Hi everyone!
I just learned PSEO project as a freshman in an unknown and small high school. I would like to apply for a full time PSEO student in my junior and senior year!
However, the nearest college is Minnesota State University, Mankato. I wonder what’s the difference between PSEO programs in different colleges? I really want to go to Minneapolis for a better chance or opportunity, but it will cost me a lot since I have no relatives or friends in Minneapolis to offer me a place to live. (as I said, my school has limited opportunities in both academy and location)
But in general, if it is worth to study in UMN than in MSU, I will go through every challenge in front of it.
I have talked to my counselor for a little bit. He said I can only join the full time PSEO as a senior since I can’t reach the credits requirement for high school graduation if I joined full time for 2 years. However, I’ve seen a few full time PSEO juniors online. I am really confused about how they be a full time students as a junior? Is there any way I can join as a full time student in junior? (We have a junior in PSEO right now, but she studies online as a part time student)
At last, here are some of my grades right now. I’m a freshman with a 4.0 GPA. I am in Pre-Cal this year, and Cal next year. If I pass ESL exam this year, I will have college physical next year (CIS I think). Others are some regular courses of 9th and 10th grade.
I am really glad to receive anything below! Thanks for your guys reading, hope to hear your advice!!!
It’s a good day for a good day!
Looks like you are +3 in math, but at regular level in everything else?
Will calculus be AB or BC next year in 10th grade?
Seems like if you do PSEO, you will mainly be taking college frosh level courses in 12th grade, with college sophomore level courses in math. Perhaps someone more familiar with Minnesota public universities can comment on whether there is significant difference in the quality of such courses at the different universities.
In our school, there is no such thing as AB or BC, just Calculus.( But it seems we might get college credits from cal next year. Our teacher is still applying for the permit from government now. So I think it is kinda like CIS)
Oh thank you! This really helps! I’m more excited about PSEO now haha!
You may want to find out what content it covers, since that will determine which PSEO math course you are likely to be ready for after you complete it.
High school calculus can come in several versions:
Light calculus – typically similar to calculus for business majors in college. Not an AP course in high schools that offer AP courses.
Regular calculus, slower paced – typically is or similar to AP calculus AB and covering about a semester’s worth of college calculus for math or engineering majors*.
Regular calculus, faster paced – typically is or similar to AP calculus BC and covering about two semesters’ worth of college calculus for math or engineering majors*.
*Some colleges cover single variable calculus at a faster pace than this.
In my opinion, for the purpose of PSEO, UMN and MSU would be equal. I would recommend that you continue living where you are living, and if you do PSEO, do it at Mankato.
My understanding is in order to take PSEO courses at UMN Twin Cities you will have to apply. I believe it’s different from other U of M or Minnesota State systems.
U of M Twin Cities is the hardest PSEO program to get into in MN. My daughter was there full time her senior year.
They offer little support, you have to be really really independent and the classes are hard. It is risky, your GPA counts and it could lower your GPA heading into college. In fact at our high school it is guaranteed to lower class rank because our school doesn’t give any GPA bump for PSEO. It is harder to get into as a junior than a senior. PSEO students at U of M get last choice of classes which can cause its own challenges. One of my daughter’s friends who did PSEO full time both years ended up having to take a couple
Community college classes senior year to be able to graduate high school because some of the classes he needed at the U were full. Another friend really struggled in English at the U junior year and ended up taking English at both the high school and another one at the U of M senior year in order to be able to graduate high school. Also, when you register at the U your public school counselors are on summer break so they aren’t there to give you help on scheduling issues.
It can be socially isolating. PSEO students are not allowed to live in dorms there. It worked out great for my daughter, however there are cautionary tales. You are like any other college kid in class but there is no welcome week for you. My daughter’s welcome week was me telling her there is the river and Coffman and Northrop, orient to those landmarks. She ended up with a class in St. Paul (only macro Econ section that had a seat) which is time consuming even on the bus. Campus is cold in winter. Really cold.
All this is to say, it isn’t easy. I can’t imagine how you would pay you own living expenses as a high school junior.
If MSU is in your town and I were your mom I would say definitely try there first. You
could also try Northwestern if you want to try a class or two in junior year, they offer lots of online classes for PSEO that you could do from home. Both programs are easier to get into than U of M TC. You can and should apply to multiple PSEO programs if your heart is set on it. Bethel offers much more social support to PSEO kids but that’s a long way from Mankato (it’s in Roseville).
My daughter took Calculus BC at the high school (large suburban public HS) and subsequently took Calc 2 and Calc 3 at the U of M. There was material in Calc 2 at the U that was not covered in her BC class so that was a good choice. Her calculus classes at U of
M were with engineering students etc and much harder and more competitive than calc BC at the high school. She gots As but it was a great deal of work and angst - TAs who graded slow, tests with material never covered in class, a TA who didn’t know how to solve the problems, challenges getting in at the tutor center. She held in the queue one night for 90 minutes for the online math tutor only to be told the were past time with the students before her and could not help her. Just trying to give you a feel for the reality of some of the challenges.
Just as a side note, PSEO is also available at various technical schools. My daughter knows someone who finished all his plumbing class work in high school and joined the family business as an apprentice as soon as he graduated high school.
Thank you Ma’am. Your suggestions made me not so insist on being a full-time in junior and start thinking what I do PSEO for. I may start part-time PSEO as we had before since there may be some problems with HS credits as my counselor said.
This Saturday I may have a chance to go to MSU with my friends, maybe I can ask for more PSEO infor about MSU.
It must be hard and stressful to be a full-time senior since you have to apply for college at the same time. Meeting your daughter from your words is a pleasure. Thank you for your reply!
Hope you the best!!
You could try to do PSEO part time at MSU junior year, taking advanced math each semester as well as foreign language (because those would “accelerate” you greatly compared to HS pace), then add 1 history, art history, sociology… class from MSU, and other 3-4 classes from your HS.
I don’t think there’s much advantage to UMN PSEO if you have to live away from home.
If you’re a strong student, beside UMN, you’ll likely apply to Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, St Olaf, and perhaps outside the Midwest - for all of these, it’ll matter more if you got A’s in PSEO at MSU AND kept up interesting, in-depth EC’s at your HS, than if you struggle at UMN and have to drop your EC’s. The only exception I see would be if you’re not interested in top private colleges and aim at UMN Honors, period.
