<p>Those are very good test scores. I assume you got at least Commended for National Merit since my D got a 207 and got Commended. </p>
<p>Sorry but I don't know anything about Beloit. My husband has an aunt who lives in Janesville and she recommended Alverno College in Milwaukee to my daughter. </p>
<p>Are you looking at applying to colleges this year for next fall or are you a junior this year. Or are you looking at doing a year or two of community college and then transferring to a four-year college? Are you looking in Wisconsin now for colleges? It would probably be a good idea to stay near your doctors if you think they are helping you.</p>
<p>I'll be applying as a senior next year to college. (I technically should be a senior this year, but am repeating junior year for personal health reasons.) As for community college, there's a program called High School Special which allows students from all high schools in the area to enroll in college classes. For me, this is an amazing opportunity which allows me to study in areas relevant to my interests and pursue further education without being stifled by "just" self-studying.</p>
<p>I actually live in Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, and up until now had only been considering schools out east. I will definitely look into schools close to home now, though, for obvious reasons.</p>
<p>The High School Special program sounds good (although kind of a funny name). How soon can you start at the community college? If it's not until January, can you spend the next two months doing an internship or community service work. Or there's always working at the mall during the holiday season. </p>
<p>The Wisconsin area seems to have a lot of good colleges especially if you consider Illinois and Michigan as being not too far away. Have you considered U of Chicago? I visited there with my D in May. We really enjoyed all the bookstores and coffee houses.</p>
<p>Another thought. Have you looked into entering your writing in some contests such as the YoungARTS program and the Scholastic Writing Awards? There are quite a few other creative writing contests you could enter.</p>
<p>I really don't have much to say, or much advice at all to give...except that it felt like the original post was completely written by me. Right down to the perfectionism issues, the not being able to wake up in the morning, the repeating a year of school, leaving and starting homeschooling, parents giving up on you...it's all incredibly familiar to me. If you want to talk, PM me. I'm also homeschooled now and taking classes at my community college (hopefully at a nearby university for next year), but I have a way heavier homeschool courseload due to the fact that I have a ton to make up.</p>
<p>Sorry if I missed this, but what are you currently taking at college/home? Are you planning on taking SAT IIs and AP tests? Sorry again if i'm intrusive.</p>
<p>I won't be entering community college until late January, good in that I'll have time to get my medication (and indeed, my mind) straightened out before classes start. I'm trying to take it each day at a time, as they so often say to do, but it just is hard knowing that I'll probably always suffer from this disease. </p>
<p>I'm not sure how I'll spend these next two months. My options are wide open, which is sometimes the scariest prospect of them all, even more frightening than not having any options. I think I'll begin my homeschooling classes, get back into dance (something I used to really enjoy), volunteer/mentor, and perhaps get a job. (Barnes & Noble would be fun. :)) </p>
<p>Where do I begin, home schooling-wise? I know it varies from person to person, but what's the general way to go about beginning self-study for the first time? I love the idea that there're no strict guidelines, that I basically can define my own education. Still, I'm apprehensive to start something totally new my junior year of high school. It's an exciting feeling, intermixed with bouts of confusion, frustration, and fear.</p>
<p>I'm currently reading An Unquiet Mind, an incredible book.</p>
<p>And, in regards to writing competitions, I have won some awards for Scholastic and the Kenyon Review, but am unfamiliar with the YoungARTS program...I'll have to check that out.</p>
<p>I'm still trying to jump into self studying myself. Since you have a small courseload, how about you choose a couple of aspects in the class that you think sound enjoyable? Like for an English class, choose a book, read that, find some essay prompts on it (if you want to work on writing skills), and branch out from there by doing some research on a subject within that? Since you're already reading a book, see what interests you within it and work from there.</p>
<p>Thanks, christi! It's nice to know I'm not alone. No, you're not at all being intrusive; I'm more than happy to share.</p>
<p>I'll be taking 4 community college courses along with 2 self-study classes. I love the whole idea of homeschooling and the flexibility and creativity it allows. (A slave to the "regular" school system all my life, I never knew school could be so accepting of differences.) Right now, though, I'm really at a loss of where to begin. I'll think I'll know what I want to do, be absolutely positive, and will end up changing my mind not long thereafter. I just have to make a plan and stick to it, I guess. That's a hard thing for the perfectionist, though: to want to do something, do it perfectly, and, if not done up to your unbelievably high standards, do it over again, or do something else entirely. </p>
<p>I want to do so many things, some days, while others feel so drawn out and useless. Today hasn't been the best of days, but I still have hope that it will get better. So it hasn't been the worst of days, either, and I guess that's something to be happy about. </p>
<p>You might want to read my other thread, posted in the Parents' Forum. People have been overwhelmingly supportive there, and have offered me immeasurable, unquantifiable help. </p>
<p>You will be flattered to know that your thread (along with the replies in the parent's forum) have really caused me to re think my current school plans. I will hopefully be doing a school path very similar to yours.</p>
<p>A word of advice for choosing the college classes you want to take- go on to your local CC's website and browse through the course catalog. Write down the stuff that sounds interesting to you, and any prerequisites. You mentioned your ACT score- that can get you exempt from a lot of lower level math/English because you can use it in lieu of a placement test at most schools. Once you know your placement scores and what you have the ability to take, planning out classes is a LOT easier. You mentioned wanting to concentrate in English a lot I believe, so i'm sure you can get out of most of the very basic foundation courses.</p>
<p>Is there some sort of list out there that encompasses activities specific to homechoolers? Or, in another sense, a list that provides extra-curriculars for "regular" students and homeschoolers combined?</p>
<p>I don't think so because it varies so much from one area to another. It might be more helpful if you post your specific areas of interest, and then perhaps others might have some ideas for how you can engage with them as homeschooler.</p>
<p>My areas of interest (in descending order of fixation level):</p>
<ol>
<li>Creative Writing - (Fiction Writing, Poetry, Play-/Screen-writing)</li>
<li>Dance - (Dance Team (Poms), Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Modern, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, African; Yoga)</li>
<li>Theatre - (Musicals, mainly, but sometimes also plays)</li>
<li>Volunteering - (Tutoring, Mentoring, Assisting)</li>
<li>Languages - (fluency in French; beginning in Chinese, Arabic)</li>
</ol>
<p>Other areas of importance, to a lesser extent:</p>
<ol>
<li>Voice - (Private Lessons)</li>
<li>Model United Nations</li>
<li>Philosophy - (Club?)</li>
<li>Job - (Something literary-related, most likely)</li>
</ol>
<p>Ideas for how to get involved:</p>
<ol>
<li>Enter writing contests; attend writing seminars/camps</li>
<li>Join a local studio</li>
<li>I'm not sure about this one...get involved through a participating school, maybe?</li>
<li>Get involved through participating foundations/schools</li>
<li>Tutor; join clubs through participating schools</li>
<li>Private voice lessons</li>
<li>Participate through a school</li>
<li>Start a club at community college?</li>
<li>This one's pretty self-explanatory...</li>
</ol>
<p>Do you guys have any suggestions on how else I could go about pursuing my interests? I'd love some input!</p>