{Day 15} How Do Homeschoolers Get In To College?
{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}
How do homeschooled graduates get into college? In a word, easily. On the whole, homeschoolers have no difficulty getting accepted to colleges all around the country, and even around the world. In fact, some of the finest universities seek out homeschoolers for their graduation rolls.
Careful research into homeschool graduates tell us that homeschoolers get into college, stay in college longer, and graduate more often than other college students. Homeschoolers also enter college with more credits under their belts, scholarships and financial aid, too.
How is this so? What do homeschooled graduates have that make them not only attractive to colleges, but easy picks over their same-age counterparts?
The answer lies in the preparation many homeschooled students receive. It’s not just about the academics, either. Sure, homeschooled kids can take the same types of classes other students take. The difference is in the depth and breadth of knowledge that may be gained from various sources, and not just books alone. Homeschoolers — from the strictest curriculum users to the most relaxed unschoolers – end up in college, a testimony to the effectiveness of learning many different ways, in many different environments.
In addition to academic preparation is a whole laundry list of other activities that help boost college applications. Homeschooled youth use flex time to pursue a great variety of worthwhile things. Some homeschools emphasize volunteerism and service, thus homeschoolers from these families enter colleges after hundreds of hours of serving their communities. Other families encourage leadership activities, advanced training, travel, participation in a business activities, and any number of things that make students stand out.
Like other kids, homeschoolers pursue sports and teams, too, ranging from football and golf, bees and problem-solving competitions, to science fairs and chess clubs. A difference is visible because homeschooled youth tend to have fewer time constraints, allowing them to get more deeply involved and develop a greater understanding. This kind of commitment can earn top honors, sometimes putting homeschoolers ahead of other students in these areas.
The final explanation is perhaps the most attractive characteristic of homeschooled graduates, and the one that often paints the best picture of homeschool graduates to admissions officers. Traits like intellectual curiosity, maturity, tenacity, independence, personal responsibility, valuing education, and superior ability to conduct research come through on applications and during personal interviews. Homeschoolers score highly in these areas — and colleges notice.
In my e-book, The Way Homeschoolers Do, I talk about the ten most successful habits of homeschool families. To learn how homeschooling plays a huge role in college acceptance, and how these families do it, check it out.
Further reading:
Can homeschoolers get into college?
Academics, artists, athletes and more
Should your teen graduate early?
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply