Will colleges understand why I didn't take honors classes?

Applying to College
1

Currently, I’m an uprising junior in high school and home-schooled. I’m highly determined/motivated and I’ve always had straight As, but I didn’t have the opportunity to take honors classes in my freshman and sophomore years. I’ll be taking APs online for the next two years, but have no honors classes under my belt. Will it matter to colleges (specifically, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, and Stanford) that I couldn’t take them, since I’m home-schooled?

2

If the reason why you couldn’t take honors was because you didn’t have that option than colleges will understand. For example some schools only have a few APs so if students only take one they don’t hold it against them. They can’t punish you if your only option was to take regular. However if you had the chance to take honors and you didn’t this might harm your chances

3

OP mentioned being home schooled. This may be a situation where taking additional SAT subject tests in the high school courses completed in home school may be helpful, in order to “confirm” the quality of the home school courses when the colleges look at the OP’s application. (Taking many more SAT subject tests than required or recommended by colleges is otherwise usually regarded as a waste of time for those in more traditional public or private schools.)

4

Ask each school what they want for a successful home school application. They will require some proof of your core competencies beyond Mom and Dad’s given grades. SAT subject test scores are often required of homeschool students. Some will want to know what texts were used, topics covered. If you have grades from dual enrollment at community college your last two years, this will be helpful. Grades/letters from other teachers in homeschool co-ops could also be useful.

“Honors” is just a word. It means less than nothing…because it cannot be quantified or compared equally with other school’s “honors” classes, or even other school’s regular classes. AP classes can. Take AP classes whenever possible. To a regional admissions officer giving a final read to an application…“honors” might mean something about a school district they’re familiar with…but beyond that, it’s moot.

Worry about ACT and SAT scores. Start now with practice tests.

5

You’ll be fine. Get good scores on the SAT or ACT, keep your As and do well in your upcoming A.P. classes.

6

Thanks for the replies, guys!