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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/5/2009 10:05:25 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter -- March 2009 |
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#=====---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter March 2009--The College Search ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, College--just the word conjures up many different images and questions in parents' minds. Where in the world do you begin the search for a college that is the right fit for your son or daughter? How do you sift through the myriad of information mysteriously filling up your mailbox from various schools? These are certainly legitimate questions, so we've provided some practical tips and advice to help you get started on this adventure. Begin Early If college is on your horizon, then use the years before high school to begin discussing with your child why he wants to attend college and what are his future goals. Even though your 13-year-old may not know what career he wants to pursue, use his intentions to go to college to motivate him to see that his studies do, indeed, have an end goal. Encourage him to save monetary gifts or earnings he receives for these future plans. College may seem far in the future, but it will be here before you know it! The 10th grade is not too soon to begin familiarizing your teen with the college admission process. Attending a college fair in your area will allow your daughter to talk with admission counselors from many different schools all at the same time. She will be able to pick up literature from the various schools as well as gather information about the schools' admission requirements, required admission tests, and financial aid. To find college fairs in your area, check out the National Association of College Admissions Counselors website at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6206 . If you will focus only on Christian colleges, visit the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities website for a list of Christian college fairs and also a college planning timeline http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6207 . List Your Parameters Narrowing down your choices of potential schools can seem like a daunting process. A good place to begin is to write down what is important to you and your teen when choosing a school. Here are some factors to consider. Location and size: How far away from home are you comfortable having your teen? Think about airfare or other commuting costs for visits home. Does she feel more comfortable in large urban or small rural settings? Each setting has advantages and disadvantages, so take time to explore your teen's needs and desires. Proposed major: If your teen knows what he wants to major in, then that will naturally narrow down your selection. However, if he's not at all sure what he wants to study, he may want to consider a larger school offering a wider range of majors. Cost: College is an expensive proposition. When calculating the total bill, remember to add to the tuition and room and board those items such as fees, books, a computer, school supplies, clothes, incidentals and, of course, transportation. Christian or secular: Another preference to think about is whether your teen will apply to a Christian college, a secular school, or both. Proximity to a local church: Take time to check out the churches in the vicinity of the colleges you are exploring. Is there a nearby church that will continue to feed and train your teen spiritually? It's also worthwhile to take time to check if churches provide transportation to the local colleges and universities. Use Research Resources The next step in choosing a college is to take the above parameters and plug them into college search engines. Christian College Mentor, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6208, is a good search engine to find Christian colleges offering majors in your teen's areas of interest. For secular schools, the College Board, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6209, has a College Quickfinder and College Matchmaker to help you narrow your search. Other search engines include Princeton Review http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6210, Peterson's Guides http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6211, and College Net http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6212 . Once you have your list of schools in hand, visit each college's website. Most websites today will offer a virtual tour of the campus as well as email addresses of staff to whom to direct your questions. They will offer you added in-depth information on the various majors offered, admission requirements, and an application to download. Online applications are preferred by colleges, and you may work on various parts of the application, save the information, and then complete the application in several sittings. The number of schools to which to apply varies from two to three in most cases to more than five if you are casting the net wide. Applying to at least a couple of schools allows you to compare financial aid packages and also acts as a safety net should your top priority school not offer admission. Remember, too, that you will be paying an application fee for each school. Plan Campus Visits The next step is to schedule campus visits--usually during the 11th grade. Even with virtual tours available, there is no substitute for walking around a campus to gain a better feel for all the school has to offer and to take in the ambiance that each school exudes. The question is often asked, "How many schools should we visit, and when should we plan to visit them?" The answer will depend on your time and budget as well as your teen's interest. Some families will use campus visits to help their teens narrow down the list of schools to which to apply. Other families will make their visits after applications are submitted in order to prioritize the choices while waiting for the admission decisions. If your budget and time are limited, you may choose to wait until acceptances are received and then visit each of those schools in order to make a final decision. It's usually a good idea to check with the colleges as to whether they have special days for juniors and seniors to visit or if an appointment is necessary. If there are special days planned and your schedule permits, your teen will have the opportunity to hear from many campus departments and organizations which will present helpful information and answer questions. Also make arrangements to visit a class or two, take a campus tour including the dorms, explore off-campus housing (if appropriate), and eat in the cafeteria. As you and your teen visit each college, it's helpful to make notes during the visit about the advantages and disadvantages of each school. Include your student's impressions, reservations, and fears as well. These notes will keep each school distinct in your mind when you return home and review your trip. Last, be sure to view the college search process as an enjoyable time! It's an opportunity to help your teen fine tune his post-high school plans and provides the chance to dialogue about the spiritual implications of his college decisions. Use these conversations to encourage, edify, and equip your teen for all that this new phase of his life will entail. Next month, join us as we discuss preparation for teaching high school by highlighting ideas for those who are either just starting out on the high school adventure or those who will begin to teach high school in a few years. Until then, we hope this quote by W. Aiken provides encouragement: Our object in life should not be so much to get through a great deal of work, as to give perfect satisfaction to Him for whom we are the doing the work. You are doing a noble work in teaching your teens, and we pray the Lord's blessings on your efforts, Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer HSLDA High School Coordinators ------------------------ Second annual HSLDA High School Symposium: Equipped and Encouraged to Teach High School Join us for an all-day symposium featuring Becky and Diane and guest speakers presenting a variety of high school seminars. Registration deadline is March 27 or until maximum capacity is reached. For more details: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6213 Patrick Henry College Summer Leadership Camps PHC offers a wide variety of summer camps from a biblical worldview for teens ages 14-18 years old. Check out these wonderful opportunities for your high schooler in the areas of strategic intelligence, constitutional law, Kuck's Camp (physics), journalism, debate, international relations, and drama. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6214 Quote to Encourage You "He who begins, finishes. He who leads us on, follows behind to deal in love with our poor attempts. He gathers up the things that we have dropped - our fallen resolutions, our mistakes. ...He makes His blessed pardon to flow over our sins till they are utterly washed away. And He turns to fight the enemy who would pursue after us, to destroy us from behind. He is first, and He is last! And we are gathered up in between, as in great arms of eternal lovingkindess." --Amy Carmichael, missionary to India Becky and Diane's Upcoming Speaking Engagements March 7, 2009 -- Central Savannah River Area Home Education Association (CSRA HEA) (Augusta, GA), http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5586 (Becky) March 27-28, 2009 -- APACHE (Peoria, IL) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5587 (Diane) April 2-4, 2009 - MACHE (Minnesota) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5180 (Becky & Diane) April 17, 2009 - HSLDA Second Annual High School Symposium (Purcellville, VA) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5588 (Becky and Diane along with other featured speakers) May 22-23, 2009 -- CheNH (New Hampshire) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5181 (Becky) June 4-6, 2009 - LEAH (Rochester, New York) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6071 (Diane) June 18-20, 2009 - CHEC (Colorado) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6072 (Diane) July 17-18, 2009 -- AFHE (Arizona) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5589 (Becky) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1936 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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