<p>I am a home schooled junior living in Texas with hopes of attending college at Northwestern University. As a home schooled student i don't have access to a traditional high school counselor, and forums such as this offer wonderful advice but can't answer every question i might have. So i was wondering if anyone here has advice or any suggestions to help me out, in my search for more detailed/ direct/ personal assistance. Thanks.</p>
<p>You have a few options.<br>
- As far as I know, most school districts have counselors available for students to talk to even if they are homeschooled. I would first try called the district office and asking about it.<br>
- You could try calling your local high school, tell them about your situation and ask if they will let you meet with one of their counselors.
- It’s also a really good idea to make appointments with counselors at the colleges you plan to apply to or are considering. It lets them know that you are interested and you are likely to get more up to date and detailed information from them than you would a high school counselor.
- I’ve heard that you can hire private counselors to help you but you’ll have to google that. I don’t know much about it or how much they cost. </p>
<p>I’ve talked to a lot counselors in the past few years and I have found that 1) they all know about different things so it’s good to talk to LOTS of them and 2) they contradict each other a lot. You will probably end up researching a lot of things yourself because of this…but, that also could have just been my experience. Also, don’t be afraid to make decisions for yourself or do things that are out of the ordinary. Counselors are all trained to send you down the same path. That path doesn’t work for everyone… One of my high school counselors told me flat out that I shouldn’t do something and that it was a terrible idea that probably wouldn’t accomplish my goals. I did it anyway and have never been happier. If I did what she suggested I would probably have been miserable. (I was homeschooled for a while and my brother is currently homeschooled, btw)</p>
<p>Good Luck! I hope that you find the help you need. If you need more help, just ask :-)</p>
<p>Sent you a pm.</p>