How Does Homeschooling Impact Your Child"s Chances of College Admissions?

For a variety of reasons that are personal, you may already be homeschooling your high school children or thinking about homeschooling them.

Either way, you are probably wondering what, if any, impact your decision will make on their chances of being admitted to a college of their choice.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that in the absence of a regular schooling and GPA system, transcripts and a diploma proving graduation, homeschoolers would be at a distinct disadvantage to their regularly schooled peers when it comes to being accepted into college.

The reality, however, is that thankfully this is not necessarily true.

While the conventional routes might not be fully applicable for college entrants who are homeschooled, there are alternative entry routes into college admission and it is these routes that children who are homeschooled must focus on.

Some colleges are more "homeschool friendly" than others. Identify which colleges have a reputation for being more accepting of homeschooled applicants and find out if they offer courses that are of interest.

In some cases, additional application requirements must be met by homeschooled children. The most common of these is the requirement of standardized test scores to confirm the applicant is ready for college admission. The most popular form are the SATs, SAT II subject tests and also the ACT standardized tests. It might, therefore, be a good idea to sit the SATs a couple of times to get the best possible scores.

Schools may also commonly request a GED (this is an alternative to a high school diploma often obtained by adult learners) as proof of ability to study at a tertiary level.

Make sure the core courses your child has been studying are in line with the requirements of the program they wish to pursue. Consider helping them put together a portfolio showing the breadth of what they have been studying that they can show on college visits.

This, of course, becomes less necessary if your child has been enrolled in an online distance education program in which case there will be a record of all scholastic achievements (a transcript) as well as a diploma.

You might also include evidence of any extracurricular activities, awards, volunteer work or letters of recommendation from community leaders such as a church minister in the portfolio to ensure your child is viewed in the totality of their achievements.

College admission is as much about their suitability to survive within the community that is the college as well as their academic prowess.

Other than that, the requirements should be no different for a homeschooled child. They might need to submit an essay and attend an interview - you can make sure that they are adequately prepared both school wise and mentally for this.

Soon enough they will be running out to check the mail for acceptance letters just the same as any number of high school graduates across the country.