From Homeschool to College

Answer 1

When a homeschooled student shows interest in college, parents need to take notice and start as soon as possible to get them prepared. It is not as hard of a project as it may seem. Since homeschools offer a a completely, unique learning experience that, many times creates a driven and exceptional student, there are thousands of schools looking to admit them into their programs as long as they fit all of the prerequisites. Help your child get into college with ease with a homeschool education.

Documenting Homeschooling to Get Into College

One of the main reasons students find it so hard to get into college after a stint in home school, is they cannot prove that have done the work, they know the work, and they are have enough skill. Most homeschooled students perform exceedingly well in all areas of education but what is that worth without something that is tangible for a college administrator to review. Throughout your child’s time in homeschool, it is crucial that you keep a running record of all of the important tasks and accomplishments he has made during his study. In some states, it is required that you turn in work and lessons to show that schooling is occurring on a regular basis that has to do with educating your child. You can up the ante by selecting documents that relate the student’s prospective college major and areas where he does exceptionally well in; if chemistry if his thing, then your proof for college admissions will be centered on this subject and branch out from there. To summarize, there should be a discernible, well-rounded theme in the student’s battery of work.

In addition to a portfolio, a grade book is necessary to demonstrate ability and completion. Set up yours in a way that is easy to read and easy to share with others when necessary. Transcripts are also an excellent piece of information to have on hand to apply for college. At 14 until they graduate from homeschool high school, their classes need to be set up as college prep courses like 3 years of math and 4 years of English. To compliment the transcript, ACT and SAT scores also help in proving the student is capable regardless of their school environment. Collectively these artifacts are definitely, what schools are looking for when preliminary entry requirements are reviewed.

Remove the Stigma of Homeschool

Face it; (most) people associate all kinds of weirdness with homeschooling so mentioning that you were homeschooled from preschool to 12th grade to a college recruiter just may send up a red flag in the admissions offices of your university. There is a simple fix for this dilemma, which is to have a home school with an official name. The name can be anything that sounds like what a school but still associated with your school’s mission and vision. On all outgoing official documents, place a letterhead at the top so that anyone who gets their hands on it will immediately recognize your home as a school.

Get Active Outside of Homeschool

• Sign the student up in a club and group like a hockey team or a speech team unaffiliated with the local school district, which adds to their appeal as a well-adjusted teen with interests and hobbies.
• Ensure that the student is apt enough to sore high on standardized tests to increase chances. They should do more than just take the ACT but should be testing to beat it.
• Acquire letters of recommendation from someone who actually knows the student on a professional, work level. This could be a community leader whom the student has volunteered for at some point.

There are many other things that the homeschooled student can do to improve their chances of college acceptance and make them appear on paper just as streamlined as their peers. In fact, everything advised here would be advised to the typical high school student. the only difference between college for a homeschooled student and one outside of the home student is location and background information and that is exactly how both should be presented to a college admissions board.