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What do homeschoolers do for recommendation letters that would normally be completed by teachers and guidance counselors? Do the parents fill one out? I suppose if one had a "specialist" teacher for calculus or something that person could do one... Just curious...

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 03:54 pm: Edit

Recommendation requirements for homeschooled applicants depend upon the school you are applying to. Some schools waive them, others want your parents to do it, some want a family friend, it all depends. It is important to talk to an admissions at the school in question.

By Krazee on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 09:21 am: Edit

Makes sense, Nathan, thanks... I'd guess the most selective schools, like Ivy League colleges, would still expect recommendation letters from SOMEBODY, maybe even a leader of a volunteer activity, a boss from work, etc. In A is for Admission, Michele Hernandez implied that recommendation letters are pretty important in the evaluation of applications at Ivies.

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 09:37 am: Edit

Many schools, not just the Ivies, want to see recommendation letters. Usually they take them with a grain of salt, especially if they are from the parents. The Ivies have different standards for homeschoolers than they do public schoolers. I would not be at all surprised if recommendation letters are there to fill a square. The most important factor in a homeschool application is the coursework and grades. Essays and test scores are second. Recommendations are dead last.

By George Meany on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 09:30 pm: Edit

I was very surprised to discover that Villanova doesn't even require recs. What's up with that?

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Saturday, November 03, 2001 - 10:00 am: Edit

For homeschoolers? They probably just realize parents are biased.

By Dadster on Monday, November 05, 2001 - 01:25 pm: Edit

Parents? Biased? Nawwwww, not us...

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Monday, November 05, 2001 - 02:21 pm: Edit

By MDmom on Wednesday, November 14, 2001 - 09:01 pm: Edit

Nathan, do you work any jobs or have any community service involvements that could be the source of a good rec?

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Friday, November 16, 2001 - 10:13 am: Edit

The short answer is yes and no. I'm currently looking for my first job, with little success due to the economic slow down. I do have some community service through my church and another organization, and I could have used a recommendation there. However I am already done with the application process, so I don't really need extra recommendations.

By Dadster on Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 08:17 pm: Edit

It would seem like homeschooling would be an ideal opportunity to work in creative service or work due to greater scheduling flexibility. Do you think it works this way, Nathan? Do homeschoolers really take advantage of that flexibility?

By Nathan (Homeschool) on Saturday, February 09, 2002 - 11:14 pm: Edit

Well, I certainly don't take advantage of all the extra time. However, I have a friend who worked 30 hours a week his junior and senior years of high school.

Really, a traditional homeschooler's flexibility depends a lot upon how flexible his/her parents are with their schedules. Some parents work, and have to teach around their work times. On the other hand, some parents start school at 6:30 and their kids are out by Noon or one. It's all a matter of what's best for you and your family.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:25 pm: Edit

The whole college entrance experience is a great opportunity for a young person to get in the habit of writing many thank you notes--to all of the many people who have helped in the process. After getting the knack of it and seeing the resulting goodwill, the writing of these notes becomes second nature.

Many of us have overflowing email inboxes, but the day is made brighter by a few thank you notes among the spam. Sent by snail mail, the effect is even more memorable.

Many kids have a real reluctance to writing short notes---thinking, "why would this person be interested in hearing from me?" After getting into the habit of sending notes, a student is much better prepared for the kind of interaction between professors and other students that is the college experience.

----

My daughters wrote thank you letters to all the people who wrote recommendations, and followed up with 2nd letters with news of admission. They wanted each of these people to feel like it was THEIR effort that made the difference. In the end, we never actually know what might have been the one factor that made the difference in an admission decision--so it is best to believe that many are responsible for your good fortune.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:34 pm: Edit

None of the colleges my daughters applied to were turned off by the letters of recommendation that were sent to them in lieu of the standard recommendation forms. Several of them ran two pages of text. If you have people who can write good anecdotal information... why have them just check off boxes?

By Heartcross (Heartcross) on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 09:37 pm: Edit

For my oldest, we used her orchestra director and her horse trainer. Her horse trainer writes the most awesome letters--really works of art. She's known my dd for many years and my dd has worked for her in other capacities, too. Try to think of outside people that your student has worked with--stage directors, bosses, pastors, 4-H leaders...

By Eri (Eri) on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 06:45 pm: Edit

Hey Nathan, I was just wondering, how did your applications go? I also recently got all of my applications in (all ten of them!!), along with most of my financial aid forms. Where did you apply? Where are you hoping to go?

Just another curious senior...

Peace
Erika