HOW PARENTS CAN HELP

Home Schooling

The first important thing is to have your homeschooled child contact the admissions offices at the colleges that interest him or her.

Different colleges have different requirements for homeschooled students, so be prepared to tailor the application package for each school. Most admissions offices will be interested in the level and intensity of the course work your child has completed. Be sure to find out whether the college requires a transcript of completed courses. Sometimes, colleges request a list of the books used and any completed course materials. Your child's GPA will probably not matter as much as factors such as college entrance exam scores, personal essays, and interviews.

Many colleges find it useful to have a portfolio of the homeschooled student’s work. In addition to information such as grades and test scores, the portfolio might include writing samples, computer programming projects, awards, lists of books read, newspaper clippings about volunteer work, etc.

In addition, your child might want to consider enrolling at a local community college. Some homeschoolers find community college a good way to “try out” a college environment and to build a record of courses and grades beyond the home transcript.

You and your child can learn more through networking with other homeschoolers who are applying – or have been admitted – to college.

For more details on helping your child prepare academically, follow our Student Timeline section.

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