Presentation outlining the basic college preparation step for homeschoolers considering applying to selective colleges.

1. From Homeschool
to College
Preparation for Applying to
Selective Colleges

2. ACADEMIC RIGOR
STANDARDIZED TESTING
RECOMMENDATIONS
HOMESCHOOL RECORDKEEPING
Contents
4
1
3
2

3. • Take college preparatory classes, not just the classes
required for high school graduation.
– Studies show that taking rigorous college prep courses in high
school is the most important predictor of college success
– You must know your limit. Do not jeopardize your GPA because
you took too many higher level classes.
– Some homeschool coops offer AP classes. If you can’t find any,
have your student take some community college classes.
• Colleges look favorably upon students who take
more rigorous courses, provided the student did well.
• Academic planning should start early by creating a 4-
year academic plan.
Academic Rigor

4. College Prep Coursework
Four years of English
Four years of Mathematics
Three years of a single Foreign Language
Two to three years of Social Studies
Two Years of laboratory Science (bio/phy)
Three years of Electives
Four to five academic courses per year

5. • There are three main college entrance exams that
colleges consider in their admissions process:
– SAT I
– ACT
– SAT II Subject Exams
• AP exams with high scores are also looked upon
favorably.
– The student is not required to take an AP course in order to take
the AP exam.
– Structure course around the content of the exam.
• SAT II Subject Exams
– Many selective colleges require 3 SAT II exams of homeschoolers.
• Mathematics plus 2 other subjects of the student’s choosing.
• They’re used to provide an objective assessment of academic
knowledge in a variety of subjects.
Standardized Testing

6. • When deciding whether to take the SAT or the ACT,
keep in mind that they require different kinds of skills
– Also, some colleges prefer one over the other
• SAT I: Contains a lot of smokescreens
– The SAT is a reasoning based test
– Contains 3 sections: Reading, Writing and Mathematics
– The SAT penalizes for wrong answers
– Mostly multiple choice with some fill-in and an essay in the
Writing section
• ACT: Is more straightforward, but requires students to
speed through the test
– The ACT is a curriculum based test
– Contains 4 sections: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science
with an optional Writing section
– The ACT does NOT penalize for wrong answers
– Multiple choice test
SAT I and ACT

7. • Will need a recommendation from the regular
homeschool teacher (parent in most cases)
• In cases where the parent is the primary teacher, try
to get a second recommendation from an objective
source
– Try to plan a course that will allow your student to interact with
another teacher
– Community college teacher, coop teacher, tutor, etc.
• This is very important for homeschoolers because the
parent recommendation lacks the objectivity of a
conventional teacher who is able to compare your
student with other students he or she may have
taught.
Recommendations

8. To prepare for applying to selective colleges, prepare a
homeschool dossier that includes the following:
• Statement regarding why you chose to homeschool
and an explanation of your homeschool philosophy
– This is required on the Common Application Homeschool
Supplement as well
• Detailed syllabi for all courses that includes the
following:
– Course description
– Name of textbooks used
– Grading requirements
• Reading List – Comprehensive list of the books and
texts read through the high school years, including
novels, textbooks and other sources
Homeschool Records

9. • Writing sample – Many universities request a writing
sample.
– Make sure that some of the student’s major writing projects are
being saved.
– They should preferably be academic and expository in nature
• Transcripts
– If you do not belong to an umbrella school or organization that
will provide you with a transcript, then you will need to create
your own
– Include ALL high school level coursework, even if taken prior to
the high school years
– Be sure to include term GPAs as well as a cumulative GPA on
the transcript
– All colleges require a transcript
Homeschool Records Cont.