Part 64
Tracey Cannon's name plate was large, in the middle front of her desk. Kathleen and Zander sat across from her. She was in charge of admissions at Port Charles University.
"This is a state university, so there's a state law saying we can't award a degree or enroll someone in the degree program without a high school diploma," she was explaining. "Or a GED. You can start without the GED; if you do that you have to take certain classes. Then you end up with the GED well before you graduate – you have to be considered general college at least one full year. But normally you'd have two years of that anyway, first. You can also go to night school; adult high school, first. They'd give you an actual high school diploma."
"I'm looking for the fastest way here," Kathleen said. "Zander here, he should be a junior in college, right now, and I don't expect him to catch up to that, but as close as we can. We have the option of tutoring and we're only trying to get him into this school, not some major university. No offense," she added. "I graduated from this fine institution. My husband did, too."
"I know," Tracey answered. "This isn't Harvard."
"I want to get my young friend here, Zander, into it," Kathleen replied "We're not exactly sure what he's going to major in, let's say tentatively, education. What I majored in."
"You're a teacher?" Tracey asked.
"Yes. That's why I needed to see you this late in the afternoon," Kathleen smiled.
"No wonder," Tracey said. "Let's see. If you can get tutors for him, I would think the fastest way would be tutor him to pass the GED exam. Now, some people complain, the homeschoolers loudest, that a GED has the stigma of a dropout. But to get into PCU when you're a resident of the area, that isn't deadly."
"You look into the whole situation, don't you?" Kathleen said. "Zander has some unusual history which explains how it got to this point where he'd need one."
"Not really," Zander said. "When it comes down to it, I'm a dropout."
"Not the usual kind of drop out they're thinking of," Kathleen said. "A very high pressure situation; things that are very unusual," Kathleen explained to Tracey. "We can explain it in the application for admission, I would assume?"
"I don't think you have to," Tracey said. "An unusual background isn't necessarily a negative factor for getting admitted."
"If I didn't have the tutor," Zander asked her, "what would be the best way?"
"Well," Tracey said, "I think probably taking the GED as your first 24 credits," she said. "You'd have to believe you could pass all that, since it would be college level classes. Weird, but I think it was invented for the homeschoolers. They all believe – not saying they're wrong – that they've had a high school education. So if you don't think yours is complete, and you'd be in over your head, you'd be better off going for the high school diploma itself."
"I'd have to take gym all those basket weaving classes?" he asked.
"In adult high school programs, it is geared to the academic only," Tracey asked. "If you look into it, you'll probably find you don't have to take all that stuff. You're over 18; then they don't feel responsible for your taking health and driver's ed. They probably only make sure you have 4 years worth of English, 3 of social studies, three of science, three of math, and so on. They don't always take that long, either. Teaching people 14-17 in a regular school is not the same."
"We can look at it," Kathleen said to Zander. "All that's true. People over 18 who are only trying to get the diploma are different from people under 18 who are in high school. The adult program could be really focused on getting the credits. Junk 101 is probably not required, and it could take half the time to learn the same things."
"You have maybe a little social stigma there," Tracey observed. "You're in high school and you're 18 – how old are you?"
"20. But the social stigma for me, of being in high school, isn't a real drop-down. I could care less about my social standing."
"So is everybody else in the class, in those adult high schools," Kathleen put in.
"Take my card," Tracey said, smiling. "Call me if I can answer any question."
"One more thing," Kathleen said. "If I may. I want to send you his actual high school records. They're from a foreign country – we have translations," she added.
"Foreign students certify their secondary education themselves," Tracey said. "If you've been through a foreign system and have the diploma, you can be qualified. We always have international students. That's not even a problem."
"I didn't get to graduate from it," Zander said.
"Still, we have some idea that it may have been stronger than the same number of years in American high school," Kathleen said. "It's been about four years since he was there, though."
"Often they are academically stronger," Tracey said, ruefully, "But with that a factor, then I would say getting tutored for the GED appears the best way possible. You need review. Four years is a long time. You need to meet the knowledge standard, without getting picky about which classes you've had and which you haven't. Trying to figure out where you stand even, in adult high school, could be difficult. It could be done, but it could be difficult. I think the straightest path is to pass the GED test, so you can get into a position to get a degree, while at the same time getting a review, so starting here doesn't get you into too much. The last thing you want is to have trouble passing the classes here."
Outside, Kathleen said, "there's some more information to think about. No pressure to decide. Just roll that around in your head for awhile."
"Thank you. I will. And thank you for going with me, Mrs. Connor. I couldn't have asked her the right questions, like you did. I know I never would have. I'd have come out of there knowing much less than I do with you asking."
"This is going to work out," Kathleen said, patting his arm. "You're going to graduate from college one day. I feel it in my bones."
Zander smiled. "What track record do your bones have?"
Kathleen laughed. "A very good one, my young friend. A very good one."
