Homeschooling, Unschooling and College Admission

Can Homeschoolers Get into College? Advice for Homeschoolers

Nov 8, 2009 Lisa Russell

How does homeschooling look on a college application? Is it possible to go to college without going to high school? Relax, homeschoolers go to college all the time.

The College Board, founded in 1900 to "Connect students to college success and opportunity" publishes guides to college admissions, College test prep guides and also information on grants and scholarships. In an article on their website, entitled "Home-Schooled Students and Admission" they encourage homeschoolers with tips for putting together a portfolio, letters of recommendation, meeting deadlines and acing interviews, advising them to contact the school they wish to attend for specific requirements for homeschoolers, since many schools now have an official process for reviewing homeschooled applicants.

Homeschool Letters of Recommendation for College Applications

Larry and Susan Kaseman, in an article entitled "Credentials for Homeschoolers," published in the January/ February 2007 edition of Home Education Magazine, advise homeschoolers and unschoolers to begin acquiring letters of recommendation early and choose which letters to use judiciously. The more prestige and influence the letter-writer has will be important, as will their grounds for writing the letter.

Ideally, letters of recommendation will come from influential adults (alumnae of the intended University, perhaps) which speak about the student's written and oral communication skills, leadership skills, passion for the proposed course of study, ability to work with a group and other character traits as well as professional skills.

SAT Testing and AP Testing for Homeschoolers

SAT and AP test scores are an important part of college applications, especially for students who enter without community college experience or transcripts. AP tests can be self-studied. AP Course descriptions are available online at no cost, and can be used as study guides. AP testing occurs in May at community colleges, check the College Board website or your local high school guidance counselor for AP and SAT testing dates and registration. CollegeConfidential.com also has resources for helping homeschoolers meet the testing requirements for College admission.

Books About Homeschooling and College Requirements for Homeschoolers

The first published account of the steps it takes for homeschoolers to get into Ivy League colleges was that of David & Micki Colfax, who authored Homeschooling for Excellence [Warner books, 1988] whose children ended up attending Harvard University.

Cafi Cohen's Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook: Preparing Your 12- to 18-Year-Old for a Smooth Transition [Prima Publishing, 2000] provides a workable plan for homeschoolers and helps families understand what admissions offices are looking for and how homeschooling families can plan ahead to provide a portfolio that shows colleges what they want to see.

College Without High School: A Teenager's Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College, by Blake Boles [Friesens, 2009] gives an up-to-date discussion of the changing face of college admissions and helps unschoolers and home schoolers find ways to manage their study time.

Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller [Global Publishing, 2001] outlines the steps his mother took to ensure that each of her ten homeschooled children had their bachelor's degree by the time they were 18, for less than $5000 each. Their method involved self-study, challenging some courses, testing out of as many classes as possible and reliance upon their local community college.

The most common thread of advice is to look into colleges early and start communicating with their admissions office in order to learn what they want from homeschoolers, meet deadlines, be professional in both written and verbal communication.

The copyright of the article Homeschooling, Unschooling and College Admission in Homeschooling is owned by Lisa Russell. Permission to republish Homeschooling, Unschooling and College Admission in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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