Jump to content

Menu

Xpost prepare senior for college


Guest Barb B
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest Barb B

OK - lets list our top ideas to prepare our homeschool seniors for college - mainly academics and for studying . . .

 

1. This year I want to have lots of reading for ds - in lit. especially. I know folks say the amount of reading increases in college.

 

2. I also want to throw lots of essay writing at him - in all subjects.

 

3. I want to keep tests in all subjects but add midterms and finals (which I admit we haven't done).

 

We are homeshooling completely this year (as in years past) - IMO the comm colleges here are 2nd rate and he'd be better off at the public school (which isn't happening!). Don't get made - like I said - that is my opinion of the specific ones where I live. So - how to prepare for a full load of college classes plus the outside worktime involved in them? I guess there isn't a way to prepare. But then again - maybe this isn't specific to homeschoolers - those going to a public or private school run into the same transition challanges.

\Barb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only have a few minutes, but one of the main things ds had to learn at college was how to juggle studing for finals in multiple classes. Having never really taken that many final exams at home. co-op or online, he had to learn how to schedule his studying: studying for two exams at a time or finish one and move onto the next. Reading a following a syllabus and studying widely because you don't know how/what a professor will test were others.

 

HTH,

Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dd is going to nursing school. I am really concerned about the jump from homeschool to nursing school. So I am planning on the following:

 

1. Work with her to develop good note taking skills both from lectures (at our homeschool group) and textbooks.

 

2. Help her develop good methods for studying.

 

3. Giving her most of the responsibility for her school work. She will need to read and follow the syllabus for each class. I want to help her plan out her time so nursing school won't be such a shock.

 

4. Work more on her essay writing skills. She isn't a writer and this is a struggle for her.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what others feel are important skills to prepare our seniors for college.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm long overdue at sorting through my homeschool closet and am typing this surrounded by piles of of stuff. On academics; I'm going to assume that anyone reading this has been reasonably diligent about the basics. :D Here are a few things I've gleaned from talking with my son and former co-op students.

 

To prepare for humanities courses be sure to stress the need to read carefully, ask questions and make note of those questions while reading, and then be prepared to respond thoughtfully by discussing and writing essays. My favorite resources: SWB's The Well Educated Mind, Adler's How to Read a Book, Sire's How to Read Slowly, and a little, free, online gem called ROMAN Reading by Nick Senger which distills some of the best principles into a short form suitable for review at the end of the hs years or motivating an overwhelmed teen early on to inspire them.

 

Writing: (1) Good editing skills all the way from the global (Does the end product match the assignment, do the conclusions follow logically from the thesis, are assertions properly supported and cited?) down to syntax, grammar, and punctuation level. (2) A thorough understanding of the concepts underlying definition and division process which are necessary for the next item on my list. (3) Proficiency in Compare/Contrast essays. (4) As much practice as you can reasonably do incorporating quotations, questions, and analysis of the source material on which the essay is based.

 

For science and math courses, don't be wedded too much to calculator use or to one particular kind of calculator. Some calculus courses forbid calculators altogether, other math (and many science) courses specify simple scientific calculators only for exams.

 

Also, students need to understand that to earn an A in most college level math and science courses it is necessary to (1) actually do the homework, (2) grade oneself rigorously when using the student solutions manual, (3) understand that the homework assigned is a minimum and doing only assigned problems will probably yield at best a C for most students, (4) find out which formulas must be memorized for exams and work on them all along, and (5) begin cumulative review after the first exam of the term.

 

That said, my impression is that time management skills are the most important. For my son, that meant learning to work more quickly, do a better job of managing and limiting time spent online doing non-academic stuff, and keeping track of exams and assignments for multiple classes plus outside commitments. He's found that making a calendar for each term which lists all exams, quizzes, and assignment due dates helps keep him on track-- and avoids the irritation of inadvertently scheduling a dentist appointment the day before a big exam.

Edited by Martha in NM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have found it quite valuable for my teens to take on-line classes from The Potter's School and Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. The AP classes from PA Homeschoolers are very rigorous and a great introduction to college level intensity. The external deadlines are helpful as well.

 

Is taking one of these classes an option?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...