With so many choices in online high schools, why should you choose one associated with a university Sure, with some, there is the added cachet of being part of a well-known university. However, university-based programs offer things that others do not including
1. Universities like universities. If your goal is to finish high school online and then go on to college, there is likely a bias, not necessarily a strong one, but it exists, toward university programs. You can well imagine what you application would look like in the admissions office compared to other applications.
2. Dual credit programs. Many of the schools located at universities offer a dual credit program where the courses count for both high school and college credit. While you will want to see about transferability of that credit, it is a real incentive to choose one of these programs and could save you a chunk of money.
3. Instant recognizability. Unlike some programs, even if a person did not know the college had an online high school, employers will recognize that university connection. This can only work to your advantage because employers will assume, and rightly so, that this was a special program and, by extension, that you were a special student.
4. Quality of the programs. While there are is mixed quality among online high schools in general, I know of no university-based programs that do not provide a solid education.
5. Accreditation. While you should always check accreditation, programs at colleges are always accredited. And, no, that is not an automatic process; universities must get permission from their accreditor to offer high school courses online. However, unlike some other forms of online education, colleges get the importance of being accredited.
Two of the more established university-based programs are located at the University of Miami UMOHS and at the University of Missouri – Columbia UM High School. Both have now had many students and have long provided a high-quality education.
Another option for gifted students is the new program at Stanford University. Education Program for Gifted Youth is not for the faint of heart. It is a highly rigorous program geared solely to gifted (and that means gifted by Stanford’s standard) students.
Whichever school you choose, it is hard to go wrong with any of these choices. And a large piece of why it is hard to go wrong is precisely because they are part of the university environment. Professional educators produce professional programs.
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