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(click to scroll down)Written by Lisa Davis of Fearless Homeschoolers, with special thanks to Laura Kazan and Rebecca Orlowski.
Are you someone who veered off the path and decided to homeschool? If so, you’re one of almost two million students in the United States choosing to learn in a way that is personalized and purposeful.
Now that you’re working on your application, your out of the box experience may feel like it has to be stuffed into a box so that colleges can make sense of it. Do any of these sound familiar?
You’re worried that you haven’t been doing enough.
You wonder if colleges will take your homeschool education seriously.
You’re not sure what colleges want from homeschoolers.
HOW IS THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS DIFFERENT FOR HOMESCHOOLERS?
In many ways, this process is no different from a traditional student’s. You’re expected to demonstrate your readiness and fit for college. But, unlike traditional students who have guidance counselors and resources set up to support their journey, homeschoolers often have to do the work themselves. Here’s what that looks like...
The homeschool parent acts as the guidance counselor. Your parent is responsible for submitting your homeschool transcript and supporting homeschool documents to colleges.
Some schools have additional requirements for homeschoolers. These may include extra testing, a graded essay, lab reports, and interviews. It’s important that you know what these requirements are as early as possible.
You and your parent work together to tell your homeschool story. Be prepared to collaborate!
Do you need to be part of an accredited school or diploma program? Do you need an “official” homeschool transcript?
The short answer is no. You can homeschool on your own and colleges will accept it as legitimate. In fact, homeschooling this way allows you complete flexibility rather than being bound to the requirements of an outside program.
And, for the record, a homeschool transcript is an official transcript. And a diploma is almost never required for college applications. However, certain schools in certain states may ask for evidence of an accredited program or even a GED upon enrollment. Many times, however, it isn’t necessary when you’ve clearly demonstrated readiness in other ways.
Does homeschooling help you get accepted to college?
Despite the myths, colleges aren’t actively recruiting homeschoolers and homeschooling doesn’t give you an edge in the admissions process. But homeschool applicants have a unique opportunity to use their story to highlight their values.
Let’s say for example that innovation, diversity, and social change are your core values. You might design your own science fiction and gender course and list that on your transcript. Do an independent study on diversity in robotics and elaborate on it in your course descriptions. Create a podcast on the benefits of machine learning and have your parent highlight that in their letter of recommendation.
Your core values directly affect how you make decisions and colleges can see those values in action when you demonstrate in your application how you’ve spent your time homeschooling.
How do you prepare for college while homeschooling?
Take college prep courses. One of the best reasons to homeschool high school is the freedom to pick and choose the best classes and instructors and formats for you. Take online courses, community college classes, or homeschool co-op classes. Hire a tutor. Audit university classes. Design your own course. The choice is yours!
Consider testing. Before ninth grade, take a peek at some college requirements for homeschoolers. If AP or Subject Tests are in your plan, schedule those exams after the corresponding course.
Homeschoolers have 3 options when taking APs:
Take an online AP course (and exam)
Get your own AP syllabus approved by CollegeBoard
Self-study for the AP exam without an official AP course
Note: Only CollegeBoard-approved courses can be designated as AP on the homeschool transcript.
Another note: Test-optional schools may not be test-optional for homeschoolers and this varies by college. Be proactive about researching this and, if you can’t find the information on the school website, call your admission officer and ask.
Follow your interests. You’ve heard it before. Do the things you love. Go deeply into your passions. Take advantage of the extraordinary freedom and flexibility that homeschooling has given you.
Nurture relationships. It’s important for homeschoolers to proactively seek out and connect with academic teachers during high school. Many colleges require at least two teacher recommendations and you want these to come from teachers who can speak deeply and sincerely about who you are beyond academics.
Learn your state requirements. Be sure you’re meeting your state requirements for homeschool graduation. This information can easily be found on your state’s Department of Education website. Know what these are before ninth grade!
What exactly do colleges want from homeschoolers?
I wish it were that simple! Each school is different in what they require from homeschool applicants, but here are some things they like to see:
Evidence of a quality education. You can show this through your grades and test scores. Your parent can do this with thorough homeschool documentation.
Evidence that you took advantage of homeschooling’s freedom and flexibility. Be different.
Evidence of socialization. Yes, the stigma still exists. Get involved in a community. Take outside classes.
Evidence of your core values. What matters most to you? How can you show that through your academics, your extracurriculars, your personal life?
Can homeschoolers get into selective schools?
Absolutely! Prepare yourself in the same way as a traditional schooler. How?
Take four or more years of each major subject, including a foreign language.
Demonstrate rigor.
Maintain a high GPA and test scores.
Participate in extracurriculars that show depth and commitment and have a significant impact on a certain community.
Provide excellent teacher letters of recommendation.
Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, initiative, leadership, and social awareness and, as your passions and interests strengthen and deepen throughout high school, create opportunities that nurture these qualities.
Will colleges take your homeschool seriously?
They will! But you need to show colleges that you take your education seriously. Do that by backing up strong homeschool grades with Dual Enrollment classes, AP exams, Subject Tests, admissions interviews, and compelling letters of recommendation. And support your passions with deep dives into extracurriculars, competitions or contests, summer programs, and research.
And, along the way, create thorough homeschool documents. Admission officers know how traditional students compare within the context of their school as they’ll be familiar with the student profile of that particular school. With a homeschool situation, however, they’re missing that context. So the more information you provide the schools, the better.
What’s the parent’s role as the homeschool guidance counselor?
Think of it this way: As the applicant, your job is to tell the story of who you are. As the guidance counselor, your parent’s job is to tell the story of your homeschool. How?
Keep track of your grades and course descriptions throughout high school.
Know each college’s homeschool requirements. These can be found on most websites, but it’s a good idea to call admissions for confirmation.
Find out who your admission officer is. Some schools have specific reps assigned to homeschoolers. Others have a regional rep. They’ll be happy to answer any questions you have regarding the process.
Create counselor accounts for applications. And be prepared for questions that aren’t applicable to homeschoolers. Just answer in a way that feels right.
Create homeschool documents to submit with the counselor report: Transcript, Course Descriptions, School Profile, and Counselor Letter of Recommendation.
Which homeschool documents does my family need to include as part of my application?
A transcript is a one-page document that lists your courses, credits, and GPA. A grading key explains the grading and weighting system used. Test scores are often put on the transcript unless you’re applying test-optional.
Course descriptions are a super important part of your application. They provide much-needed context and are commonly between 10 and 20 pages. Include the course description, methods of evaluation, materials used, teacher/provider name, credit amount, and grade.
A school profile is a brief look at your homeschool. Begin with the history and philosophy of your homeschool. Follow with brief descriptions of outside course providers, explanations for grading and credit, and state requirements for homeschoolers. Provide neighborhood demographics if they add context to your story. The school profile is usually not more than two pages.
The Counselor Letter of Recommendation (often referred to as the “homeschool letter of recommendation”) is a letter your parent writes about you. It addresses your academics, your extracurriculars, and your character in a way that balances professionalism with the personal insight only a parent can provide.
Should my personal statement be all about homeschooling?
Nope. While homeschooling can be mentioned in the essay, it shouldn’t be the focus. If you want to explain the reasons you chose to homeschool, use the additional information section of the application. Use the personal statement to write about something that isn’t yet in your application.
Homeschooling can be an extraordinarily empowering experience.
And now is the perfect opportunity for you to reflect on the life you’ve chosen. How did it shape you? Who are you because of it? And who do you want to be? While this process may feel a bit wonky--with questions that aren’t applicable to homeschoolers or decisions that feel arbitrary--trust your gut. Follow your heart. Just like you always have.
For more homeschooling help, check out Fearless Homeschoolers!
