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.

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 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).

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.

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

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.

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 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

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

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.

My daughter is taking dual enrollment classes online right now. She has biology (with lab), western civilization, and a drawing course. She also has to practice her music. Granted, her aim is perfect grades, but we are shocked that this takes her the entire day. (Is the lab portion of biology really like adding a whole extra course?)

Put that on a resume I promise you I'm not hring you.

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.

A lot of value to a degree is having proof that one can jump through hoops. This credentialing is especially useful for home school students. This way of getting a degree does satisfy that requirement. Charlotte Ryan

I don't know how I can agree with this more.

Renee Solomon

From the article: "But it isn't education. It's certification."

Maybe if “education” at a university didn’t cost $50k-$100k/yr and saddle kids and parents with a lifetime of debt, students and parents wouldn’t be so worried about accelerating the pace.

My family all read this article this morning in horror. We just cannot see how there is any way these people could be doing these extremely, extremely condensed degrees without using AI to do their work. They are claiming they finished courses that required readings, multiple essays, papers, and exams in a few days while also working and parenting? And doing that with multiple course at the same time? How would that even be possible without AI? We know it is prevalent and students everywhere are using it, but at least in a traditional college setting there are some constraints and consequences if you are caught. This “speedrunning” of courses seems like something that should immediately be a huge red flag for any college granting legitimate degrees and should cause them to lose their accreditation.

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!