The “Great College Search” does not have to be the high stress process of which we often hear. We, like thousands of homeschooling families across the country, survived this rite of passage and you can, too. Although we made a few mistakes along the way, our oldest son was accepted into his first choice: a highly competitive Christian college. We’re now beginning the journey again with our youngest son, Tyler.

Number One Tip
Before we go any further, I want to give you one huge tip: Get Organized! Disorganization was my downfall and explains why we missed an important scholarship deadline to JB’s second choice school! My dear friend Celeste, the Queen Bee of Organization, made a wise decision while navigating the college search two years ago with her oldest child, Rebekah. Celeste kept a Master College Notebook from the very earliest days of their searching. Knowing that she had to be Rebekah’s guidance counselor, Celeste made smart decisions:

I could go on but you see what I mean. All of their hard work paid off - Rebekah won enough small and medium sized scholarships to fully her fund her four years at an in-state university. It took much time on both of their parts to do this but Rebekah will leave college debt-free. You’d better believe I’ll be keeping a notebook this time around!

Begin Early

There are still those who may say that your homeschooled high school student will never get into a good college. Listen carefully: this is simply not true! Homeschoolers have been accepted to and excelled in colleges across the nation, including prestigious and Ivy League schools. Homeschoolers are even being recruited by colleges who have seen how well these independent, well-educated young people do on college campuses. You CAN provide your student with a high quality education, tailor-made for his or her gifts, interests, and abilities.

A Big Decision!
Certainly your student should have input into the choice of college, but remember, you are turning them over to this institution for the next four years, so make this a matter of high priority prayer and research. “Visit” campuses by checking out their homepages on the Internet. Call or write for schools’ Viewbooks. Ask people you respect what college(s) they recommend. (Bear in mind, though, many colleges have changed drastically from even ten years ago.) With your student, make a list of potentially acceptable schools.

Looking for a Christian College? Many are Christian in name or tradition only. Where do you stand in your beliefs and how closely do you require the school to match them? Where do they stand on Creationism? What are their rules and regulations? Are they too strict? Too lenient? Ask tough questions. Get the student handbook and see what their policies are on co-ed dorms, curfews, etc. Talk to students at the school. Get beyond glossy brochures and sales pitches. There is a lot more than just academics at stake. Choose wisely. Political correctness has crept into Christian colleges but is rampant in the secular schools. Find out what freshman orientation covers - ask about diversity programs. Some of these are outrageous in nature! Next, you and your teen need to narrow down the list. It isn’t practical to do an in-depth study of more than six or so schools. Find out their specific prerequisites: course work, test scores, and application deadlines. Ask trusted friends to write a letter of recommendation that you can use for all applications. If possible, arrange a visit to the two or three schools you’re most interested in. Visits can mean a big difference in the final choice (and for competitive schools it shows them your interest). There’s nothing like talking to students, eating in the cafeteria, and sitting in on classes and even spending the night, to help decide if it’s the right school or not.

Good News from College
At the 1995 Clonlara Home School Conference, Robert Blackstock, representing Hillsdale College (MI), commented on Hillsdale’s encounter with home educated students: “We have had a tremendous experience with homeschoolers. You’ve heard all the cautions: that they won’t be socially adjusted and they won’t be academically prepared, and I just have to wonder what is it they’re not socially adjusted to because they walk onto our campus and they are just fine. They seem to stand back... and take stock for a couple of weeks and then they become the editor of our paper, they take lead roles in plays, they go into student government... Our experience... has been that their attitude toward learning is better, they’re more fully and more actively engaged in the learning process...they take the tone of the campus easily in stride. So one of the things we look favorably [on] in admissions decisions is the fact that they’re homeschoolers.”

How Do Colleges Assess Homeschoolers?
This is taken from an article entitled “Home Education, College Admission and Financial Aid” in the Journal of College Admissions. It is valuable to understand what colleges consider in admitting homeschooled students.

“Assessment is a very serious issue. Often, admission personnel cannot easily get a feel for what has been learned at home, nor can they visit the homeschool as one might visit an alternative high school. Since there is no monolithic model of home education, there is no simple formula for assessment . . . Admissions officers might want to look for descriptions of programs of study, lists of projects, books, curricula, correspondence-school curricula should be examined. Outside evaluations of the student’s work might be in order, much like the mentor evaluations in adult degree programs. This is especially true for projects, many of which admission officers may neither have there time nor the background to evaluate. Many home educated students audit, or take for credit, courses in junior colleges. Community-based projects could be important to look at. Obviously, essay and interview are germane.”

Send for information, then read and follow the directions carefully. There are books and computer software available to help prepare for each and every examination. The mega-site for college planning and test registration (except for the ACT) is: www.CollegeBoard.org. Don’t miss this site!