Homeschooling Children

Posts Tagged ‘college’

I am a junior in hgh school in Texas and I would like to be homeschooled or do online high school but since i cant find any online school that would work i wanted to know my chances of college if i do homeschool. Also, I would like to know as much as possible about what its like to be homeschooled and/or how you did it, if it was easy, and how you likd it.

Thank you very much.

I was Homeschooled for my primary education and want to know if I can homeschool my college education? If so, how would I go about this and where would I get materials from? Would I get a diploma and would it be recognized?
No actually I did not just ask this question. A little rude of you.

I was homeschooled growing up and find that colleges move at a VERY slow pace. I want my education but want to continue to homeschool. Is it possible to do the same for my college degree and how? Would it provide me with a diploma?

Choosing the right high school to send your children to, is a critical decision that every parent has to make. This guide provides 23 essential tips for parents to consider when making this key decision.
Essential Tips When Choosing A College

I mean, a lot of colleges check on GPA, transcripts ect.ect…how do they look at homeschool kids? a friend of mine said all they need is a good score on the SAT is that true?

There are a lot of homeschooling programs out there, but very few attempt to approach to education similar to the way traditional colleges do. In some cases, state and even private colleges and universities have the same problems with education as public schools do. However, there are also many very fine ones.

Homeschooled students almost without exception excel in college, both in the subject matter they’re taking and in their eagerness to learn. Oftentimes, they are ready to college by the time they’re in their mid to late teens. However, college application can be difficult for homeschooled students, because of the nontraditional setting.

The first obstacle is the absence of transcripts. However, many thousands or perhaps millions of homeschooled students have overcome this. Most universities, even those that are the most prestigious, accept students that have been homeschooled. Here, homeschooled students often excel.

One win over, the problem with the absence of transcripts is one that needs to be taken care of, as the child gets older. Many homeschooled programs have also implemented a structure that makes it easier to keep records and assign grades, such as is done in public schools. Because school records are taken seriously by most colleges, parents who homeschool should start keeping transcripts early and should also began looking for colleges early, in order to target those the homeschooled student might want to be admitted to.

To start, select a half a dozen colleges or universities that you are interested in and then ask the admissions department what they want in transcripts. More universities are becoming used to that question from homeschooled students and their parents. Roughly two million children per year are now homeschooled, and many still choose to go to a traditional four-year college.

Oftentimes, admissions officials look for other ways besides transcripts to judge whether a student is suitable for admission. The first level of admission is decided on purely on the basis of standardized test scores such as the ACT and SAT. Homeschooled students are free to take these just as their public and private school peers are. Oftentimes, homeschooled students do much better than their peers do on these tests. This gives them an advantage during the admissions process.

Beyond this first level, when objective data like test scores are gathered, many colleges then incorporate their own admissions tests. Among these, college applications may require students to write an essay as part of the process. This especially allows homeschooled students to shine by expressing their opinions and their own views of the world. This also gives admissions officers insight into students’ abilities and tastes.

These essays often showcase students’ personal interests, aptitude and other attributes that make them unique and noteworthy. This is something homeschoolers can excel in especially, because they have had such a nontraditional education.

Next, advanced placement courses often allow students who have been homeschooled to take classes in an independent study mode. This does not require traditional attendance at a class and can help provide necessary “transcript” data to admissions officers. Many can be taken as part of an accelerated learning program. In this case, the student studies material that is more advanced than that studied by his or her peers at their particular grade level.

These are ways in which school officials can see that homeschooled students are as prepared and perhaps more prepared than their traditionally schooled peers to attend their institution. There is still a prejudice that homeschooled students do not receive as rigorous an education as their public and private school peers do; these methods can help assuage that thinking and not only show that their skills are as adequate as their public school peers’ are, but that they are often more advanced. This will show officials that homeschooled students are more than ready to tackle the challenges that college will bring them.

You made a decision to remove your child from institutional education. Your decision was based on several very good reasons. And if you are like most homeschooling parents, you were happily rewarded for your decision. Homeschoolers’ grades average two years ahead of public school students’ grades. In addition, homeschooled children have proved to be more socially adaptive than their public school counterparts.

Avoid Dangerous Environments
Each of the reasons you originally had for homeschooling your child are intensified as you consider college. Humanism, rationalism, secularism, and hedonism run rampant on most American campuses, even Christian colleges. Some of these schools have teachers and programs that actively promote these harmful lifestyles. Why suddenly expose your child to these trap-falls? It is important to choose a college that will not put your child in danger or overly expose them to temptation. You can also choose a college that allows you to continue homeschooling.

Continue An Education Method That Works
Additionally, when you homeschooled your child, you personalized their education and made their curriculum specific to the child’s needs and talents. That’s one of the great advantages of homeschooling over traditional education. So, why now expose your child to a learning approach in college that will take him years to overcome (if he ever overcomes it at all)? Why not continue that quality decision to bring superior education directly into your home through books, videos, cassettes, and the internet? Let proven Christian professors help you mentor your child as he emerges into adulthood in the safety and purity of your home, rather than the bastions of humanism and rebellion which pervade most American campuses.

Following God’s Direction
You chose the best, years ago. Now, why not stay with the best decision, and carry out God’s mandate for PARENTS to train up their children? Perhaps God’s way is best after all. We know it sounds far-fetched to our secularized minds. But most of us know that by honoring God’s ways, we come out far ahead in life, regardless of how distanced from current sociological trends God’s principles and ways appear. Why not continue your experiment in educating your child God’s way, and prove to your society that God was right all along?

There Are Other Options
There are many Christian colleges and Christian theology seminaries that offer online or distance learning courses. These options allow your child to continue their studies at home and gain the insight and education from college professors. Additionally, some online Bible colleges offer the LAMAD education format which can allow your child to avoid the flawed traditional education method and excel in their learning.

Just because your child is getting ready to attend college, doesn’t mean that you have to abandon the things that caused you to choose homeschooling in the first place. Do some online searches and find a Christian university which offers online courses and teaches with methods that work.

Homeschooling parents find that the CLEP program is a perfect fit with their teaching style and goals.

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a series of standard tests which are recognized by over 2900 colleges and universities as the equivalent of successfully completed course work. By taking and passing these CLEP exams, people of all ages are able to opt out of certain basic classes, and at some institutions, receive credit just as if they had taken the class.

There are CLEP tests available in 34 different areas of study. From American Literature to Basic Psychology, Calculus or Chemistry, self-study guides and practice tests are available from CLEP. When a student is confident that they are prepared, they go to one of the many CLEP testing centers around the country, and sit for the CLEP exam in that topic. There is a fee for study materials and for testing, but considering the savings that can result from a passing CLEP score, the cost is minimal. Study guides are about $25, and the test fee is $72 for each subject. However, if the college of your choice will accept the CLEP test results, then the tuition for that class, and the cost of textbooks is saved. Even community colleges may charge as much, per credit hour, as one CLEP test!

The CLEP option is ideal for homeschools. Homeschooled children are often better at independent learning than their peers who have studied in classrooms. CLEP seems tailor-made for them. Students may take the tests at any age, although a minimum of age 15 is recommended. By covering material in a familiar format, homeschooled students can easily get a jump start on college, saving both time and money. It is easily possible that by successfully completing CLEP courses that students can enter college as a sophomore. Think of saving the costs of an entire year of school!

Often, homeschooled students choose to attend smaller colleges. This is a good fit with the CLEP exam and CLEP test program, because more small schools than large accept the credits. By carefully researching schools which accept CLEP scores, it may be possible to complete nearly two years of college at a huge savings. The cost of a higher education is staggering. Often the small colleges which attract homeschooled students are the most expensive. CLEP allows families to save enough money so that it is possible for parents to give their children that small school experience for their final 2 – 2 ½ years of college.

CLEP exams are standardized across the country. Although it is often argued that standard exams do not promote true learning, they can be a great aid to homeschoolers. It can be impossible to assess the quality of education a homeschooled student has received without such tests.

Nowadays homeschooling becomes rather popular and more and more parents prefer to teach their children at home instead of send them to public or private schools. But it is also often situation when parents of children who visit schools and various state bodies don’t want to recognize homeschooling as independent and effective way of education.
But the book “Homeschooling Grows Up” by Brian Ray shows that this type of education has a lot of interesting advantages, while the number of disadvantages is really small. According to statistic data, near 71% of homeschooled children take part in activity of social and charitable organization on voluntary base. Also 76% of homeschooled graduates voted in national elections in comparison with 29% of public school graduates.  Also only 4.2% of homeschooled students think that US political process is very difficult to understand in comparison with 3% of adults.
Home education doesn’t stop to show its effectiveness and statistic data it proves. According to the data presented by the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools in 2006 results of SAT in national and state levels were 137 and near 200 points.
But unfortunately there are problems with admission to colleges and universities if students are homeschooled. A lot of such students have rather difficult and unpleasant process of admission while students from schools don’t have such troubles.
One of the main problems which homeschooled students may face and which worry other people is different way of studies completely distinct from home studying. Some students may not cope with it. That’s why a lot of people ask to look at home education from different points of view, because it has not only advantages, but disadvantages too.

Homeschooling has become more and more popular with each passing year. With the current state of our nations educational system, this comes as little surprise to many who have decided to educate their children on their own. Still, homeschooling is often misunderstood and decried by both by parents of non homeschooled children as well as the federal and state regulatory agencies who govern it.

The benefits of homeschooling are many while the detriments are few, according to Dr. Brian Ray, author of “Homeschooling Grows Up,” a study analyzing the social implications of homeschooling students. According to the study, over 71 percent of homeschooled students participate in a voluntary capacity within a social or charitable organization, compared with only 37 percent of U.S. adults. Additionally, 76 percent of homeschooled graduates between the ages of 18 to 24 voted in a national or state election in the past five years compared to only 29 percent of 18 to 24 year-old public school graduates. Perhaps even more telling of the social impact of homeschooling is that only 4.2 percent of homeschooled graduates consider our nation’s political process too complicated to understand, compared to 35 percent of U.S. adults.

Homeschooling continues to demonstrate strong academic achievement statistics as well. The South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools revealed that the graduating class of 2006 scored 137 points above the national average for SAT’s and just under 200 points above the state average.

But what about getting into college? Unfortunately, some homeschooled students face institutional and governmental provision that make the college application process more involved than it is for children with a public or private education. While some are merely formalities, others can be a major obstacle to homeschooled graduates trying to get into the college of their choice. It can be especially difficult for homeschooled students who want to attend a college or university outside of their home state. Standardized testing helps with credentials, but these measurements of college preparedness are rarely sufficient on their own.

Perhaps it’s time to take a look not only at the benefits of homeschooling, but why those benefits cannot be properly recognized within our current educational system.