home schoolers getting into college questions

[fleischdoc]

My oldest is in 6th grade and I am looking ahead to high school-I was wondering what folks have encountered in getting their homeschooler into college regarding using an accredited program for a transcript versus doing your own thing. Are colleges more interested in test scores? Many of my friends use accredited programs because of college concerns. There are a few programs I would consider if it is important, but I want to tweak everything so much I end doing my own thing anyway.

 

If I had never read the WTM I would be fine :), but that book ruined me for any set programs.

 

Thanks for any input.

Lisa in MO

[Brenda in MA]

Lisa,

 

Cruise on over to the College Board, which is a subset of this forum. You can read about many of the children of WTMers who are currently applying to colleges and also those that have been accepted and are attending a variety of schools.

 

Some applied using an accredited diploma, many, mine included, did not. While it's always wise to check with the colleges you are looking at, the only case I'm aware of where an accredited diploma is absolutely required is for the service academies.

 

HTH,

Brenda

[2cents]

We continued to retain our homeschool status thoughout High School. When ds was entering 10th we dual-enrolled him as a homeschooler. In his senior year he took the ACT and scored a 31 which entitled him to a full Bright Futures scholarship. So by the time we 'graduated' ds he had all core college credits and we only paid for books. Since he was already in college (the dual enrollment) it was a fairly seamless transfer from hsing to college. I did have to prepare a transcript but that was a no-brainer because I keep detailed records. So much depends on where you live. We're fortunate that our state and county is homeschool friendly and the college was used to homeschoolers. I believe that ds's ACT score did play a big part in our not being worried about college acceptance. Anyone can make a transcript but the test scores go a long way to validate college readiness.

[mcconnellboys]

No colleges we have visited have expressed any resignation whatsoever about admitting homeschoolers. The only school I can think of that even mentioned extra (SAT II) testing has been Tulane.

 

My son only homeschooled through ninth grade, but I still had to prepare my transcript and send it along with that of the private school he attends now because they only give a "pass" for classes taken by transfer students. He ended up applying to nine schools and none of them questioned anything I sent, asked for additional info, or raised an eyebrow about my reporting.

 

For those schools that did early apps (4), he's heard from all of them and been admitted to all; three have finished their scholarship review and he's received scholarship offers to two of those three. One state school sent him admission before we could even send them his official high school transcript, ACT score, etc. (maybe they have access to it, somehow; and he's been offered honors college admission).... We should hear from the rest by the end of February. The one large state school that I thought might be very bureaucratic didn't blink an eye, either.

 

So, I really do think that there are plenty of schools out there now that are very accepting of homeschoolers!

[TravelingChris]

Actually you not only don't have to be a gradaute of an accredited high school to go to a service academy, you can even be a graduate of a relaxed homeschooling environment and get in. I think it did help that he had great SAT scores. (It wasn't my kid but a friend of his)

[Kareni]

...I was wondering what folks have encountered in getting their homeschooler into college regarding using an accredited program for a transcript versus doing your own thing. Are colleges more interested in test scores?

 

My daughter is a freshman at a selective liberal arts college. We did not use an accredited program. In addition to classes at home, my daughter took classes at a homeschooling resource center, the local community college, and an online class through PA Homeschoolers. She applied to ten colleges of varying selectivity and was admitted to eight and wait-listed at a ninth. She did not receive admission to an Ivy league college.

 

I think that test scores can be of value to corroborate grades given by a parent. My daughter had several AP and SAT subject test scores. She took the PSAT and the SAT; she also had scores from the National Latin Exam.

 

Best wishes in your planning.

Regards,

Kareni

[Chris in VA]

My son had to take the GED to get into college at VCU. They accepted his homeschool transcript (and reading list) but they wanted that piece of paper saying he could compete on a 10th grade level...grrrr.

[Nan in Mass]

Mine was accepted at a state school with a mummy-transcript, with SAT scores and some CC college classes as outside proof that he would be able to do the work, and a piece of paper signed by the school superintendent saying that they had approved his course of study. I think the last bit was to make sure he wasn't a drop-out? Maybe? It seems to be a common requirement of state schools around here. If you have a child who is thinking about going to college out of his own country, you might want to look at cover schools, or if you live in an area that makes it difficult to homeschool, or a country where it is illegal. If you have a child who might be going to compete in division athletics, you have to have your course of study approved by the NCAA. Some people have found that having an accredited diploma makes this easier. Other than that, it seems to be fine to do it on your own. If you are trying to get into college with a mummy-transcript and no testing at all, you probably will need a portfolio, and it may turn out that you need to take an abilty-to-benefit test in order to get financial aid. Some people go to college by getting into community college and then transfering. Most community colleges require that you take a math-reading-writing placement test.

-Nan

Edited January 23, 2010 by Nan in Mass

[KnitWit]

Hi,

 

We homeschool in a state that requires nothing basically. I was concerned so I did register with an umbrella school to get the benefit of their *official* transcript and diploma. My dd has taken NO outside classes, everything has been done *in our home*, no dual credit etc. She scored well on her ACT and SAT and is waiting to hear if she earned National Merit Finalist status. She has an *earned* and *unweighted* 4.0 gpa. I have discovered that the schools she has chosen as her top two choices: U of MS and Belhaven University, as well as the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, would have totally accepted everything straight from me. However, this is my first senior and it was a comfort knowing I had that safety net. There *are* schools who insist upon *more* out of homeschoolers, but she showed no interest in any of them.

 

I have realized that if their test scores and their gpa are complimentary, things go smoothly. Also, yes, we have noted that many schools jump into action on ACT/SAT scores ALONE.

 

I would recommend you keep good records and keep a reading list. We had several requests for details of our choice of curriculum and books used, also a *reading list* for grades 9-12, including pleasure reading, and all outside activities (music lessons, volunteer work, tutoring, etc). These requests were more specifically from the *Honors Colleges* of various schools. So, it was not necessary for admission to the school itself, but for the Honors programs. Make sense? I was very thankful that we had pretty much kept up with this as we went. I didn't do it perfectly and I still had to spend some time digging in my brain and my shelves to complete it.

 

Another observation, different areas of the country have different biases toward homeschoolers. I highly recommend you begin contacting schools your child is remotely interested in as soon as you have any idea of who they might be. I made MANY phonecalls when my, now senior, was in jr. high. Also, do not just go by the requirements for graduation for *your state* if your child may attend out of state. You may find yourself lacking something in the end.

 

Another point....there are many *steps* to being accepted into certain programs. Basically, you apply to the larger school and get accepted. THEN, you must apply to college in which you desire to major (music, business, engineering, etc). Then, most larger schools have an Honors college, which *also* must be applied to. Any of these *colleges* may request further documentation, test scores, portfolio, audition....whatever their little heart so desires....to help them determine whether to accept your child or not. So....don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

One school we visited was explaining to us that for their Pharmacy majors, they have to be accepted into the school itself. Then, they get into the Chemistry major program for two years, after that ONLY the top students will be accepted into their Pharmacy program. That is just an example of some of the things we have encountered.

 

My advice, ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS! :)

 

I wish you and your child the best of luck...and don't stress, enjoy these years, you will turn around and they will be gone. :)

[Anna]

It really depends on which colleges you apply to and also on where you live. I'm in MI. When my 2 girls applied to colleges the schools only asked to see their transcript. One dd took ACT so they also asked for ACT score. Other dd who is LD didn't take ACT or SAT. We only showed her high school transcript and put her straight into community college while finishing high school. She's developing a paper trail while in CC so next year when she begins at the university for her 3rd and 4th years she'll only need to show her CC transcript.

 

For high school we never used an accredited program and nobody asked to see high school test scores or work.

[Halftime Hope]

but there are colleges that ask for additional things from homeschoolers that they don't require from other applicants. SMU comes to mind, as they require 3 SAT II scores, but they've also been known to accept other verification of competence, such as CC courses, AP scores, etc.

 

The old mantra "ask the college" is your best bet, and remember that requirements sometimes change over time.

 

hth

Edited January 23, 2010 by Valerie(TX)

[Alyce]

We applied only to our state colleges (NC) as we didn't have the funds any other way. My dd did average (1520) on her SAT but did have several courses (7) from our local community college where we had her dual enrolled. When I started the process we contacted many of the colleges and while they did have slightly different requirements none cared that her homeschooling was done by an accredited school. During the actual process they looked primarily at her SAT and it probably helped that she had those CC courses. She was accepted by all the ones she applied to. My son scored higher on his SAT but still average (1750) and has applied to some of the same colleges dd had. He had one CC course on his transcript (because NC saw fit to stop paying for dual enrollment classes unless they were math or science) He has also been accepted at his school of chose so we will not apply to anymore. Not once did any college say anything about us not having an accredited transcript. I have not heard of any of my friends (non of whom use an accredited school) having any problems with their children getting in to college. I did however check what the admission requirements were for the state colleges and taught based on those at least for the core courses. I think what is really important is your SAT score and that you've met the admission requirements. Make sure you check and see what they are at several of the ones you think she might attend. Most want 4 year math, 3 history and 2 or more sciences with at least one lab (at least that's what I found here in NC) some may require slightly different but if you teach the core subjects you should be fine. For electives do what you and your child is interested in. My dd is a dance major so we did a lot of fine art courses. Ds wanted a hodge podge of courses as he's interested in so much. His favorites so far have been Photography and Korean Philosophy. All of these electives were designed by me without benefit of boxed curriculum. All this to say, you don't need to have an accredited school or diploma to get your child in college. Do what you want.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I honestly think using an accredited program, for the most part, is a VERY bad idea in terms of getting into college (not community college). There are a few good programs that would be the exception, but Penn Foster, American School, etc would actually, imo, be a negative mark against a student for many programs.

 

My daughter had a mommy-made transcript, test scores, letters of recommendation, etc. She did just fine getting into universities of all sorts of caliber, some of which I am POSITIVE she could not have gotten into had she had the most commom accredited correspondence program diplomas.

 

What would be a good idea would be to figure out what certain colleges of interest require for admission. If there is some idea of what major, check to see if there are additional requirements/suggestions. And then work up a 4 yr plan that covers those things as well as interests. Pay attention also to extracurriculars, service projects, etc. And though well-rounded is a good thing, having a passion is also. And yet, one thing I think people do TOO much of is trying to make things look "just right." There is an advantage of being yourself, not just an applicant.

 

It's a balancing act. But if you are truly worried about college, putting together a hodge podge of resources is probably a better idea (and a better education) than using most accredited programs.

[mcconnellboys]

And I think some of the military schools required a GED score, too, don't they?

[mcconnellboys]

I agree. I was never at all impressed with American School's course of study, for instance. They have now updated to use better texts, such as Conceptual Physics and Chemistry; the Brown, Dolciani text for algebra, etc., but they still don't offer any real honors or AP level coursework - or even higher level maths (calculus), etc.

 

And even with the better texts, they send two courses at a time and want students to complete those before they receive the next two courses. How does one adequately cover the Dolciani math text in five weeks? That's the average time to finish a course, or so they say.....???? And even if one does do a good job of coverage, how much will one remember after only doing the work for five weeks before turning to other things? It just seems unpracticable to me.....

[Carmen_and_Company]

I researched homeschool certification programs, and decided to forgo them, as so many colleges/universities accept hs'ers without using accreditation companies, I felt the expense unnecessary. Now, if Taz played sports and wanted to during college, yes, we would use an accreditation company.

[fleischdoc]

Thanks for all the responses! I feel much better now about setting our own course.

Lisa

[creekland]

Just chiming in late here as we've been at college scholarship testing, but thought I'd add that the #1 thing we've been told again and again by admissions counselors (public and private) is that they want to see test scores or grades of some sort that confirm the homeschool transcript. For my oldest son, this was SAT/ACT alone though he now has an A in a cc English class as well (college level, not remedial level).

 

Then they want to see extra-curriculars... they want a well-rounded, 'bring things to my college/University' student - esp if you want to go for merit scholarships.

 

We did not need an accredited program anywhere he remotely considered (from large state to small Christian). If you have an idea of colleges you think your student might want to consider - see what they want. Chances are they'll relax that over the next 6 years though. Colleges are getting to know more homeschoolers and are getting better at evaluating them without anything accredited - they just need things confirmed.

[Photo Ninja]

We always hsed and did not have transcripts from any accredited school. My dc have been accepted to all the schools they applied to, and received scholarships. No college, state or private, has said anything about wanting an accredited program, so in my experience and that of friends, the accredited program is unnecessary. The transcripts have not been questioned. My dc did have good SAT or ACT scores and also took community college courses. I think the combo of transcript and test scores and community college transcript all provided a picture of their ability. Their test scores and community college grades validated their transcript gpa.