Homeschooling and College

As you have no doubt noticed, I am a long way from having to lose sleep over my children going to college but it is a concern for many when they consider homeschooling.

Can homeschooolers get into a GOOD college?  Are they able to perform?
The answer is yes, they can and yes, they are able.

Below are links and exerts from each to help ease your mind in regards to this topic:

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp

The Wall Street Journal confirms that many colleges are adjusting their admissions policies to homeschoolers:

Many colleges now routinely accept homeschooled students, who typically present “portfolios” of their work instead of transcripts. Each year Harvard University takes up to 10 applicants who have had some homeschooling. “In general, those kids do just fine,” says David Illingsworth, senior admissions officer. He adds that the number of applications and inquiries from homeschoolers is “definitely increasing.”²

http://www.nheri.org/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&pop=1&page=0

Academic Performance

·       The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50^th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.)

·       Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.

·       Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children’s academic achievement.

·       Degree of state control and regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.

·       Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.

·       Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

http://learninfreedom.org/colleges_4_hmsc.html

The colleges are listed below, most with links to the college Web site. Entries followed by double exclamation points (!!) are those confirmed to have admitted at least one homeschooled applicant.

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/can-homeschoolers-do-well-in-college/2551/

A new study published in The Journal of College Admission suggests that homeschool students enjoy higher ACT scores, grade point averages and graduation rates compared with other college students. The finding are especially interesting because there has been a paucity of research focused on how homeschooled students fare in college.

As always, I hope this was helpful and Happy Homeschooling!