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HOMESCHOOLING
TEENS -and- COLLEGE |
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Compiled
by Elizabeth Smith & 1. You get to see the completion of your efforts. Something is lost when you turn over your home discipline to others. 2. You can customize your child's education to provide motivation for their gifts and abilities. No one else will be able to provide the consistent and loving support in weak areas that you can. 3. You can direct them to early college entrance. Even public high schools realize that many students are ready for college level courses and have cooperating programs with junior colleges. 4. You can continue the family building process. The teen years continue to be impressionable and formative. This is an invaluable time to cement family relationships. 5. You can be sure your teens are learning if they are at home. Studies have revealed that public high school students average two hours and thirteen minutes of academic work a day. 6. You can continue to have influence over their peer relationships. Teen rebellion is not in God's plan for the family, but it is the humanist agenda for the public schools. 7. You can protect them from pressure to conform to what the other kids are doing. This is so strong in the public high school. You won't need to spend time de-programming. 8. If you send your teens to high school, there will be a diversion away from the academic focus as well as spiritual priorities. Be aware of the many distractions that won't parallel the home life you have maintained. 9. Your young people will be thrown into things like boy/girl preoccupation, focus on clothes and pressure to conform in appearance and music. 10. Vast amounts of time separated from the family will affect their relationship with you. We have all put great amounts of our heart and time into our home schooling years and we want those efforts preserved. 11. Home school is the best preparation for college studies. The home education "style" is closer to college type instruction. 12. There is greater flexibility for work/study opportunities. 13. The institutional method of public education is designed around "crowd control" not learning. If and when they learn it will be a by-product of other priorities to maintain class room order. 14. Home educators have the best available curriculum and greater selection. Public schools offer revisionist history and science that promote their humanist perspective. The Godly commitment of many great Americans has been deleted from public text books. 15. Age/grade isolation or segregation inhibits
socialization. Public
school children are behind their home school
counterparts in maturity,
socialization and vocabulary development, as
demonstrated by
available research. |
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2. Get your child used to taking tests. You will probably want to keep test papers for your records. 3. Keep records of extra curricular activities such as drama, basketball, any position of leadership, volunteer service hours (such as at the library or the hospital), etc. You will need this later for scholarship application information. 4. Follow high school credit list for required subjects. 5. Use books, computer programs, etc. to begin getting ready for PSAT testing next year. If you get a computer program, be sure that it has a skill builder in it. 6. If you want your child to take the PSAT, contact your public school counselor by mid-September. PSAT usually is given beginning in the 10th grade. Some school systems will allow 9th graders to take them. Some schools recommend taking them in the 11th grade. Talk with the school counselor. 7. How to figure one hour's credit: 180 school days x 45 minutes of learning per subject = 135 hours or 1 credit. 8. Driver's License/permit: In
Arkansas, at age 14, teenagers
are allowed to earn a driver's
permit. Go by the Arkansas State
police office to obtain a driver's manual to study. When the
student is ready to take the written exam, go to your local superintendent's
office to obtain a copy of your intent to homeschool form. They
will
have to mark it with a raised seal. A biological parent needs to
go with
the student to the testing. You need to take the homeschool form
and a
birth certificate to the testing place. The student must pass the
written exam. Then he is issued a permit to allow him to drive with a
licensed driver who is 18 or older. The permit is good for 6 months.
If you want it extended for another 6 months, you must take the permit back to them
to have them renew it. The student needs to take the driving part
of the
exam sometime during the time he has the permit. If he passes
this, he
is given a provisional license. B. Tenth Grade: 1. At the beginning of the year, contact your local high school to sign up for the PSAT. If your child's scores are in the top one-half of the nation, he/she could be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship. Be sure to ask the high school counselor for a preparation study book. You should get this when you sign up for the PSAT. 2. Continue studying for SAT. After taking the PSAT, look for weak areas that need to be strengthened. 3. Calculators CANNOT be taken into PSAT or SAT testing. Be sure your child has memorized math formulas. 4. Check to see if your local school system has a CPEP program. CPEP stands for College Preparatory Exam Program. It's a summer program that helps prepare students for taking the ACT test. In Springdale, check with Brick Arney in the spring about the summer program. C. Eleventh Grade: 1. Begin taking the ACT (it may be taken as many times as you want to take it). Check with your local school system when it is given. 2. 11th an 12th grade students are allowed to
take one or two
classes at the U of A and still be considered a high
school student receiving college credits. Be sure your child is
listed as a "concurrent" student. Otherwise, when
he/she applies for freshman
scholarships, they might not consider them
an incoming freshman 3. At the middle to the end of the 11th grade,
consider pursuing
scholarships. Some books are available that
might be helpful: D. Twelfth Grade: 1. Take ACT and SAT in the fall of the senior
year. These tests
can be retaken if you are not happy with your
score. Scores can
be automatically sent to the school of your
choice. If you plan on
applying for a scholarship YOU must contact
the schools you wish to apply at. BE SURE and get the process
going EARLY in the 2. All information must be in and CONFIRMED by March 1st at the University of Arkansas. This is the deadline for scholarships. 3. At the beginning of the year, if you know what your child wants to major in, check with the counselor at the University to see if your high school core classes will suit the needs of the college your child has chosen. This is your last chance to insert a class needed to prepare your child for college. 4. BEWARE of scholarship survey searches. Most universities do not like to use these because they with-hold information from the school. Most families become frustrated due to promises that never come through. If you do use one, make sure it has a good reputation. 5. If you opt to take the GED, take it in
Jan.- March if possible.
The Adult Education Center in
Fayetteville gives the test about
every 2 weeks. Call them at
444-3041 for more information. 6. The U. of A. admission office has a notebook full of addresses to apply for non-U of A scholarships. If you are interested, you might go to the admission office and copy down the information. 7. Apply for as many scholarships as possible. 8. If
your child does not have a clue what he/she would like to do after high
school, you may want to send for career testing. Below is the
address of a good company that is an outreach of Larry Burkett and
Christian Financial Concepts, Inc.: Career Pathways, P.O. Box
1476, Gainesville, GA 30403-1476. Phone # 1-404-534-1000 |
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I called the admission office at the University of Arkansas on 4-5-01 for the following information. I spoke with Meg Mobley, 501-575-6953. Admission Requirements: 1. at least 16 units: 4 English 3 Math--including Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry 3 Natural Sciences, 2 of which have labs
3 Social Sciences- choose from American History, American
3 Academic Electives--4th year of math, Natural Science or 2 yrs of Foreign Language is recommended but not required 2. at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale 3. at least 20 on the ACT or 930 on the SAT 4. students with leadership roles and extra curricular activities 5. The University of Arkansas reserves the right to require a student to take the GED, especially if that student is from a non-school. 6. For the transcript from High School, they
want to look at the course
title, the credit earned and the grade the
student made. It's helpful if you list the curriculum that you
used. They are familiar with the usuals such as A Beka and Saxon
Math (these are the 2 examples she gave-----I'm sure they are familiar
with others as well). |
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First of all, learn to write well. Not only is this a good tool (and in my opinion, the most important) to have at your disposal throughout life, but students with good writing abilities are sought after by the best schools in the country. All of the colleges I applied to stressed the essay as an important part of the application process. They are not only determining if you can write, but they are also trying to find out more about your personality and about what you think and believe. Therefore, to show who you are as a person you need to express yourself well. Secondly, it is very important to start a college prep program from your freshman year in high school. this means you must complete all academic requirements for the college which you will be attending, although you do not have to choose the actual college until your senior year. What you must simply do is find out the general requirements for attending any college, and then complete them. These requirements can often be found at your local high school or through many homeschooling programs. The college-prep program is made up of a few years each of all the basics-----science, math, languages, etc. If you can, try to do more than the program requires. An extra year of science or language always looks great on a transcript. Determining if you have completed these requirements is one of the first things a college looks at, so start early and be prepared. At this point, I would like to remind you that all colleges require that you take either the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Testing) in order to be admitted. Next, you must prove that you can be successful and can function outside the home. Having to prove that we are socially adept is a sorry consequence of the common misconception held by many people about homeschoolers. The word "homeschooled" often brings a warning light into the minds of the uninitiated which we must dispel as quickly and with as much clarity as possible. Therefore, while it is unfortunate and unfair that homeschoolers must prove their ability to function socially, while students from other schools do not come under this scrutiny nearly as much, it is a reality not to be denied. There are numerous ways to do this: taking a class at your local high school and/or community college, getting a part-time job, joining 4-H, sports, art, music, or community activity will be the needed proof. In addition, colleges always look at the amount of participation and the kinds of activities of the applicants. This comes under the heading of "extra-curricular activities," and colleges like to see these on any applicant's transcript. Home schooled high school students should find at least one hobby or activity they like and stick with it, and if possible, excel in it.
Finally, if finances are a problem (and they are with most of us), do not give up on that private college that looks so wonderful. I found that after achieving all of the above, the scholarship money that was available for me from the institutions I applied to was quite substantial. Of the four colleges I applied to, two gave me half tuition scholarships, and a third gave me a generous amount of money. (The fourth did not offer scholarships to any applicants.)
Be prepared, however, for numerous questions about your homeschooling experience and "socialization." When I went for interviews for one of these scholarships, I stated that I did not fee that having been homeschooled was a disadvantage. I found that I stood out in the crowd of applicants, and that the faculty noticed me and took an interest in me. Since being noticed is very important when one is interviewed for a scholarship, I was glad I stood out. All I had to do then was to show them I was socially functional, give them my academic and extra-curricular credentials, and I was on my way to a scholarship.
However, if, after reading all this, you feel like panicking, please do not. Just do your best and learn the basics. Chances are you are already involved in several activities and hobbies. You are probably also quite socially functional (although I am still not sure what that means). You can talk intelligently with people of all age groups, right? (This is not counting your brother or sister.) Excellent. You are officially socialized.
Seriously, the encouragement to homeschoolers in regard to a
college
education has been increasing, and it is becoming easier and easier for
homeschoolers to be accepted. In fact, as more and more
of us have
graduated and entered the halls of higher education,
colleges and
universities are discovering what good, independent students we
are. Homeschoolers are proving themselves to be good
writers and
good thinkers. Several colleges now go out of their way to recruit
us. As you can see, academia is starting to see the light.
(Web author's note: This was written several years
ago. It is even more true today that colleges are realizing the
value of homeschooled students. More and more
homeschooled students have gone on to be extremely successful in
college.)
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(help preparing your children for success)
Great study skills: What do they need? By David and Laurie Callihan It is crucial for any student to learn good study skills. This will prove valuable even if college is not the end goal. For instance, in the business world new applications for computers are constantly emerging. It will be necessary for a successful business-person to be able to evaluate new systems, which will require research and study. The following is a list of study skills that students must have to excel in college.
Reading Comprehension College students are required to cover and absorb large amounts of reading material on a strict time schedule. The better your child's skills for taking in reading material, the better he/she will cope with college work.
Outlining The ability to condense reading or course material into outline form is a skill that will enhance the college student's test taking ability. College courses offer large amounts of information in various formats, outlining can bring things into focus for studying purposes.
Note-taking In the home school most students never have to take notes on a lecture, since there usually aren't any! It will be important for the college bound student to have some experience in taking down what is being spoken (Taking notes on church sermons or on video classes can be good practice.)
Listening Ah, the greatest of skills. Though we hope our students have learned this skill well in our home schools, some may need a tune-up. In college courses, listening implies paying attention to subtleties (like what the instructor thinks is important) as well as details (following directions).
Discerning This is a crucial college skill since professors are not likely to spell out every detail of what they expect to the student. In college, it is important for the student to be able to determine what information instructors want for exams or projects, and how they want things done.
Researching Frequent visits to the library and familiarity with Internet research capabilities will sharpen skills that will be required of students in college. It will be important for students to know their way around the library and be comfortable asking questions.
Reviewing College level courses will require retention of a large amount of knowledge for a long time. The student who has skills in reviewing (note cards, notes, etc.) will do well in their higher level studies.
Test taking Whole books are available on this topic. Suffice it to say here that test taking skills alone can make a letter grade difference in college. It would be worth the time to get a book on this subject and review the skills suggested.
Usually students who expect to go on to higher education should take several college preparatory tests. These include the PSAT, SAT I, SAT II and the ACT. It is not necessary for any student to take them all, but to choose the most pertinent to their needs. Please see Chapter Eleven of our book for a thorough discussion of these exams.
Applying You will not see many people include this on a list of study skills, but we feel it is crucial. If you cannot apply what you have studied you have not learned it, and if you do not apply it, you will forget it! So, try to find a way to work new vocabulary into your conversation, practice a newly learned skill, or discuss course topics in your every- day life.
Conclusion We would recommend including a short course (available in book, cassette, and video form or in group lessons with other home schoolers) on study skills in your high school repertoire.
This was taken from an article found at: http://homeschool.crosswalk.com/callihan
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2) Home schooler's College Admissions Handbook:
Preparing 3) And What About College? How homeschooling
leads to |
