college Archives - Page 7 of 11 - Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Jul 21 2014

{Day 1} College Prep High Schooling — Covering The Basics

Day 1: Covering the Basics

[View the entire series HERE]

If you’ve been homeschooled any length of time, you already understand how many choices there are for homeschooling the high school years.

You may:

follow the same curriculum and take the same courses as teens in traditional high schools;
do things differently, even as radically as not taking those subjects at all;
or, anything along the vast continuum of options in between.

Having options is the trademark of homeschooling — freedom of choice. Right? Right.

Also keep in mind as you’re reading this, that no matter what kind of homeschooler you are, there is a college out there for you — uniquely you.

Here’s the catch, though. Colleges are going to want to know who you are, what you took in high school, what you’ve been doing so far, and — of particular interest to them – what you’ll bring to the table when you get there.

Unless you select an open admissions college, one that admits every student who applies, or one with no requirements whatsoever (pretty hard to find), it’s a fact. You can’t get around it. At least not as of this writing.

So, freedom aside, let’s talk reality.

The truth is, colleges want to know you’ve covered the basics — English, math, science, history, foreign language, and so on. So, whether you’re learning these things in the form of traditional high school courses (lessons, books or lectures), or whether you’re learning this stuff through exploration and experiencing them on your own, they need to be there. On your transcript. By the time you apply.

Imagine a student graduating from an American high school today. He or she has probably completed (hopefully successfully, with decent grades) the following classes:

4 English courses (including lots of writing)
4 math courses (including Algebra and math “higher” than that)
3 science courses (usually, a couple that had labs)
2 or 3 social science courses (like history or geography)
at least a couple of foreign language classes (sometimes called World Languages)
a couple of arts courses (like music, art or theater)
at least 1 or 2 health, P.E. or fitness courses
maybe an online course or two
maybe a computer class, or something in the technologies
and a whole bunch of electives (sometimes focusing in the same general area)

Which means, if you’re applying to college, you should probably be taking those kinds of classes in high school, too.

Do you need to do all of them? Exactly the same ones? Can you take more, less or different classes? No, no and yes. And you can learn the material differently than other teens, too.

But the reality is that admissions officers — at most colleges – expect to see mastery in those areas on a high school transcript. So you’ll need to cover those skills, too.

Your job now is to figure out how and when you’ll knock those classes out during high school. So you’ve got the same, or similar, or more of the same stuff as other applicants to.

You can do it, you just need to start planning.

Here’s the list of courses you’ll need to complete if you’re applying to college.

Click To Tweet

Next up is Day 2: Shore Up That Writing

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschool 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, was industry-acclaimed for illustrating 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 writer, 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. Her latest book, The Ultimate Guide to Florida Homeschooling, is now available on Amazon.

Jul 20 2014

5 Days of College-Prep High Schooling {series}

College Prep Series for Homeschoolers

If you’re preparing a high schooler for college, this is the series for you. In the next 5 articles, I’ll be sharing some of my most valuable tips for homeschool parents and their college-bound teens. Trust me, you need to know this stuff. It’s pretty basic, but is sometimes overlooked.

Homeschooling your college-bound teenager? Here are some of the top things you’ll want to know.

Click To Tweet

I suggest reading the topics in order, and inviting your student to read all of them, too. They are:

Day 1: Covering the basics

Day 2: Shore up that writing

Day 3: Standing out

Day 4: Tackling those tests

Day 5: Marketing yourself

Why keep this to yourself? Share it with a friend.

To your success,

Jun 01 2014

Is teaching high school difficult? This e-book makes it easier.

Buy it now

Teaching high school sounds really hard!

I can’t teach all that stuff!

What if I ruin my child’s chances of getting into college?

All classic questions. In fact, the greatest number of questions I receive from parents have to do with homeschooling the high school years.
Parents want to know if teaching high school is harder than teaching the earlier years.

Emphatically, I say: NO.

Though high school “material” may seem harder, teaching high school is no harder than homeschooling any other year. It’s the same commitment, the same work load, the same investment as the earlier years.

What is harder (though really just “different”) is orchestrating the whole thing.

The four years. The classes. The credits. The GPA. Weighted versus unweighted. How many hours again? And, oh the choices! You get it – the whole high school package can seem pretty intidimidating.

Though students may perform this task entirely on their own, for the most part, parents (a/k/a Principals and Guidance Counselors) are usually the ones who do it all — the overseeing and the tracking, the encouraging and motivating, the chauffeuring and the financing, and the stressing out over it, too.

I have a new e-book for families entering the high schooling years.

Buy the book

It’s short.

And sweet.

So short, you can read it over a cup of coffee, sitting in the car, or in the recliner all in one weekend.

So sweet, you’ll be patting yourself on the back and high-five-ing your friends over a chocolate croissant at how easy it all is — because I explain everything very simply.

The book is long enough to cover the 10 most-asked, most-feared, most-important things parents of high schoolers need to know.

But it’s written in plain language anyone can understand. And I don’t beat around the bush or pepper in a lot of unnecessary details.

What you see is exactly what you get: 10 steps.

You’ll learn the basics — like how to figure credits, how to calculate GPA, and what to write on a transcript.

I also address some of the larger high schooling concerns like how to plan a 4-year program, too.

It’s perfect for parents of middle schoolers thinking about high school, parents with students in 9th or 10th grade who are still in the planning stages, and parents of 11th and 12th graders who need to learn specific skills to create the documents and forms they need along the way.

I also included some forms you can photocopy and use right away to create a plan and a transcript, too.

Available for instant purchase/download

Click for pricing and purchasing information

Jan 29 2014

{Day 29} Pointers For College Prep

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

Admissions requirements for colleges and universities are fairly straight-forward. Whether traditionally or non-traditionally schooled, all applicants must meet the same set of basic requirements.

For Freshman, these requirements usually consist of:

a completed college application
proof of high school completion
an SAT or ACT score
a transcript of high school course work
a Freshman resume listing accomplishments, activities and extracurriculars

Although no two people are exactly alike, these requirements result in most applications looking exactly alike once they are submitted. Just imagine an admissions office receiving thousands of similar applications every year!

This begs the question, what makes certain students stand out? In particular, what can homeschoolers do to increase their chances?

Homeschoolers already several default advantages. Unlike traditionally schooled students, homeschoolers are able to mix and match courses and experiences to focus on specific areas, and then showcase their expertise in endless varieties of ways — projects, internships, jobs, service, special electives and more. Exploiting this flexibility by choosing high school experiences wisely is one way homeschoolers already stand out.

Another advantage is the result of homeschoolers being raised and schooled at home. Differences in character and maturity are immediately obvious during college interviews, making favorable impressions right off the bat. These characteristics come across in the activities that homeschoolers choose during high school, too. They shine through in written essays, as well.

A deliberate way for homeschoolers to stand out is to have a rigorous education plan. By completing a challenging curriculum and by investing the time and energy it takes to do well, graduates will be well prepared to compete for limited college vacancies. Adding into the education plan things like early college, AP and honors courses, and in depth treatment of certain subjects, and the transcript just looks better and better.

Another way to stand out is by sending additional exam scores. Instead of just taking an SAT or ACT, homeschoolers can take subject examinations, too. Subject-focused exams provide ways for homeschoolers who excel in certain areas to pull ahead from the rest of the pack. Working this strategy into the homeschool curriculum is crucial, so that a high level of mastery can be achieved by test taking season.

Finally, as a by-product of certain kinds of homeschooling, many homeschooled grads are already excellent writers. For those who are not, there is plenty of time to practice during high school. Strengthening writing skills makes it easier to ace college application essays, compared to students less skilled in this area. Colleges notice.

Across the board, homeschooled graduates have no difficulty get into good colleges, and great colleges too. For additional college prep advice, follow the ‘high school’ and ‘college’ tags at the end of this post. You’re invited to contact me for more specific advice, or to schedule a high school seminar for your group or organization.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Free homeschool curriculum for high school

Earning credit for life skills

Goal-setting for a great beginning

The Core

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.

Jan 15 2014

{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.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Can homeschoolers get into college?

Academics, artists, athletes and more

Homeschoolers pay for college

Should your teen graduate early?