Hello COTH,
i am wondering what schools people are using for their children who ride and are on the circuit during a lot of the school year? I am specifically looking for information on online high schools. Thanks!
Suggest contacting the high school the child would have attended and see what they suggest --In Indiana there is a state supported on-line high school. And --my opinion here --as a high school teacher for 40 years, now retired --consider the switch carefully. Over the years I had probably 10 students who were skilledl sportsmen or women to the extent where they were earning money through sponsorship or were truly contenders for advanced level (professional) sports. None ever made a living at their sport after high school. One did play ball in Europe for a few years after high school, but is now back in college working on a nursing degree. The students I knew worked with the school to complete academics while in competition. Only two girls actually used the on-line home schooling (only available recently)–both were horsewomen. One is still competing at the National Level and has colleges interested in her (hasn’t finished high school yet --will next year) and is doing well in her studies --she had tremendous self discipline. The other stopped formal schooling at 12, rode with a professional event rider until she was 17, quit horses all together, and at 18 lives with her boyfriend working at a minimum wage job at a restaurant (she’s on facebook so that’s how I know this). The parents spent a fortune (to me) on horses and training for her -and she was good --but not driven --used to see her arguing with her parents at shows over kid-stuff like who should pick up the tack, clean the stall, etc. They finally had enough of the horse world, I guess, and pulled the plug. I asked her mom once how the home schooling was working out, and she said that the girl had trouble “finding the time” to do the lessons. I can’t imagine the pressure the girl felt --her parents put all the money and time into her training, how would she ever tell them she wanted to stop? Anyway, way more than you wanted to read –
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I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High School for my sophomore through senior years and found it to be great, the teachers were always there for support and you had an entire calendar year to complete each course. You could also complete assignments on your own time and take exams when you were ready, there was no set deadline on specific assignments.
I am now a couple courses away from getting my Bachelor’s degree online from Southern New Hampshire University. The online schooling really worked well for me and allowed me riding opportunities I would have missed out on otherwise such as attending clinics, taking more lessons, and competing more often. Getting my college degree online has allowed me to run my own business and I currently operate a 30 horse boarding and training facility. The only thing I will say about online schooling is making sure the dedication and self-motivation is there. If the kid isn’t willing to set aside time and get things done without teachers hovering over them and set deadlines looming, it may not be the best route to take. I set specific days and times for my schoolwork and that’s the only way I was able to push myself to complete the assignments.
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I am homeschooled which provides great flexibility, the past couple semesters I have done online dual credit through the local college, which may be an option of you are at that level. I supplements with 1-3 classes of college each semester and fill in the rest of my credits through certified homeschool programs.
Thanks Foxglove and JFCeventer ! This information is helpful. The student is very dedicated and very bright, so no worries there. She is probably not looking at horses as a career, except as a vet:). I am having some difficulty getting really good reviews on the programs. I have spent a lot of time reading online and find that is is difficult to get candid assessments. I have been on the homeschool forums as well as google. I am somewhat worried at the lack of AP classes available. Most of the programs only have a couple of classes for AP offerings. I also am reading that some colleges are not accepting the transcripts from the online high schools. As I said, she is bright and I don’t want her to have difficulty getting into college.
I should probably clarify that she doesn’t have a lot of options where she is. The local public school is not that good and there are no academically strong private schools within driving range. I hate to take up her day with busy work. I want her to get something for the time she puts in to both her riding and her academics.
Teacher here - just sharing some thoughts.
A public school that is “not that good” can often be good enough for a student who is bright and highly motivated, and who seeks out interesting experiences. And if you aren’t satisfied with the academic quality of the private schools within driving range, you are going to be sorely disappointed with school online (or maybe you live somewhere very, very rural and don’t have any options - you make it sound like there is SOME private school option in your area, you just don’t like it, probably with good reason).
A lot of online schools don’t cover biology very well - it’s common practice for online academies to not cover evolution, which is a pretty important topic to an understanding of biology. Those that do cover it tend to tack it on as a skippable unit rather than integrating it into the curriculum like you need to do to truly understand biology. Most online curricula also won’t offer dissection (I don’t know any that do but I think it’s important to acknowledge that I don’t know everything), and that experience is a HUGE help in college biology courses where she will have to do well if she is going to get in to vet school.
If your local public is really not cutting it, I would recommend one of four things:
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Apply to a private boarding school that has a strong riding program.
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Continue with public school and also have her study independently for the AP exams in subjects she is interested in. You can take the AP exams without having taken the class, and you can get college credit for doing so. I would suggest planning to spend about $300 per AP class (NOT including the exam fee) on textbooks, materials, and “field trips” to support the curriculum, more if you need targeted tutoring to do stuff like teaching dissection techniques. It will still add up to a relatively inexpensive college course.
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Look for a dual enrollment program so she can take community college courses while enrolled in high school. These sometimes count for both high school AND college credit.
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Get a GED and go straight to community college, perhaps splitting the time with riding - she could go to school in the fall semester and go to Florida to compete in the spring semester, for example. She should make sure she has completed community college admissions requirements before doing this. The community college courses on her transcript would assure colleges she is applying to that she is capable of college level work, and in combination with a strong recommendation from a professor, and a great essay about her ambitions and the relevance of her work with horses, would make her a very attractive applicant at many colleges.
I would absolutely not recommend online school to facilitate an equestrian career (a competitive career in any sport) for a student who is planning a career in veterinary medicine. Many students who complete online schools DO have difficulty getting in to college - which doesn’t mean your daughter will, elite athletes are not the majority of the online school population - but her career ambitions are likely better served by another option.
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OMG, that is HUGE. I didn’t realize I was writing a novel. Sorry!
I attended Laurel Springs High school which has tons of AP classes, it is a private school, and now I’m on a full ride at college. It worked great for me, but as mentioned above you have to set the time aside or it will be disastrous. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Students wanting/needing online courses of study at our school often chose Keystone National High School. It has a reputation for a little more rigor than most online schools, and credits were readily accepted by colleges.
There were definitely more than a few AP options when I went to my online high school, I took an AP Environmental Science course. I also had no problem getting into the four colleges I applied to, and was even offered scholarships at each of them. I would imagine there are some programs out there that do not offer the best education, particularly for someone looking to be a veterinarian, and that may make it difficult to get into college. Make sure whatever program you choose is accredited, many are not!
My daughter attended Laurel Springs and had no issues being accepted into University here in Australia. We are US expats and had to jump through a few more hoops as she did not attend an Australian school, but there was no issue with her preparation for college.
The College Board has cracked down on unauthorized use of the AP designation in the past 5-7 years. If you’re looking at a program that used to offer AP courses, and now “does not,” or at a newer program that “does not have” AP, they may simply have not gone through the audit and approval process - if you ask, you may find that some courses “prepare students for the AP exam” but are not labelled AP classes. It’s definitely something you should ask about. And you would have to ask a person. The College Board will not allow schools to use the term AP in their print/online materials unless they have jumped through all the hoops.
I am a junior in high school and I use Connections Academy! They do have AP classes and real teachers you can call/text/email with questions and they’re very flexible. This is the same program Hunter Holloway uses!
I wholeheartedly agree with EllenMCM. I am an M.D. and can tell you that vet school is harder to get into than medical school. There are only I believe 25 vet schools in the U.S. and many are state schools who have a very strong preference for in-state applicants. So if you live in a state without a state vet school, it’s even more of an uphill battle (I have a friend who moved out to Wisconsin from CT, knowing no one, for a year before applying so she could establish residency in that state to go to vet school there). So basically, although there are exceptions, online schools make it harder to get into a good college for undergrad. And without that, gaining acceptance into vet school is even more difficult. Online schools also don’t rank students and competitive colleges often want the rank. And, some public high schools offer classes for college credit (e.g., same as if you took them at the state university), which shows the strength of the student and is not possible online. I think if she goes the online route she’s going to regret it later. Just my 2 cents!
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Whatever decisions you make, you should definitely keep the extremely competitive nature of veterinary school admissions at the forefront of your mind when you do so. If it were my child in this situation, I would encourage her to attend public school (assuming the school was actually safe for her), take AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Calc (the tests if the courses were not available), and look for an internship with a veterinarian. Between school, tutoring, and work she would probably have less time to ride, not more.
I’m especially hesitant because your daughter doesn’t want a competitive equestrian career. If she was thinking that her love for horses and her dedication to the sport is going to shape the rest of her life, I would be in favor. Even if she changed her mind after a year, it would be an incredible learning experience.
It doesn’t make sense to quit traditional school to make time for another thing that she is already planning to scale back on in a few years so she can pursue a vocation where a high level of academic success is a prerequisite. If you are truly committed to making huge lifestyle changes so that your daughter gets more out of her education, the biggest bang for your buck is probably selling your house and moving to a better school district.
A friend of mine did Laurel Springs while traveling all over the US as a working student and assistant. She is now a business student at William Woods while being a young pro rider or a private barn.
