About HC USA Resources and Recommendations
One of my personal bugaboos is going to Amazon and looking at customer reviews, only to be confronted with a series of "faux-reviews" done by people who have clearly never read the book. (Oh, and then there's that whole issue with people rating sellers in the book review section rather than on the seller's profile, but that's another story!) I want to know what actual readers thought of the book - whether they liked it or not. I do not want to waste my time with the non-reviews by individuals who feel they have the authority to make comments simply because they don't like the author or perhaps have differing political views, without having first read the book!
I suppose that's how I found myself drawn into a debate about College Plus on a public forum. The original poster blasted College Plus for a number of things (some of which weren't even true and most of which were merely opinion). If you've known me for long or spent any amount of time on the same homeschool forums I do, you probably know I often tell people they can earn their degree from home without CP. So it may surprise you, then, to learn that I took up the defense of College Plus in this debate. The problem was, this particular College Plus detractor has never been an actual CP customer, is not a homeschooling parent, is not a former homeschooler, and in fact, isn't even a parent. This hardly makes him a qualified judge of whether CP is a good business/service for homeschooling families to use. When actual CP users gave positive accounts of their experiences with the company, he dismissed them, and even went so far as to accuse homeschoolers of being "naive" for using CP. For those who said they valued the services College Plus provided their families? Well, these folks were apparently engaging in defensive rationalizing so they wouldn't have to admit they were fools who had wasted their money. When someone drew his attention to the lack of complaints at the BBB and the high BBB rating (an A+) CP enjoys? He snidely remarked that homeschoolers were simply too dumb to find the BBB website and file their grievances. In fact, his entire "review" boiled down to, "I didn't use CP myself, and would never use CP in the future if I ever became a parent, so it doesn't make sense for anyone to do so. People would have to be completely stupid to do something I think isn't worth the money."
Aye, yi, yi, eh? (I know! I know! Why on earth would I even want to engage in conversation with someone like that? Someday, I'll learn my lesson and it will really stick! LOL.)
By the way, if you've come to my website for the first time via that public forum, I very much stand by the content of what I said, though I wish I'd enough sense to stay out of it. Also, I stopped going to that site and forum as of my last post on it, so no, I have no idea where the debate went after that, and no, I have no intention of ever going back. That particular forum doesn't really seem to have anything of value to offer me, nor does it have any real need of my "expertise," though there were some other members I thought perfectly pleasant and interesting. I somewhat regret that I don't have the time to get to know them better. In the end, the point is CP doesn't need me to defend them. Their good reputation and satisfied customers do that job far better than I ever could. But having jumped into that craziness pool, I realized I had something I should address here at HC USA.
First: Yes, you can do this on your own, without College Plus! My site and others can guide you through the process. However, if you explore what CP has to offer and you feel it would be a benefit to your family, that is your business and your business alone. No one has a right to pass any kind of judgment on you for it. I believe fully that you are intelligent enough to make a decision about CP and do what's best for you and yours. I have said all along to anyone who asks, "I have never used CP myself, but I believe them to be a reputable company, and have known many people to speak positively about their experiences with them."
Second, and more importantly: I list many, many resources on HC USA. I have not fully read every single page of every single website, though. I look them over, sample some pages, look for reviews by others, and then, if they seem to have merit, I post them here. In other words, no, I have not watched every single video at Khan Academy! I'd probably still be at it by next Christmas if I decided today to take that task on. If there is something I have used and found worthy of a special recommendation, I will say so directly. For example, on the chemistry page, I have this small note at the bottom: "If you are having difficulty with any chemistry topics or concepts, the Homework Helpers Chemistry book listed above is an excellent self-study aid." I say this as someone who owns this book and found it to be one of the best basic chemistry books she has ever seen or used. I absolutely recommend it to anyone struggling with introductory chemistry.
Use your discernment on anything you find here. If your children are especially young, you may want to first carefully screen any sites or resources before using them with your family. I have refused to list/recommend certain sites and sources that have material I find particularly objectionable (racist, violent, etc.). That said, there are plenty of things I do link to that are of a political/social nature with which I personally do not agree. I do not believe, though, that it is up to me to make a judgment call on these things for your family. If there is anything you would like me to provide a more in-depth opinion or review on, you only need to ask. If you find something on one of the sites I link to that you feel is highly questionable, I would appreciate you letting me know.
I don't think you're dumb, naive, or prone to rationalizations. I do not want you to ever get the sense that I'm talking down to you, because I in no way mean to be! I think you are entirely capable of researching all of your options and choosing the ones you find most helpful and suitable for your unique needs and situation. HC USA is here to help students of all ages earn a college degree without amassing a scary amount of debt. I sincerely hope you find my website useful, but I know it's not for everyone and if you don't, I only wish you the best in all your endeavors now and in the future.
Also? I need to take a geography course! I had no idea there's such a thing as the Bugaboo Mountains, but I think that's awesome. My daughter nicknamed them "The Mountains of Minor Annoyances." Ha!
I suppose that's how I found myself drawn into a debate about College Plus on a public forum. The original poster blasted College Plus for a number of things (some of which weren't even true and most of which were merely opinion). If you've known me for long or spent any amount of time on the same homeschool forums I do, you probably know I often tell people they can earn their degree from home without CP. So it may surprise you, then, to learn that I took up the defense of College Plus in this debate. The problem was, this particular College Plus detractor has never been an actual CP customer, is not a homeschooling parent, is not a former homeschooler, and in fact, isn't even a parent. This hardly makes him a qualified judge of whether CP is a good business/service for homeschooling families to use. When actual CP users gave positive accounts of their experiences with the company, he dismissed them, and even went so far as to accuse homeschoolers of being "naive" for using CP. For those who said they valued the services College Plus provided their families? Well, these folks were apparently engaging in defensive rationalizing so they wouldn't have to admit they were fools who had wasted their money. When someone drew his attention to the lack of complaints at the BBB and the high BBB rating (an A+) CP enjoys? He snidely remarked that homeschoolers were simply too dumb to find the BBB website and file their grievances. In fact, his entire "review" boiled down to, "I didn't use CP myself, and would never use CP in the future if I ever became a parent, so it doesn't make sense for anyone to do so. People would have to be completely stupid to do something I think isn't worth the money."
Aye, yi, yi, eh? (I know! I know! Why on earth would I even want to engage in conversation with someone like that? Someday, I'll learn my lesson and it will really stick! LOL.)
By the way, if you've come to my website for the first time via that public forum, I very much stand by the content of what I said, though I wish I'd enough sense to stay out of it. Also, I stopped going to that site and forum as of my last post on it, so no, I have no idea where the debate went after that, and no, I have no intention of ever going back. That particular forum doesn't really seem to have anything of value to offer me, nor does it have any real need of my "expertise," though there were some other members I thought perfectly pleasant and interesting. I somewhat regret that I don't have the time to get to know them better. In the end, the point is CP doesn't need me to defend them. Their good reputation and satisfied customers do that job far better than I ever could. But having jumped into that craziness pool, I realized I had something I should address here at HC USA.
First: Yes, you can do this on your own, without College Plus! My site and others can guide you through the process. However, if you explore what CP has to offer and you feel it would be a benefit to your family, that is your business and your business alone. No one has a right to pass any kind of judgment on you for it. I believe fully that you are intelligent enough to make a decision about CP and do what's best for you and yours. I have said all along to anyone who asks, "I have never used CP myself, but I believe them to be a reputable company, and have known many people to speak positively about their experiences with them."
Second, and more importantly: I list many, many resources on HC USA. I have not fully read every single page of every single website, though. I look them over, sample some pages, look for reviews by others, and then, if they seem to have merit, I post them here. In other words, no, I have not watched every single video at Khan Academy! I'd probably still be at it by next Christmas if I decided today to take that task on. If there is something I have used and found worthy of a special recommendation, I will say so directly. For example, on the chemistry page, I have this small note at the bottom: "If you are having difficulty with any chemistry topics or concepts, the Homework Helpers Chemistry book listed above is an excellent self-study aid." I say this as someone who owns this book and found it to be one of the best basic chemistry books she has ever seen or used. I absolutely recommend it to anyone struggling with introductory chemistry.
Use your discernment on anything you find here. If your children are especially young, you may want to first carefully screen any sites or resources before using them with your family. I have refused to list/recommend certain sites and sources that have material I find particularly objectionable (racist, violent, etc.). That said, there are plenty of things I do link to that are of a political/social nature with which I personally do not agree. I do not believe, though, that it is up to me to make a judgment call on these things for your family. If there is anything you would like me to provide a more in-depth opinion or review on, you only need to ask. If you find something on one of the sites I link to that you feel is highly questionable, I would appreciate you letting me know.
I don't think you're dumb, naive, or prone to rationalizations. I do not want you to ever get the sense that I'm talking down to you, because I in no way mean to be! I think you are entirely capable of researching all of your options and choosing the ones you find most helpful and suitable for your unique needs and situation. HC USA is here to help students of all ages earn a college degree without amassing a scary amount of debt. I sincerely hope you find my website useful, but I know it's not for everyone and if you don't, I only wish you the best in all your endeavors now and in the future.
Also? I need to take a geography course! I had no idea there's such a thing as the Bugaboo Mountains, but I think that's awesome. My daughter nicknamed them "The Mountains of Minor Annoyances." Ha!
