<p>Hi! Is there any parent out here who homeschooled their kids and they ended up in an Ivy League school? I have heard a handful of kids going to Roxbury Latin for Middle School and Harvard for College. I am just very curious as to how they did it and maybe they can share their wisdom:) Thanks!</p>
<p>There is a thread on here about this, regarding a young woman named Chelsea Link from Evanston, IL, who was homeschooled and got into top tier schools.</p>
<p>I know homeschooled kids who have gotten into top tier colleges. How they did it is essentially pretty much the same as traditionally schooled kids; they studied rigorous subjects, had outstanding test scores, very developed “extra-curricular” activities (although that phrase doesn’t make much sense for homeschooler since those activities are usually pretty integrated into their overall learning and education) and great essays and recommendations.</p>
<p>I agree with 'rentof 2. You can also pm sbjdorlo. Her son goes to MIT, but he got into several Ivies as well.</p>
<p>I homeschooled my older two from 9th and 7th (respectively) through 12th and they both got into colleges easily. Middle son had the stats for Ivy, but never had an interest for any of them, so chose not to apply to any. He’s at URochester right now and loving it. </p>
<p>Youngest wanted to be in our ps, so is there, and isn’t getting nearly the academic education my older two had… We don’t live in an area with good schools, but academics aren’t his highest priority, so he’s happy. (I’m frustrated, but it’s his life. He’ll likely attend a lower level school as many of his peers do.)</p>
<p>Most colleges we’ve looked into ask that homeschooled kids take SATII’s in at least 3 different subject areas, science, math and a social science, along with the ACT/SAT. Some have some extra supplements you have to fill out. All of that information is available on the college websites.</p>
<p>Thanks,I googled her and I think she was already gifted to begin with. But that’s a pretty impressive girl!</p>
<p>Some homeschooled kids also attend local colleges while they are high school age, which can give them additional references when applying to college as freshmen.</p>
<p>Hi Creekland, how do I pm sbjdolro?Pardon my question, it’s very obvious I’m a newbie here:( I don’t know how/where to search for the user ids. Thanks!:)</p>
<p>Thanks SteveMA!</p>
<p>Emeraldkity4, is it because they’re so advanced in their studies they can do this?</p>
<p>Re Ivies: Yale used to have language on its website that specifically said that they did not favor homeschooled candidates. I don’t know if it is still there, or if they have changed their position.</p>
<p>As SteveMA said, it is generally recommended that homeschoolers take more standardized tests that other candidates, in order to put their education in clearer context. That would include both SATIIs and AP exams.</p>
<p>We have co- enrollment in our state at the community colleges, generally students just need to pass the math & english placement tests- although they may also be required to register with their local school district if they want the district to cover CC tuition.</p>
<p>However, some parents find other colleges to be open to enrollment as well, & yes, they are advanced in their studies I suppose, otherwise there wouldn’t be any point in attending the college!
But I wouldn’t call them “so advanced”, as there are other academic opportunities for interested high school students. Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate courses for example, although several local high schools also have regular course work that is quite rigorous.</p>
<p>SteveMA, my son was homeschooled and was looking at elite colleges. Only one of them required 3 SAT Subject Tests – the rest wanted 2, but they wanted 2 from all students (my son did Math2 and World History). He took only 1 AP test, but as Emeraldkity4 says he did take quite a few classes at our regional public univ. while he was still high school age. He got into his first choice school, Amherst College.</p>
<p>My daughter, also homeschooled, started college at 16. She didn’t apply to the tip-top brand name schools since she was so young, but went into the honors college of our flagship state u. She had higher stats than my son, but wanted to get going on college and did it the way it made the most sense to her. She actually took 5 SAT Subject tests (Math1, World Hist., Amer. Hist, Lit and Latin) but that was because she did almost all her “high school” studies independently and so thought she’d take those tests in lieu of having much in the way of traditional grades. She graduated from the honors college last June with her major, 3 minors, phi beta kappa, summa, 4.0, with a prestigious thesis award… just a month after her 20th birthday.</p>
<p>You may want to check out the Yahoo list Homeschooling Toward College [hs2coll</a> : Homeschooling toward college](<a href=“Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos”>Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos). Great advice about helping your child plan out a high school curriculum and getting through the application process (since the parent plays the counselor role in filling out applications). Don’t know what I would have done without it.</p>
<p>My older d. got into Williams and a bunch of top LACs at 16. (She turned them down to go to Smith, and is now in a dual Ph.D. program at Princeton.) I think I have, over the years, known two or three dozen homeschoolers at the various Ivies. I believe that the only one that still has special hoops is Columbia (and I know current homeschoolers there). </p>
<p>Homeschooling in the Ivies is not at all a new thing - it goes back at least 100 years, with sons and daughters of foreign service officers who found it easier to provide education “at home” (while traveling) rather than continually look for schools.</p>
<p>Stanford is readily accepting of home-schooled kids. Like the other applicants they need to be very high achievers, but being home-schooled by itself is not a hinderance.</p>
<p>I’m always amazed at how many homeschooled kids finish at the top of their class.</p>
<p>They rarely have to unlearn what has come from learning in a compulsory environment, or within an authoritarian structure.</p>
<p>I know of homeschoolers who’ve gotten into MIT, Brown, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, Dartmouth, Smith… It’s not an issue any more. Top homeschoolers are admitted to all top colleges.</p>
<p>Usually, homeschoolers don’t have to take any more standardized tests than other applicants, for most colleges. But like other applicants, homeschoolers have to show their excellence in order to be admitted to top schools. That might involve taking a lot of standardized tests, but more likely it will involve other demonstrations of their ability and drive.</p>
<p>I have a good friend who homeschooled since they moved around the world for the husbands job. One son is at West Point, the other is at Princeton.</p>