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College for Homeschooled Students, Planning for Higher Education

Homeschooled students are the fastest growing educational group in the U.S., and "college for homeschooled" is becoming more of a standardized procedure, with specific guidelines coming out of many college admissions offices.

That said, it still takes a bit of extra work to get ready to apply. In addition, it is very important to do well on the SATs, or ACTs.

Contact the schools of interest to you and find out their guidelines related to college for your student.

Editorial Comment: Homeschooling and other alternative forms of education are becoming more popular, at astonishing rates.

As our public school system continues to deteriorate, and little in the way of effective reform is being accomplished, more parents will consider other options. Our educational system is a disgrace, and we are already losing ground in the world. Until we break the power of the National Education Association (teachers' union) to control our schools, and to obstruct efforts at reform we will continue our catastrophic collapse.

Statistics show that the people who chose to become teachers are frequently at the lower ranks of college admissions in terms of high school GPAs. The good teachers, who cannot be paid on merit, teach alongside lazy, incompetent, or ill-prepared teachers.

One of my clients, a graduating senior last year, had had a graded, corrected English essay returned to him in three years.

Math exams are no longer returned to the students, and history and English teachers either waste time in the classroom or spend it discussing their political beliefs.

Parents should be rioting in the streets.

It remains to if seen if Obama will appoint a Secretary of Education who is not afraid to take on the unions, and the educational bureaucracy in order to repair our broken and failed educational system, and act to ensure our children's future. As it is, teachers are not held accountable, can't be fired, and resist reform.

Do not write me emails castigating me for my comments; I work within the system every day, and if anything, I am restrained in my comments.

Planning for College for Alternative Education Students

Everything-About_College has specific pages for information and links concerning all the topics discussed below.

Keep records, starting early.

Decide by ninth or tenth grade what schools, or what type of schools are of interest. Begin researching college requirements for students education outside the traditional system. You need to know these as early as possible.

Document everything: Volunteering, other extracurricular, work experience, special educational opportunities.

Save projects, essays, papers, worksheets,

Keep track of hours of classwork, district curriculum requirements and fulfillment. Create a system to equate classwork with units.

Don't neglect sports.

Remember to include fine arts in the educational process: music, dance, community orchestra, local bands, voice, performing arts, drawing, etc.

Acquaint yourself with financial aid processes.

Admission requirements differ for each system. Know SAT, ACT, Subject Matter Test requirements, general academic expectations and requirements. Most schools require some sort of testing - either SAt or ACT.
Be sure the student can write an essay. The SAT requires one, it is optional on the ACT, which means the student should elect to write the "optional" essay. The colleges can, and do, essays submitted with applications for consistency of ability.
Consider enrollment in community colleges for the high school students. This will help get them ready for college-level classes, remediate any shortcomings, save about $50,000, and allow transfers to a four-year sooner.

Path to Admissions for all Students

Application "season" generally begins in the fall of the year before one is planning to start college.

Apply. About 1000 U.S. colleges accept homeschooled students.

Search for colleges

College Applications

Get acquainted with the Common Application used by 400 colleges

College Applications Essays

You have an excellent essay topic: write about your educational experience. You have a unique experience and can discuss any of several ideas in writing your application essay(s).

Academic Recommendations as a part of the admissions process

Extracurricular activities: an important part of the application

Campus Interviews

Links to important sites for you about college

Colleges of interest for non-traditional students

Timeline for college for non-traditional students

College with admissions policies online

Non-traditional Students and College Admissions

Must read article on college admissions

Resource for links to websites of interest

Google Search Results for higher education for Homeschoolers

List of requirements to apply, info and related articles

How to get in

Google search on applications for you: essays, recs, activities

Budget Resources for you

Alternative College Options

Dual Admissions

Policies for Dual Admissions high school/junior college combination studies vary from state to state. Check the national sites included here, and then do a search on your own state's policies.

National Center for Educational Statistics Info on Dual Admissions

Wikipedia on Dual Enrollment

Community College Dual Enrollment

Home study for College?