CollegePlus! From a Parent's Perspective

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by Kelly Negvesky

When Denise Jacobs,a University of Georgia graduate and mom to Virginia and Leila, was asked what she thought about her daughters getting their bachelors degrees via distance learning, she immediately responded. “The older generation is failing this younger one."

Graduating at 16

"...We are not saying, Stop, Look outside the box there might be another way to get a degree instead of just doing it the way its always been done. Instead we are often discouraging these new methods strictly because they are new. CollegePlus! is wonderful and I’m so glad we found it”. This summer, Virginia will graduate with a degree in accounting, at the age of 16. Next year her younger sister Leila will graduate high school with plans to move directly into CollegePlus!.

Outside the Box

leila Denise’s outside the box approach to education began when she decided to home school both her daughters. “The girls have always accelerated themselves academically and I had to keep up. We don’t go into debt for anything at our house. When it was time for college I had read about distance learning and I knew where to go, CollegePlus! It allowed us to afford their education without sacrificing our plans for future weddings and retirement.”

At Their Own Pace

With CollegePlus! a student can move with a coach, through a bachelor’s degree at their own pace.“The school system makes it where you can only move so fast. The earliest I could graduate college was 21.” Denise said. “With distance learning my daughters can graduate college at 18 and start earning money. Why would you want to take the city bus when you can drive a car?”

Solution For Accelerated Learners

Denise also noted that her daughters accelerated learning left her in a conundrum. “Virginia graduated high school at 15. I wasn’t going to send my young student to college nor did I want her to stop studying for several years and then go to college. She was on a roll and I didn’t want to mess up her pace. CollegePlus! offered the solution.”

Stronger Family

family The Jacobs family feels earning a degree through Distance Learning gives them the time needed to continue building strong family ties. “The world is a nasty place and throwing a teenager out in it alone is pretty rough,” said Denise. “Virginia is driving around metro Atlanta to jobs and such but at night she comes home to decompress..."

At the Kitchen Table

"...It’s at our kitchen table we talk through things. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell youth to go congregate with folks their own age, but it does tell us in Titus 2 that the older woman are to teach the younger. How can I do that if she is 5 hours away?”

Coach: Hidden Gem

When enrolled through CollegePlus! getting your degree, Faster, For Less, For Sure is the motto, but the hidden gem is your coach. Denise is grateful for the time Virginia’s coach has invested into her daughter. “Virginia’s coach, Amy, has been such a Titus 2 person. I tell people that nine tenths of this program is this young woman. Having Amy help my daughter through the program when she is stuck, encourage her and get her back on track. You just can’t put a price on that. Amy gives a different kind of reinforcement than I do and it is invaluable.”

Better Community

When a student stays home surrounded by family they are better equipped to strengthen their roots in the community by taking on either a mentorship or internships. Opportunities that are not available to the student spending large chunks of the year away from home.

Internships and Employment Options

Denise adds, “With CollegePlus! Virginia was able to do an accounting internship this spring. It started as an unpaid position and then they began to compensate her. They appreciated the hard work she was doing. They went on to offer her the opportunity to interview with them once she completes her degree. This is at the age of 16. Most College grads are 21 leaving a foreign town to head home with no job prospects.”

Kelly

Kelly Negvesky lives in Orlando, loves her husband of 13 years and educates their 3 children at home. She recently graduated from CollegePlus! and earned her BA in Humanities from Thomas Edison State College.

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