For portfolio options for resumes, take a look at Zeemee. It can be linked to directly from the common app, more schools are partnering with them, and they allow things like images, documents, etc. I predict, that by the time our group goes to college, it will be more well known. If the college does not use it, then you still have more then just a list, but more of a memory, if that makes sense. Good for thinking about possible essays or creating a resume later.
@texaspg - does that mean DS1âs is still up there? (Common App)
@fretfulmother - I think that might be the case. However, the instructions said the app canât be used for transfer and so I am not sure about the usefulness.
Gearing up for the first day next week for DD20. Iâm probably just as excited as she is. We wonât see her schedule until day of, but the only changes she made was dropping French and continuing only with Latin. She toyed with the idea of taking both but wanted a free in her schedule.
Her plan is to take both the Biology and Geometry subject tests at the end of the school year.
If you are talking about SAT subject tests, bio is a go, but there is no geometry. Just math 1&2. They come after Alg2 and pre-calc/trig respectively.
@typiCAmom Alright⊠While Iâm not a parent. I am involved in speech and debate and drama. And yeah high school is tough like Iâm feeling pretty overwhelmed. But speech and debate requires a lot of work and time. Debate especially. You have to write cases, blocks, cards, etc. Speech is different but still time consuming. Iâm not saying she shouldnât cause speech and debate is a lot of fun in my opinion but it is a lot of work. Theater is too though like learning lines, rehearsals, dancing, singing, etc. But in my opinion if sheâs going to be doing something that will take up a lot of time. She should be doing something sheâs interested in.
Oldest is a couple of weeks into freshman year. Schedule has been a bit overwhelming but seems to be stabilizing a bit a this point.
Honors English
Honors Bio
Advanced Geometry
AP World History
Band
French 2
PE
Based upon what has happened thus far, we are already trying to figure out next yearâs schedule (our school starts planning schedules for the following year in December!). Oldest has a fairly large EC commitment outside of the school so hasnât been able to join any clubs this semester. Is hoping to do water polo next semester.
The really crazy thing for us (as this is our first child in high school) is how different the process is since we were in school. The pressure cooker atmosphere is palpable and the helicoptering observed at Open House was extreme.
We are trying to keep our oldest front and center in the decisions we make and not to buy into the craziness too much. We keep reminding oldest that everyone has to run their own race and to try to enjoy this experience.
Well might as well put up my kidâs schedule. It will be weird because we are homeschooling!
Algebra 1 live Mon & Friday with online inbetween
Biology with lab online through Edgenuity
Geography which I will teach as human geography and aim for the AP test.
English 9- We are working on the Call of Cthulhu just because we can. Creepy book.
Drawing 1 - at the local art studio
PE is figure skating
Enrichment is film directing, because he needed something to do while I taught a âhow to get into collegeâ class to other homeschoolers at our homeschool campus center. This is his favorite and I have a feeling with turn into a major enrichment activity.
We are working through one of the California independent study homeschool charters. They give us funding ($3200) and we have a variety of ways to fulfill credits - face to face approved classes, online with approved vendors, or by following outlines provided by the school that follow the CA standards.
We are taking a totally different route than the rest of you. Should be interesting.
@LKnomad my DD20 in in APHUG and my DD17 did it as a freshman and got a 5 on the AP Test. She loved it.
No foreign language?
@LKnomad hope you included prep for the 11th grade PSAT in your how to get into college class! I went to my homeschoolâs annual not back to school park day last week and was pretty disappointed to find out how many HS senior did not make the cut for NMSF. One in particular very bright kid that tests well missed it by a point and the parent said she asked her if she wanted to prep for it and she said no so they didnât worry about it and no these arenât unschoollers and they need merit! Only one kid from the group made it and he did prep and will likely get a full ride to Texas A&M.
One point on the SAT Subject tests. Many students are taking Bio and Chem after taking the first year of the subject AND the AP class. So percentile wise a kid who takes after only one year may be at a disadvantage.
@3scoutsmom I will happily take any suggestions you can offer. Right now the main problem seems to be misinformation. The community leaders are convinced that everyoneâs best option is though community college. In fact when we switched from public, I commented that I was leaving public school because I thought my LD son had a better chance at college this way, and the first thing that was said was, homeschoolers donât go to college, they go to CCs. (I actually posted about this on the CC homeschool board last year, I was so freaked out.) What was worse, the person who said this works for one of the (other) homeschool charters.
My (half finished) dissertation is on college access and social capital, or community. This was like walking into my dissertation in real life. My goal is to change this, and my charterâs high school counselor is backing me on it. They are making my classes electives so that students can get high school credit. But I am getting so much push back on social media, it is pathetic!
No foreign language yet. My son has auditory processing disorder, so he will take ASL instead at the community college, probably in 11th grade. The counselor can explain this in the rec letter. We have documentation of a disability.
S20 came back from first day of school feeling good. First day was to see all the class rooms and meet people. Reading through all the syllabus made me nervous. But S20 seemed content and had gone back to his old routine of playing video games already. It is going to be an interesting first year of high school!
@LKnomad it think Texas is very different than CA with homeschooling. We donât have access to public charter schools, we are considered private schools. Many kids here do take CC classes as part of their homeschool curriculum but so do many PS kids. I personally know kids that have not only gotten into UT Austin, TAMU, Texas State and TCU but have also gotten very good scholarships and have homeschooled all the way.
Good for you for educating the homeschoolers in your area!
We homeschooled 3 years through our school district and still have a lot of friends in the program. My kids went back to traditional school by choice.
@VickiSoCal all three of mine homeschooled until high school. In our case they were able to go to an out of district high school that could offer more than I could at home. Everyone has to walk the path that is best for themâŠ
@3scoutsmom we have both public (independent study) and private options in CA. Best oh both worlds. The public option allows for full IEP services.
@lknomad Yikes! Your description of your local homeschool community is not typical. I have been homeschooling for over 20 yrs, am currently working with my 5th high school sr on college apps, and have graduated my kids while living in 3 different states. While a lot of the homeschoolers I have known IRL have only aspired to attend the local directional university, no one has ever suggested that other options were not possible.
Fwiw, my kids have all gotten into the programs they have desired and with scholarships. Our oldest, who graduated from high school almost 10 yrs ago, is a chemE. 
Our ds who is currently attending Bama is attending on full scholarship (which according to some posters in CC is not possible. ;). But he has 4 stacking scholarships from them.) So, yes, your local group is absolutely incorrect. (And the ds at Bama is severely dyslexic, so even kids with LDs can be highly successful.)
Your exposure to homeschoolers is not representative of all homeschoolers!
The public homeschooling option in our district allows you to mix and match as well. So a student can attend 2 periods at the local high school, for example a sport or a lab science that might be difficult to offer at home, or band, and then take the rest of her classes at home. My older D homeschooled 4-6 grade but did orchestra at the local public elementary.