Homeschooling To College: 4 Tips For The College Admissions Process
May 1 is just around the corner. Known as National College Decision Day, that is the date by which high school seniors must pay their enrollment deposits and commit to one college or university to begin their freshman year this fall. My daughter is one of these seniors. A lifelong 'unschooled' homeschooler, who didn't take a formal class or test until she was 13, her unconventional education didn't hold her back from gaining numerous college acceptances, generous merit scholarships and invitations to selective honors-college programs to study mathematics.
Homeschoolers have long found success in the college admissions process. As the population of homeschooled students skyrockets across the U.S., there are a few things to consider on the homeschooling-to-college pathway. Here are 4 tips for today's homeschooling families to help navigate the college admissions process:
Today's high school homeschoolers often use a mix of curriculum and course resources, from self-study and online programs such as Khan Academy and ASU Prep Global, to classes offered at homeschool co-ops, microschools and similar creative schooling options, to programs hosted by local museums, libraries and cultural centers. Flexibility and the opportunity to customize education are hallmarks of homeschooling, and part of its broad and growing appeal. Homeschooling parents and students should keep detailed records of these learning experiences, including course descriptions, syllabi and assessment measures. They should also look ahead to some of the course requirements certain colleges expect high schoolers to complete, including, in some cases, four years of a foreign language or math through calculus. By the time senior year rolls around, all of these records can be synthesized into a crisp homeschool transcript to submit to colleges and universities.
According to Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, an independent college admissions counselor and founder of Orlowski College Consulting, colleges and universities take the homeschool transcript seriously, 'which is why parents should take the time to make it clear and understandable.' Stuart-Orlowski homeschooled her own three boys to college and works closely with homeschoolers and other nontraditional students throughout the college admissions process. 'When I work on transcripts with homeschool parents, I help them present their child's unique educational journey in a way that makes sense to admissions folks,' said Stuart-Orlowski, adding that parents should create a one-page high school transcript followed by course descriptions documenting a homeschooler's high school experience. She also suggests that homeschooled students reach out to colleges with application and transcript questions. 'Contact colleges. Their admissions team is there to help, and some universities even have homeschool-specific representatives,' she said.
Many homeschoolers rely on dual enrollment courses to form the backbone of their high school transcript. For decades, homeschoolers have known about the benefits of dual enrollment classes, in which high schoolers take college-level courses through a community college or university. They gain access to advanced course content, build relationships with professors and accumulate college credits that can often be easily transferred when a student enrolls in a four-year Bachelor's degree program. Today, these low-cost dual enrollment programs are widely used by homeschoolers and conventionally-schooled students alike, with an estimated 2.5 million U.S. students participating in such offerings.
For Kym Kent's homeschooled high school senior Samuel, dual enrollment classes have been valuable in building confidence academically as well as providing an opportunity for him to effectively manage a college course load and schedule. 'As a homeschooler, your student is immediately set apart from his or her peers, and dual enrollment further distinguishes your student, bringing a measure of academic confidence that cannot be overstated,' said Kent, who founded eXtend Homeschool Tutorial in Maryland. Kent has successfully homeschooled her older children to college, and Samuel now has multiple college acceptances that he is weighing ahead of the May 1 decision deadline. (Kent and I recently recorded a series of episodes on my LiberatED podcast about homeschooling to college.)
As Samuel began applying to college last fall, Kent made certain that her son had a balanced college list, comprising a blend of schools with different acceptance rates. Recent research shows that the vast majority of U.S. colleges and universities admit the majority of their applicants, with less than three dozen schools reporting single-digit acceptance rates. It is actually easier than ever to get into college, but students and parents need to make sure their college list contains a range of options.
'Building a balanced list of colleges that typically includes schools with lower, middling and higher acceptance rates will likely ensure students have some good choices after the admissions results come in,' said Stuart-Orlowski. 'By having realistic expectations and a thoughtfully developed college list, students will almost always be very satisfied with their choices.' For Samuel, those choices range from his state's public university, to out-of-state public universities such as The Ohio State University, to an assortment of private colleges and universities. To narrow down his choices, he is evaluating different program offerings at each college, as well as the merit scholarships and financial aid awards he has received.
Homeschoolers have an interesting story to tell. Learning outside the conventional classroom offers students the opportunity to undertake deep passion projects and pursue interests in imaginative ways, while leveraging a variety of robust academic resources. The college application process enables homeschoolers to share their distinct stories through the personal statement and numerous supplemental essays, and layer their application with a comprehensive transcript and teacher recommendations from external instructors and mentors. While many colleges and universities are now 'test-optional,' meaning that applicants can decide whether or not to submit SAT or ACT standardized test scores, these scores can provide objective validation for students who learn in unconventional ways.
Families considering homeschooling through the high school years should take comfort in knowing that homeschoolers can have great success in the college admissions process, while enjoying the benefits of a personalized, flexible, family-focused educational option.'The rewards of homeschooling through high school, from the relationships you'll build with your kids to the social, emotional and academic successes you'll share are well worth your investment of time and energy,' said Kent. 'Homeschooling through high school will reap rewards that last well into your student's adulthood, and the memories you build together will last a lifetime.'
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