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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/1/2008 10:53:19 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter--May 2008 |
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#=====---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter Q & A Session with College Admissions Officers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, It's May--how quickly the school year has flown by! We know you and your children have been working hard all year, and for those of you who wrap up your school year in June, the end is in sight. As you put your finishing touches on this year's schoolwork, remember your efforts are not in vain. Keep going and keep trusting that through your labors much more than academics are passed on to the next generation. This month we'd like to invite all of you to join us as several college admissions officers share their advice and comments for homeschoolers who are applying to colleges. Without exception, all of the responding schools (Carnegie Mellon University, Wheaton College, Savannah College of Art & Design, Belhaven College, along with Performa Higher Education--an educational college consulting firm) state that homeschoolers are welcome applicants at their institutions. Carnegie Mellon University summarizes it well by saying, "Each year, [we] have seen a greater number of homeschooled applicants. In many cases, we have found homeschooled students to be very strong candidates for admission." Tim Fuller, Senior Consultant with Performa Higher Education and a former director of admission with Houghton College, added, "Don't sell yourself short! Homeschooled students often get awarded top scholarships, get admitted to college honors programs, and in my experience, achieve at or above the academic level of the average college student." The following are some tips these schools recommend as you design and execute your high school program: Plan out a strong high school program to include both core academic and elective courses. Colleges list on their websites the minimum high school requirements needed for admission. But, keep in mind this caveat from Tim: "Any course that broadens your educational experience can be beneficial. And, I would also encourage you to go beyond the minimum core requirements, especially in subject areas where you have a particular interest." Rita Gagliano, Savannah College of Art & Design, suggested, "If there are specific course requirements [that a college specifies for a particular major], then set about including those in the curriculum." She also recommended that if your child has specific abilities, then provide courses or experiences in your high school program to develop these. Keep good records. Jeannine Nyangira of Wheaton College commented, "Since every homeschool curriculum is unique, students should consider ways to clearly establish their academic abilities." One of her suggestions to accomplish this is to "keep grades with clear standards instead of simply Pass or Fail." "Documenting the textbooks and/or required reading that were a part of your child's experience" is recommended by Carnegie Mellon. A clear and professional-looking transcript is the main tool that college admissions officers use to evaluate the high school program. According to Suzanne Sullivan, Belhaven College, "Something very simple will do, but a transcript of sorts is needed for admission and scholarship purposes." Samples of transcripts may be found on HSLDA's high school website. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5051 Other schools make similar requests of homeschool students; so if you know ahead of time the specific information that a particular college is interested in, then you can begin in the early years of high school to record the information and keep it current at the end of each year. This will be a blessing when the senior year rolls around! Carefully choose extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities play an essential role in the admissions process. Jeannine notes, "...it will also be important for a student to consider their church involvement and leadership and extracurricular opportunities. We do not expect students to have done every possible activity. The best advice we can give is to determine what a student's interests and passions are and then pursue those." Rita adds, "Get involved! Extracurricular involvement, volunteer and work experience, church and community service all contribute to a well-rounded resume and show evidence of a well-rounded student." In general, being involved whole-heartedly in a few activities is preferable over being half-heartedly involved in many activities. So help your teen to narrow down his interests and then put his whole heart into an activity. This is an opportunity for your child to develop his talents, showing colleges he is able to stay focused and persevere towards a goal. Assist colleges to become better acquainted with your teen. Jeannine told us that "Wheaton College is interested in the whole student. During the admissions process we will strive to get to know our homeschool students academically, emotionally, spiritually... in short, holistically." According to Rita, another way that a school can get to know a homeschool applicant is by the student providing an academic portfolio. In fact, Savannah College of Art & Design provides a sample portfolio on their website. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5052 Many colleges indicate on their websites specific homeschool policies that will help them to evaluate your teen. Some examples are: University of Maryland http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5053 U.S. Air Force Academy (this is a highly selective school) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5054 University of North Carolina http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5055 Houghton College (this link provides good info for all homeschoolers to consider) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5056 Consider a personal interview. Colleges may have mandatory or optional personal interview requirements depending on the size of the college and the number of applications they receive. If an interview is possible, consider the advantages. Your teen will be able to share in more detail about his educational experiences while expanding on the projects he's completed and the extracurricular activities he's been involved in. An interview affords the opportunity for a college admissions officer to become better acquainted with your teen. Tim highly recommends that homeschooled students take time to be interviewed, stating the interview process is "...a means of helping you understand the college and them understanding you." Colleges may give your teen the option to interview in person on the college campus, by phone, or by a regional alumnus of the college. Apply for scholarships and financial aid. In most instances, the admissions officers stated that homeschoolers are eligible to receive the same scholarships and financial aid as other students. Financial aid may be based on need or on academic or extracurricular excellence. It is emphasized that adhering to deadlines when applying for scholarships and financial aid is extremely important. Tim also advises, "If you encounter requirements that seem relevant to public and private school students only (like class rank), be sure to explain why you warrant consideration regardless." Rita suggests that homeschoolers include a resume with their applications stating, "While not required for admission, a resume may enhance and strengthen your admission file when being reviewed for scholarships." She further encourages homeschoolers to prepare before taking college entrance tests since scholarships are awarded on the merits of achieving high test scores. Suzanne agrees because their "scholarships are based on the foundation of the student's GPA and ACT/SAT score." The financial aid sections on college websites will prove helpful in becoming familiar with the necessary forms and policies of individual schools. You may also want to review one of our past newsletters on this subject http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5057 . Our high school website provides additional information to direct you to sources for scholarships and financial aid http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5058 . Keep it all in perspective. Be assured that applying to college need not be an intimidating process! It's clear that homeschoolers are positively impacting college campuses across the country at state and private, secular and Christian, and large and small schools. Use this opportunity to lead your teens in trusting the Lord to guide them in their next step. Join us next month as we'll discuss the possibility and advantages of a transition (or gap) year as part of your teen's post-high school plans. Blessings to you, Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer HSLDA High School Coordinators Colleges Recruit Homeschoolers The Missourian: Colleges in Missouri are recruiting home-schooled students http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5059 Associated Press: Colleges Coveting Home-schooled Students http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5060 More college info from HSLDA http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5061 Check out the new HSLDA high school brochure: Keeping on Track: A Timeline for High School http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5062 Becky and Diane's speaking engagements: May 2-3, 2008 Long Island, NY Loving Education at Home (LEAH) Conference (Diane) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4718 May 9 - 10, 2008--Christian Home Education Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) (Becky and Diane) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4715 May 30-31, 2008--ENOCH of New Jersey (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4716 June 14, 2008 - Eastern Panhandle Home School Conference of West Virginia (Diane) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5063 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Is customer service an art or a science? For us, good customer service is both an art and a science -it should appeal to our members and be effective. Consider what our members say about us: The freedom HSLDA allows me to have as I homeschool is wonderful! They handle the law and I get to dedicate the time to my daughter. - National City, CA HSLDA members since 1993, our membership is just as important to us as our children's curriculum. Thank you HSLDA for all you do on our behalf! - West Valley, NY More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1941 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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