family’s future. I

Many in the homeschool community also just use dual enrollment as low or no tuition high school courses. That one gets college credit is a big bonus of course.

I think it’s your last paragraph that is the real issue here. Did university give me time and maturity and wonderful experiences? Yes. Was I required to take a two year history course really designed to be a remedial writing/liberal arts scaffolding for kids who were just focusing on OChem? Yes. I used it to my advantage, but so many of the courses that are supposed to make you “stop and think” are never integrated properly, and frequently any elective will do. Why not speed through something mainly designed to take as much money from you as possible?

One of my sons earned a degree in six months. Before transferring from a 40k/year university, he read all of the books on the professors’ lists in the business department. Before attending the 40k private university, he had tested out if first year Greek to continue his Greek studies and translated original works for the professors after the first year. When finances forced to get the degree, he thought the process was a joke, but he had a job offer waiting once he attained it. On the other hand he taught himself more subjects than I can list and owns a very successful investment service. The degree was necessary but he wasn’t willing to pay the tuition to get it. The education is on the student these days more than ever. The irony of it all? He resents that I homeschooled him through high school. Degrees do not mean education, but the cost for a less-than-stellar or politically infused (either side) education is no education at all. Until our society accepts abilities and understanding over paper, nothing will really change.

An AI bot can finish a semester's worth of online courses in less than an hour.

Susan Wise Bauer, I can see the difference in certification and credentialing vs the layered depth a pathway can offer for a higher degree. I’ve had folks question my education because it took a long time. However, I feel the time allowed me to process and adjust to the lessons learned- not just content but also experiencing professional growth. I’ve observed the same with my kids. More technical degrees could be earned in shorter time due to credits. Things like music and dance required time invested in the training. One of our kids is at 8 years of college if we include his dual enrollment AA transfer. He will complete a masters in jazz studies and start doctoral work this year. The time invested makes sense for mastery- and career goals. Great article and thoughts to consider!

I think it matters *what* classes the colleges insist a person take, too, and whether or not that individual needs that actual course. I did one early enrollment course (scholarship opportunity as a result of earned opportunity) and that advanced my standing when I got to the actual university; I tested into different levels of other things. My high school was not rigorous. Even so, I was bored out of my mind in most of my coursework ... the room for deep thinking wasn't there. In the places where it could have been, my (undiagnosed at the time) neurodivergent thinking meant that my deep thinking got me lower grades, not higher ones. And some weird looks or after-class talks from professors. (And I wasn't the only student who endured this.) I got my 4-year degree in 5 years (a processing glitch in my diploma, and one of those semesters being my education internship) ... a major, two minors, and Honors program on top, so a very full load ... and it still wasn't deep thinking. There just wasn't a good place for it, at least not at the level I would have craved (that would have still allowed me decent grades). I went to learn, I ended with the certification, and finally changed how I used my field because apparently thinking wasn't appreciated.

The college experience is an education on itself,. I had several inspiring teachers, roommates who are friends to the day, and deep conversations that made me grow. However, my children have experienced colleges that offer the sequential classes a year later which makes college degrees unnecessarily more expensive. I believe the university bears the weight of proving it's value and recognizing that the affordability of said education is included in that value.

It also is impacted by class scheduling. Some majors end up requiring more credits than others. It is nigh unto impossible to graduate in engineering in 4 years, and the number of credits is very high. My son has his electrical engineering degree. The major alone was 90 credits. Gen Eds were 30, and prerequisites were 16 credits. 136 credits, and tuition at the junior and senior year is higher on top of that. The expense to middle class families is oppressive. Low income families get a lot of help in my state, but middle class get nothing, and scholarships are not robust in ratio to the cost to attend. Anyone who does not use low price dual enrollment and APs to get as many prerequisites out of the way as possible will pay many many tens of thousands of dollars more for a four year degree than say English or History majors to say nothing of the cost involved in housing and providing for the student during internships. Senior projects are often not paid for through tuition and fees, so again, another big expense. Parents and students alike who can not afford to just write a check for the whole thing as upper class/wealthy families do simply have no choice but to find ways to lower the cost to attend. When it comes to dual enrollment and CC, it is very instructor dependent. My son is teaching literary analysis at a CC and mixed into his 5 sections of the class, he has about 45 DE high schoolers. Their minds are being stretched in a very big way, and they are maturing quickly. He doesn't ease up just because they are teens. Some of his colleagues do less or allow more leeway, but many of them do not. Unfortunately, in my state there isn't as much oversight of DE and CC scope and sequence as their should be. One way parents can help their teens find quality DE is to talk to other students about their experience with different professors, talk to the dean of each department and say, "I want my child to be challenged and mature their critical thinking through this coursework. What would be the best classes and instructors for them?" For home school students, they have the addition need for hoop jumping to prove they can do the work, problem solve, and achieve at a high level. Employers place that confidence in college degrees. So even if what they would prefer is just certification or trade licensing, often their resumes still need to show college achievement of B.A. or B.S. in order to be competitive for jobs. They need an education that is an education for the sake of maturing their thinking and exposure to new horizons, but they also need to have jobs, jobs with benefits. This means jumping hoops. Oh, and back to those majors. Music is another insane one. When I graduated with my music ed and piano performance degrees, our requirements were so crazy that by the time we had all of our performance credits, student teaching credits, personal lesson credits, Gen Eds, and credits for our minor (required in my state for secondary ed), I had 148 credits. Thank goodness I entered university with 24 college credits. By taking summer performance credits, I was still able to finish in 4 years. It was only because I was able to enter student teaching ahead of everyone else in my class. A young woman I know teaching band in our area had 155 credits when she graduated because student teaching is now 9 months instead of one regular college semester. So it counted as 30 college credits just for that. Oh, and on top of that, every university limits the number of credits you can earn towards graduation in any single department in humanities. (Engineering at ABET certified University programs is so tightly controlled that this caveat is waved just like it is for anything involving human medicine.) This means we were required to take more credits in music than what the university would allow us to count for graduation which meant we paid for fluff classes in other departments in order to have the proper distribution of 124 credits. I took science classes I didn't need just to get the distribution which resulted in earning a minor in both general sciences as well as French which was my intended minor. Imagine the sheer cost to students for this! So I lay A LOT of blame on the college system for gaming students in this way to prolong their time in college in the name of "robust education", and yet it is nothing more than a money maker, and policy flim flam, and in no way benefits the students nor enhances their education objectives. If anything, it keeps them in a constant state of stress and burn out which is counterproductive to learning, meaningful dialog, thoughtful response, and maturation. I would love to see the college system revamped by actual academic educators who care about the education they are attempting to impart, and without administrators interfering, outside policy advisors with their own personal agendas, and " business leaders" who only care about pushing on the job training that THEY should be providing into college so the student pays for instead of them.

College isn't for everyone, yet it has become necessary for most dependable jobs with good pay. It's completely rational for some to just want the certificate, and to minimize the time and expense if possible. Heh, reminds me of College Kids by Reliant K. Here's the chorus: And that's why I say Oh no, not for me, not for me Call it torture, call it university No, arts and crafts is all I need I'll take calligraphy and then I'll make a fake degree youtu.be/nJwb6En3kJg?si=c2LirdF0ZerZmXfW

This makes college degrees seem like a joke. Which they already are because of AI and lazy professors who still give online assessments that are easy to cheat. AP credit is a different story - that is actually a hard and well-monitored test. If I were hiring, I would only be interested in internships and work experience.

I've always liked learning and thinking, so I spent 10 years in school - over 300 credits = 2 Masters degrees. I did take several AP classes in high school. My AP English Literature class my senior year was my favorite class of all time, and I fondly think of it often. I've patterned some of my teaching methods from that class. I now teach online high school Humanities classes to students - and parents - that value a critical thinking education and diving deeper into the subjects. Those that want to savor (a Schole philosophy approach) good books, and personally progress in their writing each year, instead of just checking off the typical boxes. Especially in the last few years, I have met more people who have a public education mindset - of getting through as fast as possible and it doesn't matter what you learn as long as you can check off those boxes. Education is also in a crisis because too many are allowing AI (which can work as a valuable tool if used properly) to do all their thinking for them. The two combined - a rushed, shallow education and over-reliance on AI and technology - is going to end up with a lot of adults knowing very little, and not be able to analyze the constant bombardment of agendas and propaganda on all sides.

This is happening on traditional college campuses. Students are asked to jump through hoops but to not really master the information

We started our now adult girls with Candyland, too, and also soon moved to Sorry. They quickly embraced the ironic "Sorry" moment whenever they got to send someone's token back to base.

My mom was born in 1949. The 1955 version of the game, which has the absolute best artwork, is the one I grew up with. 😉 Some years ago my mom fulfilled her childhood dream by playing Candy Land with my sons, and whenever they landed on a particular candy they were allowed to eat that candy for real!

We loved Candylsnd and Uncle Wiggley! How sad Eleanor died by suicide.

So cool! Thanks for sharing!