<p>Post your stats, ask questions, voice your frustrations, and etcetera.</p>
<p>Good luck everyone!</p>
<p>Just popping in to wish you all the best!!!!</p>
<p>My dd's just a lowly Junior this year! We're sweating SAT's this year and looking at colleges --- glad that I have another year before the mayhem begins!</p>
<p>Hey everyone! I'm a homeschool senior. I was "un-schooled" until sixth grade, when I started to do some math curriculum. In eighth grade I started a full curriculum. I went to a tough private school for a year in ninth and did very well (97 or 96 average, I don't remember), but then we moved and I went back to homeschooling.</p>
<p>I'm a National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist, and got a 2300 on the SAT spring of my sophmore year and never bothered to retake it. I got a 35 on my ACT and 740 on the Math IIc SAT subject test. Haven't gotten my US History and Lit SAT subject test scores back, but I'm thinking an 800 on at least the Lit, and maybe the US History as well.</p>
<p>I've applied to Questbridge, which I really like because it gave me the opportunity to write about my school experiences and explain why homeschooling worked for me. I plan on using their application even if I don't make the College Match program. My top schools are UChicago, Swarthmore, Stanford, and Oberlin.</p>
<p>I'm kinda frustrated that I won't have enough SAT Subject Tests to apply to Columbia (they require 4 for homeschoolers), but other than that there don't seem to be any obvious roadblocks.</p>
<p>For people who have been through this process: Is there anything homeschoolers like me should watch out for? Anything I should talk about in applications (assuming I don't get into Questbridge and thus still have applications to fill out) that I might not think of?</p>
<p>When Columbia required 5 Subject Tests from home school applicants (in the days of the two section SAT), a home schooler on these threads applied with the standard 3 and was admitted. I would apply even if you don't meet the requirement.
I know a home schooler, now a 2nd year at Chicago, who I'm sure would be happy to talk/meet with you if you're in town.</p>
<p>oh cool i have very similar experiences as you!!!!!!!</p>
<p>i just sent out my national merit finalist application last friday :) :)
howd that go for you? what'd you put down for your first choice national merit college? i put rutgers cause the other schools i'm applying too are too unlikely to get into/don't have merit scholarships because they're too good for those.</p>
<p>SAT I-2330
SAT IIs
Biology-760
Chemistry-800
World History-690
Math Level 2-800
Literature-790
US History-720
Latin-740</p>
<p>as you can see i really went overboard with the sat iis. I think it's because i had a homeschool friend who took 8 and another one who took 6.</p>
<p>questbridge?? good luck. i applied for a summer program through that but was rejected because i was financially ineligible :(</p>
<p>so right now i'm basically writing essays for applications and preparing a homeschool record, like a big 5-page transcript that details everything I've studied, books or materials i've used/read (not too many books really. i've barely read anything at all), and my activities/employment. i took care of my own academics ever since about 7th grade when i started looking into homeschool curriculum and other educational resources more than my mom was, so :) all I need is their signature on it. </p>
<p>one thing i'm extra-worried about: teacher recs. i had one course with a "teacher" - really a fellow homeschool graduate three years older than me who taught me and her little brother latin. she wrote a very nice recommendation for me, but many colleges require two or even three. should i ask my violin teacher?? or maybe the extremely-busy doctor i'm working for now? or maybe one of my counselors at youth group or sunday school teachers?</p>
<p>i'll probably apply to rutgers, columbia, dartmouth, duke, northwestern. i'm only allowed 5. i really hope i can get a full ride to rutgers!!!! that would be the coolest thing ever and i would be unfazed even if i got rejected from my other 4!!!</p>
<p>Hi maribut! </p>
<p>As long as each recommendation you supply add something important or clarify something in your applications, I'd say you should get as many as you can. I'm no expert, but I think that supplying more recs will allow the adcoms to get a better picture of who you are. They take away some of the question marks.</p>
<p>Holy cow, that's a lot of Subject Tests.</p>
<p>All of those people could be good, just ask whoever you think would write the best recommendation (and fits the criteria for "teacher" if the college has them).</p>
<p>Why are you only allowed 5 applications? Anyway, you should add a safety school. What happens if all five reject you? Maybe look at Arizona State, they give full rides to National Merit Scholars. (That's my main safety.)</p>
<p>For National Merit, you don't have to put a first choice school yet. I put undecided, and then when I am admitted and decide where I want to go I'll send in a first choice school.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>oh k. i'll see about asking my pseudo-teachers</p>
<p>haha, i don't think i'll be rejected at rutgers, since it is my safety school. oh no. do you really think there's a chance i'd be rejected there? None of the homeschoolers i know who've gone before have ever been rejected there and my academic credentials are as good as or better than most of theirs.</p>
<p>5 applications to save money. that's why i'm only putting schools that i think i have at least a chance at, and only ones that i like. no princeton or anything silly, i'm not the most driven person in the world.</p>
<p>and i don't think i'll be applying to ASU. i'm staying on the east coast or maybe chicago where i know a bunch of people.</p>
<p>do you have any experience with doing APs? i feel so naked without them. In my area, <em>everyone</em> in school takes a lot of them, but none of the homeschool graduates i know have taken any so i don't know much about them. if i can figure out how to do it (like the calling ap people and local highschools) i'll probably do calc ab, physics c, and bio this year. have a nice day.</p>
<p>Gah, I didn't see that you posted, sorry.</p>
<p>I didn't realize Rutgers had a 48% admissions rate, I thought they were more selective than that. It still might be a little too risky for my comfort, but it's probably not likely you'd be rejected.</p>
<p>I completely understand on the money-saving thing. There are some colleges with free applications though, you could look around for those. Have you gotten any emails about special free applications for high achieving students? Tulane and a couple other colleges sent me emails about that.</p>
<p>I totally understand wanting to be near home, but college is supposed to be a new context anyway. Maybe consider whether a plane ride home is really a deal-breaker for you. Of course, it's completely legitimate if you decide that it is a dealbreaker. There's a whole thread in the Financial Aid section about free rides for NM semifinalists, you could look there if you decide you want another safety.</p>
<p>I have no APs. I doubt it'll hurt you not to have them, especially with ridiculous SAT II scores like you have. This year will be too late for AP scores to make it onto your applications, so only do it if you care about getting the college credit.</p>
<p>Again, sorry for taking so long to reply.</p>
<p>yes i starred all of those priority/VIP applications in my gmail, but none of those colleges interest me unfortunately :( (villa julie, fordham, washington&lee, tulane, st. john's, ursinus, drexel, franklin college)</p>
<p>college? i'd like a more real world experience. a lot of top-tier colleges boast about their community of scholars and how amazing everyone there is. assuming i got rejected everywhere but rutgers, i'd be super-excited to go there anyway. i feel like homeschooling for 9 years has already sheltered me too long from ordinary people. i have to say i admire the academics of a place like princeton or dartmouth, but those are extremely sheltered places that would delay even longer my transition into the real world. toodles!</p>
<p>maributt:</p>
<p>Dude, trust me, you won't be rejected at Rutgers. I wouldn't be surprised to see you accepted to all 5 schools you mentioned. Your stats are very very good. Do you have any ECs? I mean, my scores were lower than yours, and I got into Princeton as a homeschooler... I didn;t have any APs either. Good luck with your apps!</p>
<p>So, I just found out from Questbridge that I matched with the University of Chicago. :-)</p>
<p>Good luck to all the homeschoolers still applying!</p>
<p>I am Pakistani resident and wish to apply to US universities. I left my school in 9th grade and since been studying in home.</p>
<p>My Qualifications:-</p>
<p>O' levels (Cambridge International Examinations)</p>
<p>Physics 95
Chemistry 96
Mathematics 94
Statistics 96
Accounts 93
Urdu 90</p>
<p>A' levels (Cambridge International Examinations)</p>
<p>Physics 96
Chemistry 96
Mathematics 97</p>
<p>SAT Subject tests</p>
<p>Physics 800
Chemistry 800
Mathematics II 800</p>
<p>SAT Reasoning test </p>
<p>I took on December 1st and expect somewhere between 2100 and 2300</p>
<p>TOEFl iBT</p>
<p>106/120</p>
<p>What are my prospects?</p>
<p>Will I improve my admission chances by giving additional SAT II SUbjects? In Pakistan
AP is not administered</p>
<p>
[quote]
So, I just found out from Questbridge that I matched with the University of Chicago. :-)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Congratulations.</p>
<p>For applying as a homeschooler, especially a homeschooler who can't take AP tests (which should be mentioned in the application), taking a few extra SAT Subject Tests is a very good idea. The O level and A level tests are very familiar to United States college admission officers. Your application will probably be reviewed by a specialist in international student admissions.</p>
<p>Faizan, I would post on the "College Search and Selection" board. Not very many people look at the Homeschooling board.</p>