Posts Tagged ‘debt-free’

Today we have a guest post from Rachel Poling, who shares the details of how she graduated from college at age 19 with no debt. If your child is college material, you need to know how Rachel did it:

My Debt Free, Accelerated College Experience

These are some simple facts about my education:

1. I’ve been homeschooled all my life.
2. I started college at age 16.
3. I didn’t leave home to go to college.
4. I earned a BA in music in 3 years.
5. I graduated with a BA when I was 19.
6. I graduated completely debt free.

Now, compared to the average college student, I must sound like I’m placing myself up as some kind of wunderkinder. Really, I’m not. I’m not any smarter on an IQ level than the average Joe. I have however, had the distinct blessing of being a part of two exceptional processes: Lifestyle of Learning™ and CollegePlus!™

Lifestyle of Learning™ is a homeschooling method that focuses on learning how to learn, instead of learning curriculum. It encourages the parent to foster the natural curiosity that we are all born with, but to also bring diligence and discipline to the children in rounding out their individual interests. Don’t get me wrong, this is not unschooling! Central to the method is the need for healthy relationships in the family. My family is full of, literally and truly, my best friends. My family and I were transformed by Lifestyle of Learning™ in many, many ways, but the one important to this post is: I know how to learn, and I know I can learn anything I want or need to. This transitioned very naturally into college.

I first heard about CollegePlus™! when I was 15. My parents and I were immediately intrigued by the idea that I could begin college in the middle of high school, for not very much money to start with, and I could do it from home, at whatever pace I needed to go. I had gotten to the point in music where I was asking questions and wanting to know things that are usually only taught in college-level music classes. Getting a degree was just a bonus that came with getting to take all the music classes. By the time I was 16, I was intellectually ready to start with CollegePlus!™

CollegePlus!™ itself is not the entity that hands you your diploma. Technically I graduated from Thomas Edison State College. CP! is a coaching program that helps you with all the complicated steps of pulling together an accelerated distance degree. For instance, in my degree I’ve attended three different schools, two online, and one on campus, taken three different kinds of pass-for-credit tests, and never left my NW Washington area. CP! helped me plan through every step of the way, they contacted the schools I needed to enroll in, and had the pull and influence a mere 16 y/o student could not possibly have possessed. On top of that, the weekly coaching calls helped me study for each new test I was taking, providing accountability and support.

The idea with an accelerated distance degree is to test out of everything you possibly can. CLEP tests are the usual method. Here are the advantages of taking a CLEP instead of a class that teaches the same subject for the same amount of credit:

1. They cost about $100-150 per test.
2. Each test is 3-6 credits
3. The study books usually cost about $30-40 and often, only one is needed.
4. They take about 2 weeks to study for, on average.
5. They do not count for or against your GPA. (pass/fail)

Compare that to a community college class that costs $100+ per credit, with a $200 textbook, that takes three months to get what might be a bad grade. CLEP tests are not only cheap, they are legitimate and fast! I used CLEPs to test out of my general education requirements like English, biology, psychology, economics, history, and so on. The only downside is that most schools will only take a small amount of CLEP credits. Thomas Edison State University takes up to your entire degree in transfer credits, with no restrictions on how many you did by CLEP test. There are some degrees that can be completely tested out of except for one or two online classes. I know people who have earned a BA in six months! This is not a scam: it is the real accredited and certified deal!

I started testing in the spring, and by the time I took my first online class I already had almost 45 credits. I did this same process a few times, testing through the summer and taking music classes through the normal school year. I could have gone faster, but since I was in this process for the music, I took the time to take the more time-eating music classes.

A lot of people want to know how much cheaper going the CP! route is compared to traditional schooling, and how I came out debt free. The truth in my case is: my grandfather blessed each of his grandchildren with a pretty sizable inheritance to help pay for college. My inheritance paid for most of my college. It would have covered it all, but because of the really bad market, I lost quite a bit of it. My parents paid the last $1500 or so. I don’t remember the exact numbers anymore, but my inheritance would probably have paid for less than half of a traditional degree from a university, and my parents spent hardly anything compared with other parents paying tens of thousands of dollars. I was blessed with funds, but I know lots of CP! students who are working their way through college without any debt and completely succeeding!

So, here I am, finished with college at an age when most of my peers are starting, no debt while most of my peers are drowning in it, still living with my beloved family of best friends, ready and able to tackle entreprenurship, teaching, and anything else I set my mind to.

No, I’m not a wunderkinder, I’m just blessed.

Rachel is 19 and the oldest of five children living in the Poling household. She lives in Washington State, near Everett, 15 minutes away from the Puget Sound, with a great view of Mount Pilchuck out her front window. She teaches private music lessons, runs a Social Media Management business, and works as an administrative assistant with Lifestyle of Learning Ministries™. You can find her on the web at www.rachelannpoling.com