I was never good at making friends. Growing up, I was shy, self-conscious, and generally felt like my few friends made me, rather than the other way around. This was fortunately never much of a problem… until I reached my twenties.

Suddenly, I found myself living alone in a city wherein I only knew a handful of people: two ex-boyfriends and their families. (Talk about slim pickings.) To top it off, I was working a remote job, so I didn’t even have an office to walk into every day.

My situation wasn’t unlike that of the average online college student. Lonely and disconnected, how was I supposed to make friends when I didn’t have a traditional institution, like a school or a workplace, to help me?

I considered simply sitting in my apartment and sulking my days away. But after a couple months of doing just that (hey, I have my bad seasons too), I decided it probably wasn’t the most mature course of action. So, eventually, I took the plunge and—gulp—made some friends.

Intentionally seeking out friendships ended up being one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. But now, one year later, my world feels like it’s flipped upside down. Far from being stuck at home day in and day out, I’m often saying “no” to invitations because I simply don’t have room in my calendar. I’ve begun building a real life, a real community, from nothing. Slowly but surely, this formerly lonely city is feeling more like home than anywhere I’ve ever lived.

Turns out I didn’t need a workplace or college campus to help me build a community, and you don’t either. If you’re an online college student—or considering becoming one—here are 10 ways to ensure your college experience is just as socially enriching as anything you could expect from a campus.

1. Look around.

When it comes to making friends, the biggest advantage of a campus is propinquity (that’s a fancy word for “being physically near other people”). On a college campus, you run into people everywhere—in class, on the grounds, in the cafeteria, at your dorm, in the library, at events. Online students, however, tend to spend a lot of their time at home. So, to replicate this aspect of the college experience, start by finding ways to create propinquity.

Meetup.com, sports leagues, tabletop gaming stores, Facebook events, book clubs, internships, volunteer opportunities, in-person classes at a local college (audit or transfer them into your degree), classes for a hobby you like or want to like, a part-time job—there are endless ways to be around people that don’t involve a campus.

Start by thinking of something you like to do, then look online to see if other people in your area also do that thing.

2. Just pick something.

If you’re a perfectionist, like myself, you might find yourself paralyzed by the list of options I mentioned above. What if you choose the “wrong thing”? What if it’s not fun? What if you don’t like the people you meet? Will you be stuck going to a weekly meetup group even if you don’t think it’s a good fit?

This advice is for both of us—don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. There’s no magical “best place” to meet people. Whatever event or group you try, you’re not signing up to attend it regularly for the rest of your life. You’re only committing to show up one time. If you like it, you can go back! If you don’t, you can try something else next time.

3. Keep trying.

While you don’t have to go back to the first group you try, you probably should.

Jumping from group to group in search of that elusive “perfect fit” just means you’re always the newbie, no matter where you go. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ll never find a perfect group of perfect people. So unless you got a really bad vibe the first time, give this group a chance. Show up to events over and over again until your newbie status starts to wear off, and you realize that suddenly these new friends feel a lot more like old ones.

4. Take the lead.

Waiting for someone to introduce themselves is a great way to stay disconnected. Turns out, humans are pretty skittish creatures. But you know what your dad always said about skittish creatures; they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.

So take the lead. Always assume that if you want friends, you have to make them. Step up and introduce yourself. Yes, it’s super uncomfortable. Yes, it’s super scary… if that’s what’s holding you back, you might not like my next piece of advice.

5. Know it’s always scary.

Sorry, there’s just no way around it. Meeting new people wouldn’t be any less scary if you were on a campus. The only difference is on a campus, it’s harder to hide. As an online student, there’s nothing pushing you to step outside of your comfort zone. You have to choose to do it.

While you can’t make social anxiety retreat entirely, you can at least make it tolerable by lowering your own expectations of yourself. Don’t go into a brand-new group planning to meet everyone. Just meet one person. And don’t worry about being BFFs by the time you leave either. Just have a conversation.

It will be uncomfortable. It will be awkward. You may not know what to talk about at first, and you may come away feeling like a fool. But the only way to get better at something is to be willing to be bad at it first. So let yourself be bad at it. Get some practice. Eventually, it’ll become a little less scary. (Probably.)

6. Care.

While uncomfortable first conversations are often inevitable, these can be made dramatically less awkward by simply caring about the other person.

Don’t just try to “survive” the conversation. Make an effort to actually get to know the person you’re talking to. What’s their story? Where were they born? What is their family like? What are they majoring in? Where do they work? What do they enjoy doing outside of work? Who are they watching/reading/listening to? What are their life goals? What inspired them to pursue those goals? What are they good at? What are they bad at?

Any one of these questions might help you discover a natural way to connect with whoever you’re talking to, transforming your conversation into—well—a conversation, rather than simply a barrage of questions.

7. Assume they care too.

While asking questions is great, no one likes being interrogated. Be willing to talk about yourself too. This means assuming the other person is interested in listening—because, usually, they are.

So if, in your attempt to get to know them, you learn about something that clicks with you—maybe you grew up in the same town or you like the same books—be willing to share your own experience. This is how natural connections form.

And if nothing clicks? That’s okay, it might take a few conversations (even with the same person) before you really connect. Of course, some people just never click with you at all, and that’s okay too. You don’t have to be friends with everyone.

8. Don’t be picky.

I’m 25 years old, and one of my very best friends just turned 60. Just because a person doesn’t seem like a good fit for you doesn’t necessarily mean that you weren’t somehow made for each other.

While it is important to find friends who are experiencing the same stage of life as you, don’t pass up the opportunity to meet someone completely different. College is all about trying new things, meeting new people, gaining new experiences, and being exposed to new ideas. What better way to do all of that then to make a friend you never would have imagined for yourself?

9. Be hospitable.

Once you’ve met a few people you click with, take things a step further! Invite them to a movie, host a game night, or, if you’ve found other online students, meet up at Starbucks for a study group. This is a great way to get to know people better and let them know you’re interested in being more than just a casual acquaintance.

Community isn’t just about meeting up at events. It’s about living life together. So if it’s a deep connection you’re after, allow one to take root by inviting people into your life and just seeing what happens. Over time, you might find that all your hard work allowed you to cultivate something truly one-of-a-kind.

10. Be patient.

Friends aren’t made overnight. Especially if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll still have to face your fair share of lonely evenings and boring Saturdays. But that’s just part of life, regardless of how many friends you have.

Paradoxical as it sounds, one of the most valuable skills I learned in my attempt to make friends was how to enjoy being alone. Initially, I wanted to make friends because I didn’t like being alone. I wanted to avoid it as much as possible. So, I started pouring a lot of effort into reaching out, meeting new people, suffering through awkward conversation, and being the newbie at events. This lead to me feeling frustrated at my “lack of immediate results.” I wanted friends now, but that’s just not how it works.

After finally realizing that community-building would take some time—that I’d just have to keep showing up before I felt like part of a group—I started doing what I could to make solitude something I genuinely enjoyed. I started hanging out with myself the way I’d want to hang out with a friend. For me, that meant cooking myself nice dinners, going for walks, visiting new parks or restaurants, shopping, reading fascinating books, and even getting into a crazy skincare regimen that one of my long-distance friends swore by.

Learning to enjoy (and even look forward to) being alone made it so much easier for me to be patient and allow my new relationships to grow in their own time. Plus, I ended up making one of the best friends of all—myself!

Why bother?

If you were hoping this post would make friendship-building sound easy, I’m sorry to disappoint. In my experience, building a community from scratch involves a lot of lonely social outings, awkward conversations, expended energy, and just plain work and patience.

So why do it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just… go to a campus?

Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn’t. Meeting new people is almost never fun (unless you’re a super extrovert), and while going to a campus might give you a little extra push out of your comfort zone, it’s important to remember that college eventually ends. People move. Jobs change. The friends you make now won’t necessarily be around forever. Eventually, you’ll have to make new ones, which means you’ll still have to face everything we’ve already talked about in this post.

So why not just do it now?

Yes, it’s hard. Adulthood is hard. Get over it. Better yet, step into it. Taking the advice in this post will help you do more than just build a community now; it’ll give you the skills to build one wherever life takes you.

Isn’t an entire lifetime of future friends worth a little discomfort in the present?

With authorities advising social distancing and college campuses across the country shutting down in response to COVID-19, thousands of college students are suddenly stuck at home trying to figure out what’s next.

If you’ve spent most of your college career on a campus, the transition to at-home studies can be jarring, especially if your school doesn’t typically offer online classes.

But studying in a new location isn't the hardest part. Honestly, it's the last thing on many people's minds. Fear of how this illness may continue to impact our families, communities, and world leaves us feeling helpless and trapped.

In this crisis, it might help to remember that you aren't actually trapped. You're not being “forced” to remain indoors. You’re choosing to exercise the power you have to help keep yourself and your community healthy and safe.

Social distancing is a power move, and it doesn't have to spell the end of activities like graduating college—activities that will remain important to your future after this crisis has passed.

If your college is just figuring out the transition to online studies, or if it’s completely shut down for now, you have other options to keep you on track for graduation. By taking flexible college coursework online from institutions that already have the online systems in place, you can avoid falling behind in your college studies. Then, once schools are cleared to resume regular campus studies, you can transfer these courses into your degree.

If you'd like to use this time of voluntary isolation to keep up with (or even get ahead on) your college studies, here are a few guidelines to choosing the perfect online class:

Confirm your college's transfer policy

Most institutions accept between 15 and 90 outside credits, but your school will still have very specific rules about what courses can apply to your particular degree. It’s important to figure out what these requirements are so you can take online classes that meet those standards.

To find out which credits your college will accept, search your college’s website for their transfer policy. Schools typically have this information thoroughly explained in their online resources.

If you want to keep working on your degree while you’re staying safe and germ-free, here’s a quick guide to transferring credits to your college.

Make sure the course you take is actually required for your degree

After you confirm that your school accepts outside credits but before you sign up for an online class, you’ll want to check on a few things to pinpoint whether your course fits your specific degree:

1. Course Types

Your degree is made up of three types of courses: general education, area of study, and free electives. Depending on your degree, your school will have specific requirements for what courses are accepted in each category.

General education courses cover fundamental subjects like English, math, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Area of study courses cover the specialized topics in your degree and are the most highly-regulated portion of your studies. Schools are typically pretty strict about which courses count for the area of study, so it’s probably not the best course type to try substituting without help. Finally, free electives give you the chance to try a variety of courses that don’t have to relate to your major. While your institution will likely have rules guiding what free electives you can take, this is often a great place to insert outside transfer credits.

2. Degree Requirements

Engineering majors will have significantly different degree requirements than English majors, so make sure you check up on your specific degree guidelines before committing to an online class. Your institution will typically list the number of credits you need for each course type on its website and give an overview of specific subjects required for your major.

3. Course Codes

Course codes are your key to comparing the course you want to take to your college’s degree requirements. These codes clue you into two very important pieces of information about a course: its type (the abbreviations ENG, MAT, BUS may stand for “English,” “Math,” and “Business,” respectively) and its level (100, 200, 300, or 400*). Each college has their own unique system for applying course codes, but they’re still your best shot at finding a course that will be accepted by your school.

First, you want the course abbreviation or prefix to match. If your degree requires a BUS (business) course for example, don’t take a MAT (math) course. It likely won’t transfer.

Second, you’ll want to match the course numbers as closely as possible too. Here, you’ll mostly pay attention to the first digit, as this is what clues you into what level of course your degree requires. If the first digit is 1 or 2, it’s a lower-level course. If it’s 3 or 4, it’s an upper-level course. You’ll want to make sure the substitute course you’re signing up for is the correct level or else it’s unlikely to transfer.

Finally, find an online option whose name and description aligns closely with the course required by your institution. The closer the match, the more likely it will be an acceptable substitute.

If you want to learn more, here’s a detailed guide to translating course codes.

*Some colleges number their courses using more than three digits, though the rule we talked about still applies—the first digit represents that course’s level, so it’s the most important one to match up.

Make sure the course you take is accredited

Accreditation is the stamp of approval given to a course by a governing educational organization. It tells you how well the course meets education standards. Colleges and universities vary on their level of accreditation (as well as the level they require for transfer courses), but typically you’ll want to look for regional accreditation. This is the highest level of accreditation, so it provides the most security when transferring courses.

Make sure the course you take is flexible

The beauty of online classes is their potential for flexibility. If there’s ever a time to be stressing about homework deadlines or showing up for an online meeting, it’s not in the midst of a pandemic. So find courses that make your life easier.

Plenty of online credit sources are self-paced or only require one final exam at the end to make the process simple and streamlined. Here are a few good options:

• DSST exams were originally created for busy military personnel and are now open to the public. As the name implies, this credit-earning option is examination based, works well for strong test-takers, and has exams covering most general education topics.

• CLEP exams, produced by CollegeBoard, the creator of the SAT, are similar to the DSST’s credit-by-examination format. After studying suggested resources, a student takes a single pass/fail exam to demonstrate proficiency in the topic and earn college credit, typically for general education or elective courses.

• UExcel exams from Excelsior College are another credit-by-exam option that offer both lower-level and upper-level courses and provide many study materials to help students do well as they prepare.

• ALEKS courses provide college-level mathematics credits in an online format. Students demonstrate proficiency by taking multiple tests throughout the learning process, building on the mathematical skills until they gain passing proficiency. The intelligent programming maps out a perfectly customized path for each student as it measures their skills and growth needs.

• Study.com offers over 200 accredited college-level courses with their College Accelerator membership. With this plan, students are allowed to complete up to 2 final exams per month!

• Sophia courses are 60-day, self-paced courses that cover introductory college material. With a one time fee rather than a membership, they can also be very cost effective.

Make sure the class you take is approved

If you’ve already started your degree, your college most likely has an approval process for you to follow if you want to take outside material. To make sure your hard work doesn’t go to waste, you’ll need to contact your school to get your chosen online class approved before you start it. Give your college registrar’s office a call (hopefully they’re working remote right now) and ask how to get outside courses approved for your degree. Have information about the class you’ve selected ready, particularly the source of the credit, course name, course code, and course description.

Talk to an advisor

If the process I’ve just laid out feels overwhelming, I get it. Fortunately, we can help! Here at Accelerated Pathways, we’re dedicated to helping students find a better way to do college. If you're interested in finding the most affordable, flexible online credit that's guaranteed to transfer into your college, just talk to us. Our advisors have been helping students do this for over a decade. Click here to find out if we can help you.

You have enough going on without the stress of doing your own research. Your chat with an advisor is free, and we can even connect you with course discounts designed to help students displaced by COVID-19.

The entire world is calling on each of us to do our part to keep our friends and family safe, even if that part is as “small” as staying home for a while. Whether you choose to spend that time studying or resting and enjoying your loved ones, remember that you’re doing one very important and impactful thing: keeping calm in the midst of a crisis. That's how we're going to beat this.

So you know all about dual credit and why it’s probably a good idea for your student to get some. But as a busy homeschooling parent, you’re already short on time, and let’s face it—figuring out how dual credit fits into your homeschool journey is complicated.

Should your student take online classes or go to community college? Are CLEP or AP exams a better fit? Will the college credits your student earns even be accepted by their target university? In short: what’s the best dual credit option for your student?

It’s enough to make your head spin. We get it. So to make your life a little easier, we’ve put together this helpful list of some of the best dual credit options for homeschoolers.

Dual Enrollment in Community College

This is a great option for students who thrive in a classroom setting. Being a part of a dual enrollment program means your student is able to take lower-level community college classes to earn both high school and college credit. While taking classes on a college campus, they also have access to resources like counselors, libraries, academic databases, and labs that likely aren’t available at home. This is part of what makes community college so attractive to homeschoolers.

Although, there are a few things you should know about these programs. You’ll need to ensure your student meets the minimum requirements for dual enrollment in your state. Also, transfering credit from a community college to a 4-year university can get complicated. So before your student takes any classes through a dual enrollment program, do your research to ensure they’re earning credits that will count toward their desired major at their future university.

Dual credit with community college, at a glance:

• Great for students who thrive in the classroom setting

• Access to college resources

• Great way to knock out general education or introductory courses

• Potentially difficult to transfer credits. Do your research!

• $0 - $400 per class, depending on your state (not including books)

CLEP and DSST

CLEP and DSST exams are multiple-choice, pass/fail tests that mostly cover general education topics. In high school, your student has already studied (or will study) many basic subjects that are also available for college-level testing, such as U.S. History and English Composition. This, combined with a relatively affordable price tag (CLEP tests cost $87 while DSST exams cost $85, plus an additional $50-$80 for registration and study materials), makes these tests one of the most convenient ways for strong test takers to earn dual credit.

These tests (along with most other options in this article) are backed by ACE (American Council on Education) accreditation—which means students who pass a test don’t actually earn college credit directly. Instead, they earn an ACE recommendation for credit. You can think of this like a receipt your student shows a university to prove that they deserve credit for their work. Over 400 colleges and universities accept these recommendations and award credit for ACE-backed tests and courses. Although, it’s always up to the university how much of (if any) ACE credit they’ll allow your student to transfer in.

In short, if your student passes a CLEP or DSST, they earn a recommendation for credit that is likely to be accepted by their future university. If they fail, they don’t earn that recommendation. (Though they will be able to retake their test after a short waiting period.)

Dual credit with CLEP and DSST, exams at a glance:

• Great for strong test-takers

• Available for most general education classes

• Pass/fail exams that students can retake if needed

• Backed by ACE accreditation, transferable to hundreds of colleges and universities

• Approximately $140-$170 total per test

AP Exams

An AP exam is usually taken following the completion of an AP course in highschool. Most homeschool students would take AP classes online (you can find a list of online AP course providers on the HSLDA website). The cost of AP classes varies dramatically—you might be able to get free AP classes through your state, or you might need to pay a tuition of $100 - $250, either per class or per month. These classes are time-intensive, requiring a minimum of 5-10 hours per week for an entire school year, and are meant to prepare students for the AP exam that the College Board offers every May.

AP works by counting the class toward a high school transcript and the results of the exam toward potential college credit. However, students don’t technically have to complete an AP course in order to take an AP exam (though it is a good idea). These exams cost $94 and grade students’ mastery of the subject on a scale of 1 to 5. Typically, a score of 3 or higher is considered “passing” and an ACE recommendation for college credit. But be careful: universities can be especially picky when it comes to awarding credit for AP exams, regardless of what ACE recommends.

So while it’s important to know whether or not your student will actually earn viable, transferable college credit before taking any dual credit tests and courses, it’s particularly important to do your research before making any significant time or money commitments with AP specifically.

Dual credit with AP exams, at a glance:

• Good for students who need a lot of test-prep

• Students can be awarded high school credit for AP classes; college credit for AP exams

• Students don’t have to take an AP class in order to take an AP test, but it’s recommended

• Online AP classes available for free in some states

• Some online AP classes available for approximately $100-$250 per course or per month

• Credit recommendation backed by ACE and the College Board

• Whether or not a student is awarded credit depends on their target university

UExcel (Excelsior) Exams

UExcel is the pass/fail, credit-by-examination program from the regionally accredited Excelsior College. Students studying for these exams have access to top-notch support and guidance from the people who created them. Most exams cost $110 (although a few can get as high as $355 or $470) plus about $50 in testing fees. Before your student registers for an exam, they’ll have access to a study guide that outlines exactly what they need to know to pass, provides recommendations for textbooks, and free (or at least affordable) online resources, as well as online practice exams (though these cost an additional $35). They can even get free tutoring if necessary.

But what really sets UExcel apart from AP, CLEP, and DSST exams, is that students can take UExcel exams for some upper level (300 - 400) courses in addition to introductory college courses. This opens the door for your student to potentially save even more time and money by essentially testing out of these upper level courses.

Dual credit with UExcel Exams, at a glance:

• Great for learners who need more support

• Excellent learner guidance and test-prep support

• Offers exams for both lower-level and upper-level courses

• Regionally accredited and transferable to thousands of universities nationwide

• Typically costs $160 total to take an exam (though some upper-level exams can cost as much as $530)

Online College at Regular 4-Year Universities

As online college becomes more popular, more and more colleges and universities are offering dual enrollment programs online. These programs are often more flexible and affordable than physically attending on campus, while offering a deeper learning experience than testing. Many online courses are self-paced, so your student can complete courses in as little or as much time as they need. And though the cost for online college varies for each institution, it’s typically hundreds of dollars less than they would spend on a physical campus. Best of all, if your student is taking dual credit classes directly from their target university, you won’t have to worry about transferring credit.

However, there is a potential downside to this option. If your student is enrolled in a dual credit program at their target university (i.e. they’re not planning on transferring their credits to a different institution), the grade they earn in their class would count toward their college GPA. So if they fail the class or do poorly, their overall GPA will take a hit, which could hurt their chances for graduate studies down the road.

Dual credit with online college, at a glance:

• Great for self-disciplined students who thrive in structured learning environments

• Opportunity to take classes directly from 4-year institutions

• Potential negative consequences for GPA

• Potentially hundreds of dollars less than physically attending university classes

• Regionally or nationally accredited and transferable to thousands of universities nationwide

ALEKS

ALEKS is a high-tech online learning platform that offers a popular dual credit program exclusively for college-level mathematics. This program uses artificial intelligence to assess a student’s mastery of a subject and continuously creates the optimal learning path for them. In other words, it helps the student keep moving forward without getting stuck on something they’re not ready for and don’t understand. This, combined with ALEKS’ aversion to multiple-choice questions (preferring open-ended questions that mimic pencil and paper math tests), they help to avoid “pass it and forget it” test taking by fostering deep learning. The ALEKS dual credit courses are ACE accredited and their program costs $19.95 per month.

Dual credit with ALEKS, at a glance:

• Great for self-disciplined learners

• Dual credit program only available for mathematics

• AI-powered, personalized learning track

• Emphasizes deep learning and subject mastery

• $19.95 per month subscription

• Backed by ACE accreditation, transferable to hundreds of colleges and universities

Study.com

Study.com has a massive selection of dual credit courses available. However, in order for your student to earn college credit from any of them, they’ll need to be subscribed to a $199 per month College Accelerator membership. This subscription gives you access to over 200 dual credit courses from every major academic discipline, backed by ACE or NCCRS (similar to ACE, but with a larger network of compatible institutions) recommendations for credit. Your student can take as many concurrent courses as they want, however, they are limited to only taking two final exams per month.

Dual credit with Study.com, at a glance:

• Great for self-directed learners

• Large catalog of dual credit courses

• Limited to only taking two final exams per month

• Requires membership at $199 per month

• Backed by ACE and NCCRS accreditation, transferable to over 1,500 colleges and universities

Sophia

Most online dual credit options require some sort of subscription, Sophia doesn’t. In order to take a dual credit course through Sophia, you pay a simple one-time fee, choose a start date, and that’s it! Your student will have 60 days from the start date to finish the course. Sophia’s ACE accredited courses range in price from $199 to $329 and, in general, cover introductory college topics like Intro to Business, English Composition, Intro to Psychology, and U.S. History. In addition, Sophia offers learner support in the form of free tutorials and guides, and on-call Learning Coaches.

Dual credit with Sophia, at a glance:

• Great for disciplined and self-directed learners

• No subscription or annual tuition

• Entry-level and introductory college courses

• 60 days to complete self-paced courses

• Backed by ACE accreditation, transferable to hundreds of colleges and universities

• $199 - $329 per course

How Do You Know Which Option Is Best?

There are plenty of great options for homeschoolers to earn dual credit. However, just because your student earns dual credit doesn’t mean that credit will transfer to their target university. When it comes to actually using dual credit, universities each have their own policy for the credit they allow a student to transfer in.

Imagine being a high school student, passing college-level classes, or taking stressful, all-or-nothing college-level tests just to find out that only a small handful of the credits you’ve worked so hard to earn will actually count toward your degree. Frustrating, isn’t it?

That’s why it’s important to plan carefully before your student commits to earning dual credit. You’ll need to know their target university, their intended major, the required classes for that major, the type of transfer credits that the university accepts, and which credits can be applied toward your student’s intended major. From there, you can figure out which dual credit classes or tests best suit your student, fill a requirement in their major, and meet the criteria for the university’s transfer credits.

It’s a lot of work which you can do yourself, if you’d like. Or, your student could earn their dual credit through Accelerated Pathways.

Accelerated Pathways

Our degree planning brings together courses and tests from most of the dual credit options in this article, as well as some affordable courses of our own, to put together a professional, custom degree plan tailored to your student’s needs. We do the research to find the best courses and tests for your student’s target university and major, and put everything into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step, personalized plan. Then we support your student with one-on-one academic success coaching, so they can make steady progress on their degree without ever feeling stuck.

Dual credit students take online courses that replace many of their high school classes and are then transferred to their future college. Every course your student takes through Accelerated Pathways is regionally accredited (not just a recommendation for credit). Basically, with Accelerated Pathways, your student isn’t just earning dual credit. They’re starting their actual bachelor’s degree while still in high school.

All of this comes with the guarantee that every credit your student earns through Accelerated Pathways' customized degree plan will transfer to their target university and count toward their intended major. If it doesn’t, we’ll refund the price of the course and give you an extra $1,000 for your wasted time.

That’s what makes Accelerated Pathways special when it comes to dual credit. There are cheaper college options out there (Accelerated Pathways costs $6,750 per year for full-time students), but if you want to get the most bang for your buck and avoid wasting your time earning credit that won’t transfer, we’re your safest option.

We know every student is different. Whether you value affordability, flexibility, access to resources, or safeguarding your student’s credits, there are great dual credit options out there for you. Ultimately, the best dual credit option for your student is the one that best fits their needs in both high school and beyond.

In the dawn of a new year, many people are crafting their New Years’ Resolutions. “Read more” is a popular resolution, and for a good reason! It’s no secret that reading is good for you. But how exactly does reading improve your life? And why should you make it a priority this year? I’m so glad you asked!

1. Reading is good for your brain

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Joseph Addison penned this quote roughly 300 years ago, before modern science and research equipment could back up his claim. Today, however, scientific studies show that reading does make you smarter. Reading a novel, for example, increases the blood flow and improves connectivity in the brain.

2. Reading introduces you to new ideas and invites you to solve problems

Have you ever solved a case in a mystery book before you read the conclusion or predicted a turn of events in a novel? Your analytical thinking was stimulated merely from reading. Reading helps you detect patterns, solve problems, and assimilate new information as if you were living in the characters’ shoes.

3. Reading makes you a better writer

When you read, your brain absorbs good writing techniques and vocabulary. In your own writing, you will unconsciously copy the writing styles of books that held your attention. Reading also enhances your vocabulary and spelling. New words appear in their natural context and you can deduce meaning from the surrounding words, while visually imprinting their spelling for accurate recall.

4. Reading improves your conversational skills

Because reading increases your vocabulary and your knowledge of how to correctly use new words, reading helps you clearly articulate what you want to say. The knowledge you gain from reading also gives you lots to talk about with others. I love talking to people - especially little kids - who read a lot. Their conversation tends to be deep, and it makes me grin when little ones use fancy words they found in a book.

5. Reading strengthens worldview and convictions

When you read a book with a concurring worldview, it reinforces your convictions. If you read a book with an opposing worldview, it broadens your perspective and causes you to examine your beliefs and search for truth.

6. Reading improves your self-discipline and consistency

With the modern barrage of media and instant technological information, our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Reading a book, unlike skimming a web page, forces you to focus. To get the most out of a story, you must fixate on the plot and complete the book. In doing this, your brain forms deep connections and practices concentration.

7. Reading increases your knowledge of history

Reading can teach you historical politics, customs, cultures, economics, and intellect. Often these facts are set in a context of a story, making history easy to remember. When I was in middle school, history was not my favorite subject. The dates and events didn’t capture my attention when they came from a history book. Historical fiction, however, was a different matter. I loved reading about the past in story form, and I effortlessly learned historical facts and concepts while reading. I appreciate and understand the people and cultures of the past so much more than if I’d read only factual history books.

8. Reading increases cultural knowledge (without an expensive plane flight)

Reading books set in cultures different from our own provides knowledge of those cultures and the emotional and spiritual lives of the people who live there. I hope to travel the world someday, but until then I’m exploring through books. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of cultures through reading: stories of hammock beds, cannibals, burqas, and Uganda’s red dirt stand out stark in my brain. I’ve not yet been to these cultures, but I understand them better because of reading.

9. Reading challenges your imagination

As you read, you put yourself in the characters’ shoes. Your brain goes beyond the words on the page, imagining details such as appearances, emotions, and surroundings. William Styron wrote, “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”

10. Reading increases your skill in an area of interest

Reading about your specific field or interests can improve your success in your field. You’ll gain factual knowledge and learn from others’ experiments and mistakes. Several years ago I became interested in herbs and natural medicine and turned to books since I didn’t have an herb garden. For months I pored over herb books, drinking in knowledge. When I was able to grow my own herbs, I avoided multiple experiments and failures because of my reading. I knew that peppermint is good for upset stomachs and comfrey heals cuts. So I made tea with my peppermint and a salve with the comfrey.

11. Reading inspires you

Reading a good book is like being around an inspiring person. You observe inspiring actions, feel contagious passion, and desire to live a better life.

12. Reading reduces stress

Reading about something you enjoy or losing yourself in a good novel is an excellent way to relax. It can ease tension in your muscles and heart while letting your brain wander to new ideas and live in someone else’s shoes. Reading is a mini vacation for your brain!

As you can see, reading is good for you - very, very good for you. It can improve your academic, social, physical, and mental life. With these persuasive facts running through your mind, it's the perfect time to dive into your new year's reading goals! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Tips to get you started:

• Create a Goodreads account. Pick 12 books you want to read, and take the “Reading Challenge.” Make 12 books your goal for the year.

• Find a reading buddy. Challenge, encourage, or even compete to keep each other on track.

• Pick a certain time of day and make it a habit to read for a certain amount of time.

• Find other college students to hold each other accountable for your reading goals. Or get motivated by turning your reading goals into action steps with your coach!

Even though I’m busy with school, I’m planning to definitely read 12 books this year - maybe even more! I’m pumped and ready to hit the books with you!

What is CLEP?

1. A disease that causes you to lose sleep.

2. A subject-specific test that allows students to earn college credit.

3. Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

4. Choices 1 & 3

5. Choices 2 & 3

The answer is 5. But, for the sake of Accelerated Pathways and this blog, we’re going to focus in on answer 2. I’m not qualified to speak knowledgeably about the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. In the simplest of terms, CLEP lets you earn college credit for a specific college subject by taking a single exam. Think of it like taking the course final. The only difference between CLEP and a traditional college course is that instead of sitting in lectures for hours at a time, you teach yourself.

That’s right: you study independently and then take the test.

CLEP, part of a subset of exams known as “credit by examination,” was developed by The College Board—the same people who brought us the SAT and AP credit. Like DSST and other credit by examination options, CLEP is a way for students to save time and money while earning college credit.

The College Board offers 33 CLEP exams, covering a variety of lower-division college subjects. Topics range from languages (like Spanish and German) to science and mathematics. If you take a look at the list of available CLEP exams, chances are you'll find one that interests you. And chances are at least a few of these nifty exams are accepted as credit at your college.

In fact, over 2,900 college and universities accept CLEP credit. And those aren’t just the obscure, backwater colleges either. It’s been recognized by some major players on the college scene. Here’s a list of a few major universities that accept CLEP credit:

• Georgetown University

• Purdue

• Princeton University

• UCLA

• Penn State

What am I getting at here? CLEP isn't "fake" college credit. Prestigious universities like Princeton and Georgetown wouldn't touch it if it wasn't quality. Which means, these $100 exams can help you substantially cut down on the cost of your bachelor’s degree.

One Caution: Transferring CLEP Credit

Just because CLEP is accepted at over 2,900 institutions across the United States doesn’t mean it’s accepted at your institution or for your specific degree program. One of the most dangerous aspects of taking CLEP credit is the possibility that you will spend just over $100 on an exam only to find out your college won’t accept CLEP credit for that particular subject.

So while we recognize CLEP as an exceedingly helpful tool for students who want to graduate college debt free, we urge you to understand your college’s transfer policies before taking an exam. Get in contact with the school to ensure they’ll accept that CLEP credit for your specific degree program.

This process can, unfortunately, be tedious. Especially if you’re interested in taking several CLEP, DSST, online courses, or other forms of alternative credit during your college experience. But, the good news is, you don’t have to do it alone. We can help!

In order to guarantee all of the your CLEP, DSST, or other credits transfer to your chosen college, enlist the help of the professionals here at Accelerated Pathways. We’ll build you a free customized Degree Plan, which will help you graduate from your chosen college entirely debt free. When creating your plan, we’ll help you lower your college costs by including any forms of alternative credit (like CLEP or self-paced, online courses) that your college will accept. Click here to learn more about what we do.

We think pursuing CLEP credit as a way to lower the cost of your degree is an amazing—if difficult—option. Just be ready to put in some hard work. These exams are entirely self-directed, which means you won’t have a teacher watching your back. You need to be confident you’ve learned every inch of your subject before taking your exam.

Check out the CLEP website, Free CLEP Prep, as well as Instant Cert for more information about how these exams work as well as the best resources to use when preparing for an exam.

Then, when you’re ready, register for a test on the CLEP website, and start earning credit.

Good luck!

Quick! Can you name the nine U.S. presidents without college degrees? Hint: two of them are on Mount Rushmore. (Answer at the bottom of the post.)

While I was researching the study habits of the Founding Fathers last week, I became slightly discouraged. It seemed like every Founding Father had started off as a Boy Genius. Most of us can’t compare with being appointed as an Ambassador as an early adolescent, let alone being fluent in the Classical languages.

I had mentally lumped the Founding Fathers and the presidents together. But I was wrong. I discovered there have been nine presidents who never attended college or completed a degree.

So how did they make it to the White House?

Two things—literacy and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Each one of these presidents knew their education had been limited—some of them with as little of one year of formal schooling! Each of them made the decision to own their education and take it beyond the classroom. They filled their libraries with great books. When they wanted to know something, they would go to an expert source. They knew an education could be gained without years in school. They studied law without going to law school. They had tutors and mentors—men that they trusted for information.

In time, they became the experts.

Would any of them make it to the White House today? Probably not. Our modern, information-saturated society, unfortunately, believes education must take place in the traditional classroom setting. Having a college degree makes presidential candidates attractive. It makes anyone attractive. It’s “essential.”

But here’s the rub. You don’t ever have to step inside a lecture hall to be educated, no matter what the college admissions officer tells you. It isn’t daily attendance to lectures that make someone great. It’s the desire to learn. The curiosity that propels you to study, to know a subject deeply.

When you combine that curiosity with practical life experience, you have raw potential for greatness on your hands.

That’s actually one of the main appeals of Accelerated Pathways. Accelerated Pathways students are gaining real-life experience while earning college degrees outside of the traditional classroom. For them, it isn’t an either/or situation. They do both (and so can you).

While our modern society’s eyes are fixed on the diploma, nine of our U.S. presidents have proven that it takes more than just a college degree to achieve greatness. What can you do in addition to earning your degree that will set you apart?

And if you’re still curious, the nine presidents who didn’t go to college are: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman.

Liked this post? You may also enjoy “Teaching is Impossible,” According to Revolutionary Psychotherapist.

Most college students spend at least six hours a day studying. Surprisingly, this statistic holds true for great students just as it does for average students. The real difference in a student’s performance doesn’t come in how much time is spent studying (although that definitely separates average students from poor ones). No, what sets extraordinary students apart is how they optimize their study hours.

While speed reading or memory tricks are what you might think of when I say “optimizing your study hours,” what you may overlook is how your study room affects the quality of your study time.

If you want to instantly revamp your study hours, try these 4 tips for perfecting this overlooked aspect of your routine.

1. Keep It Simple

As with most areas of life, complexity is the enemy of success. Determine what you actually need for studying and remove all distractions. While it may seem tempting to get a desk with lots of shelves, cabinets, and organizers, you will probably concentrate better with a simple, table-like desk. Although you might want to cover your walls in posters and artwork, a few tasteful pieces on an otherwise empty wall is easier on your brain.

A minimally furnished area gives your mind room to think and focus. Don’t fill it with decorations or furniture you will never need.

2. Make It Ergonomic

Minimalism is great, but comfort is also crucial. Since you’ll be using this area for six hours a day, invest the time to optimize your setup for comfort. Not only will this make concentrating easier, but it will also help you avoid potential health risks.

Optimize your desk height, monitor distance, and other factors for optimal health and productivity.

3. Dedicate the Place (or Time)

If possible, dedicate your study space to just one thing: studying. Don’t use the study area to relax, sleep, or do anything else that might distract you. If you always use that space to focus on school, it will be easier to avoid the temptation to procrastinate at study time.

If space constraints make it impossible to dedicate your area completely to study, set a rigid study schedule for yourself instead. For instance, use your desk between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM only for college work.

If you are tempted to visit Facebook or check your email during study sessions, use a computer program like RescueTime or MinutesPlease.com to monitor and limit your browsing time. Making a habit of clear study boundaries will instantly improve the effectiveness of your study time.

4. Personalize Your Room

Just as maintaining a clean, minimalistic study area is crucial to study success, a certain amount of personalization can also help you concentrate. Simplicity is good, but you should also enjoy being there.

Depending on your interests, this might mean adding a few good books to your space, a finding a great desktop background, or even adding a mounted ram’s head (as Theodore Roosevelt displayed in his study). Find a few simple ways to make your study room yours and your focus is guaranteed to benefit.

If you enjoyed this post, check out 13 Ways to Study at Home Without Going Crazy.

The definition of coaching, so to speak, is to “partner with another person in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential” (International Coaching Federation). That sounds cool. But what does it mean?

As an Accelerated Pathways student-turned-coach, I have not only had the opportunity to experience coaching but also how to walk alongside someone else and help them reach success.

When you come alongside another person, you help them achieve more than they could do on their own. Everyone has their own definition of success. Coaching helps you understand what your definition is and then helps you achieve it.

Let me illustrate with my own coaching experience.

My experience being coached

When I was enrolled in Accelerated Pathways, my coach and I worked together for about 3 years. Through our time together, we built a life-long friendship that has continued to this day.

Each call started with my coach asking about me and my life. She wanted to know how things were going—both the good and the bad. Even though our calls were focused on school, she would still check in with my life, which helped build our friendship. After the initial “life update,” she would check in with my academic goals—had I accomplished what I needed to in my studies?

When I accomplished my goals, my coach always celebrated with me. When I didn’t, she never condemned me. Instead, we would simply focus on the obstacles standing in my way and eliminate them. Her outside perspective helped me see a way around obstacles that I never could have seen alone which, in turn, made me more successful at reaching my goals the next time around.

After the “goal update,” we would dive into a topic of my choice. This is when I would bring up any idea or challenge I’d like her help with, such as managing my time, balancing my studies with other life activities, and strategies for getting ahead on my assignments. My coach would listen intently as I spoke and asked me questions that prodded more thoughts and new ideas to spill from my mouth.

When I reached the halfway mark of my degree, I learned of a job position opening up that I wanted to apply for. The problem: it required a degree, and I didn’t have one yet. This meant I had to earn 60 credits in eight months.

My coach helped me create a plan to accomplish this goal by setting deadline dates for each of the courses. Then, because I had to juggle multiple courses at once, we created a system to help me stay on top of the assignment deadlines.

We discovered that I needed to write out the assignments in order of their due date on a piece of paper, and then I would work down the list. She also helped me figure out how to make progress on my courses that didn’t have due dates by adding them to the list of assignments and setting my own due dates.

I graduated 10 months later months later, in June of 2014.

Because of our careful planning, I didn’t give up the things that I enjoyed either, like playing in a band or participating in NaNoWriMo. Nor did I have to quit my part-time job! My coach not only taught me how to build a system and use time management skills, she kept me accountable and walked alongside me. Because of this, I was able to accomplish my goal and I was proud that I finished in June.

My experience as a coach

Now that I am a coach, I have the unique opportunity to be on the other side of that process.

Each student has their own passions and dreams and is pursuing something completely their own. They have their own goals for graduation, and I am excited to have the opportunity to walk alongside them and help them achieve success.

As a student, I left my coaching calls feeling like my coach cared for me and my success. I always felt encouraged to keep pushing through even though my studies were hard.

As a coach, the exhilaration is tenfold. I’m genuinely excited for my students and what they accomplish especially because they can accomplish so much more than they realize.

In a brick-and-mortar school, professors and advisors are focused on your class or your transcripts. Here at Accelerated Pathways, coaches focus on both of those and more. Your dreams are an important part of who you are and why you are pursuing school. As a coach, I want to embrace and celebrate that with you.

Coaching is personal. A coach is someone who walks alongside you the entire time you are working through your courses. They are there to encourage you, support you, and help you pick yourself back up after you stumble.

The biggest value I see in coaching is exploration. Not just exploring what the obstacles are but why. What is the motivating factor behind the obstacle you’re facing? Why is it a struggle? How can you eliminate that as a struggle? This is something a college advisor could never help you with.

Coaches are trained—and quite good—at asking probing questions that inspire a deeper level of thought about your goals and how to successfully achieve them. Your coach’s outside perspective allows them to ask questions from an objective point of view and then give you, the student, space to answer and ultimately come up with a solution to the problem.

I love getting to be that personal form of contact for students. I love speaking into my students’ lives and celebrating their achievements, helping them discover their own answers, and empowering them to push forward and achieve their goals.

That’s why I love coaching!

Engineers. Everyone knows we need them.

They design our cars, roads, bridges, sewers, buildings, phones, cars, software, and even our coffeemakers. When they’re not around, everyone notices pretty fast.

There’s a reason an engineer’s education and skills training are valuable in the job market. Engineering majors graduating this spring are expected to have an average starting salary of $62,998, the highest of all degree majors.

Sound good to you? Cool. First you have to get into an engineering program.

And...that’s where the challenges begin.

Like most majors, engineering students have 24 credits of General Education requirements. However, many of those credits have to fit additional, specific engineering standards that other degrees don’t have.

The rest of the Engineering degree is usually a linear, rigid track with almost every class serving as a prerequisite for the next. Because of these requirements, engineering students are very limited when it comes to saving time or money by transferring in credit from other programs.

Because of the extremely-rigorous subject material, engineering students will often take only four courses per semester, rather than the five courses needed to graduate in four years.

^(As a result, the majority of engineering students either take summer classes, or extend their degree to five years.)

Both options increase the cost of a student's already-expensive degree dramatically. This extra time in the classroom means paying money rather than making money as part of the engineering workforce.

So, because of the challenging requirements and rigorous workload of an engineering degree, you might assume there is no way to save time or money. Right?

Wrong.

You can save $15,000 and your fifth year of engineering studies. Here’s how:

1. Design a Plan

If you want to major in Engineering, do some early research and make sure it’s really for you. There’s nothing worse than spending a lot of money on a degree and then finding out you don’t really like the field.

Next, do you know what engineering field you would like to pursue? If not, here’s a good place to start.

Find out what fascinates you, and look for ways to expand your knowledge of the field by taking upper-level high school courses (like calculus, physics, or chemistry), exploring internship opportunities, or joining a club (like robotics). With information and experience, you can begin your search for the college that will best serve your needs.

2. Talk to an Expert

Every year, our Central Registrar's Office helps hundreds of students map out a plan to their chosen college. Most schools have specific requirements for their engineering programs. Our researchers can look at your desired college’s requirements to determine how you can get to your goal in the most efficient way.

3. Start Before You Graduate From High School

If you are an engineering-minded junior or senior in high school, you can almost certainly benefit from the Accelerated Pathways program. In high school, you can take Advanced Placement (AP) classes which can transfer to your chosen college. These less-expensive AP tests let you start a few semesters early, get a jumpstart on your peers, and often save thousands of dollars before you turn 18.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like starting early with a few General Education classes could even make a dent in something as intense as an engineering degree.

But take a step back and look at the big picture.

If you start your program one or two years early, you can eliminate the likely choice between killing yourself with a five-course load, taking summer classes, or adding on that fifth year of college.

At the end of the day, earning an engineering degree takes an incredible amount of hard work. (That just might have something to do with why engineers get paid more!) But by looking for creative ways to maximize your time and resources, you can shorten your path to an engineering degree and get paid for a job you enjoy.