Homeschoolers and College

typically the SAT 2's are adequate, or the AP exams. It really does depend on the school...

Ditto. Although some schools do require transcripts and the usual, the real key was the SAT, at least in my case. Since, if I'm reading the data correctly, most homeschoolers score well above the national average, it's not that difficult to get into most colleges. Colleges are more accepting now than they were when I went to college after being homeschooled, but even then, I could raise eyebrows with admissions folk by flashing my SAT score. I ended up going to a very homeschool-friendly college, but my understanding now is that many, if not most, schools will work with homeschoolers to get them in, recognizing that the situation is a little different than with students from traditional schools.

From what I understand, some colleges no longer even require SAT scores, and are open to alternative grading systems so they aren't necessarily looking for a GPA. (I worked at a high school whose grades were based on state educational standards, so there was no such thing as GPA; the grades were Does not meet; Partially meets; Meets; and Exceeds.) There are colleges- not that I can remember the names of them right offhand, though one of them's in my home state- that base admission in large part on the application, including essays about the applicant, rather than on standardized test scores. Some colleges also actively seek applicants who have been homeschooled, because homeschoolers are sometimes more self-directed and responsible in their educations than those who have gone through public schools. (NOTE: This is a generalization; there are of course public school graduates who are very self-directed and responsible, and homeschoolers who are neither, but colleges do sometimes generalize.)

Do you mean state universities? I think they probably use the same application for everyone, but are flexible about some portions of it in the case of homeschoolers, but I could be wrong.

Home

The same tests any other applicants must take. Home schooled children can be at a disadvantage with large universities, however, simply because greaduating at the top of your class doesn't mean much when you were taught at home.

But in the end, how well you do on an entrance exam, and for many of the better universities, SATs and ACTs are a bare start, determines a LOT. Try taking the Harvard entrance exam, and you'll realize instantly there are no dumb Harvard students. The same is true fore most universities of this stature.

But for ordinary colleges and universities, an SAT or ACT is what colleges base everything on, home schooled or not. Score too low on an SAT or ACT and you may still get in, but on a trial basis.

But, seriously, anyone who can't score fairly high on either exam has no business in college, and probably won't do well once there.

I didn't graduate high school. In fact, I got throwed out.

But even without a HS diploma I got into collage by passing the entrance exam. I had to talk to a few people to be permitted to take it but in the end I did very well on the exam and they let me attend. This was NOT a school that would be regarded highly; just a community collage.

KimJo said:

Do you mean state universities? I think they probably use the same application for everyone, but are flexible about some portions of it in the case of homeschoolers, but I could be wrong.

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This is the case with every college I know of. Homeschoolers fill out the same forms and just put "not applicable" when it isn't.