It isn’t necessarily easier to get into college for a home schooled student. Colleges are looking for stand out students regardless of how they were schooled, be it home school, private school or public school. They are looking for grades, test scores and extracurricular activities. Colleges actively recruit home schooled students. They also actively recruit outstanding public and private schooled students. Colleges set booths at home school conventions. They do at gatherings of schooled students as well. The only overall statistic that I’ve read is that 60% of home schooled students attend college and 90% of schooled students in honors courses do. I’m certain that less than 60% of high school students attend college, so on average a home schooled student is more likely to attend college. But this comparison isn’t complete since not all high school students are in honors courses and not all home schooled students report what they do after finishing high school. The home schooled students who attend college are going to report more often than the ones who don’t.
The real statistics to look at are what percent of the entering college freshman class at any given university was home schooled and what percentages of home schooled and schooled applicants are accepted at a university. If the percent of students at a university who were home schooled is higher than the percent of home schooled students to the student population, your chance of attending that college as a home schooled student are excellent. At Columbia University there are 12 home schooled students in a population of 1,000. That is a smaller percentage than the percentage of home schooled students in the US population. Swarthmore college states that it accepted 1 in 4 home schooled applicants, the same ratio as schooled students. I found an article in the Harvard University student paper that followed three freshman home schooled students. The article didn’t say if they were the only three students, or if any others wouldn’t participate.
By looking at this critically I’m not saying home schooled students don’t have an excellent chance of getting into college. IAll things being equal, home schooled students who excel stand out But ultimately what really stands out to universities are students who excel, period. Home schooled students excel, but so do other students. There are students from every type of school who are national merrit scholars. Not every schooled student slides by with C’s and D’s. Those aren’t the schooled students who go to college anyway. The idea that all students who attend public school are failures is just as silly as the idea that any student who is home schooled is socially stunted. Neither all or nothing statement is even close to true. You cannot assume that if you’re home schooled you’ll beat out a schooled student with better test scores, more rigorous coursework or a higher GPA in the entrance game.
Do the best you can and everything being equal, you will have an excellent chance of getting into a university. Universities aren’t going to look down on you for home schooling.
Edit: Three thumbs down for doing my own research and comming to a conclusion of my own? In deciding on home school for one of my kids that’s what I did. I thought that’s what well educated people do. Guess not here.
It isn’t necessarily easier to get into college, but your chances can be a lot better. This is because you have a lot more educational and social freedom, a lot more opportunity to reach your full potential, be actively involved in your community, learn valuable social skills, discover and pursue your interests so you know where you want to go in life, and develop independence, self motivation, and a positive attitude towards learning. Homeschoolers tend to score much higher on the SAT and ACT as well as other standardized tests. Many homeschoolers have a lot of college experience before they even graduate highschool. I, personally, am enrolled in an early admissions program at a nearby college. I’m still in my senior year of highschool home schooling, but I’m already taking college classes and earning college credits. I know tons of homeschoolers who do this, and some who start even earlier and can graduate highschool with their associates degree as well as their diploma. Homeschoolers have the opportunity to study more advanced material, do hands on work, and take advantage of academic and extracurricular programs in the community and in local homeschool groups, things that most public schoolers don’t have time for. Homeschoolers usually have better time management and study skills because they’re used to managing their own schedules and working independently on some things. They’re usually less concerned about blending in and perfectly happy to stand out, and when you’re applying to college you WANT to stand out and be noticed. They’re usually very good at setting appropriate goals and taking the steps towards achieving their goals without being pushed or walked through every step. And best of all, homeschoolers USUALLY are actually learning. When you’re in public school, you don’t necessarily have to actually learn anything. You can squeak by with C’s and D’s and still be considered passing. You can memorize something for a test the night before, get an A, and then forget the material and never revisit it after the test is over. You rarely get the opportunity to apply the things you’re learning to real life so sometimes when you actually have to you just don’t know how. And there’s so much “busy work” in schools that a lot of the time you can get an A just for showing up to class or doing a word puzzle or some nonsense like that. Homeschoolers aren’t doing that. They’re learning in the real world, not memorizing in an artificial setting. And colleges realize this. When I look around my college chemistry class and see how students are approaching the subject and if they’re able to do well while still enjoying themselves, it’s easy to tell who was homeschooled and who wasn’t. Now, this isn’t true of ALL homeschoolers, just like the statements I made about public schoolers aren’t true of everyone, but it is the common trend, and that’s why so many top colleges and universities actively recruit and seek out homeschoolers.
Maybe because school makes you dumber, forcing you to learn only spoon-fed tidbits of irrelevant information while homeschooling allows you to pursue your passions in context with reality.
Developing a passion for spelling might help you, try playing Scrabble and other word games.
Congratulations, I hope you read the Teenage Liberation Handbook.
I don’t think it’s easier to get into college but I think homeschoolers have a great chance of getting into college. My sons have already taken Community College courses so they have proven that they can handle college level work. And often time, homeschoolers have had the time to develop a specialty, either academically,musically or sports-wise, because they have had time to follow their passions.
Best of Luck!
Janahttp://www.purehomeschooling.com/
I think it’s way easier because when you’re homeschooled you have no distractions.
Like, if i were in regular school, i might have a boyfriend or have a bully at school or something like that, which normally gets kids distracted.
🙂
It isn’t necessarily easier to get into college for a home schooled student. Colleges are looking for stand out students regardless of how they were schooled, be it home school, private school or public school. They are looking for grades, test scores and extracurricular activities. Colleges actively recruit home schooled students. They also actively recruit outstanding public and private schooled students. Colleges set booths at home school conventions. They do at gatherings of schooled students as well. The only overall statistic that I’ve read is that 60% of home schooled students attend college and 90% of schooled students in honors courses do. I’m certain that less than 60% of high school students attend college, so on average a home schooled student is more likely to attend college. But this comparison isn’t complete since not all high school students are in honors courses and not all home schooled students report what they do after finishing high school. The home schooled students who attend college are going to report more often than the ones who don’t.
The real statistics to look at are what percent of the entering college freshman class at any given university was home schooled and what percentages of home schooled and schooled applicants are accepted at a university. If the percent of students at a university who were home schooled is higher than the percent of home schooled students to the student population, your chance of attending that college as a home schooled student are excellent. At Columbia University there are 12 home schooled students in a population of 1,000. That is a smaller percentage than the percentage of home schooled students in the US population. Swarthmore college states that it accepted 1 in 4 home schooled applicants, the same ratio as schooled students. I found an article in the Harvard University student paper that followed three freshman home schooled students. The article didn’t say if they were the only three students, or if any others wouldn’t participate.
By looking at this critically I’m not saying home schooled students don’t have an excellent chance of getting into college. IAll things being equal, home schooled students who excel stand out But ultimately what really stands out to universities are students who excel, period. Home schooled students excel, but so do other students. There are students from every type of school who are national merrit scholars. Not every schooled student slides by with C’s and D’s. Those aren’t the schooled students who go to college anyway. The idea that all students who attend public school are failures is just as silly as the idea that any student who is home schooled is socially stunted. Neither all or nothing statement is even close to true. You cannot assume that if you’re home schooled you’ll beat out a schooled student with better test scores, more rigorous coursework or a higher GPA in the entrance game.
Do the best you can and everything being equal, you will have an excellent chance of getting into a university. Universities aren’t going to look down on you for home schooling.
Edit: Three thumbs down for doing my own research and comming to a conclusion of my own? In deciding on home school for one of my kids that’s what I did. I thought that’s what well educated people do. Guess not here.
It isn’t necessarily easier to get into college, but your chances can be a lot better. This is because you have a lot more educational and social freedom, a lot more opportunity to reach your full potential, be actively involved in your community, learn valuable social skills, discover and pursue your interests so you know where you want to go in life, and develop independence, self motivation, and a positive attitude towards learning. Homeschoolers tend to score much higher on the SAT and ACT as well as other standardized tests. Many homeschoolers have a lot of college experience before they even graduate highschool. I, personally, am enrolled in an early admissions program at a nearby college. I’m still in my senior year of highschool home schooling, but I’m already taking college classes and earning college credits. I know tons of homeschoolers who do this, and some who start even earlier and can graduate highschool with their associates degree as well as their diploma. Homeschoolers have the opportunity to study more advanced material, do hands on work, and take advantage of academic and extracurricular programs in the community and in local homeschool groups, things that most public schoolers don’t have time for. Homeschoolers usually have better time management and study skills because they’re used to managing their own schedules and working independently on some things. They’re usually less concerned about blending in and perfectly happy to stand out, and when you’re applying to college you WANT to stand out and be noticed. They’re usually very good at setting appropriate goals and taking the steps towards achieving their goals without being pushed or walked through every step. And best of all, homeschoolers USUALLY are actually learning. When you’re in public school, you don’t necessarily have to actually learn anything. You can squeak by with C’s and D’s and still be considered passing. You can memorize something for a test the night before, get an A, and then forget the material and never revisit it after the test is over. You rarely get the opportunity to apply the things you’re learning to real life so sometimes when you actually have to you just don’t know how. And there’s so much “busy work” in schools that a lot of the time you can get an A just for showing up to class or doing a word puzzle or some nonsense like that. Homeschoolers aren’t doing that. They’re learning in the real world, not memorizing in an artificial setting. And colleges realize this. When I look around my college chemistry class and see how students are approaching the subject and if they’re able to do well while still enjoying themselves, it’s easy to tell who was homeschooled and who wasn’t. Now, this isn’t true of ALL homeschoolers, just like the statements I made about public schoolers aren’t true of everyone, but it is the common trend, and that’s why so many top colleges and universities actively recruit and seek out homeschoolers.
Maybe because school makes you dumber, forcing you to learn only spoon-fed tidbits of irrelevant information while homeschooling allows you to pursue your passions in context with reality.
Developing a passion for spelling might help you, try playing Scrabble and other word games.
Congratulations, I hope you read the Teenage Liberation Handbook.
I don’t think it’s easier to get into college but I think homeschoolers have a great chance of getting into college. My sons have already taken Community College courses so they have proven that they can handle college level work. And often time, homeschoolers have had the time to develop a specialty, either academically,musically or sports-wise, because they have had time to follow their passions.
Best of Luck!
Janahttp://www.purehomeschooling.com/
I think it’s way easier because when you’re homeschooled you have no distractions.
Like, if i were in regular school, i might have a boyfriend or have a bully at school or something like that, which normally gets kids distracted.
🙂