Milepost I

Freshman-Sophomore

Before you accelerate out of junior high study, start planning what you’ll do on your trip. Jenni Hall, a home-school graduate of ‘93, applied and was accepted at four colleges. “Home schoolers should start plan­ning for college no later than the beginning of high school,” she said. Hall recommends that you find out as a freshman what courses are required by the colleges you are considering. Standard requirements are 4 years of English, 3 of math, 2 each of a foreign language, social studies/history, and lab science, and 1 of the arts. Typing and computing skills are also strongly recommended regardless of your desti­nation.

Now is also the time to busy your­self with real-life work opportunities. This is the best time to think about your future career/major. Though you may change your mind about your career before college, now is the time to explore fields of interest by joining the Scouts, candystriping, campaign­ing, or writing for New Attitude. If you will hate working in a hospital, find out now, not thousands of dollars later as an intern.

Be prepared to yield a list of the courses you take each year. This way when you roll into your senior year you won’t be struggling to remember what goes on your transcript. (Now was that Life Science, or Earth Science—or was that for 7th grade?) Most colleges request only this basic transcript; but, according to Teresa Reimschisel, Associate Director of Admissions at Taylor University, home-school applicants to Taylor should also include a one or two line description of each course. Some schools (including Taylor) require a detailed reading list as well.

Basketball and trumpet aren’t a dead-end Street! Colleges like to look at the “whole person” when making admissions decisions. Since some people still think home-schoolers are socially isolated, you can address both issues if you’ve been involved in several extracurricular activities. Jenni Hall stressed the necessity of home

schoolers’ involvement in their com­munity. Leadership roles and/or com­munity service look especially attrac­tive to admissions officers.

Slow down for the business dis­trict—is help wanted? Consider getting a summer job—and saving at least part of the money. It’s better to earn interest on your bank account through high school than to pay inter­est on large college loans for years—or decades—after you get your degree.

Milepost 2

Junior

There’s not only more traffic and more to see along the way—your schoolwork may also become more demand­ing. There’s a lot of preparing to do, but it’s fun!

Right Turn Only for the PSAT/NMSQT!

Register for the test at a private or public school early in the school year. Not only is it good practice for the SAT; good scores may bring you scholarships. Also, if you make your test available for interested colleges’ mailing lists, you may receive brochures daily for months.

Though your mail stack may seem to advertise every college that could possibly exist, it doesn’t. Since not all schools advertise, check guides like Peterson’s “Choose a Christian College” for names and stats of unfa­miliar colleges. Ask adults you admire where they went to college, and if they’d make the same decision again.

No Passing Zone!

Home schooling lets you take your “college visitation days” any time—so don’t let your schedule move so fast that you pass up the opportunity. Start visiting your top candidates in the spring of your junior year. Avoid visiting during the summer since it lessens your chance to sit in on classes and talk with professors. If you must visit during the summer, ask for the names of the professors who teach in your major and set up telephone inter­views.

Another Right Turn Only—it’s time to take the SAT or ACT!

I know, the PSAT is only a few miles back. But if you take the SAT or ACT during the late spring of your junior year, you’ll have plenty of time to retake it if it doesn’t reflect your abili­ty—and still apply early to college. Get ready for the test with a book like Introducing the New SAT: The College Board’s Official Guide, or by attending a preparation class. (The SAT has changed; don’t prepare with old books!) These will help you become familiar with the characteris­tics of the test, and set realistic score goals. Colleges’ preferences differ between the SAT and ACT—check with the ones you’re interested in. Achievement tests on specific subjects (called the SAT II) are offered by the College Board. Some schools, includ­ing Purdue University, require home schoolers to take several of these.

How about a short-cut? If you’re worried that college will be too much of a post-home-school shock, you may want to go to college early (though only for a few weeks)! Some colleges offer summer programs which allow you to take classes, stay on-campus, and usually even earn college credit. It’s a great way to develop relation­ships with teachers who could write references about your academic atti­tude and ability. Many colleges, including Vanderbilt University, will feel more comfortable accepting you if you’ve gotten part of your education in a competitive environment such as a summer college camp. If you took the PSAT, you’ll probably receive infor­mation about some of these programs in the mail.

Turn Right or Be Left? You’ve got to decide when to apply. Although application deadlines are usually in the spring of 12th grade, many colleges allow you to apply during the summer following 11th grade. Yet, “Home schoolers tend to apply later,” said Reimschisel. While Taylor’s admis­sions cycle isn’t typical, the available spaces are usually filled by November; and they’ve had to turn away a sizable proportion of their home-school appli­cants. They weren’t unacceptable peo­ple, Reimschisel explained, but they applied when no spaces were left. She suggested this might be because home schoolers don’t have school counselors breathing down their necks. So if you’re planning to apply somewhere, do it before the end of September. Even if the college doesn’t require it, you’ll then have time to adjust your

plans if you don’t get accepted.

Warning!

Colleges differ widely about who should recommend home-school stu­dents. Find out before you submit your application. Some schools require a parental recommendation. Other schools (Wheaton, Vanderbilt, and Cedarville) prefer that someone else recommend you—a former teacher, a college level teacher you’ve studied under, another adult who teaches your science labs. Don’t count on this, but if you happen on a place like Purdue University, you won’t have to submit a recommendation at all.

Milepost 3

Senior

If you’ve done your work before hand, you can set the cruise control and focus on your studies. Be aware of the deadlines for scholarships, financial aid, and hous­ing, but enjoy the relaxation of being

Warning!

Ken Gilson, admissions counselor at Wheaton University, says WU requires home schoolers to have the GED. Wheaton is not unique—Cedarville College’s catalog says the same. ‘While the experience of Jenni Hall and oth­ers with CC has shown it’s not consis­tently required, make sure you know the policy of the schools on your list.

Milepost 4

Destination in Sight

If you’ve made the most of your journey along the way, you can drive into the college parking lot full of confidence. Sure, college will be challenging and life-changing— but, having done everything you could to choose wisely, you can relax.

MOTORIST INFO CENTER:

ACT: American College Testing Program. The ACT (or SAT) score is required For college admission. Maximum score is 36. If you don’t feel comfortable asking for ACT information at your local public/pri­vate school, write, to: ACT Registration, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, IA 52243-0414, or call (319) 337-1270. Wherever your school code is required, enter 800-000; and your scores will be sent to your address.

GED: General Education Diploma. The term is also used to describe the test taken to get the diploma. Usually taken by students who have dropped out of high school. Some colleges require It from home-school students.

SAT: Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, combined with the NMSQT. Maximum score is 160. When you fill out the form at the beginning of the test, you must use the school code of “City High School” (wherever you’re taking the test) if your home school doesn’t have its own code. Unfortunately, the PSAT/NMSQT will report you as a student of “City High School” if you’ve allowed them to distribute your test results to colleges.

NMSQT: National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, combined with the PSAT. Scholarships based on score are offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and by colleges and universities.

SATI: Scholastic Aptitude Test. The SAT (or ACT) score is required for college admission. Maximum score is 1600. Offered for the first time this year, the test has undergone a major revision. Two of the most dramatic additions/changes are “Student-produced responses” (as opposed to multiple choice) in the math section, and the encouraged use of calculators. When you register, leave the school code blank and the scores will be sent to your home address. If you don’t feel comfortable asking for ‘SAT information- at your local public/private school, write to: College Board SAT Program, P.O. Box 6200, Princeton, NJ 0854 1-6200 or call (609) 111-1600.