Hi! I would start here. See if your library has a copy of this book. Solid advice. http://www.amazon.com/Countdown-College-Step-By-Step-Strategies-Graders/dp/0965608689/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y Then check your library for this title. In our experience, colleges aren't looking for kids with super-wide interests. They are looking for kids with super-deep interests. Good book. http://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587/ref=pd_sim_b_4 Talk to your kids about their interests. Help them cultivate their interests. Listen! And then provide the resources they need to do what they want to do with their free time. Encourage their inklings. Then at some point during the spring of the freshman year, you should have your child take an SAT practice test (psst: you should take it too. ;)) A free copy of the test is available here - under "Practice." http://sat.collegeboard.org/home?affiliateId=nav&bannerId=g-cbh-sat Don't panic when your child bombs the exam. (Or when you bomb the exam! ;)) This is a baseline experience. Check out the stats for the exam here. And start educating yourself about college-entrance testing. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/sat/data-tables Sign up for the "Question of the Day" service - same page on the College Board site. You will receive an email everyday with a practice question. Just do it. :001_smile: Visit the ACT site to get a feel for their exam. Practice Questions here: http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/ Info about the differences between the two tests here: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/standardizedtests/tp/sat-act.htm (Psst: Google is your friend. All I did was type "Difference SAT ACT" There is SO much information about there. Just start poking around!!! :001_smile: Don't believe everything you read. But read. Explore. Ask questions.) Then pick up a copy of this book from the library. Well-written. Engaging. And humor-filled. You'll need a sense of humor to navigate the college admission process. http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Crash-Course-Getting-College/dp/1439101221/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345806942&sr=8-2&keywords=crazy+u Encourage your child to secure a copy of this title from your library (older editions are fine). Hand them a pad of sticky notes and tell them to peruse the book and flag things that look interesting. Encourage them to start thinking about their future. This process takes time. Most kids are clueless, but it's good to get started on this path as soon as possible. http://www.amazon.com/Book-Majors-2013-All-New-Seventh/dp/0874479819/ref=pd_sim_b_3 At some point during the year, I would encourage you to visit the FAFSA web site. Start with the FAFSA Forecaster. It will give you a ballpark idea of your financial status - according to the system. Please try to contain your incredulity. :001_smile: Most of us are/were quite surprised to find out how much money we can afford to pay for college. It's a common experience to come away from the process and wonder, "How in the world are we going to come up with that much money every year for school?" (Or if you're like me, you'll announce to your family, "Hey guys, according to the government we have $ XXX left laying around every year. Who has been hiding that kind a cash? Cause I NEED IT!!!!! Somebody needs to re-check the couch cushions, cause apparently we're missing something!" It's normal to be shocked. But the info will help you engage in this process with more wisdom. You can't run from the info. And it's best to have it early. The "college talk" you hear will make more sense. Visit the site. Fill in the data. Discover your EFC. ;) https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1 Then pick up a copy of Lynn's book. Very well done. http://www.amazon.com/College-Solution-Everyone-Looking-School/dp/0132944677/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345807871&sr=1-1&keywords=lynn+college Then return to the WTM College Board and start reading. Lots of solid advice from real people. Plenty of paths. Loads of success stories. And cautionary tales to boot. IMO the titles and links will help you ramp up to "ready" when it comes to thinking about things like transcripts and course description documents and AP and SAT II tests and dual enrollment and a whole host of issues. They all need to be considered, but I believe that it's best to start with the big picture for your family. Very often it's best to think about the target before stringing your bow. Otherwise you may learn to shoot in the wrong direction. (Psst: We shouldn't all be shooting in the same direction. Harvard isn't for everybody. In the end, it's the destination of only a very few, and that's as it should be! Life is to be lived. There is great contentment to be found in living it.) Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey P.S. For folks a little further along in this journey, I would recommend the following: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122304/ref=ox_ya_os_product http://www.amazon.com/Higher-Education-Colleges-Wasting-Kids---/dp/031257343X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345809042&sr=1-1&keywords=higher+education+hacker http://www.amazon.com/College-What-Was-Should-Be/dp/0691130736/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345808950&sr=1-2&keywords=college http://www.collegeresults.org/ (The graduation rate info on this site is particularly sobering.)

We did not delay. Two of my kids were ready for algebra by 6th grade. One began in the 5th grade - the wiggly one. Independent seat work in arithmetic is one of the few things kids can do on their own at age 6. Short times working alone. Neatly. Carefully. With an end goal in mind. Yes, kids can read on their own. But an arithmetic paper is different; it's output. Verifiable proof of hard work. And it's good for kids - especially the wiggly ones who don't seem ready for it. In the beginning, I needed to keep the paper-pencil time short with my wiggly guy, but it was still important to do it. The Bluedorn's materials have been out for a while. No, I do not agree with their methods. Arithmetic at our house was a fun, hands-on lesson together. Seat work - including spiraling review. Followed by a short time of evaluation by mom. No one here dislikes mathematics. It's hard to dislike something you are good at. :001_smile: Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Hi Colleen, Fortunately I ran out of little people to work with. So Latin and I were able to break up a while ago. I haven't given him a call since we parted, and I think he moved away. :001_smile: My advice? Stop looking at old photos and move on. You don't need him. Wondering if he is right for you just confuses the issue. Make a clean break. Turn the other way, and breathe deeply until there is no longer a a whiff of classical languages. I have not once regretted my decision to drop classical languages. (Please no debate, folks. I get that it's a great choice for some. But I won't budge on this for us. It was not a good choice for us at the time.) I have never regretted dumping him. Actually, I sold him on the boards. What does THAT say about me?!? ;)) Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey P.S. As far as relating? Yup, I can relate. I tried SO many products. I was convinced that I would find something that clicked. Never did. One of my kids made it all the way through Wheelock's. "That's it? That's the ta-da?" She hated it and was bored out of her mind. We quit. And I sold a massive pile of stuff. And we moved on. Happily.

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Sometimes we outsource because I completely lack the expertise to teach the course: foreign language. I don't speak French, German, or Italian. And I have NO interest in learning them. Sometimes I could teach the course, but we find a teacher who can make the material really come alive: I was a music major before I was an engineering major. I could teach music theory, but we have found a uni prof who is glad to work with ds. Sometimes I would love to teach a course, but don't have the time: math. I tag-teach with Dana Mosely. He covers the instruction. I spend my time working with each child to build on his foundation. Sometimes we outsource because my kids want the credit: dd will graduate with 30+ college credits. Most of them will transfer which means she will have room in her schedule at college to take courses that interest her. Sometimes (and here's the biggest driving factor) we outsource to build the child's self-efficacy. A HUGE factor. Kids need to feel their own power. Self-confidence and self-efficacy are two very different things. I have really focused on SE with dd. And it's working well. She has a clear picture of her strengths and weaknesses. And she has repeatedly felt the power of her own motor. (AND she knows what happens when she throttles it back and goofs off. HUGE deal!!!) Outsourcing has been a huge part of that ramp with this child. I would love to chat more about this, but I have to dash. But I outsource with that in mind. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Hi! Waving. As a side note - THANK YOU for the Physics syllabus on the other thread. I haven't downloaded the Google docs, but I plan to. Physics isn't on our list for this year, but we will be doing it next year. So THANK YOU! And you're welcome about the notes. I forget how unclear everything was before I walked my way through this for the first time. I would be happy to help anytime. (I am just trying to pay it forward. The gals on this board helped me SO much when I was trying to figure this out for the first time.) Just ask. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

No worries. ;) One step at a time. And remember, most schools don't need the document. You might consider keeping it once you start high school though - even if you don't need it in the end. It becomes part of my process every year. It's not a BAD thing to reflect on each course as we wrap it up. And it's a nice document to keep as we begin each school year too. Goals are good. :001_smile: Peace, Janice

Yes, some schools don't care. We use the Common App when ever possible because it makes it easier for the profs who are sending recommendations. They upload once, and they are done. When using the Common App, you need to provide the info to match the most "needy" school. All of the other schools probably ignore the detailed Course Description document. I suspect they glance at it and shrug. Peace, Janice

From The University of Rochester Site: Basic Requirements: To supplement the basic application components, home educated students must submit a comprehensive description of the program of study (including syllabi with textbooks, where applicable) a complete list of all literary texts completed, the method of instruction (specifically for laboratory sciences) and assessment (written essays/multiple choice examinations, homework, etc.), and a personal statement reflecting on the value of the home schooling experience. Most students who successfully gain admission to the University of Rochester have completed four years of English, four years of mathematics, four years of history/social studies, three years of laboratory science, and three years of foreign language study. They want a course description. You can't meet these requirements with the boxes listed on the Common App HS supplement form. Our document has a table of contents that lists the name of the course and the type of instruction: Classic Literature I: 19th Century Homeschool Course with Support from The Teaching Company DVD Series Algebra II DVD Supported Textbook Course: Intermediate Algebra - Cengage Learning French III Online Course: The Potter’s School - Barbara Starosciak, Instructor American Literature to 1880: LIT-2XX Community College Course: Dual Enrollment, XXX Community College Then there is a detail section for each course. Each course has a blurb about the course content followed by these sections: Materials Used Method of Evaluation Final Grade Courses with more accountability - dual enrollment through the college - are short. Courses with moderate accountability - online courses with outside instructors are moderate in length. Courses with no outside accountability are longer. Dd is interested in the sciences; her science and math course descriptions are very thorough. Lab materials are listed etc. The entire document is twenty-one pages long. This child has solid test scores and will have taken college-level courses in all the major disciplines by December. So the Course Description document serves as one additional support to the transcript. I use a pdf compiler program to combine the Excel-generated transcript with the Word-generated Course Description document. The entire twenty-two page pdf is uploaded to the transcript section of the Common Application - see the Guidance Counselor section. I reference the pdf pages following the transcript on the Homeschool Supplement (See the Course Description document that follows the Transcript). We use textbooks as launch pads. The HS Supplement form improperly reflects the work my kids have done. However, the Course Description document is lengthy. Most of the length is generated by the format. It is extremely easy to scan it and walk away with a good understanding of our high school program. I don't expect anyone to read it. I expect that most admissions counselors will scan it, read about one or two courses in depth and toss it in the round file. It is a supporting document. They are interested in her test scores, her college classes, her recommendations, and her essay. Aside from that, they want info about our ability to pay. The Course Description document, like all supporting documents, exists to confirm or contradict the test scores and non-mommy grades. Think of it this way: the admissions folks know that there are as many flavors of homeschooling as there are homeschoolers. When you say "Algebra II" on the transcript, they just want to know what you mean by that. They have an idea of what "Algebra II" should mean. They just want to know if your definition agrees or contradicts theirs. Have fun filling out the forms. The good part? The first time is the hardest. Once it's done, it's done. :001_smile: Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Hi! (waving) It's tough to read old posts. The simple composition errors embarrass. Very often the content has aged, earning a red checkmark too. In this case I still agree with most of what I wrote. I'm just left wishing I had said it more eloquently. :001_smile: It is fun to re-read that entire thread. I gleaned a lot from it at the time. Peace to you and yours this morning, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

So DD is in her A&P lab at the college. The prof hands out the sheep's hearts. DD mutters under her breath, "Wow, this thing is a lot smaller than the one we have at home." The other students at the table said, "What?" She had to explain that her younger brother was doing bio at home. She said that overall, our equipment was in much better shape than the college's. She is considering taking in her own dissection tools for A&P II. We have nice equipment. Shrug off your friend's comments; you can't help te ignorant. Have great weekend. Janice

I'm in the car everyday with me youngest. We always have a lecture set that we're working on. Something light. We listen, pause, and discuss. Then we have sets that we use in a more traditional way. One of the things that I always harp on is preparation. You NEVER show up to a lecture (in college or beyond) with no preparation. You read and think about the subject before you plant yourself in front of an expert. You will always get more out of the lecture if you have done your homework. When we use a set along with a core course, we peruse the lecture outline. Then we research and read as much as we can about the topic (a history spine works well here). We discuss for a bit; often I include some kinds of written output to make sure the child was on-task during "reading time." Then we listen to the lecture. I say "listen." We pause and discuss a LOT. It usually takes us a least an hour to get through a 30-minute lecture. Usually it's closer to two hours. We discuss the content, interesting rabbit trails from personal reading, the structure of the argument(s), a well-worded sentence; it's different every time. We looks things up - in our books and on the computer. Then I assign something: a writing project, another reading assignment, a research assignment with an oral or written report, etc. I think you get the picture. Then we have informal sets. Interest led. The kids watch these on their own. Yes, my kids have begged me to buy certain sets. Just spending time with some of these folks is an education in itself. My dh can tell when we are spending more time that usual with some of these profs. The sentences that our kids use in normal conversation get longer and more complex - more dependent clauses. Richer vocabulary. Stronger insight. It's just a by-product of time spent listening to educated folks. :001_smile: For a broad sweep of Western Civilization, I can recommend: - Foundations of Western Civilization I & II http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=8701 If you are more interested in US History: - History of the United States http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=8500 There are others that focus on the details; but these three sets are a good starting point. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

It's designed for large families. Begin with the large green link to the right on this page: "What is Tapestry?" The videos make it easier to understand the program. http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/index.php Here's a direct link to information about year one of the cycle (Year One: Ancients). It includes a three week sample of the program. http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year1/ The program has been around for a while; there is plenty of discussion about it on the boards here. Hope that helps, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Barbara, And don't get me wrong. She is very excited about the state school she has chosen. She really likes it there. She has met personally with admissions, the head of the department for her major, and the head of the department for a potential minor. She has done her homework this spring (visited four colleges). This past week she spoke with two of the tenured professors at the CC where she has been taking dual-enrollment classes; she asked for teacher recommendations. Their comments were extremely positive - both about her academic potential and her character. (A momma can always hope, but it's overwhelming to see it on paper. Made me cry.) The first, an English prof, placed her in the top 1% of students he has taught in the last forty years; he commented that she writes at a graduate student level. The second, a history prof, placed her in the top 1-3% range. She is on top of the this process. She is doing her best. And I have done my best to prepare her. But school can be very expensive. We have to look for the best that we can afford. No grand illusions here. Hope, but not illusion. Also understand that I went to an ivy. Not all kids are cut out for an ultra-competitive environment. This child thrives in collaborative environments. She works the hardest when her work benefits others as well as herself. She would rather help her neighbor get a better score than work to beat her neighbor. A rising tide raises all boats in her world. :001_smile: Peace, Janice

Hi Creekland :001_smile: Yes, there are two types of loans that handle the interest differently. Both are called a "Federal Loan" as I listed it. Some kids are eligible for interest-free loans while in school. Others are not; for them the interest starts piling up on the day the $$ is sent to the college. (Treating the parents differently makes some sense. Treating the kids differently when they all start at the same line (no assets), makes less sense to me. But it is what it is. I digress......) But the scenario still works out as I listed it. Agreed? :001_smile: Scenario # 2: School meets 100% of need - Cost of Attendance (Tuition, Room, Board, Etc) = $ 50,000 - Merit Award = $ 35,000 - EFC = $ 25,000, BUT there is only $ 15,000 left to pay. The student may be offered a federal loan for $ 5,500. The parents would be expected to pay/borrow $ 9,500. Peace, Janice P.S. Also sliding in a recommendation for Lynn's book. EXCELLENT! Very balanced. A great resource.

Barbara, This private I am talking about is several states away, and yes, it is listed in Pope's book. :001_smile: We are doing our homework. And yes, things can change. But so far the preliminaries are pointing to in-state for the little lady. I'm not saying folks shouldn't look into private schools. They should. But more information is better than less. As Brenda concurs, that EFC can be a tough hurdle to overcome when you live in an area where the COL is high. (Ex. If dh takes the BUS to work, it costs over $20 per day. If he needs to stay late - at least twice a week - the bus stops running. In that case he has to drive; the bridge toll is $12 and parking is $ 44 PER DAY! The gas is extra. :001_smile:) Life is full of little surprises. When ds was going through this, I could have done without some of the surprises. With dd, we are going into this process with our eyes wide open. We are NOT cutting her off from anything, but we are also not setting her up for disappointment. She knows what she's up against. It's fun to have hope when the fall-back position is do-able. It's not so fun to have hope when the fall-back position is despair. Peace, Janice

Creekland, This was true in our case. No extenuating circumstances. Federal loan was offered. :001_smile: Peace, Janice

I hear you both. But huge merit packages that bring the cost of high-ranking privates into range for folks who don't qualify for substantial need-based aid are few and far between. We're really only talking about a very small number of students. Most folks are going to have to ante up their EFC (or something close to it) or choose a cheaper school. And that can be a really tough decision for folks who are going to have to either go into massive debt or watch their kids struggle. A tough, tough fork in the road. Path diverges in the wood - and both paths look dark and sinister as far as the eye can see. For example, dd has been receiving paperwork from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. Even though her PSAT scores are good, we live in the wrong state. She won't be a finalist in NJ. (The irony of this nested in this discussion doesn't escape me. Even when it comes to geography, we can't get this thing right! Yes folks, we live in the wrong state. My dd will not be a finalist because of her score; it's because of her zip code.) (Back to the ivies: that's why these schools are sending her their glossy brochures. She's on the mailing list.) I've visited the financial calculators. Even with their generous packages, we are talking major cash that our family just doesn't have. I graduated from one of these ivy schools, and no one was knocking down my door at graduation. Sure top kids from top programs are in demand, but middle of the pack kids at these great schools don't necessarily do that much better than kids who went to regular ole schools. (See Higher Education by Hacker and Dreifus; I believe this was one of the books that discussed this at length. They argue that kids who are accepted to these schools are high-achieving kids anyway. They do about the same no matter where they go; they are THAT kind of kid. In other words, they don't succeed because they went to THAT school; they succeed because of who they are.) Note: Dd has been taking honors courses through our CC. She recently asked one of her profs for a teacher recommendation. He promised to write it and told her an email that in his last ten years of tenure at the school (he's a department chairman), he would rank her in the top 1-3% of students he has seen in terms of hard work, responsibility, and academic potential. She plans to apply to only state schools; she is hoping for a scholarship. She may apply to one private for fun, but she knows that her chances of being able to afford it are very slim. So chiming in - not to minimize your experiences, Gwen or Creekland. But for most folks, a high-ranking education (for kids who manage to get accepted) generally means undergrad student debt of $25K and parent expense of another $50K - $100K or more. For those of us who have several kids, that's just not an option. So we watch them struggle and try to make the best of their situation. All this talk about the "good jobs" v. "the not-so-good jobs" is a mute point when you can't afford to get to the gate. So I chime in to encourage folks with a broad range of experience to join the conversation. (I'm sure you both welcome their voices as well. :001_smile:) De-mistifying this process is one sure step to helping our kids understand the system. And it is one sure way to reduce the onset of meritocracy-syndrome. As the divide between the haves and the have-nots increases, folks on both sides of the line are going to have to come to grips with how their impressions are shaping their prejudice. http://www.economist.com/node/3518560 See Delbanco's new book for more on what's happening among the haves. I found his discussion of meritocracy to be spot-on. http://www.amazon.com/College-What-Was-Is-Should/dp/0691130736/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0 Peace, Janice A side note: Ds just spent four weeks at music camp out of state. Apparently he was the only kid at camp whose parents did not fly in (or drive) to be there for the final round of concerts. According to ds, except for the kid who hailed from Hawaii, he was the only guy whose parents didn't show up. (There may have been more, but ds said he didn't know anyone without parents for the final weekend. The shuttle to camp from the airport was PACKED. These kids are not all local kids.) Airfare, rental car, and hotel was going to run over $2K for dh and I to attend. (Not happening!) After ds played his recitals in piano and pipe organ, parents came up to him to congratulate him; they asked to meet his parents. (It was even difficult for him to BE there for his own piano recital as it conflicted with an orchestra rehearsal. He was the only kid who was double-majoring in keyboards who also played in the orchestra. BUT he was encouraged to triple up to play in the orchestra in order to be competitive for the merit scholarship for the camp... I digress.....) Anyway, the other parents praised him after his recitals and wanted to meet his parents to congratulate them as well; Ds told them all, "They couldn't come. We're too poor." Yup. That's what he told them and all of the other kids who kept asking where his parents were. He was perfectly cheerful about it. He had a great time. And he wants to go back next year. But it does feel kinda weird on our end. I'm sure ds was looking around and wondering why everyone else is so "rich." The camp offers free tuition and travel awards to kids who can't afford it. But apparently the parents of those kids could afford the transportation and lodging to be there for the recitals/concerts. Ds received a private scholarship and a small merit award from the camp, but we still had to ante up some major cash for him to attend. There was certainly no money left over for us to attend. So instead, we get to feel like dud-parents. It hurts. But it's better than telling him he couldn't go at all. Like I said, sometimes the path is just the path. You either walk it or not. It's not dark because of a lack of effort. Sometimes it's great effort, hard work, and an enormous amount of research coupled with wise decision-making that puts you in weird situations. Once again: this idea of meritocracy needs more discussion. It can confuse folks when it's not discussed openly and honestly. :001_smile:

We went through this. Short answer: Schools use the merit award to cover the gap between the total cost of the school and the expected family contribution (EFC). They do not use the merit award to reduce the expected family contribution and then use financial aid to close the gap between the EFC and the total cost. Long answer: An example: if your EFC is $25,000, not ALL schools will guarantee that you are NOT going to pay more than the $25K. Not all schools meet 100% of need. You can look on the College Board site under the financial page. Some schools say they meet 100% of need. MOST do not. No guarantees, but this is an example of how things work in general: Scenario # 1: School meets 100% of need - Cost of Attendance (Tuition, Room, Board, Etc) = $ 50,000 - Merit Award = $ 20,000 - EFC = $ 25,000 - School offers an additional $ 5,000 in Financial Aid The merit award does NOT reduce the EFC. Scenario # 2: School meets 100% of need - Cost of Attendance (Tuition, Room, Board, Etc) = $ 50,000 - Merit Award = $ 35,000 - EFC = $ 25,000, BUT there is only $ 15,000 left to pay. The student may be offered a federal loan for $ 5,500. The parents would be expected to pay/borrow $ 9,500. Scenario # 3: School doesn't promise to meet 100% of need: - Cost of Attendance (Tuition, Room, Board, Etc) = $ 50,000 - Merit Award = $ 10,000 - EFC = $ 25,000 - There is still a gap. In this case the family's EFC is $ 25K; apparently that's what the parents can afford. The school would still expect the parents to ante up $ 40,000 regardless of their EFC. So why earn the merit award? If you attend a school that promises to meet 100% of need, the merit award does you no good UNLESS your merit award reduces the cost of the school to the point that it is less than your EFC. If the merit award is less than the difference between the cost of the school and your family's EFC, then you would have received the money from the school in the form of financial aid even if your kid has no "merit" ;). AND your kid wouldn't have the pressure of trying to keep that scholarship. If the kid loses the merit "scholarship", the school is going to ante up the $$ in the form of financial aid anyway. YUP. I asked this question. That's the answer. The answer was given with a TON of hesitation on the part of the financial aid advisor. A TON! So I asked the next obvious question, "Why bother to give merit aid when it's really just financial aid?" That's when the truth of it comes out. Merit aid awards at 100% schools are designed to reduce the cost of the school for kids who are in the tippy top financial brackets. That money helps lure kids whose parents would qualify for no financial breaks on the full-priced ticket. I suspect they additionally offer it to kids who would receive the $$ in the form of financial aid anyway as an incentive to make them feel special (so they seriously consider the college - merit scholarships are usually offered before the full financial aid award shows up in the mailbox). After the kids start attending, the merit-carrot encourages kids to work hard and earn good grades. And here's the rub: this is probably part of the reason things are scheduled the way they are. Most 100% schools require the very invasive college-board financial form in advance of the final admission decision. If there is a healthy gap between the cost of the school and your EFC and your student is a border-line student for the school (not in the top 25%), it is likely your student is going to be denied admissions or wait-listed. If the school has a lot of kids to choose from, they are going to attempt to fill their academically-mediocre slots with kids who have parents with an EFC that is close to or exceeds the cost of attendance. (Of course, they are balancing a lot of objectives. They are attempting to meet a host of stats with their freshman class. Generating enough revenue from the freshman class is certainly one of their objectives.) You can't get any data on such things, but I suspect that's why you hear so many stories that seem to make little sense: two kids each with similar academic records, stats, and diversity. One is admitted, the other is denied. No one wants to talk about the money. Instead we chat about extra-curriculars and a whole host of other subjects. (Maybe the kid should have learned to play the bassoon, or maybe the kid should have done one more AP course.) In reality, I suspect the difference was a financial one. I suspect that the school was going to need to meet a larger financial gap for the one family than for the other. (Or there was going to be a larger gap coming up: that's why the financial aid forms ask questions about the age of the younger kids. The schools want to know how the EFC is going to look in the next four years. Will the EFC need to be shared with other schools in the next four years?) If the school promises to meet 100% of need, it wants to be able to keep that promise. If it can't afford to be need-blind, it accepts the student with the $$. (This notion weighs heavily against the egalitarian ideals that are so popular in our society. But I have read about this very extensively. There are plenty of books that address this issue. In the end, we all have social ideals. But even in our personal lives, our finances limit our ability to act fully on our social ideals. That's a personal reality for most folks; for colleges it's a business reality.) The system promotes itself as being "need-blind", but it can't really afford to be 100% need-blind. Schools with huge endowments can afford to pretend to hold to this ideal more than schools with budget problems, but in the end they all play the game. (If schools were really need-blind, they wouldn't require any financial information until AFTER the student was admitted. Even ED students are expected to provide estimated financial data.) I suspect that every school fills its lower percentile slots with kids whose parents have $$ OR with kids that are likely to donate to the college fund in the future. Someone has to pay the bills. That's why you will hear all the chatter about merit aid and financial aid. There are plenty of us here on these boards who killed ourselves (and our kids) to earn merit awards. It's quite a blow to discover that we still couldn't afford private school without a massive amount of $$ piled up somewhere. Even if the kid receives a full-tuition ride, room and board and extras exceed $10K per year. Rule of thumb: Find out what your EFC will be. Figure out how many years you will be paying that: how many years will you have kids in college? (Note that your EFC is your EFC. If you have more than one kid in college at 100% schools, you split the money you spend among them. You still spend the same EFC regardless of how many kids you have in college. If your EFC is $25K and you have 25 kids in college, it will cost you $1K for each of them.) Then save that $$ for college. If you don't need it, you will be pleasantly surprised. IF you can't afford that, then start looking for cheaper alternatives. It's that simple. Peace, (...Really - try to find a place of peace. It is what it is. ;)) Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

I haven't read all of the responses..... If you decide to purchase a used copy of the text and need to align the homework assignments, check with the college library. At the cc where my dd is dual-enrolled, the reference librarian has copies of all the current textbooks. Craigslist has lots of copies of local-college special-editions. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Have you seen TOG's Scope and Sequence? Several of the lit titles are found in anthologies, so it's difficult to get a feel for the lit program without the S&S. See the bottom of the page on each link: http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year1/ http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year2/ http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year3/ http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year4/ Hope that helps, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Nicole, It sounds like you would be comfortable teaching with Omnibus. The program is very full; to complete it would take the full six years. The first three years are marketed by the publisher for the logic stage. The next three are the rhetoric stage. You don't need to complete a logic stage cycle of history before you complete the program; years 1-3 are supposed to be the logic stage. Sonlight 6&7 cover Western Civilization from ancients through the 20th century. If you love SL, you could use those programs to map the content for your 5th and 6th grade years. However, you will find a leap from SL 7 to Omni I. Perhaps by then you will feel more comfortable using just a WTM directed study: pick a spine, plow through it, and explore topics of interest more deeply. The value in this method is that it allows you to focus on building skills rather than comprehensively covering content; that makes it easier for you to slope the ramp a bit more steeply so you can make it to the Omni starting gate by 7th grade. If that continues to be the goal, that might be the best way to get there. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Hi Nicole, As you mentioned, a lot can change as you move along. If you are serious about Omni, I would recommend that you peruse the texts. Load the isbn numbers into Google Books. They have lengthy samples available. IMO, the current editions of Omni 1-3 could stand to be improved. The assignments, especially the writing assignments, would be really tough to complete according to the schedule. Veritas hit a much better grove for books 4-6. But you can't just use books 4-6 and skip 1-3; books 1-3 house some of the most widely read/studied titles. I think I have heard some chatter that books 1-3 might be revised. Omni really begs for a knowledgeable teacher. I could not have attempted it 8 years ago. I do have the volumes now, and I dip into them for my youngest. They do not cover literary analysis, a necessary high school English skill IMO, but there is a healthy dose of worldview, and I do like some of the writing assignments. But, like I said, I've done this high school thing before - my kids get plenty of literary analysis elsewhere. TOG is much more teacher-friendly if you need some hand holding. Yes, there is more planning involved, but that can be a good thing. You learn along with your student, so you pick and choose assignments that match your ability; the goal is to stretch yourself and your student just a bit as you move along. That's why the program is so flexible; we all come to the table with a different skill-set. TOG was designed to be useful to a broad section of folks. Omni really requires a larger leap right from the start - it was for me, anyway. In the end most moms end up using the program that they can teach from. Omni isn't the best path; it's just a path. Like other programs it does some things well and other things not at all. At this point, I would recommend that you enjoy your journey with your kids. If you are eager to begin exploring high school material, grab some Great Books from the library and start reading. Susan's text The Well-Educated Mind is very helpful if you have never really studied the GB on your own. Just dig in to the actual titles themselves. When you get to 7th grade, you will have a much clearer understanding of the landscape; choosing curriculum will be a snap. And the market keeps changing; there will be a shiny, new, gotta-have-it, it's the "best" choice to sift through by then anyway. :-) Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

You can match them to the homeschool supplement for the Common Application. Loads of colleges use it, so it can simplify the process to have things aligned ahead of time. https://www.commonapp.org/commonapp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012/2012HomeSchool_download.pdf It's not uncommon to combine "Arts" and "Other" into "Electives". Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey

Homeschool edition - Version 3. Full Year Curriculum - 36 week schedule. Do you assign a full credit or partial credit for each level? Thanks, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey