How to Get Your Homeschooled Student into College

If you have a homeschooled high school student interested in going to college, it is not difficult to help them enroll in, and be accepted by the college of their choice. What you need the most is to plan ahead, and to keep good "school" records.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Starting in 9th grade, you will need to keep records of their classes, credits earned, and grades. From these records, you will be building their transcript.

2. Your student should take the PSAT test-it's not a requirement for college, but it is a good practice for the upcoming SAT test. Also, a PSAT test score is one of the tests that colleges will accept to help your student qualify for Dual Enrollment classes. Dual Enrollment is where the student can take college classes during high school, and get credit for both high school and college at the same time. Many school districts get grants that allow them to offer this to the students in their districts, homeschool students included. A student can take the PSAT in 10th and/or 11th grade.

3. Next, your student will need to take the SAT or ACT test either in their senior year or earlier if the student is prepared. These tests can be repeated if you're not satisfied with the scores.

4. In the senior year, you will need to prepare a high school transcript. This transcript is a record of the classes, credits, and GPA for grades 9 to 12. If you are applying for a college before the end of the senior year, just include the information for grades 9 to the current semester of the student's senior year, along with the current GPA.

5. You will need a letter (or letters) of recommendation for admission to college. Plan far enough ahead of time for this. Many people, although they are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you, may not do so quickly.

6. Once the student has chosen the college they wish to attend, find out what the college's requirements are for admitting homeschooled students. Many schools now don't require anything more from homeschooled students than from any other type of student, which is usually: an SAT/ACT score, a transcript with a GPA, an essay, letter(s) of recommendation, the application form, and the application fee. But to be sure, you can look up the requirements at Collegeboard.com and also contact the college's admissions office directly.

7. After you have submitted your application package, be prepared for an admission interview. If you haven't decided on a major, be prepared to discuss some areas of study you do wish to explore.

Resources

• www.Collegeboard.com

[llparker]

on 9/24/2009 good information...