Alternatives to EPGY B and C Calculus?

<p>Hey guys and gals. I hate to sound cheaper than usual but does anyone have a more reasonably priced online alternative? (Local CC won't work as her plate is full.) B is is one course ($500) and C is one course (y otra $500). Plus the book and handbag to match is $187.95. D has already tapped out school math at Calc AB last year (5 AP) but she says she wants to do it like a school course and review concepts rather than just blow into C with essays, apps, ACTs and SATs all crashing down on her. Can't say I blame her but....</p>

<p>Check out the Art of ProblemSolving site:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>UT-Austin also has some online courses.</p>

<p>I don't know whether the Virtual High School would fit the bill, but you can google it. It's a reputable outfit that was written up recently in the education section of a newspaper or magazine.</p>

<p>If you will not find alternative, try to apply for finaid. EPGY is pretty generous, and they are sometimes giving aid to people who never thought they'd qualify.</p>

<p>CTY offers AP Calc BC from Thinkwell. Cost is $570 if finished within 3 months.</p>

<p><a href="http://cty.jhu.edu/math/courses/thinkwell-calc-bc.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cty.jhu.edu/math/courses/thinkwell-calc-bc.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Cur, have you asked the superintendent or head of instruction for your district if the school system will pay for it? Many people don't know that the school is often willing to pay, particularly if it's for a class they don't offer, and not just 'cause the online is more convenient, or because the kid is trying to fit in photography or whaterver.</p>

<p>The advantage of EPGY over the CTY one is that they give you six months to finish. With all the pressures of senior year, that makes a big difference.</p>

<p>here's the U. Texas one. Take up to a year to finish. Work at your own rate. Less instruction than EPGY.
<a href="http://www.utexas.edu/cee/dec/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.utexas.edu/cee/dec/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>blossom, until today I thought they WERE paying for it! LOL. Gee. I was surprised.:eek: I'll check all that out. Thanks. The school has two critters that have the same issues and for English they finaggled some Brit Lit sophomore college English course these two will take online BUT can go to the professors office for help. Now, that is only costing me $190.00 per semester. Of course she has dual credit government ($190.00) and Economics ($190.00). LOL. I'm really not upset , I'm actually quite happy they just didn't say "No", you have 6 high school credits in math . That's enough. Welcome to woodshop.</p>

<p>Cur:
I look at it that way: one math course at the Extension School: $600.00
Same math course as a regularly enrolled student in the College: $5,000+. So why is he graduating early, I ask myself? :(</p>

<p>Cur-
son is in same situation for this fall. He had AP BC last year as a junior (5/5 yeah!) and is out of math, had AP Stats as well. Soooooooooooo, they have created another class with a course code and everything!(meaning a text, a teacher and a desk) for him in the fall. He will sit in the AP Calc class but will do Calc III and IV instead. He gets a book and teacher gets a book.</p>

<p>Our district will pay for his math class if he were to take it at Carolina/Duke but I would have to get him there. Since we live out in the "boonies" that won't be happening, especially if I have to drive in ice! They are doing the same thing for his AP Physics and AP Govt/AP World History, have him sit in another class, help out, discuss, teach some and read something different , write something different.</p>

<p>I was pleasantly surprised all his teachers were more than willing, actually looking forward to it. Since he did well on his 8 AP exams this spring his previous teachers will have him help them put together more effective teaching guides and review sheets for the tests in the spring. He has the same calc teacher as last year so they know each other pretty well.</p>

<p>Thought I mention this as maybe a possible for your daughter. Son is combining some of the APs in one class, since he will have more time to study by himself. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

<p>Well Marite,
I listened to you and told same son as mentioned above that he would NOT be graduating early!!!!</p>

<p>Kat</p>

<p>


</p>

<p>CTY will let you take longer, too, but they charge for additional 3 month increments, eg. six months costs $1080.</p>

<p>Kat:</p>

<p>The accommodations sound wonderful. If all schools were as accommodating, there would be far fewer students graduating early.</p>

<p>We just got a request to fill out a survey from the Extension School. It has realized that there has been a significant increase in the number of high schoolers and homeschoolers taking its courses and it wants to cater to their needs better. A growing market....</p>

<p>Curmudgeon,</p>

<p>What type of flexability do you have?</p>

<p>The reason I ask is that the Thinkwell "book" is only $90. It comes with online acess that allows a teacher to generate tests for the students. If your daughter has a teacher that was going to supervise her and her partner in crime then this may be the way to go.</p>

<p>My son is in the same position as your daughter. He finished Calc AB this year and is out of classes at his high school. For us he has 2 options:</p>

<p>1) EPGY Calc C for $500, because he has already finished the AB component. Plus the cost of the Calc book. As you note it is $187 but you can find it online for mch less.</p>

<p>2) Thinkwell software administered by the head of curriculum at his school. This still needs to be worked out but we think it is doable. This is the same software that is used by JHU CTY. Of the 21 chapters BC is covered in 13-21. Further it is "taught" by the head of the Williams math department.</p>

<p>In reading the CollegeBoard AP Calculus newletter many schools teach AB and BC together. They work to finish up the class in late February. Those students who are ready continue on to learn the BC material. Those that need a bit more work to understand the concepts spend the next few months reviewing the AB material. Because of this we are trying to go the Thinkwell route through his school . . . if it can be arranged.</p>

<p>To check out Thinkwell see:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.thinkwell.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thinkwell.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good luck in your efforts.</p>

<p>Eagle79, same here. D finished AP AB with a 5/5 but says that her understanding is that the C course just flies away without any review of B. She looked at the EPGY B course description and something on there caused her to say, "I know what that is but we didn't do it in class." Don't ask me-I don't have the foggiest but it was somebody's name + (math term ). Ptolemy? Pterodactyl ? Gee, I really don't know. "I don't want to be stressed this semester." O.K. I think I got it, kid.</p>

<p>I took a calculus class through UTexas Distance Ed, and like texas137 said, it's very independent. There is no online instruction or constant contact with your instructor. You are given a course booklet which tells you what to read from the textbook, explains some of the material and does some practice problems and then tells you what to do for homework. You mail in all your homework and get it back in roughly 3 weeks and you take your test at any "supervised testing center". </p>

<p>UT compresses three semesters of calculus into two semesters (M408 C and D), but according to their AP placement guide, students with Calc AB credit get credit for the C class and place into D (though UT doesn't enforce any prerequisites for distance ed classes)</p>

<p>Another alternate - see if you can talk your school district into offering the EPGY course and paying for it. Some school districts do. The school price is a lot less than the price for individuals. Call EPGY for more details.</p>

<p>BTW, for heavens sake, don't pay that price for any book. Look for a used book. I've purchased several $100+ texts for $15 or less. To get that price, you'll have to take a chance on a seller who doesn't have many prior sales, but you don't have much to lose. So far, the people with little or no track records have given me the best service. I guess they want to build up a good rating so they can eventually jack up their prices.</p>

<p>ellen, I'll talk more with them tommorrow. I wonder if they'll pay and the parents can reimburse? I looked at "used" texts on Amazon and the books sounded pretty rough for $50.00.</p>

<p>Cur:</p>

<p>In our school, students either take AB or BC Calc, not BC after AB. AB basically covers 2/3 of the BC Calc, which is supposed to be the equivalent of CalcI & II in college. Most textbooks are designed to cover the whole one-year BC Calc curriculum, so they should provide your D with the opportunity to review the AB topics she may have forgotten. If she did well on the AP exam, chances are she needs very little by way of review. So I would suggest she just get a textbook do a bit of review on her own and sign up only for the BC section of EPGY.
EllenF is correct that the schools' version of EPGY courses is cheaper because the school is supposed to provide the tutor who will also correct problems.</p>

<p>But you might also want to call the EPGY people. It is not a huge impersonal program. I've been to the office. It's some people, young mostly, who have been in mudgie's shoes. It doesn't hurt to call, especially if mudgie might want to consider Leland Stanford Jr. U. some day. It's very nice here.</p>