<p>The Parents board has a posting listing all the SAT II requirements for selective schools. I have heard that many schools require SAT II tests from homeschoolers (and not from the other applicants). I have also heard that while regular applicants need to submit 3 SAT II tests at some schools, homeschoolers are asked for 5.</p>
<p>I thought it might be good to start a thread where we list the requirements that are specific to home schoolers.</p>
<p>I am going to do some research and post some later -- anyone know any right now?</p>
<p>I can tell you about Virginia colleges for homeschoolers.</p>
<p>UVA - Require 3 of all students - suggest homeschoolers submit more than 3</p>
<p>William & Mary - Will look at them, if supplied, but don't require them</p>
<p>Mary Washington - Strongly suggest 3 from homeschoolers</p>
<p>Virginia Tech - Require 3 only from homeschoolers</p>
<p>James Madison - Doesn't accept SAT-II scores -- suggest AP Exam scores from homeschoolers</p>
<p>Radford - Require 2 only from homeschoolers</p>
<p>The only one I know of, outside of Virginia, is Davidson in North Carolina -- they also suggest that homeschoolers submit 2-4 SAT-II scores and require an interview as well</p>
<p>Northwestern requires SAT reasoning or ACT of all applicants, and recommends three SAT subject tests for all applicants. Homeschooled applicants are required to submit three subject tests: </p>
<p>"Students who have been educated at home are required to submit the results of three SAT Subject Tests in addition to their SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with writing results. Math Level 1 or 2 -- for students who plan to study sciences or engineering, Math Level 2 is clearly preferable -- plus two other SAT Subject Tests of the applicant's choice from different subject areas (i.e. not two science or two foreign language or two history, etc.) are required."</p>
<p>Those are the only official requirements they have for homeschoolers. They told us they like to see grades from an outside source, and like to see a complete but concise transcript, including titles of materials used.</p>
<p>right now, my son's list of schools is very long (and since he is just in 10th grade, there is no need to narrow it down). I am looking ahead and trying to help him make plans as far as class subjects and tests. He doesn't really want to take a science SAT II and his language (arabic) isn't offered as one. That leaves him taking US History, Lit, World History and Math IIC. If he takes those four, will he be safe in applying to most schools (as far as SAT II requirements go)? He is not interested in engineering or the sciences. He is looking at super selective schools.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to the following schools, using the ACT and not needing SAT IIs:</p>
<p>Brown (admitted, matriculated)
Chicago (admitted)
UNC (admitted)
U Missouri (admitted)
WUStL (waitlisted)
Penn (denied)
Yale (denied)</p>
<p>If a college requires SAT IIs from homeschoolers, it will explicitly say so. I would only go by what is on the web site (easy enough to look up the places that interest you -- far easier than trying to come up with a list, what with thousands of colleges in existence!) UNC at an informational meeting said they "like to see" 4 or 5 SAT IIs from homeschoolers. But this isn't what their web site says. My daughter applied with none reported and was admitted, as noted above.</p>
<p>I might add that I've heard of someone being admitted to Columbia with fewer of the SAT IIs than the school claims are required on the web site!</p>
<p>hsmomstef -- is he planning on taking any AP exams? That might help to lighten the SAT-II load. </p>
<p>My dd is combining strategies, so so speak. She's taking 4 AP Exams (U.S. History, English Language, World History, and US. Government) and 3 SAT-II Subject Tests (Literature, Spanish Language, and Math Level 2). She isn't planning on majoring in science, so she isn't planning on submitting any test scores for science either way. </p>
<p>She's looking at mostly state schools and a few private ones. Nothing super selective either way.</p>
<p>yes, he is taking AP US History and AP Lit this semester (along with the SAT II of those subjects). He has also taken college classes-- so some real grades are available.</p>
<p>He is planning on spending next year (his junior year) abroad, so that throws a wrench in the works as far as SAT II's go. He will need to pick up one more (to have three) and it will probably be math IIc. If he spends a year abroad, he will not take a science that year nor would world history be a subject -- and he does not want to self-study while in another country.</p>
<p>I am trying my best to help him plan ahead. He has top colleges on his list (like Princeton) so we are aiming his credentials there -- and hoping that those same qualifications will work for less selective schools. He does have safeties and what should be good matches that he will be perfectly happy with. And for all my worrying -- he may very well end up at St. John's -- it really seems to fit him.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help -- right now his college list has over 30 colleges on it, but I think I will start perusing the website to see if they have any "unusual" requirements of a homeschooler.</p>
<p>I recently spoke with a Princeton admissions person who told me they do not require a math SAT subject test for students with interests in humanities (like my daughter). He said any three were fine and a variety was helpful. She is doing biology, lit and American history.</p>
<p>Rhodes admission personnel stated they required two SAT subject tests and did not want them to be math or literature, stating they felt that was already represented the SAT I exam.</p>
<p>Thanks -- next year we will start contacting colleges to get specific information, but it is good to have a general idea of what the expectations are.</p>
<p>It seems that the schools list a set of parameters but they may overlook them if they see a strong candidate or kid with special talent.</p>
<p>For example Columbia which asks for five SAT II tests on their site admitted my son with only three. None of these were quantitative tests either, and we were told was a must by so many people. </p>
<p>They post these requirements as a guideline so they can compare them with other students but they usually aren't written in stone.</p>
<p>agree with nopoisonivy - all of this is just guidelines. As long as you submit enough info to let the college evaluate you in the context of their applicant pool, you have some lattitude in exactly what it is (CC grades, SAT IIs, APs, distance learning grades, awards in academic contests). If you won a Nobel Prize for curing cancer, no college is going to turn you down because you have 3 SAT II exams (or years of foreign language, or whatever) and they recommended 4.</p>
<p>They are good guidelines and I will just have to hope that what my son has is good enough for where he wants to apply. This spring, he will be spending the entire semester at an experiential learning program where they combine wilderness living and rigorous academic schoolwork. He is looking forward to it, but it limits his class choices for the year somewhat.</p>
<p>Next year (11th), he plans to spend the year abroad -- again, limiting his class choices. With his current plans in place, the best he will do with SAT II is to take 3 (US History, Lit and Math IIC). He would not be prepared for the other tests by the beginning of Senior year. He will have plenty of Community College Classes, Harvard Distance classes and a few AP tests -- and we will have to leave it at that.</p>
<p>My concern is that he is setting his sights very high and I don't want to ruin his chances because he is missing a piece of the application. If the school asks for 4 SAT II tests, or asks for a science SAT II or something else he doesn't have, do we just send in the application and write a note regarding the omission?</p>
<p>I really don't think it is necessary to explain the missing SAT II test or why there was none taken in math or the sciences.
Of course if you can fit it in then have him do it.
Admissions officers in the elite schools are aware that homeschoolers will be missing a few things.</p>
<p>My wife and I discussed this for our son as well and decided time would be better spent strengthening his application in other areas. Believe me, we had plenty of nay-sayers who insisted on at least one SAT II in math.
Some fought us on his taking a gap year and said "why doesn't he go to a community college".</p>
<p>That wilderness program sounds interesting (what is it called?).
Anything your son does to set him apart will help the adcoms go to bat for him. If he has a passion for art or music or is gifted in some other area try to bolster that on the app by letters of recommendation and supporting activities. </p>
<p>Please list the schools that he intends on applying to and also list his EC's.
Also let us know what part of the country he wants to be in so perhaps some safety schools might be suggested.</p>