The choice of whether or not to include test scores in a college application is a crucial one for homeschool students, but that’s not the only thing homeschoolers and their families need to think about when planning ahead for college.
We sat down with two experts in college admissions for homeschool students – Michele Evard of Evard Consulting and Holly Ramsey from Thoughtful Homeschooling – to outline how homeschool families can plan ahead to craft college applications that get noticed:
Since homeschooling is so customizable, families can get overwhelmed when trying to make a plan, but the most important thing is to follow the path that fits best for your student. As long as you can connect your student’s courses and activities together in a cohesive story to demonstrate your student’s strengths (and follow the requirements for your state), then you’ll be able to secure college acceptances!
Here is what homeschool families should be thinking about in each phase of high school to ensure they’re setting themselves up for success with college admissions:
Freshman and Sophomore Year
Write EVERYTHING down
By the time you get to senior year, it could be hard to remember what all your student did in these early years. Take notes on academic courses, awards, and extracurriculars from this time so that you’ll be ready to submit all of the documentation necessary for homeschool college applications.
Pursue Challenges
What are the areas your student excels in, and are they setting on a path to maximize their academic or artistic or physical rigor in that area by the end of their high school career?
Junior Year
To Test or Not to Test
There are some test optional universities that still highly recommend homeschool students submit test scores as a way to prove they can meet an academic standard. Start building a college list now so you can tell whether testing is going to be necessary for your student and can take plenty of time to prepare, and then choose which course is best for you!
Narrow in on a Theme
What are your student’s best qualities? What is your student’s favorite thing ever? It doesn’t have to be a school subject (though it can be!)… feel free to think outside the box here. You want to hone in on what the highlights or central theme of their application might be, and then ask yourself: Is there anything more they can do in that area? How can they demonstrate their leadership qualities this year? Can they do a job shadowing interview to make sure they’re confident about their choice of field? There are so many possibilities!
Senior Year
Start Early
Homeschool students have even more documentation to submit than the average student applicant: Since parents are their counselors, they will be responsible for submitting a school mission statement, an explanation of why the student took the courses they did, and a short description of what all the courses were. Students will also need to get more creative when choosing who to ask for a letter of recommendation, which could take some time. Get started ASAP putting together your applications to make sure you have everything you need!
Finish Strong
Choose activities carefully for this year: Students should be maxing out the academic rigor of their favorite subjects and doing the activities that are most fulfilling. But college applications take time, and you want to make sure you’ve got plenty of space in your schedule for submitting quality essays and activity lists and letters of recommendation. And remember: The final report card is just as important as the first one! With a difficult course load and lots more on their plate, make sure your student has enough time and energy to cross the finish line.
