Homeschooled Sophomore who really needs help with understanding basically everything

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone, this may be a long post but please give me a chance:</p>

<p>Just to get this out of the way: I really would like to go to Stanford as a computer science major.
I understand how far reaching and unrealistic this wish may be, yet somehow I feel like if I put in the work then I might just have a chance to get in. I feel that if I aim high, then surely those efforts would pay off and least get me admitted to a decent school such as UT Austin. </p>

<p>But I feel that because I am homeschooled I am at a significant disadvantage in some aspects due to the lack of an official education and school officials verifying my academic accomplishments. Especially when it comes to the transcript.</p>

<p>Here is the way I do my school:</p>

<p>For math I'm kind of far ahead for 16 year old (doing trig), and I use a relatively challenging textbook called Saxon Math. Basically I do three graded problem sets (each set containing 30 questions) and a test each week; but the way they are graded is what scares me. Basically whenever I finish a problem set or test, I put it on my Dad's desk. He checks my work (listing the number of the question that I got wrong) and puts it in on the kitchen counter for me to see when I come downstairs the next morning. I usually get about 2 wrong-- I fix my mistakes and he makes sure that I fixed them. This is done over and over for 2 semesters each year. and pretty much no matter what-- he just puts an A on my transcript. This was done for all the courses for all my older siblings (most of whom go to texas a&m) </p>

<p>This is pretty much how I do all my courses (with a couple exeptions)-- and while I am confident that I am learning the material, there is little official credibility that verifies that I am. The only exceptions to this were 3 online courses I took with a program called k12.com and a pretty good online writing course run by a family's friend.</p>

<p>I'm definitely lacking in history and literature and writing -- but what can I do? do I try and take clep out of those? and if I do, how can I offer proof that I actually took these courses?
My standardized test scores aren't too bad but I feel like that would not be sufficient evidence (especially for a school like stanford) of my completion of school.</p>

<p>Last year ( freshmen year for me ) : I took the PSAT: scored 175 and 165 on the practice test(sucks I know)
This year ( sophmore year) : Scores haven't come in yet but I studied hard and took the practice test and got a 218</p>

<p>I am doing some extracurricular activities: Track and XC, First Robotics (FRC), 4-H club, Im decent at piano, etc
I know for fact stem colleges love FRC and 4-H. So I've got that going for me.
Starting some AP courses and some things at a local community college sound like things I feel like I could do. Maybe even working a job somewhere. I just don't know which path to take and If I will have time for everything. Any advice on this?</p>

<p>And I know top level colleges love kids with a passion that really shine at something, or kids that have done something extraordinary or something outside the box. I don't think I've done any of those things.</p>

<p>I also feel like my transcript isn't official looking enough and I will just fall flat when trying to apply to Stanford.</p>

<p>To be honest, I just don't feel like I'm doing enough-- and what I am doing is completed in the wrong way and isn't credible.
My parents really just don't understand what colleges are looking for and I would hate for that to hold me back.</p>

<p>I would really appreciate any advice you can give me!</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>You need to define structure, quantitative metrics, and desired curriculum ordering. It may be that your parents have it all down right, but you are looking for some anchoring to be sure you are competitive to apply to Stanford. I wonder if contacting Stanford and telling them you are homeschooled and need advice would be fruitful?</p>

<p>You may want to check out some homeschool blogs. Here is a list, for example. It is a bit dated:</p>

<p><a href=“Facebook”>Facebook;

3

<p>I personally know homeschoolers who got into the top 1 - 3 schools in both the university and LAC categories. However, unlike you they never took a course outside their home, not even online. </p>

<p>The first major point is to get a couple recommenders, besides your parents, who can verify the work you have done at home. What they write must match up and complement what you id.</p>

<p>A second major point is presentation matters, especially if you took very few courses outside the home. Make sure you spend time in organizing and creating a curriculum description that explains every course you took, each course’s objectives, and detail of the work done in each course. </p>

<p>I have proofread the CA of several homeschoolers as a favor to their parents who I know well. These students had something like a 25-page comprehensive curriculum description that they uploaded to the CA as additional information. Uploaded as a PDF as an optional report. And I know that the adcoms read them because the students and parents were literally shocked on admit days when adcoms commented on the detail information and that their homeschool applications were in the tops they have seen. All the kids now are in colleges ranked #1 or 2. And and couple families did it multiple times with more than one homeshooled kid.</p>

<p>Choose your courses well. make sure there is method to the madness in that your curriculum has clear objectives, write great essays, get the SAT scores above the school average, take at least 3 subject tests, and spend tons of time on your CA application making it error-free - do this and you should have a shot.</p>

4

<p>What curriculum are your parents using for history, English etc? awcntdb is correct in everything he/she says, homeschoolers can get into top schools, it’s a matter of demonstrating achievement. Traditional schools offer transcripts and class rank and HS profile to provide context. </p>

<p>You may need to submit a graded paper so they can see the quality of your writing and the quality of the grading. </p>

<p>Taking trig in sophomore year is great but it is not extremely advanced. Many other kids take it or precalc as sophomores and go on to do Calc AB and then BC for the rest of their high school career.</p>

<p>What sciences have you taken so far and how are you handling labs etc?</p>

5

<p>“For math I’m kind of far ahead for 16 year old (doing trig)” Sorry, but that’s actually not “far ahead” for a 16 year old, especially among those applying to top colleges. </p>

<p>“much no matter what-- he just puts an A on my transcript.” So your grades are meaningless. I’m not that familiar with homeschooling, but from the few threads where I’ve seen homeschool grades mentioned, I have the impression that giving all A’s to one’s children is quite a common practice. </p>

<p>“I’m definitely lacking in history and literature and writing” Why do you say this? Are your parents not able to teach this? Do you not take courses in these subjects? Perhaps you should consider other sources of instruction. Why are you homeschooling anyway? It doesn’t sound like you feel you are getting much out of it. Is there some reason you can’t attend your local high school?</p>

<p>Take some standardized tests as an external verification of your learning. Look at what tests are required by the colleges/programs that interest you. Many of the most selective schools require 2 SAT2 subject tests, some specify particular ones. As a homeschooler with a less-than-objective transcript, you should consider taking more than the minimum of SAT2 tests. Also, take some AP classes next year. The kids you will be competing with will have them.</p>

6

<p>@mathyone I realize I’m not that far ahead in math-- just above average, which isn’t saying much.</p>

<p>It is common practice among homeschoolers unfortunately…</p>

<p>I’m lacking in history and writing because my parents wont sign me up for a course–they believe I can simply clep out of them ( I believe this to be false – is it?)</p>

<p>I have been homeschooling my whole life. It is not my choice, in fact I wish I wasn’t. My parents are homeschooling me for religious reasons</p>

7

<p>@awcntdb‌ Thanks for the info,</p>

<p>@surfcity For english, I use grammar textbooks, and I write monthly essays. No course is being used.<br>
For history, nothing atm… I do have access to “the Great Courses”, is that recommended?</p>

8

<p>I agree with surfcity as well. The trig is not that advanced. The kids I know made it through at least multivariable calculus and a couple did linear algebra. So need to up the math stuff. Nothing stopping you from taking two math in one year to raise the ante.</p>

<p>As far as curriculums re history, science etc., you can develop and make them up yourself, so you do not have to follow someone else’s. But need to have a purpose that is discernible just by looking at your course list. </p>

<p>And take advatange to of the homeschool to do unique things that other students do not get to do. For example, in American History, you can read and study the Federalist Papers, as most kids never get to them. You can create a serious economics module as well. Go beyond studying the simple micro and macro - study actual economists and their history.</p>

<p>Also, do not forget foreign languages. The kids I know did Latin for 5 years. And one even added French his senior year. </p>

<p><a href=“http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html”>Page Not Found : Stanford University;

<p>

</p>

<p>You might save this for a situation not explained on the school’s website. There is an assumption that if you are homeschooled that you are mature enough to be ahead of the game and given that Stanford has so much on its website, I suspect contacting them for basic questions might put you in the “not ready for prime time” pile. </p>

<p><a href=“Guidelines for Home-Schooled Applicants : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University;

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes. Anything less than three subject tests with Math 2 and Science at least is not wise. Math 2, a science , and a literature or US history would work - score 720+ on each. That is what the kids I know did. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Just so you know, none of the kids I know took any AP classes or any AP tests and it never affected them getting to the top schools. What they did though was create courses that were even harder than the APs. For example, the kids were surprised that their freshman and sophomore colleagues were using textbooks that they already used a couple years before in homeschool. </p>

9

<p>I don’t know that much about home schooling. But in our state you need to have your curriculum approved, and it needs to satisfy some basic requirements. Your parents would not be allowed to opt out of teaching you English and History. </p>

<p>I suggest you post your situation on the parents forum. There are many helpful parents who have more experience and knowledge than I do about your issues. </p>

<p>Maybe there is a way for you to take a class or two at the high school? This might be really helpful in terms of getting you some access to the counselors there, as well as expanding your social horizons. I’ve never understood how you can home school subjects like chemistry anyway. There are supposed to be labs.</p>

<p>If your parents won’t even let you attend your high school for religious reasons, I would be concerned about them severely restricting your college choice as well. Your PSAT practice score is pretty good. If I were you, I’d try to score high on the PSAT next year. If you can win a National Merit scholarship, and it seems like you might be able to especially if you are in a less competitive state, you should win some full ride college scholarships. They won’t be to Stanford, but in your situation it might be nice to have the option of walking away from your parents’ choice of college, and you can really only do that if you have financial independence.</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>You are welcome. </p>

<p>Be aware some do it like you with minimal to no outside courses (Those are the ones I know) and some on CC did the online curriculum and some do the community college dual enrollment thing and stay out of high school classes. All approaches work.</p>

11

<p>@‌mathyone</p>

<p>Thanks for the help–it is really appreciated! I live in texas (bible belt) so yeah…</p>

12

<p>Every state has different home school regulations. It’s possible you live in one of the more relaxed areas and that’s why your parents are so easy going. Every home school family is different too. I don’t know any who give out A’s unless they’re deserved. We teach many courses (lab sciences included), but some take community classes and some don’t. Some may take courses at the local high school but not every state allows it, so it’s best to check the state home school regulations to find out if that’s even an option. There are free courses online (MOOCS and the like) and plenty of books in the local library for writing, literature, and history, so you can create your own course of study.</p>

<p>You should check the website of every school you’re interested in applying to and look for the requirements for home schooled students. The SAT, subject tests, and/or the ACT will give the college insight into your academic ability. You can take some classes at your local community college to show you’re ready for college coursework. You don’t need to submit copies of work or graded papers, but you should prepare a packet that describes your family’s home school philosophy. Include course descriptions, a book list, ECs, a community profile, the grading scale used, how credits were assigned, and any assessments you’ve taken. Colleges in our state (NY) have asked us for copies of all the paperwork we submitted to our local district for all 4 years of high school (yearly education plan, report cards, and test results) and proof that our high school program was the substantial equivalent of a public high school education. It’s important you know what your state’s home school regulations say and what colleges want from you. </p>

13

<p>Contrary to what you may think from these forums filled with elite-level students and their parents, trigonometry / precalculus in 10th grade is two years ahead of the normal college-prep math sequence. This will have you doing calculus in 11th grade, followed by multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations in 12th grade if you continue full speed ahead in math.</p>

<p>In any case, home schoolers often take more than the usual number of SAT subject tests to offer external verification of what they learned. AP tests can also be taken in subjects where you have covered advanced enough material (e.g. if you learn calculus in 11th grade, taking an AP calculus test after that can help).</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>I like the post above by austinm, but this one quote above is not quite accurate for all colleges, especially private ones. </p>

<p>I do remember for some of the homeschool kids, schools such as Hamilton, Bucknell and a couple others actually asked for graded papers examples, major project example, and one asked for a couple test examples (I forgot the one that asked for tests).</p>

<p>Hamilton:</p>

<p>

</a></p>

<p>Bucknell:</p>

<p>

</a></p>

<p>Also, only one of the students I know had a 4.0 average. Others had 3.8, 3.9 etc. Still high, but only one straight A student. That student did no better than the others with lower averages. They all ended up at the same top schools. It is the rigor of the course work that counts most along with the standardized tests scores.</p>

15

<p>“Contrary to what you may think from these forums filled with elite-level students and their parents,”</p>

<p>The OP’s target school is Stanford so the OP needs to compare himself to elite-level students. Telling the OP that some students are in geometry isn’t helpful, especially for a life long home schooled student who may be less aware of what goes on in schools. I’m not sure what Saxon trigonometry is or whether it is the same material as precalculus. Looked it up and still can’t tell but that’s no surprise with Saxon. Assuming that it is indeed trig/precalculus, as opposed to algebra2/trig, well, next year my daughter will be in one of 3 full classrooms of 10th graders at her school taking the same. I expect maybe 2-3 of them will be admitted to a school like Stanford. There’s nothing wrong with the OP’s math program but the OP should be aware that it’s not going to wow anyone in admissions at a top school.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in CS, you should take AP computer science, and take the AP test, or else take an equivalent college course. There are also many programming related courses and activities you could pursue.</p>

16

<p>

</p>

<p>Very accurate statement. What would count the most though for a homeschooler would be 760+ on the Math 2 subject test. </p>

<p>Also, realize that Stanford (other schools too) have different requirements for homeschool students - they ask for subjects tests often even when for other students the tests are optional or ask for more subject tests from homeschoolers. </p>

<p>I recall that one kid had to get an exemption from Pomona because he had only 3 subject tests when for homeschoolers Pomona asked for 4. He had to get the exemption from Pomona for that one missing test - btw, he did get into Pomona. But, you would need to tell a school if you differ slightly from its homeschool requirements. If you did something equally hard and different they would not mind.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>While this may be helpful, as a homeschooler, you could easily take a different and better path to stand out. The best thing for a homeschooler to do is NOT look like everyone else in high school, but to look different AND stronger because you have the time and freedom to do so.</p>

<p>One of the homeschoolers I know studied several computer programs on his own (way beyond what the AP computer science course does) and interned with a software company. He never took AP computer science or the computer science AP test and never took a college CS course or any course outside his home. Yet, he got into Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton and the other Ivies for CS. This student’s siblings did the same approach and got into the same caliber schools as math majors. The point - you can get in just fine by doing your own thing and not trying to copy and look like any every other student.</p>

<p>I am convinced these students I know got in to these schools because they did their own thing, which ended up being more interesting than copying what standard school students do.</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>However, Stanford itself offers beginning calculus courses for incoming frosh who are not advanced in math (Math 19 and 41). So not all admits to Stanford are super-advanced in math. Indeed, some other elites offer remedial (e.g. Princeton Math 100) or slow paced calculus (e.g. Harvard Math Ma and Mb) courses.</p>

18

<p>^^ Yes, however, those courses are not for students applying to be science or stem majors like the OP. Those courses are mainly for non-STEM students. The OP will not be taken very seriously as a STEM applicant while needing remedial math or slow-paced calculus.</p>

19

<p>However, the whole idea that the OP taking trigonometry in 10th grade is “behind” in math is silly, even for Stanford students. If the OP takes calculus in 11th grade (either at a local college, or at home confirmed by AP test), and then takes multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations at a local college in 12th grade, s/he will have completed the equivalent of Stanford’s Math 41, 42, 51, 52, 53 by high school graduation. This covers much or all of the math requirements for STE majors at Stanford, and puts the OP in a position to start in junior level math courses if s/he majors in math.</p>

20

<p><a href=“The Harvard Crimson | Class of 2017”>http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/academics.html&lt;/a&gt; indicates that, for Harvard’s 2013 frosh, only 4.1% came in with more advanced math preparation than the OP is projected to complete if s/he continues on the track s/he is on now. Another 15.8% came in with approximately the same math level that the OP is projected to complete. That means that 80.1% came in having completed less advanced math than the OP is projected to complete.</p>

<p>Therefore, the OP should not panic about the level of math achieved, unless there is some indication that the quality of math curriculum s/he is studying is not good (e.g. low score on SAT math level 2 subject after this year or AP calculus after taking calculus next year).</p>