Homeschooling student needs direction

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>I'm a 19 year old homeschooled student. I graduated at 17. I've taken a great number of classes. I want to become a bioengineer. </p>

<p>Someone gave me the idea of going to CC for 2 years, then transferring to an Ivy League school. They said this would become my proof of my knowledge. Yesterday, I was stopped by an advisor at that CC, saying it would be a mistake; if I took any classes at a CC, I would become a transfer student, and would ruin my chances of getting into an Ivy. </p>

<p>I did not take the SAT, I only have a few SAT IIs, and I never played a sport. My parents are foreigners, so they did not know the education program here in the US. My mother is a professor in literature and history, while my dad is a classical musician with a PhD in teaching. In the meantime, I am no one. My mother, since as early as I can remember has been telling me I'd be in Harvard one day. Naturally, I have more knowledge than high school students. I just don't have any proof of it yet, and I have not been in any clubs, sports, stuff like that. </p>

<p>What do you suggest I do right now? I need a path which I just can't find. I need direction. Thanks everyone</p>

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<p>mattymatt,</p>

<p>I’m unclear as to what you’ve been doing the past two years. Also, how did you and your family handle high school graduation? In the state where you live, how do the state laws intersect with the statement of your high school graduation?</p>

<p>Generally, top schools are open to homeschoolers. We homeschooled our kids only through 8th grade, but we know lots of folks who did so through high school, and any number of them were accepted at very good schools. But it’s absolutely true that in applying to Ivy League schools, it’s far better to do it as a high school graduate going off to college for the first time than as a transfer student.</p>

<p>At Harvard, the admission rate is about 6% for students applying to matriculate as freshmen after completing their high school careers. For transfer students, the admission rate is something like 1%, if that.</p>

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<p>For the past two years I’ve been lost. I attended Full Sail for a few months online, but when I realized I was getting ripped off ($80,000!!) I quickly withdrew. Then I decided to study on my own, take some SAT IIs here and there, and work my way to some university. With no motivation, I wasted these years. I did not apply to any universities because I thought I would not get into any without any proof.</p>

<p>I have a certificate of finishing high school from my local district office. Other than that, my parents wrote up a diploma for me as do many homeschooling families (others take online high school and receive diplomas from there, but we did it on our own). </p>

<p>Are homeschoolers obviously exempt from sports, clubs, leadership experience, etc? All I have acquired is strong knowledge. I play sports on my own in free time as a hobby. One VERY strong skill I have is educating myself without the aid of any professors or tutors. I educated myself all the way through high school.</p>

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<p>I’m not affiliated with Harvard, but I’m putting this out here for comments-
Would something like this be of benefit? I know nothing is guaranteed, and while college is a goal the benefits would extend beyond applying to college such as:
living in a dormitory with other students, attending classes and adjusting to that style of teaching and schedule, access to standardized testing, class placement, a transcript, advisors, letters from teachers,school activities, and more.
I know that many home schoolers are well prepared without school, but many have access to church groups, home schooling networks, curricula, and other ways to be assessed for admission, and many have taken standardized tests or had dual enrollement in a CC. Colleges have some way of objectively assessing them.
Maybe some can comment on the PG year. There’s no path to getting in to Harvard as I know it. If there was one, that person who knew it would be very famous and rich. But is this a possible path to getting on track for admission to a selective school or not? [The</a> Postgraduate Year - The PG or Postgraduate Year](<a href=“http://privateschool.about.com/od/students/qt/pgyear.htm]The”>The Benefits of a Post-Graduate Year)</p>

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<p>To begin with, I’m uncertain then as to what your formal status is, whether you’re still just a high school graduate, or whether you’re a matriculated college student. To apply to Harvard or any other selective school as an incoming freshman, you’ll need to clarify that.</p>

<p>For homeschoolers, usually the way they build up their “resume” for college is they keep a transcript for the homeschool classes they take, for advanced material, they try to fashion homeschool courses that follow the curricula for various AP classes, they take the AP exams, they take the SAT or the ACT, and they may engage in other activities that might show their academic achievement and competency.</p>

<p>Thus, a homeschooler will provide a transcript, typically constructed by the student’s parents or guardian, and to give it some meaning beyond, “See, Mom and Dad thought I did well,” many of the courses may parallel AP courses, and will be substantiated by superior scores on AP exams. Homeschoolers I’ve known have often taken a half-dozen or more AP exams and scored highly on them. They’ve taken the SAT subject tests and done well on them. They’ve also scored high on the SAT.</p>

<p>Although many selective schools downplay the various standardized tests, for homeschoolers, they are a primary way to validate to selective universities and colleges that those As on their transcripts aren’t just make-believe. If your transcript says “A” in US History, and you score a 5 on the AP US History exam, and an 800 on the SAT Subject test in US History, your grade will be validated.</p>

<p>The problem for you is that it’s already too late to take AP exams for application for the 2014 - 2015 school year, and it’s late to take more subject tests AND the SAT for the first time.</p>

<p>“Are homeschoolers obviously exempt from sports, clubs, leadership experience, etc?”</p>

<p>No, not at all. Most homeschoolers I’ve known (including my own kids) had lots of extracurriculars. Many of these also helped validate objectively the achievements of the student. Winning even local and county-level competitions, or achieving brown or black belt in various martial arts shows that, again, someone other than Mom and Dad have evaluated your efforts and found them to be objectively worthwhile. In most places, homeschoolers have many opportunities to play sports, even competitively, to learn and play music and participate in public performances and competitions, and to participate and achieve in a wide, wide variety of activities that serve to let them have lots of fun, to broaden their educational experiences, and to provide objective evidence of academic and life achievement.</p>

<p>Although homeschool families must often be a little more creative, and the opportunities are not always as immediately and obviously available as they are for students in traditional schools, homeschoolers must build their academic and life “resume” for highly-selective schools like any other students.</p>

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<p>Which brings up the other question of wasted time- and money. What is the value of trying to backtrack and do what a high school student would do with the hope of attaining admission to a school with an extrememly high selectivity VS giving up that idea for now and moving on with life- either through working, volunteering, attending CC and the opportunity to transfer to many excellent colleges albeit possibly not Harvard? Having unstructured time with no goal but Harvard is at least depressing, and not developmentally appropriate. Attending a CC would allow the OP to have peers and progress towards being independent now, not in the future.
There are many paths besides Harvard. And it could still be possible as a graduate school if the OP does well.</p>

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<p>Pennylane - I don’t know. Maybe.</p>

<p>At this point, I guess I’m not trying to suggest a path to mattymatt but rather trying to provide basic information. I think mattymatt has already received some pretty awful advice, and perhaps he might be better served at this point by just accumulating knowledge about how higher education works in the United States.</p>

<p>The poster would like to go to Harvard, or to an Ivy.</p>

<p>I don’t know whether or not that’s a realistic goal, even just to have the opportunity to make an application with even a typical chance of success. The arrow of time moves in only one direction, and it has moved well past the point where one would ordinarily make application to highly selective schools for admission as a freshman.</p>

<p>But, entry to the Ivy League, in fact, most selective schools, through transfer is truly a very long shot. So, before making, and following through on, any more irrevocable decisions, my own suggestion to the poster is to seek less advice right now, and for right now, seek more knowledge. He might research which selective schools in the US are most accepting of older students as incoming freshmen to their regular, competitive programs. He might want to check out the non-traditional programs of top schools (such as Harvard Extension School). If entry to the regular programs at selective schools is truly out of reach, programs like HES might be a possible alternative.</p>

<p>Or, it may ultimately turn out that something like the path you describe is the best option for the poster. Or not.</p>

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<p>I wondered about a grade 13 high school program like the ones I posted. It wouldn’t close any doors by accumulating college credit like attending a CC would- and it gives the OP access to everything he needs to apply to college. I was curious about if anyone had experience with a post grad high school program. There would be the additional time and cost that could be spent on another college path, but neither choice might be right for the OP.
I agree that he should not do something irrevocable like getting college credit until he gets more information because of the low transfer acceptance. I also agree that none of us are in a position to suggest what to do. All we can do is post ideas for the OP to consider.
Yes, time is passing, but there are still many choices and doors open, and much to learn before choosing one. In the meantime, the OP can start to build a resume and gain experience through working, volunteering and other activities that won’t change his status as a freshman applicant.
Maybe a college consultant could help this family. He or she could look at his transcript and activities and then help them decide the next step.</p>

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<p>another idea- just an idea as it may or may not be appropriate- but one way to take a standardized test of knowlege if it is not possible to take an AP test is through the CLEP tests. These can be taken after high school. This is not the most common test taken by students, but it is standardized and does measure knowlege at a level that many colleges recognize- even if they don’t take all the credits. They could be a way for the OP to document what he knows.
I don’t think they would change the OP’s application status as a freshman, but this must be looked into further to be sure. Best to ask the college ahead of time. I also think the SAT, SAT 2, and ACT can still be taken. Again, these are just ideas to be confirmed with actual knowlege.</p>

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<p>Have you looked at this forum? It might answer some of your questions</p>

<p>[Home</a> Schooling and College - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/]Home”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/)</p>