The View from the College Admissions Office

My homeschooled daughter is applying for admission to several colleges. In view of the fact that she has no high-school transcript and therefore no grade-point average, how can she convince college officials to accept her?

For important reasons, parents have made the choice to homeschool their children, and these children have reaped rewards, both educational and spiritual. However, as every homeschool parent knows, there is a price to pay. For example, homeschooled students must make a considerable effort to document successful completion of high-school coursework for college admissions.

What can these students do to enhance their chances of admission to the college of their choice? We are providing a number of suggestions.

FOR PARENTS

Submit a short narrative about each course your son or daughter has completed and attach appropriate documentation. According to Carol Lunkenheimer at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, these write-ups will carry extra weight in the absence of a high-school transcript. Officials will look for evidence of the study of mathematics, English, history, foreign languages, and lab science. (The lab science requirement appears to be the biggest hurdle for homeschoolers. Parents may want to enroll their son or daughter in the local public high school, or, if possible, in a local community college for the lab science experience.)

FOR STUDENTS

Provide information that would help an admissions official judge your personal character. According to David Illingworth, Homeschool Coordinator for Harvard University, acceptance there is very individual; academics are just a part of the picture. Harvard tries to have an interesting mix of students and, when considering whether to accept a student, looks at his involvement in activities, the level of involvement in the community, and his involvement in some passion such as music or science. A student could provide a personal profile and references attached to the application and could embellish key points during the interview. The key question to answer is "What would you add to the Harvard mix?" Illingworth indicated that approximately 50 to 60 homeschooled students apply each year and are accepted at about the same rate as other applicants.

Give great care to the essays on the application forms. Again, in the absence of an official high-school transcript, college officials may give extra weight to the quality of these essays.

Take the SAT and ACT tests. Most colleges require one or the other of these tests. For homeschooled students, college officials may place extra weight on the performance on these tests. Good scores will enhance a student's chances for acceptance. To find out how to register for the SAT test, check with the local public high school or with the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ (866/756-7346). For the ACT test, contact either the local public high school or American College Testing (319/337-1000).

Students may wish to take an ACT preparation class prior to taking the ACT. Check with the local public high school or community college to find out when these classes are being offered.

Take the SAT achievement tests. These tests document performance in English, mathematics, science, history, and foreign languages including Latin, Russian, Spanish, French, and German. Students receive norm-based scores that reveal their performance relative to thousands of other high-school students. For more information on these tests, again contact the Educational Testing Service.

Take the CLEP tests. Students who have achieved college-level proficiency in a course of study may wish to take the CLEP exams (College-Level Examination Program). Successful performance on these exams will enable students to (1) have their educational attainment validated, (2) attain college credit for the knowledge they have acquired, (3) obtain advanced placement in a college curriculum. For those who want to consider taking the CLEP tests, we recommend the ARCO book entitled Master the CLEP. The book gives information on how to register, where and when the tests are given, how to prepare for the exams, and how to interpret the scores.

The CLEP exams are of two types: a general exam and subject exams. The general exam measures five basic areas: English composition, humanities, mathematics, natural science, and social science. The subject exams measure achievement in specific college courses and are used to grant exemptions from and credit for these courses.

Take the G.E.D. exam. Students can take this high-school equivalency exam and obtain a high-school diploma or certificate. However, depending upon which state they live in, students will need to be either 17 or 18 years old to take the test. Local libraries and community colleges will have information on this test.

Consider obtaining a college degree through home study. Some courses are offered over cable TV or home computer. Others are offered through guided independent study at an individual pace. For students who are considering the home-study route, we recommend the following references:

• Bear, John B., PhD and Bear, Mariah P. Bears' guide to College Degrees by Mail and Internet, Berkeley CA: 10th Edition, Ten Speed Press, April 27th, 2005.
• The Independent Study Catalog, Peterson's Guides; 7th Edition April, 1998

While homeschooled students face special challenges in the process of application for college admission, their rate of acceptance is generally equal to that of students from public schools. The creativity and extra effort that characterize homeschooling efforts can be successfully applied to the college admissions process.