(This article was written by Alyssa Kovach and published in The Grapevine in 2005.)
I became interested in taking PSEO classes because I wanted to have interaction with professors who knew almost everything about their field of study. After homeschooling for nine years, I found I was craving still more information. I chose Normandale Community College for PSEO because it was very close to home and I was interested in its wonderful nursing program.
For admission, I had to submit a transcript of classes that I had already taken in my high school career in addition to a letter of recommendation and my PSAT scores. Placement tests were scheduled soon after, and then I began to pick out my classes. I really enjoy science classes and literature, so I began with those.
Over the two years I participated in the PSEO program, I took classes in many different areas. Science, history, human studies, music, theater, communications and English were among the favorite subjects I studied. There were counselors to help with these decisions and as I met more people, I learned about many different classes that might appeal to me.
Over these past two years, I’ve had people ask me if I was a PSEO student, but usually they could never tell! I had a few professors ask me about my student status, but as soon as they found out, they gave me extra help, guidance and encouragement.
I really wanted to get a jump-start on my college degree, so I thought that I would get as many free classes as I could. I did have some bad classes over time and was surprised at how different each teacher could be. Some teachers were very prompt in their reply to my questions and some never responded. I always had to remember that there were people to help even if the professor wasn’t available.
The first week attending a college as a 16-year-old was no less than intimidating, but once I got past this, attending the PSEO program was one of the best things I’ve ever done. PSEO pushes, pulls and stretches you to learn many things about your world and about yourself. Keeping a flexible attitude and working hard will help to make your PSEO journey satisfying and rewarding.
I won’t say that my PSEO experience was easy, but I learned that I could push myself to greater limits and achieve things that seemed impossible. Through my PSEO experience I’ve been able to become a Nursing Assistant and get a jump-start on all my prerequisites for a nursing program! The classes are fun, the friends you meet are great, the classes are free and you can attend a school while still calling yourself a homeschooler! What more could you want!?