Homeschooled Student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>I am a female, caucasian homeschooler who desperately wants to attend the Brown/RISD (it really enbodies the indepent learning style I love). I visited in the spring and fell in love. Am I reaching too high as a homeschooled student? </p>

<p>*High School: Homeschooled. All academic courses are taken online through The Potter’s School, a college-preparatory distance learning program. I log in to a virtual classroom once weekly for each class, interacting with incredibly talented students from all over the world. The website provides detailed information at The Potter’s School</p>

<p>*Test Scores: SAT-2150 (Retaking and hoping to top 2200), ACT-31, SAT US History-780, SAT English Lit-760, AP US History-5, AP US World-4 (All self taught no history classes available) </p>

<p>*GPA: 4.0 Unweighted, in the most rigorous courses offered. No class rank available. </p>

<p>*Extracurricular Activities
• Happy Day Cards (Founder and president). I created Happy Day Cards, an organization to craft and collect handmade greeting cards, mailing them to soldiers in combat and those recuperating in hospitals such as Walter Reed in Washington D.C. Using my graphic art skills, I designed a company logo and enlisted a fellow Potter’s School student to help create a website. I have hosted card parties with retirement home residents, Boy Scout troops, and Sunday School Classes. A global card drive, enrolling digital artists from around the world to contribute card designs is also currently underway. Website: default.aspx
• Classical ballet (since age three, serious study since age ten). For the previous three summers I was one of 200 dancers chosen from over 2000, to study with Pacific Northwest and San Francisco Ballet (considered to be two of the top three programs in the nation). Currently Level 7A of 7- three classes a day, five to six days a week. Past two years performed the lead role as Clara in the Company’s Nutcracker. There were 17 performances, with an average audience of 1000.
• Church Children’s Ministry for 7 years. (Now teaching my own 2 year old class which includes coming up with lesson plan and controlling 12 screaming toddlers for 3.5 hours)
• Photography and digital art. I currently am “fluent” in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign and have finished countless textbook on the subjects. I spent the summer at California College of the arts, in their graphic design program and have a pretty good portfolio. I recently designed a Fetal Alchohol Poisining Awareness poster and had it displayed throughout the community.</p>

<p>*Jobs
• I design and create custom ballet wear, selling them to fellow dancers. Ten percent of my profits support Happy Day Cards. The remainder funded a summer trip to France, where I explored art and architecture in conjunction with an online photography course.
*Honors
• Jericho International Honor Society. Unlike other honor societies that use only grades and scores as the primary basis for membership, recognition in the Jericho International Honor Society is based primarily on participation in service and ministry. However, a 3.0 GPA is required.
• Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth
• One of 12 out of 500 to win a 2008 scholarship for the graphic design program at CCA. </p>

<p>• My history papers have been published on hyperhistory.net, a website designed as a resource for high school World History students. I am currently working on a collaborative project two other Potter’s School students, one in Ulan-Ude Russia and one in Hawaii. </p>

<p>*Notes
• I live in a rural, mountain community and will be the first member of my family to attend college (my parents attended community college) and the first grandchild to graduate from high school.</p>

2

<p>If your parents received a degree then I don't think you are considered a first generation college student.</p>

<p>You have the scores (nice job on the Eng Lit SAT II; that's one of the hardest tests) and the grades, and I think homeschooled kids are underrepresented, so you have that (but I may be wrong). So you're certainly competitive. But that's all anyone can tell you. We aren't admissions officers.</p>

3

<p>Just out of curiousity do you study at sfb year round?</p>

4

<p>I think it is pretty difficult for posters here to handicap homeschooler's chances. I know that at my daughter's school, they were very firm that the rigour of the program would be known to the colleges. So a lot may have to do with your program's reputation. I would be concerned about the 'biblical worldview academics'. A 4.0 was pretty much unheard of at my child's rigourous school, so I think class rank would be significant as well-(too many pull out 4.0's don't reflect on program well.) But your SATII''s are great and congrats on the History AP's too, which are difficult.</p>

<p>I have heard that Brown and RISD classes don't synch up too well, but that may be improving now that there is a new joint program (read about it here, iirc.) DD wanted to take a class at RISD, but you must go through a basic class at Brown first or submit a portfolio and she didn't have hers handy from high school. If you end up attending, try to get involved with this right away. By the time dd declared a major she was too involved elsewhere to take advantage.</p>

5

<p>Lots of things sound great, and you have great accomplishments and sound very entreprenurial, but I'm a little confused by the idea that there were no history classes available in your homeschooling program. You say that your courses were "the most rigorous available" and your GPA is 4.0--but what does that mean from a program that offers no history classes? Did you take science and math? If so, it might not be a bad idea to take a science or math SAT2--I've read that colleges look for SAT2s from homeschoolers to validate their coursework. (It's great that you have good scores on those.)</p>

<p>What did you study at CTY?</p>

6

<p>I looked at The Potter's School site. "Bible-centered Physics" ? As for the history courses, well, I can see why you were self taught. Good luck, in any case.</p>

7

<p>I'm not going to chance you, since I'm not in admissions, but you seem to be a strong candidate.</p>

<p>Before you totally fall in love with Brown, I suggest that you look at the dance offerings. If you want to continue to study ballet, then Brown may not be the place for you. It specializes in modern dance, and there aren't a lot of other dance classes offered. I'm sure there are dance studios in Providence, but you might want to research that.</p>

8

<p>Good point about ballet: I have a niece who is a professional dancer, and she went to the Tisch School at NYU, which teaches both ballet and other styles. Sarah Lawrence, a school which might also appeal to you academically--you really should check them out if you haven't already--has only modern dance, although its proximity to NYC means you might be able to find training of the calibre you want in the city. Barnard/Columbia might have both ballet and modern--I'm not certain--but again, in NYC you can find both. In any case, quality ballet programs are harder to come by at colleges, especially for someone who is accustomed to classes where people are realistically aspiring to professional ballet. You might want to think about schools that are in or near cities where you might find professional-quality ballet training: New York, San Francisco, perhaps Miami or Chicago. </p>

<p>Of course, much depends on how seriously you wish to continue to study dance in general and ballet in particular.</p>