Step 8: Permission
Now after you've taken the English 200 test, and passed, you have to email the professor asking permission to enroll in their class. It's a rule that anyone in high school can't just get into a class, they have to get permission from the teacher. You can find the teacher's email on the "Section Information" page of the class you want. Make sure to tell the the teacher your name, your grade, and how/why their class interests you. Throw in your score from the placement test so they know you've completed the prerequisite. Tell them that it is paramount that you start taking courses. The reason they have to give you permission since you're a high-schooler is because so many drop out within a couple of days or weeks; they are not serious about taking an online class. Show the teacher that you are serious and motivated! Use big vocabulary and make no spelling errors. Send the email, and cross your fingers. The teacher may not respond for a couple of days. If they do not respond within a week and a half, choose a different class. Online courses fill up too quickly for you to sit and wait for a response that may never come. Trust me, it's happened to myself. On one day, there could be 10 spots left in the class, and the next NONE. And trust me, you do not want to be waitlisted, or you will be catching up on a bunch of work and struggling. Give the teacher a week and 1/2. After that, choose a different class using the same steps as I instructed above. It may not be the class of your choice, in fact my first choice was English 200, but the English teacher never got back to me. So at a last minute panic, I applied for a Geography class that was not really what I wanted or was interested in. However, upon taking the course, I found it to be more intriguing than what my first choice of class had initially been! So remember, you may not always get the class of your choice at first, but it can turn out to be a pleasant surprise if you find yourself in a class you know absolutely nothing about, and aren't that interested in. Trust me, it all works out.
Step 9: K-12 Form
While waiting for your teacher to respond, make sure you get a special K-12 admission form filled out. (Click the button above to be taken to a printable k-12 form) These are required before you can get into a class. First, fill out basic information at the top. Then, you can start writing the class(es) you are taking. Write the name of the class, followed by the section number. What is the section number? And where? This can be found on your information page about the class I asked you to visit in Step 6. Then, write the teacher's name, which can also be found on the info page of your class of choice. Near the bottom of the page, there are two very important things: a parent signature and Dean Of Instruction signature. DO NOT LEAVE THESE BLANK. They will not accept this application without the signature. Have one of your parents sign it. Afterwards, you can either go to Mrs. Gold or the principal, or anyone of authority at the school. Once they've signed it, you're all good. But don't send it in just yet!!! Wait until you have email permission from the teacher, then turn in both papers. You can print out the email where the teacher says "I give you permission to enroll in my _____ class", and along with the K-12 form, either mail them or fax them. Faxing is SO much faster. The elementary school has a fax machine they'd gladly let you use. You can mail the papers if you want, but remember, spots in the class fill up quickly! Waste no time! Also, email the office of admissions and records, and ask them to notify you that your papers arrived safely and that you are in!
Step 10: Payment
Once Mendocino College notifies you that you made it into the class, you have ONE DAY ONLY to pay for the class before they automatically drop you from it. To pay for the class, log into your WebAdvisor, and under the Financial Information section (to the left of the page), click Make A Payment. You need to get your parents so that they may use their credit card to pay for the class. Let them take it from here. The class should cost between 14-20 dollars only! However, sometimes a fee applies when you register for the college too. Overall, everything is very cheap! You should get an email saying that your payment went through. But don't relax just yet!
Step 11: Textbooks! ($$$$$$$)
Once again, go to info page on your class through WebAdvisor. Click the link at the very bottom that says "Visit the Mendocino College Bookstore". This link takes you to the page that lists all the (if any) books you need for the course. You almost ALWAYS need textbooks for a college course. They are required! However, do NOT buy the textbooks from the Mendocino Bookstore! Scary prices like 100$ are not the way to go if you are only going to use the book for that class! First, ask any friends that have taken courses if they have books that you could borrow. But that is only if they have taken the same course as you are going to. And the books required might have changed since they've taken it! So make sure! However, if you have to purchase a book, do not buy it. RENT IT! Renting textbooks is MUCH MUCH cheaper (compare 13$ to 80$). You can rent an e-Textbook through Amazon (by downloading the kindle app for your laptop) which lets you use the textbook on your computer for 1 semester (the length of your online class). Or, you could rent actual textbooks, one that you have to mail back after the semester ends. Either way, use Amazon, because they have the cheapest textbooks.