<p>I’m not sure exactly sure what forum this would suit the best, so I suppose this one will suffice.(Please let me know if another forum would be better. I just assumed here would be an ok spot to post this) Essentially, I’m transferring from my current public high school to an online high school. I’ve done some research, and based off of it and speaking with another CCer, I’ve come to give serious consideration to Keystone. If anyone has heard of it, can you give your opinions on it? Based off of searching on this website, I’ve seen mixed results and reviews, but most of those were given a few years ago, so I don’t find that information to be too helpful. At the moment I’m just a little apprehensive of diving into a new school, let alone a new online school. My concerns revolve around the quality of the education I would be receiving at Keystone. Ultimately, I love writing and English in general, so my intent is to always improve in the subject in whatever way I can. I’m worried that the online school won’t enable me to progress through feedback. I’m concerned that they just give you a grade and you move on without further elaboration on the ideas conveyed and presented through the pieces of literature and through one’s writing. Anyway, to get to my main point, I’m just searching for others who have experience this program (whether it be any of you or your children) or another online school to provide me with some information or reassurance. Please feel free to comment on a similar experience you or your child has had or to provide me with some tips or advice. Thanks! (Again, sorry if this isn’t an appropriate forum, I just noticed there wasn’t as much activity within the homeschooling forum)</p>
<p>I know nothing of Keystone. The only reputable online HS I know of is through Stanford U- the EPGY program.<a href=“http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/index.html[/url]”>http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/index.html</a>
That doesn’t mean Keystone is lacking in any way,but why are you pulling out of your HS?What has prompted this action, which is pretty drastic if you want to go on to college.</p>
<p>Right, well I thought about that program, but unfortunately I missed the cutoff date. Essentially I am switching due to several factors. One of which is my overall emotions towards the school. Personally, I don’t feel comfortable at my school. It’s difficult for me to elaborate on my feelings, but ever since I’ve come to my high school, I felt out of place and have become stressed. While I comprehend that some stress is beneficial to my well being, I also acknowledge that this stress has worn me out. I’m not as content with myself and I don’t sleep as well. Again, it’s hard to explain, but it’s not just the school itself that has done this to me, but it is also the students, who aren’t exactly the nicest people in the world. The majority of them aren’t humble by any means and are superficial, something that contrasts with my personality. In addition to this, I currently attend a public school with about 3000 students in CA. This means that I am forced to sit in classes with around 35 to 40 students per class. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing in terms of the quality of education I am receiving, I’m not too fond of the lack of individualized attention, in addition to the longer class periods. I would rather attend a school in which I can obtain and acquire the same amount of information in less time, which would enable me to do other activities that my current school doesn’t permit me to do due to the immense amount of time I must devote per class. These reasons and a few others have led me to seek alternative education. While I do consider myself a good student and someone who wants to challenge oneself, I have to consider my well being. Is it really worth my happiness to go to a public high school when I could take the same classes, and likely even harder classes at an online school? I found myself in favor of the online option.</p>
<p>From what I’ve been able to comprehend, Keystone offers about 14 AP classes, which is a sufficient amount that I believe I will be able to utilize. My only fear is the quality of the education, which is one of the reasons I posted here. I’m solely hoping that my decision is the best one for me, and will enable me to gain acceptance into a good college. Anyway, thank you for the link and post!</p>
<p>I do not know anything about Keystone. One I know of, Laurel Springs, located in Ojai, California seems to be a favorite of homeschooled athletes.</p>
<p>Check out Indiana University High School, Apex Learning, and K12 (if your state has a virtual school with them, you can go for free). </p>
<p>IUHS has AP’s, but better than that it has dual credit classes at Indiana University in Bloomington. Real, live college English professors (or whatever the subject is) will correspond with you online, and send you back your papers with lots of good feedback. You can be earning a high school degree and accumulating transferable college credits at the same time. Don’t do it, however, unless you plan on getting good grades (once you start a college transcript, it is with you forever).</p>
<p>Thank you for your responses! I’ve never heard of any of those with the exception of K12. I live in California so I’m assuming/hoping it’s free. That would be nice for my family. I’ll definitely look into the other three though. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!</p>
<p>It’s been a few days, but I just looked up Laurel Springs and love it. It seemed completely ideal until I realized the 1500 dollars was per AP course, not per year:/ Unfortunately I can’t do that to my parents. That’s way too much money, especially since I would be taking around 6 to 7 courses. However, I appreciate the suggestion ellebud:> I’ll keep looking! I think I’ve got my selection down to two, so I’ve almost come to a decision.</p>
<p>Wartsandall- could you take classes at your local community college? Many school districts offer a program where you are enrolled in both high school and community college. You take the classes at the CC, and get both hs and college credit. The classes would still be large, but the maturity level of the student body might make you more comfortable.</p>