Home Schooling - AP, Dual Credits, Accreditation for College Acceptance and Scholarships? HELP!

Applying to College
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<p>Should we continue to home school or will that be a mistake? </p>

<p>My son probably wants to go into computer science. Right now we are homeschooling in GA but might move to FL or NC before he graduates. Since we don’t know what state we will be living in or what colleges he will want to apply to we are flying blind on what kind of classes to take. I know there are a lot of home school families that get scholarships and accepted into colleges all across the county but when looking at the recommended class requirements I can’t figure out how they do it. Most home schoolers I know only take the subjects needed to get through high school (with some advanced level subjects). The problem I am having is trying to figure out how important AP or dual credit classes are. In researching this over the last week there are very few places a home schooled child can get an AP class and they are very expensive (Chemistry $750 not including books and materials needed). I know most home schooled children aren’t getting AP Classes so I can’t figure out how they are competing with even public schooled kids, getting scholarships or getting accepted to college.<br>
I feel like we are at crossroad as to how to finish his last 3 years. If we can’t afford AP classes we might be able to do some dual credit classes his junior and senior year but is that enough? I see some public school students online that say they took AP classes from their freshman year all the way to graduation.
Also it seems as if the home school world is changing and in order to compete with all other students you really need to have everything and more that others have. With limited funds I can’t compete!
Should I put my child back in public school just so he can get the needed AP classes? We really don’t want to do this! I am really freaking out about how to make sure we don’t mess him up for when he applies for scholarships and colleges. Any help would be appreciated! </p>

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<p>Some home schooling kids would take some class in community college. Also, some school may require/recommend multiple SAT2 subject test scores to verify the standing of the student.</p>

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<p>Not everyone at public school can take many AP classes; our small rural school (NY) only offers three, and only one of them is available to juniors. This means the only AP score that shows up on their college transcript is the one APUSH test that is taken junior year. But every year someone from our school goes to Cornell, and this year there are three (my D included). </p>

<p>So, many top colleges do look at whether AP is available before they penalize students for not having AP. I don’t know how this translates to homeschool, though. The sense I get from CC is that schools look at what you did with what you had. If AP isn’t doable, are there other things your child could pursue passionately in a way that stands out? What does he/she love? Can you use your flexibility to give your child opportunities to pursue that in a really interesting way, even if it doesn’t cost much money? Starting a business? Trying to get published? Taking high responsibility in a volunteer position?</p>

<p>I know a number of homeschoolers here, but none of them have kids old enough to have gone through the college process yet except for two families who homeschooled up until high school and then sent them to our public school or to a local Christian school. Their kids have done very well getting into college.</p>

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<p>I should add that we probably will be applying to state colleges or one on that level. </p>

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<p>In Florida, there is a Virtual school where any student, in a traditional school or home schooled, can take a class on line. Many of the courses are AP. Community college is also available, and some school districts have a virtual school too. Any student can register and take an AP test - you don’t have to have taken a course.</p>

<p>My kids have taken AP classes but have no college credit for them. Both were accepted to colleges.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I have been really stressed out about it this last week or two. It is good to know that currently you really don’t have to have a lot of AP classes to get into college. From everything I have read AP courses are highly recommended. I just assumed this was because most applicants had them (and a lot of them!). </p>

<p>I know we can take the AP test but since I won’t be able to call the class AP I didn’t know if there was a point.
If we can get good PSAT and SAT scores and then take the SAT II Subject test I think we might be ok.
I will also try to choose more classes that are on the Honors level. I know it doesn’t count as much as a AP class but it is better than nothing. </p>

<p>It sounds like I need to go ahead and move to Florida. The FVS sounds like a real blessing! :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Thanks everyone!!</p>

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<p>You need to look v-e-r-y carefully at what the states require and have available. It’s all on you when you homeschool which is a very heavy responsibility. For those in an active community of on the ball homeschoolers, that isn’t such a problem, but when you are doing this pretty much solo, YOU have to be the one looking unless your kid is extra savvy about these things. Things like Florida has Bright Futures. You better make sure your student does what’s needed to stay competitive for it. Don’t know what NC has for kids. You need to make sure all of the i’s are dotted, t’s are crossed. I’ve seen great, great success from those who homeschooled–top of the top, but I’ve also seen some dismal misses just because of awareness issues. </p>

<p>Though I am pretty well informed and know the ropes in terms of college admissions, better than most people, I am ever so grateful that my son has his peers and his schools to “poke” me along on deadlines and some opportunities. It’s so easy to miss a beat </p>

<p>There was a post recently here on the home school forum, from a young woman who had great stats, and rejecfted from all of her schools? Why? Well, for one thing she wanted to go to school in NY and a lot of her school choices were in NY state The one state in the nation that requires a GED or some sort of official diploma from something with some pretty specific requirements, and if you don’t have it, you are flushed from consideration She didn’t know, neither did her parents. If you are applying to coleges in other states, you have to know the rules in place for them. Some of them are not listed on the schools website so clearly You have to hunt for the home school students’ section and make sure you are in compliance, or , for the more selective schools, your app is just tossed to the side. Plenty of others who follow the rules to consider.</p>

<p>My friend who homeschools missed NM PSATesting for her kids. Just flat out didn’t think about it. These are things that can happen if you are not in that loop. </p>

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<p>Even folks in traditional school have to try to keep up with requirements. A friend of my D wanted to go to Cornell and definitely had an excellent shot, but the GC at their (even smaller) rural school didn’t tell them that CU requires SAT II, and I didn’t think to mention it because I assumed they knew. Missed the deadlines, no CU application. She got full tuition elsewhere but they might have had a great time rooming together :frowning: .</p>

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<p>Good advice!
I am trying my best to stay on top of these things. I have the Georgia rep from HSLDA going to contact me to discuss the new HOPE scholarship rules and requirements. I will look up the Bright Futures information.The home school group in my area isn’t very large. Our group does post when the upcoming tests are so that we have plenty of time to register. I just wish our group was a bit more organized and maybe larger. I also wish there was a central location I could go to for information like this. I have to get a lot of my information from forums like this one. I have been steered wrong in the past so I am doing all I can to research and stay on top of it for his high school years. I have also been checking on college home school requirements but not knowing where we will be it has been difficult. From what I have seen most colleges want either accreditation or a portfolio and of course a transcript and test scores. I would love to have someone to go to that could walk me through the next few years.  </p>

<p>I also hope we won’t run into problems with being new in a state (IF we move). I know that might complicate things when it comes to getting a scholarship. </p>

<p>All of this is why sometimes I just want to throw in the towel and put him back into the public school system. Well that is until I remember the reasons why I took him out. </p>

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<p>Some homeschoolers self study for the AP exams. You can find all kinds of AP course syllabi online to follow but it does take a lot of discipline to stay on track. </p>

<p>Some students use an online course from someplace like Coursera and then use a study guide specifically for the AP test.</p>

<p>Scoring well on the AP test provides colleges with an outside verification of the student’s performance. Also, it might be used for college credit, particularly at state schools.</p>

<p>Some take classes at a local community college or university. Some states have PSEO programs where the classes can be paid for through the school district. </p>

<p>Some go without AP or dual credit classes. Depends on each family’s situation.</p>

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<p>I guess I can see where a AP test score might be of interest to a college even if they didn’t take an official AP course. Thanks! </p>

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<p>Have you looked into a homeschooling charters in the areas you would move to? We have many in our area that are public schools but run in different ways. Some have students actually in class 2 days a week. Some have the kids check in once a month but do all their work independently. The bonus of the charters is the curriculum, books, a report card from an accredited school, a teacher recommendation potential, it’s all free without having to give up the homeschooling environment you desire. I know that the ones here do offer AP courses and all the parents pay for is the test. Duel enrollment is an option as well. My eldest did 10 courses at the community college and only 1 AP (not a homeschooler but through a middle college program.) She did get rejected from the one Ivy she applied to which wasn’t a surprise because she had a rough sophomore year but she got into several other highly selective schools despite lack of AP’s. </p>

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<p>Thanks! I think all the charter schools here operate a lot like normal schools in that you have to go to class every day. They also have a waiting list. Now the public online schools are technically charter schools. We have thought about going with one of them. It would be like home schooling but with less freedom.
At this point we are checking into everything. I just hate the feeling of having to figure all this out as soon as possible. </p>

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<p>It’s not as active as the Top Forums, but there is a Home School & College forum that might have some interesting threads to browse
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>My son is a senior. He’s never attended public school, taken an AP test, or enrolled in a community college course. although home schoolers can take the AP exams without having been in a formal class and (at least in NYS) they’re permitted to enroll in cc courses as part of their high school program. He’s been interested in computers for several years and is leaning toward pursing computer science as a career. </p>

<p>We created our high school program around our state home school regs which require a certain number of credits in English, math, science, history/geography, economics/government, music/art, PE/health, and electives. Then we added classes we felt were important (like science labs and technology classes). We completed 4 years of the core courses even though, in some instances, the state required fewer than 4 credits. We also signed him up for outside classes and workshops when there was interest, encouraged community involvement on a regular basis, and signed him up for whatever ECs he was interested in.</p>

<p>The college application process wasn’t that difficult. My son applied to 10 colleges in 5 different states. If a college had their own app, he completed that instead of the Common App so he could personalize each one. I kept very good records of assignments and grades all through high school so I could create quarterly report cards and a high school transcript. His application packet also included a letter of substantial equivalency from our district superintendent (what NYS home schoolers use in place of a high school diploma), school profile (home school philosophy, demographics of our area, a course catalog, grading system, and list of major materials used), a guidance counselor letter, SAT scores (the only outside score in his application), a letter of recommendation, and his essay. He chose colleges based on the majors/minors they offered, location, and (to some extent) cost. He took some chances knowing that if certain colleges didn’t offer enough aid, we weren’t going to be able to make it happen. He was accepted to every college he applied to, many with generous merit aid (his SAT scores were high enough to receive the highest merit awards at several of the colleges he applied to, but too low to receive awards at the most expensive schools). He’s weighing the ROI to help him whittle the list down. His current favorite is a computer science program that he can complete in 3 years, then transfer to Columbia for an engineering degree after 2 more years of study. However, he’s not completely certain that he wants to study computer science, so I’m not sure if he’ll end up accepting that offer. There’s generous aid there though, so maybe.</p>

<p>NYS does require graduates of our colleges to show successful completion of a program that’s the equivalent of a high school program before they can receive their college degree. The regulations don’t require it to be admitted to college, only to be awarded the degree. It’s easier to submit it with the application though. There are several ways to show equivalency. The easiest is to get a letter of substantial equivalency from your district superintendent. NYS requires us to submit paperwork throughout the year (an intent to home school letter and home school plan at the beginning of the year, quarterly reports, and yearly testing at the end of each year in high school), so by the end of 12th grade our administration is familiar enough with our program to certify our students have completed the substantial equivalent of a 4-year high school education. You could also take 24 college credits (6CR in English, 3CR in math; 3CR in science; 3CR in social sciences; 3CR in humanities; and 6CR in any degree program), have a degree “from a degree-granting institution accredited by an accrediting agency approved by the United States Department of Education, pursuant to 20 USC 1099b,” (see NYSED Chapter I of Title 8 of the Official Compilation of Codes), or get a GED. Many of us avoid the GED because we think there’s an unfair stigma attached to it. </p>

<p>I don’t think AP courses are important, but I believe the SAT is. Knowledge of the schools you’re applying to is also extremely important. My son studied course catalogs to make sure the colleges he applied to had not only the major classes he wanted, but enough electives to keep him happy. He was very clear in each application what it was about that school that attracted him to it. The application process was different for different colleges. We felt like Penn State was the toughest school (I don’t know how PA views home schoolers in general) because they seemed to want more information than anybody else (and they wanted it to come from the school district, which isn’t how home schooling in NYS works). The SUNYs seemed the most straight forward, maybe because we’re instate and they’re used to home schoolers, but they gave less aid than the privates. OOS publics (like TX and CT) didn’t make the application process too difficult, but they gave less aid than either the instate or OOS privates. I don’t think home schooling, or home schooling without extra outside courses/test scores hurt my son. I’d suggest you help your children complete the most rigorous program that you can, take the PSAT and SAT, and do ECs they enjoy. Then do your best to make sure their personality comes through on the applications. </p>

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<p>This is where the college matters. If your student wants to apply to a school like GA Tech, UNC-CH, etc, admissions is very competitive and your student is going to need to have more than avg high school courses. GA Tech’s early admission stats were an avg of 9+ IB/AP/dual enroll credits. If you are looking at less competitive schools with 50-75% acceptance rates, standard high school curriculum is probably fine.</p>

<p>With all of the opencourseware options, self-studying upper level courses is not that difficult, and since those resources are free, there is a world of opportunity for self-education. SAT subject tests are one way of validating the coursework they have completed if you don’t want to pursue APs. </p>

<p>Some of my kids graduate with a more typical advanced high school diploma; some of my kids have extremely advanced coursework. So, there are homeschoolers out there taking really heavy competitive loads.</p>

<p>If your ds is serious about CS, I would strongly recommend making sure that his math courses are solid. I would avoid homeschool math publishers like MUS and TT. If he is a really strong math student, you might look into Art of Problem Solving. If he is more of an avgly strong math student, I would seek out traditional math texts. </p>

<p>One option for online classes that are more affordable than other is Derek Owens. I have never used them personally, but I have read good reviews about his classes, especially his physics class.
<a href=“http://www.derekowens.com/”>http://www.derekowens.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.coursetalk.com/?cauthkey=562e792a-2090-485e-87b7-dffb3e51fa1d&pauthkey=0f416da3-e3cf-4dbb-8a28-58f0d6e1e5a6&utm_source=google”>http://www.coursetalk.com/?cauthkey=562e792a-2090-485e-87b7-dffb3e51fa1d&pauthkey=0f416da3-e3cf-4dbb-8a28-58f0d6e1e5a6&utm_source=google&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.ocwconsortium.org/”>http://www.ocwconsortium.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>We home school in Florida, and if you head this way, here is what we did to ensure our home school program was competitive (son is heading out of state on full tuition scholarship):</p>

<p>1) Established a home school high school program that exceeded the diploma program required by the state for public school students, and that matched or exceeded the diploma program offered at the best school in the county (my kids had attended there for a short time, and the school is one of best in the state.)</p>

<p>2) Established a home school high school program that met and exceeded what the University of Florida and Florida State University expect to see from applicants. If you have particular schools in mind, then look at their expectations for applicants, and make sure your program meets and exceeds. Pay close attention to the math courses they are looking for, which will be the higher level math, algebra and above, as well as lab science classes and foreign language, and pretty much four years of every academic core class.</p>

<p>3) Honors and AP Classes: Florida Virtual School is a great option for this, whether you use the Classic program or the Full-time Home Ed program (non-diploma), or even the Full-time Public School program (diploma granting, but, if enrolled, no longer considered independent homeschooler, though you work from home.) FLVS covers the cost of the tests, the classes are challenging (some have been great, others could be better, but overall a good experience.) You want to get to know your local assigned high school principal and guidance counselor early on, because you will be working with the local guidance counselor when it comes time to sign up for the various tests. Our district is homeschool-friendly, and the local high school works with many homeschoolers, for tests but also some students take classes at the public high school.) Financially, it is wonderful since FLVS pays for them (at around $100 each, I believe.)</p>

<p>4) Preparing that transcript and college application:</p>

<p>Transcript: I used a great program I found online to create my transcripts, My Homeschool Transcripts <a href=“https://www.myhomeschooltranscripts.com/”>https://www.myhomeschooltranscripts.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The transcript included grades from our home school program (independent curriculum), FLVS Classic classes, FLVS Full-time Home Ed classes, and public high school classes. The software allowed me to record classes, include descriptions of classes (actually a very comprehensive course description), create reports by year and by subject, include extracurricular activities and awards. It was very comprehensive, and professional looking.</p>

<p>Regarding the course descriptions, I used information from the Florida Department of Education website, where you can find course descriptions for every course, written in education-speak (the language of the people reviewing the college application) and I modified as necessary to include names schools, of textbooks, or special information. The point was to show that the courses my kids took met and exceeded what the education department intended those courses to provide. Here is that website: <a href=“Search Course | CPALMS.org”>http://www.cpalms.org/Public/search/Course&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My son’s application packet also included a page that described our home school program and philosophy.</p>

<p>I was never asked by any of the universities that offered admission to my son for anything in addition to what I sent in (no professional review for equivalency, etc.) That can differ by school, of course, so go ahead and ask those questions early on.</p>

<p>5) Bright Futures Scholarships</p>

<p>Homeschoolers can definitely qualify and receive these scholarships to use at Florida public and private universities. Homeschoolers have to receive higher SAT and ACT scores, as the program will not consider GPAs for independent homeschoolers (of course, your students will have those high GPAs anyway if they plan to apply to universities.)</p>

<p>6) Independent or Umbrella</p>

<p>Choose carefully how you plan to homeschool if you come to Florida. Homeschooling as an independent, registered homeschooler (registered with district and required to submit annual report each year) means more access to sports and extracurriculars in the local district (sports was important for my kids - they played football, basketball, and baseball with the public high school, as well in other years with private schools and homeschool co-ops.) Only matters if your kids want to play sports, as mine did.</p>

<p>If you choose to homeschool under an umbrella school, you are technically participating in a private school and the Florida High School Athletic Association will not allow your kids to play on teams that participate with the FHSAA (most publics and many privates.) There are advantages to umbrellas (they keep your grades, issue diplomas, arrange for access to dual enrollment programs, you don’t report to the district every year, and requirements for Bright Futures is the same as all public school students.)</p>

<p>It is great that you are considering this all now. My son is about to participate in a homeschool graduation ceremony next month, and I was surprised to learn from some parents that their kids never took AP classes and never really had plans to apply to four year universities straight from high school. Many of the kids went straight to dual enrollment at the community college, which is a great opportunity, and real college classes, of course, with the plan to get their AAs and then transfer to other universities (usually here in Florida.) A great option, but as many have stated around CC, a student might miss out on the merit aid scholarships that go to freshman applicants. It just depends what path best fits your kids.</p>

<p>The great thing is that there are many choices to provide a competitive, challenging, college prep high school experience for your kids here in Florida. </p>

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<p>I know this thread is old but I couldn’t help adding my two cents.</p>

<p>I am a junior in high school and have been homeschooled pretty much my whole life. My parents both went to Ivies and want me to apply to them as well. With that in mind, here is what I’ve done:</p>

<p>1.) Self-studying for AP and SAT subject tests
Homeschoolers have to prove that their transcript is legitimate and not simply “mommy grades.” To try and prove that I deserve the grades I have, I have taken six AP tests and four SAT subject tests. I only have to send my top SAT subject test scores, so having a nice “pool” to choose from is useful. I would self-study for the AP and then take both the SAT subject test in that subject and the AP test. I took AP Bio as a freshman, AP Euro, English lit, and english lang as a sophomore, and APUSH and chemistry as a junior. Whenever I covered a subject during the year, I would pull out the AP and SAT study books in the spring and just learn the material over a few months before the AP exam. With this method, I’ve gotten 5s on every test except for a 4 on AP lit. At this point, I have amassed enough credit to be exempt from almost all first year classes.</p>

<p>3.) Dual enrollment
I started taking dual enrollment classes at my local community college when I was 15. This is a great way to prove that you can handle a college classroom environment, in addition to getting college credit. I took college chemistry, the AP Chemistry test, and the SAT chemistry subject test all at the same time (my chemistry final was two days after the AP test!). Again, objection grade verification.</p>

<p>2.) Lots of research
I’ve read every book on homeschool admissions at my library and would suggest that you check that out, many have stories of successful homeschoolers or useful tips for admission. I’ve also checked the requirements for all of the schools I am looking at and combined them into a spreadsheet. I am a bit of a visual person and just like having everything laid out. I also have a table showing which colleges accept AP/dual enrollment credit.</p>

<p>That, at least, is what I have been doing in addition to my normal homeschool stuff. :slight_smile: I suppose I’ll see next year if it’s all been worth it!</p>