May be moving to Georgia. Is it really THAT hard to apply GA universities as a homeschooler? Please offer any tips.

[Josie]

It seems to me that Georgia is not homeschool friendly. Am I reading too much into this? How hard is it to apply to college as a homeschooler in Georgia. Any tips will be greatly appreciated. It was very easy for our older daughter to apply in our present state, but the Georgia requirements seem crazy! Please tell me I am not correct.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Josie

[katilac]

Are you talking about these general requirements: https://www.usg.edu/assets/student_affairs/documents/Staying_on_Course.pdf

or college-specific requirements? 

If the general requirements, I think those would be fairly easy to satisfy, it looks like a lot of courses are acceptable in each subject. 

I am not familiar with Georgia but my kids applied to a mix of public and private in three states. Both were admitted to schools where they didn't meet one or more of the listed requirements. For example, most colleges list US History as a requirement but all accepted our four years of world history. 

 

[Lori D.]

I am NOT a GA or east coast resident, but... From what I see on these boards, NY and CA appear to be more difficult for homeschoolers in the high school years and for applying to colleges than GA (:P  -- and until very recently, several universities in PA have been unwelcoming to homeschoolers. So it's all relative -- if you've been in a no-reg or low-reg state, then having any kind of requirements will likely seem unwelcoming. ;o)

One good thing: Georgia is the only US state that has an option for homeschoolers to become accredited, so that your home-awarded diploma is an accredited diploma -- which bypasses the extra hoops of submitting a portfolio or other extras. Accreditation is also one way homeschool students can become eligible for the HOPE scholarship for Georgia residents with academic achievement.

For general info on homeschooling in GA, check out the GHEA website. It looks like GA wants a pretty standard set of high school graduation credit requirements / college prep credits to me, although you'll also need a portfolio of high school work when applying for admission to some of the universities in Georgia. But the records you'd keep for a portfolio are pretty much the same kinds of records (transcript, course description document, test scores, reading list, and some sample work) that most homeschoolers everywhere keep to verify completion of courses, so not really burdensome.

BEST of luck in your move, your high school homeschool journey, and future college search/application process! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Lori D.

[Matryoshka]

I don't ever remember hearing GA colleges were particularly hard on homeschoolers, though maybe I just wasn't paying good enough attention - the ones that stick out in memory as being problematic for homeschoolers are the NY state publics and the whole AG-whatever thing in CA.  And our own lovely MA state flagship can be a pain if you don't jump through certain hoops (though other MA state schools are not problematic - go figure).  

Edited October 7, 2018 by Matryoshka

[8filltheheart]

I vaguely remember something about GA but I thought it was about homeschoolers qualifying for the HOPE scholarship. There was a poster yrs ago (Bev, maybe?? Gosh, I can't remember many details) who I think went through the process of becoming a private school as a ho,eschooler so her students could qualify for the scholarship $$.

[GoodGrief]

My daughter was homeschooled through a public charter program, so a slightly different situation, but she was very open about the way her education played out (little difference from traditional homeschooling, apart from this "school" maintaining her transcript and offering some funds.) She was one of 40 chosen as a Stamps Scholar at Georgia Tech, and interviewers did not seem to see her educational background as a negative.

[Kathy in Richmond]

I used to follow GA homeschool admissions because I wanted my kids to have a shot at Georgia Tech, where I used to teach and where I met my husband.

Back when my son graduated (2006), it was a definite NO for us, though. The GA schools wanted something like 7 or 8 SAT subject tests from homeschoolers (not kidding!)...basically substantiating every single academic area (multiple for history and science).  There were stories of kids at the time who jumped those hurdles, but we chose to look elsewhere in spite of our love for Tech.

By the time my daughter graduated (2010), they wanted a few specific tests. Not as many as earlier, but more than most schools were requiring of homeschoolers. She chose to apply elsewhere.

From what I've read, though, they've changed a LOT in recent years for the better, as Good Grief relates above.

[8filltheheart]

Oh, yeah, I forgot ds was accepted to GA Tech in 2014.  He had 2 subject tests (chem and math 2) and multiple DE credits (math and physics). . His regular SAT scores were solid but not tippy top.

Edited October 8, 2018 by 8FillTheHeart

[kokotg]

My son just applied to UGA and has been doing dual enrollment at KSU. For KSU I had to submit a portfolio when he applied for DE, but there really wasn't much to it--I had to write up course descriptions and reading lists and list activities, but that's all stuff I'd have had to do for most regular college admissions anyway. For UGA, they're very picky about showing that you've fulfilled the requirements in some way through outside testing or having things listed on a transcript from an accredited school. This wasn't that tricky for us since his test scores are good and he has a lot of AP scores and DE classes, but it could definitely be a stumbling block for some. For my next kid (current 9th grader), I'm going to have him take subject tests as we finish things just to make sure we're covered. 

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

I vaguely remember something about GA but I thought it was about homeschoolers qualifying for the HOPE scholarship. There was a poster yrs ago (Bev, maybe?? Gosh, I can't remember many details) who I think went through the process of becoming a private school as a ho,eschooler so her students could qualify for the scholarship $$.

Bev in B'ville. She was a GA homeschooler and went through the process to become accredited. In the past thread Accreditation, there was a link to her post in an even older thread in which Bev explained the process she went through to become accredited. However, she last was on the boards back in 2011, and since the board update earlier this year, posts older than 2014 or so are largely gone, even when there was a link to it.

In my post above in *this* thread, I linked to the state of GA Accrediting Commission website for becoming accredited, but as of this year, GA is freezing the acceptance of applications from "non traditional educational centers" (which is what I am guessing the term they are using to refer to homeschoolers). So accrediting one's homeschool may no longer be an option in GA. Probably need to contact the GA Home Education Association for more current info.

Edited October 8, 2018 by Lori D.

[lewelma]

I vaguely remember needing to have an above average SAT score based on each schools' average.  Basically meaning that they would not consider a homeschooler who scored in the bottom half of the previous year's class.  This was a pretty high SAT score for GA Tech.

[lmrich]

Not too difficult. The GA schools typically require that home school students have, at a minimum, the average SAT score from last year's class. We got the HOPE money back after her first year. It was not that hard either, you just need to stay on it. 

GA has great dual enrollment. 

Some of my friends (and I might do this with my youngest since she will have completed all of her highschool requirements) have graduated their kids a year early so they can apply as a transfer student. Of course, your student must be taking college classes somewhere else. Transferring into UGA is much easier than getting in as a freshman. 

[Josie]

Thanks for the insight. Our dd is a senior in high school now, so we don't have much time to jump through these hoops. Our state is extremely homeschool friendly, so GA is a big adjustment. This Georgia thing popped up suddenly. Never a dull moment!