I’m a homeschooled student and i’m shortlisting the colleges that i want to apply to. I’m just so confused if they are homeschool friendly or not; and how likely are they to accept homeschooled students? I have a long list (consisting of 16 colleges) and from that i just need to finalize 7 colleges to which i will apply. Also, i need generous financial aid (i’m an international student) and so please shed some light as to which of these colleges offer it (i know these colleges are need-aware)? Could you guys please share your experiences/opinions of these colleges?
Thanks,
Long list:
Pomona College
Vanderbilt University
Rice University
Williams College
Davidson College
Wesleyan University
Haverford College
Colby College
Grinnel College
University of Richmond
Trinity College
Macalester College
Skidmore College
Connecticut College
Franklin and marshall College
Occidental college
With the exception of a handful of schools, most schools are homeschool friendly with proper documentation: transcripts, test scores, course descriptions, LOR, etc. Davidson is one that I am aware of that has a reputation that is not homeschool friendly.
Most websites have a homeschool section describing the process. BUT…international non-American homeschool students may face additional hurdles. That is a question for their admissions dept. Younalso need to factor in how they deal with international admissions as well as FA. If you are looking for merit aid and not need based aid, you need to change your list.
Some colleges may require an interview for homeschooled students. I believe that Pomona does, for example. They will also require extra testing such as SAT subject tests from homeschoolers, even if they don’t require them from other students. It would be wise to look into each school’s requirements to make sure you have taken the required tests so that you know what you are up against. Most have this information on their websites.
We were helping our son research more schools to apply to and only now came across the “all homeschoolers must be interviewed” rule for a couple of colleges. One had Nov 1 as the interview deadline & it didn’t seem to matter if you were applying RD. Too late for our son, so it got crossed off the list.
We learned early on that “test scores are optional” aren’t for homeschoolers & most schools weigh them more.
We eliminated all of the SUNY schools because their requirements were so strict, there didn’t seem to be any leighway for those in other states who had different graduation requirements, & there was no way to meet them in time. I heard NY is one of the toughest states to homeschool in. I know we could email admissions, but we’re honestly exhausted & stressed enough. It was easier to just move on to the next school on the potential list.
@sawyertom, Franklin & Marshall & Weslyan are on our son’s list too.
@sawyertom, Grove City College is an excellent option for homeschoolers. However, similar to other who have posted, we have seen little resistance from schools in general for homeschooled kids. They do require more ‘proof’ that the child has received proper schooling, but I think that is warranted. If they have strong test scores and a great resume, they should have no problems.
