I’m thinking about homeschooling my senior year of high school due to athletic issues, I want to run for a better team and have been having issues with my own coach at my public school that is forcing me to chose between the sport or the school. I want to apply to rigorous schools and thus far have had a pretty decent high school transcript to get me there, my standardized test scores are also up to par, but I want to know if I would be screwing myself over in the long run by switching to a non-traditional student. My plan would be to take 2 AP classes at school, 2 AP classes online, and one D.E. class, so my schedule would still be rigorous. Please help !!!
This approach isn’t unusual for truly elite athletes, especially in sports with heavy training demands and competition schedules that are in conflict with school. (Gymnastics, figure skating, and equestrian sports are a couple that come to mind.) If you will be an athletic recruit and genuinely want to focus on that, you will probably have a good enough story to tell. If you simply don’t get along with your coach, you will need to be sure to have other, better reasons for doing this - academics your school doesn’t offer, etc. In other words, aligning your life to pursue your interests, which cannot be done in your current environment shows drive and initiative. I would say if track is the driver, it will look odd if you are not very, very good. Just my opinion.
I would worry about the logistics of applying to colleges. How will you secure teacher and GC recommendations? How will that effect your class rank? Your current school will have to send a transcript, but might not be willing to assist with any additional efforts. Is the other sports team at another school or a travel team? For application purposes, would you be considered to be a home schooler (vs a public school student). Are you currently being lured by a certain college? What is their process of application for home schoolers? Some require additional essays. Find out all the facts before making that decision.