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Yay homeschooling! Yay for WTM!! I can't believe I get to post this here!

Colleen in NS

By Colleen in NS,
in The College Board

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Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS

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This has been a very exciting week at our house, and after all these years of homeschooling and getting help from these forums, I can't believe I get to post this here!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So far, ds17 has applied to two post-secondary institutions, and will apply to two or three more in the next month.  HE GOT HIS FIRST ACCEPTANCE THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I canNOT believe how good this feels, after all these years!!! (yes, he homeschooled all the way through, and will graduate in the spring)  And, this morning he found out that he received a RENEWABLE FOUR-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP FOR ALMOST HALF THE TUITION each year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! provided he keeps a 3.67 GPA.

 

I just can. not. believe. this is happening to us.  We've been a low-income family the whole time of homeschooling and have had to be very creative in educating our kids.

 

The story about this particular school (sorry, I won't be naming schools, for privacy reasons, but it's local to us and ds would be able to live at home) is that I talked to the asst. registrar a couple of years ago, and he was not very open to homeschoolers.  Except to say that homeschoolers could enrol in "open courses" and prove their mettle in the first year, then they'd be considered for admission to regular programs.  And he wasn't open to considering SAT scores because they aren't as common here in Canada.  And there'd be no chance for scholarships the first year.  I talked with him again a few months ago, and the story was the same.  It didn't matter that other local universities have policies in place to consider homeschooled applicants.  So, keeping my phone chatter friendly, I casually started rattling off ds's SAT scores (regular SAT plus the chemistry and physics ones), and he stopped me and said, "Hold on, what did you say he got in math?  And critical reading? And physics?..."  And I could tell he started scratching down on paper the scores.  Then he said, "Now you've caught my interest.  Could I pass these on to Dr. so-n-so (dept. title) and see if he'd like to meet your son?"  Well, DUH, "yes, please!"  Long story short, ds never did get the appt. with Dr. so-n-so; just happened to meet him at an open house we attended, so they DID get to talk!  Ds filled out an application at the open house (with fee waiver that day!) a couple of weeks ago, and voila, everything happened this week.

 

The tables turned and ds got admitted, and he got put right into the BSc program, WITH that big ole scholarship, and more scholarship opportunities to come!!!!

 

I just can't believe it.  I am so excited, and of course ds is very pleased.  I haven't been this excited about something in a long time...all these years of hard work, this high-school-diploma-only mama worrying the whole time if this whole classical/WTM ed. thing was REALLY going to be useful for university acceptance, lol!!!!  All I know is back in 2004 when I read WTM for the second time, it suddenly all made sense to me, so I decided to blindly follow it (and read these forums ferociously), tweaking along the way.  And of course all the info. about putting together transcripts/course descriptions/writing samples/book lists/philosophy letter/etc., plus reading about people's portfolios here helped tremendously as I've worked on all that over this past summer and fall.

 

Of course, ds has applications in or going in to other places this month, so we'll see what happens elsewhere.  My point is, IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha  I can't believe it actually worked!  WE DID IT!!!!

 

Big fat THANK YOUS to SWB and her mother for writing the book in the first place, and then writing other books and doing conferences and audios and providing these forums.  VERY PRICELESS to me.  And big fat THANK YOUS to the long-time boardies who have gone before and have provided so much practical help - you know who you are, plus there are many more whose names I've forgotten.

 

Our daughter will likely pursue a post-secondary path different than university, but I am seeing now that WTM/etc. will also serve her very well in whatever she chooses - I believe it now, lol.  The girl does very well now in reading, grammar, composition, and math; and has collected knowledge in literature, history, and science; and I'm so glad.  You'll be hearing about her creative/humanitarian/people-loving path in the coming years, too, as it evolves.  :D

 

I wish we could have a big WTM dance party to celebrate things like this in person with each other!! (like watching elegantlion pursuing her path alongside her son's path - you GO GIRL!)

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Nan in Mass

Nan in Mass

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Colleen! That is so exciting! I have to say, I am not one bit surprised. : ) You have done your homework and worked so very hard. You really deserve this. You made it all happen, honey. I am so happy for you! Best best of luck to your son, no matter what he chooses to do. You have given him a fantastic start in life. And your daughter, too. I think TWTM approach is even more important for those who don,t go to college. It provides a lot of the richness and perspective that one (hopefully) gets in college, and teaches one how to continue learning throughout one's whole life.

 

Lots of hugs,

Nan

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swimmermom3

swimmermom3

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Colleen, honey, you had me bawling like a baby reading your post.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:  A thousand hugs to you. You truly have worked so hard researching, thinking things over, teaching, rinse and repeat.  You've done an amazing job and have been an inspiration to so many of us along the way.

 

This is terrific news and thanks so  much for sharing it with us.  The best of everything to your son and your family. May the journey continue to be a remarkable experience.

 

And I still think that some day, we will be celebrating Colleen's college acceptance. ;)

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Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS

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Everyone, thank you so much for your support and congratulations!!  This has been just such a huge, huge week for us - a huge milestone in our homeschooling journey - our first major outside validation, I suppose.  And just to be clear for lurkers, I don't think university is the be-all, end-all of homeschooling; like I said, our daughter will likely take another path which will be great for her.  It just so happens that our son (and experimental oldest, lol) was always likely on the path to university, and voila, here it is!  Our daughter may end up going to community college here, which is not the same as cc in the States.  It's not quite a "cheaper path" to 3rd and 4th year university; it more consists of huge numbers of standalone technical and vocational programs that are tough to get into and tough to go through.  So if she finds programs she loves and gets accepted and possibly gets scholarships, we will celebrate just as hard.  :D  (We attended an open house day at a couple of cc's here a few weeks ago - let's just say that I dragged her there - she just couldn't be bothered.  But when she saw the "on air" television station on one campus, she freaked out!  She spent the rest of the open house there while ds and I walked around looking at other displays and taking care of his application.  I think she went around that studio talking to everyone she could and absorbing all the action going on.  When I went back to find her, she dragged me in and showed me everything going on.  She'd met an instructor who was quite taken by dd's passionate interest in everything, so the instructor gave us some hints on finding volunteer work in local stations.  yippee!!!)  I just want lurkers to know this - that my post is more about the "it works!"-ness of homeschooling and the works-ness of WTM style classical ed for our family.  And I'm still super-hyper about this week's news for ds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahaha  Thanks, all, for listening to my hyperness.

 

So happy for you, Colleen!

This is fantastic, and quite a credit to your quiet and effective determination along the way.

AWESOME!

 

Thanks, Carol!  It's so cool to hear from people I've met and learned with!!

Colleen! That is so exciting! I have to say, I am not one bit surprised. : ) You have done your homework and worked so very hard. You really deserve this. You made it all happen, honey. I am so happy for you! Best best of luck to your son, no matter what he chooses to do. You have given him a fantastic start in life. And your daughter, too. I think TWTM approach is even more important for those who don,t go to college. It provides a lot of the richness and perspective that one (hopefully) gets in college, and teaches one how to continue learning throughout one's whole life.

Lots of hugs,
Nan

Thanks, Nan! Thanks for the vote of confidence.  And I totally agree with the last part of your post - I think we will see that in dd's life.

 

Reading this with a HUGE grin on my face (and feeling some tears pricking my eyes too). Way to go and congrats!

Reading this made tears prick MY eyes!  Thank you!

 

A huge congratulations to you and your ds on a wonderful (and hugely inspirational) accomplishment!! Enjoy the well-earned celebration!!!!!

 

 

 

I hope and pray to be able to join you in similar relief, validation, and joy within a few weeks.

I hope so, too!  I haven't been reading the boards every day like I used to, but I hope to catch a post of yours if/when it happens!!

 

Yay, for your whole family! Congrats! I am super excited for you and your son! I have had the some of the same feelings as you - you just put yours into words on this board.

 

Thanks for identifying with my feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just KNEW that people here would get it!!!!

 

Colleen, honey, you had me bawling like a baby reading your post.

 

 A thousand hugs to you. You truly have worked so hard researching, thinking things over, teaching, rinse and repeat.  You've done an amazing job and have been an inspiration to so many of us along the way.

 

This is terrific news and thanks so  much for sharing it with us.  The best of everything to your son and your family. May the journey continue to be a remarkable experience.

 

And I still think that some day, we will be celebrating Colleen's college acceptance.

You made ME cry!!!!!  Thank you! 

 

(I do have a dream or two for myself...will post here someday if/when I get the courage to make it reality)

 

That is totally awesome.  I love the story of the phone conversation with the college official.

I know, it was so funny to BE on the phone with him that day!  I felt like saying, "Well, why on earth did you tell me this couldn't happen??"  Last night I wrote to him and to the Assoc. Dean of Science (the Dr. so-n-so) just to thank them for considering the application and for the scholarship.  Well, within an hour or so, Dr. so-n-so e-mailed me back!!  Just the fact that the two of them have been personal with us speaks volumes to me.  A small school with people who care about students could be a good fit for ds.  We'll see what the coming months bring!

 

Colleen dear,

Your ds has a special place in my heart. I am so thrilled for him!

Jane

 

I know.  Thank you for your investment in him - I'll never be able to thank you enough.  I'll encourage him to e-mail you.

 

BTW, dd is now going through Dolciani's Algebra I.  The girl who didn't like math a few years ago (and claims to still not) is doing pretty well in it, simply because of how it's written.  thankyouthankyouthankyou!

 

Celebrating with you!!!

 

For most of the high school years, I used the freaking out guy :willy_nilly: in my signature.  I well remember the great relief that came when the deal was sealed.

 

Thank you!  And, I remember your freakoutguy signature!

 

(for some reason, when I previewed this post, it said I had to get rid of too many emoticons.  So, I deleted them from the posts I quoted.  Just so you all know, I wasn't trying to downplay your emoticons - I just had to so I could post this!)
 

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Kareni

Kareni

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So far, ds17 has applied to two post-secondary institutions, and will apply to two or three more in the next month.  HE GOT HIS FIRST ACCEPTANCE THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

What wonderful news!  That first acceptance is so welcome and such a validation of your and your child's hard work.

 

Big fat THANK YOUS to SWB and her mother for writing the book in the first place, and then writing other books and doing conferences and audios and providing these forums.  VERY PRICELESS to me. 

 

Hear, hear!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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Nan in Mass

Nan in Mass

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Colleen, you will find that you are well prepared if you should decide to go to college (notice I didnt say continue your education lol). At times, I wish I could do mine over again after having gone through TWTM now. And other times, I think about how much I have found that I like teaching myself, in my own scatter brained back-to-front loopy way. TWTM should say something about teaching children AND their parents on the cover lol. It took me a long time to understand the method, but it is SO versitile and rock solid, once you figure it out. You were very much a part of that process. You have much more persistance than I. I owe you many thanks. : ) And another thought ... I had my son write a thankyou note to SWB. Just a thought...

 

Nan

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C_l_e_0..Q_c

C_l_e_0..Q_c

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FANTASTIC!!!!

It's so hard to believe the end of the road is here... My own is now in college...Btw, what were your son's SAT scores??? My kid had great scores on the SAT and it still took FOREVER to get any answers... I'm thrilled for you that the scores worked to open doors. We just didn't see the same happening here.

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Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS

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FANTASTIC!!!!

It's so hard to believe the end of the road is here... My own is now in college...Btw, what were your son's SAT scores??? My kid had great scores on the SAT and and it still took FOREVER to get any answers... I'm thrilled for you that the scores worked to open doors. We just didn't see the same happening here.

 

Yours is at McGill!!  Congratulations!!  And lucky you with low tuition.  :D  How is your oldest doing there?

 

I'll pm you with SAT scores.

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Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS

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Colleen, you will find that you are well prepared if you should decide to go to college (notice I didnt say continue your education lol). At times, I wish I could do mine over again after having gone through TWTM now. And other times, I think about how much I have found that I like teaching myself, in my own scatter brained back-to-front loopy way. TWTM should say something about teaching children AND their parents on the cover lol. It took me a long time to understand the method, but it is SO versitile and rock solid, once you figure it out. You were very much a part of that process. You have much more persistance than I. I owe you many thanks. : ) And another thought ... I had my son write a thankyou note to SWB. Just a thought...

 

Nan

 

Nan, I hear you!  I finally understand now that (even though my kids are far better with the learning tools than I am, simply because I whiz through them and they marinate in them, lol) I *can* go on learning on my own for the rest of my life!  But yes, there are certain things that I also see would require some type of post-secondary training (whether university or Canadian cc system), should I so choose.  And I might choose.  I'm just scared to believe I could actually do it!!

 

Oh dear, I'm honoured to hear that I was a part of your learning process.  I do remember the art and writing conversations we had.  But I hope you know that you were a HUGE part of my learning process, too!!  "nan's words of wisdom" live forever!  And you cheered me on through some dark days a few years ago. xoxoxox

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Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS

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"yes, please!"  Lol!  That's awesome, and congrats to you and your son.  (I wish I could have heard that phone conversation...)

 

lol!  It is pretty funny when I look back on it.  I was trying to sound nonchalant when he said he was now interested and when he asked if we'd be interested in meeting with the other guy.  He just did a total about-face!  Another thing I forgot to mention was that when we went to the open house and ds gave them the application/supporting documents (most students at the open house received their decisions that day), the asst. registrar actually came out and told me he needed the SAT scores.  I calmly told him that the College Board had already sent them.  He insisted they had to be on some piece of paper that I must have, and I calmly insisted that they were not.  That the CB had. sent. them. to. the. school.  I said they must in in some computer somewhere in his office or on some piece of paper he would have received, and he kept resisting.  Finally he just said he'd check around, blah blah blah.  I guess he found them, lol!

 

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