Helping Your Homeschooled Child Prepare for College
Preparing your homeschooled child for college will look massively different than the prep required of parents of children in the education system. This is because schools have the resources to fully prepare students as standards as they reach college age, preparing them for the next part of their education journey.
Homeschool is massively different, and the same processes aren’t in place to facilitate automatic prep for college enrollment. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible or that you should consider enrolling your homeschooled child into a school to get this experience. Parents and home educators can still help their children prepare for the next step in education if they wish to pursue a college education, and these tips will talk you through different ways you can do this.
Helping Your Homeschooled Child Prepare for College
Start Early
It is never too early to start thinking about college, what your child wants to do, and where to go. Being proactive is the aim here, and finding out as much as you can about the different colleges, course expectations, admission requirements for homeschooled children, and more can allow you to make a shortlist and find the best schools to apply for. You need schools in three separate sections: reach, target, and safe schools. You reach schools that are those you don’t quite meet the criteria for but are applying to anyway. Your target schools are those that you do meet admission criteria for and safe schools where your child will exceed the minimum requirements to be accepted.
To be as prepared as possible, you need to know the details of the course, the requirements and expectations, the details for testing applications, admission essays, and more.
Discuss Colleges and Courses
The first step in preparing your child for college is to engage in open discussions about the different types of colleges and courses they can take. Whether they aim for an Ivy League school or a community college, your support and engagement in these discussions will help them make informed decisions about their future.
College Prep
Introducing college prep coursework and tests, such as advanced math and science classes like calculus, physics, or advanced biology, standardized tests like the SAT or ACT, and essay writing, can be an excellent way to help you prepare them for what to expect to in relation to college admission. This is something that will be done as standard during students’ time at school as they progress toward college. You can loosely follow the course work for college procedures as taught in school to help your child understand what they will be facing and ensure they know what to expect and how to approach the work required of them.
There are plenty of resources online and within homeschooling communities that you can access to integrate this into your lesson plans to deliver a thorough approach. The more experience your child has with standardized tests, especially as a homeschooler, the easier it will be to get ready and understand what they will face once the real tests come around.
Research Scholarships
There are many different scholarships available to students across the country, and homeschooled children aren’t exempt from applying. There are multiple ways you can research scholarships; you can head online to the Department of Education, which has a free scholarship tool to find applicable scholarships for your child, talk to the college admission office to uncover any college-specific scholarships or talk to career advocates or admissions coaches to help you find the right ones to apply for that you meet criteria for. The more scholarships you apply for, the better the chance of being accepted. But remember , there will be strict qualifying criteria, so make sure you meet all of these before you apply to improve your chances of success.
Take Courses
Taking online courses in areas your child needs help or support in, or to boost their application, can be massively beneficial in the run-up to submitting their college application.
In addition to this, taking classes outside of their homeschooling can also be massively beneficial, and it allows the college to see how your child adapts to a more formal classroom environment and how they engage with others around themselves.
Research courses that meet your child’s education needs and the admission requirements for their preferred colleges and courses. Enroll them in learning that will support them where they need it and give them additional skills to bolster their application.
Use Online Forums
Especially forums run by students from the college you are considering or other homeschooled students who have entered the college system; as their experience will be slightly different from the norm, the more your child can understand how things will be for those coming from homeschooling from the perspective of other homeschooled college-educated kids the better. Use as many online resources as possible for your child to help them learn more about what to expect, what they need to boost their application, and what the colleges are looking for so they can tailor this to themselves for their best chance of being accepted.
SAT Prep
Take the time to work through the SAT prep book, even if your child doesn’t want to do so. They will be glad they did it in the end despite its challenges. The earlier you start to prep, the easier it will be to find areas where your child might need additional support to help them get the scores they need. While this isn’t the only aspect to focus on, it can give you a good idea of where your child is so you can help them get to where they need to be for a successful college application.
Focus on Independent Learning
This has likely been a running theme through homeschooling, but pushing them to direct their learning towards a more self-based independent model where they need to stay on track with assignments and complete and turn papers in on time without supervision will be beneficial. Don’t be tempted to do this for them, as it’s a skill they will need when they want to go to college, and you won’t have to be there to help them. Try to take a more hands-off approach and give them the power to take charge, meet deadlines, and study independently. This can give them an edge and show that they are fully capable of meeting the demands of college and getting the work done without someone watching over their shoulder 24/7.
Discuss Finances
Heading to college is the perfect opportunity to help your child understand more about the world of finance and money management. From understanding the intricacies of applying for and being responsible with student loans to budgeting, earning a living with a part-time job, and paying bills on time, the more financially literate your child is, the better and more experienced they’ll be once they’re out from living under your roof.
Whether you have them help with the household budget, you help them get a job and start saving, or you work with them to understand credit and loan applications and the importance of a good credit score, supporting their financial journey will help them fare much better at college once the time comes.
Time Management
Preparing your child for college isn’t always about the educational apsects; it’s about how they manage their life once they’re in that college environment, and part and parcel of college life is where you need to be. From balancing study to sleep time to fit a part-time job or extracurricular activities, improving time management can be a great lesson and something they need to know. Allow them the chance to fail and learn more theme lessons in what happens if they don’t meet their obligations or they manage their time poorly because this will be a valuable lesson once they need to rely on themselves at college.
Use Counsellors
Homeschooled children often don’t have other objective viewpoints about their ability their education, and their environment, and this can put them at a severe disadvantage in relation to the application process. Getting the assistance of a college admission counselor can help you guide them through the process easier and give them a more accurate overview of what they need to be accepted and where they should be focusing. This can be especially important for students whose parents didn’t go to college or are the first child in the family to be homeschooled or enter college from here. The more support and advice you get, the more successful your child can be in getting into the right college.
Helping your child navigate the college admission process won’t always be easy or even fun. It can take time, dedication, and a lot of input to get your child to where they need to be to get into the right college for them. While it presents additional challenges from a homeschooling point of view, your child being as prepared as possible is what will make all the difference in getting them accepted.
