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I left my prep-school after spending one year in an air of absolute arrogance, indifference, and inefficiency.

Last year, I applied to college as a junior. I prepared for SAT's and AP's and indeed, I think I scored pretty well. (SAT I: 1600, Writing: 690, Chem: 70, M2C: 780, Phys: 730, AP Calc BC:2, AB:4, Chem:4, IEL:5, Eng. Lit: 4, US Gov & Pol: 3, Micro & Macroecon: 4) I made my own transcript, passed the GED and did whatever extra-curricular activities I could find.

However, I got rejected from all the Ivy League schools to which I applied.(Got admission from 4 universities though) Now I believe that without a formal GPA, whatever potentials I may have within me can never be appealed to the adcoms in those 'conservative schools.'

I guess those people think I am some sort of a "geek." I know that my profile may deliver such impression but I don't have any trouble in making friends and mingling with people.

Since I am going to try again this year as a senior, I desperately need some serious advice. How does homeschooling work in the US? What are some 'requirements' that are not listed in college admission info?

Thank you in advance.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 07:39 am: Edit

Homeschoolers have two basic choices:

(1) They can try to copy every single aspect of "regular" school.

(2) They can try to educate themselves in a manner that shows that they have a great love for learning.

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Which of the above do you think would impress a college more?

By Hyoseobee (Hyoseobee) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 11:01 pm: Edit

Thanx. But I would really like to know "how" to do that.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 02:41 pm: Edit

If you really don't know, you'd be better off going with the first option. You cannot fake a love of learning. If you have it, you already will be doing things that impress colleges. Then it's just a matter of letting your enthusiasm take control of YOUR applications. Far too many students look at an application as a collection of blanks that need to be filled in. Instead, take inventory of your strengths----and use those in a "campaign" that emphasizes them. Use pre-application contacts and a cover letter to emphasize what you feel strongly about.

The great majority of applications are "passive" in nature; they put admissions officers to sleep.

Each and EVERY student has the potential to make his application the one that stands out; but most are too bored (or scared) to do anything beyond filling in the blanks.

By Texas137 (Texas137) on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 10:18 pm: Edit

You are a senior. You don't have time to "do" anything. What you have done is already done, and that's what you have to work with.

All of the Ivy League schools have admitted homeschoolers with some combination of home-made transcript, distance learnihg courses, college courses, standardized test results, portfolio, and self study. A GED is not required, and a GPA is not required.

You may have just not been a strong enough applicant last year. It's much harder to get in as a junior because you simply have not had as much time to do things as the seniors have. Apply again with whatever you have been doing in the past year. Good luck!

(btw - there a discussion group on Yahoo called homeschool2college which you might be interested in.)

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 10:48 pm: Edit

Morgantruce hit the nail on the head. However, I will tell you that your stats even with a diploma from a highschool, in otherwords leave the homeschooling part out of the picture, will not ensure you entry into the most selective schools. Take a peek at the book by Chuck Hughes called "What it Really Takes to Get into the Ivy League", and it'll give you a better idea of what the situation is. These schools are so selective and competitive with the types of kids applying there, that very, very few kids are shoo ins even with perfect stats. Their definition of a scholar does not mean just the numbers. Kids who are a sole academic admit are those who have made a contribution to learning that is very unusual and catches the attention of the adcoms. Not at all easy to do.

So you are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Getting into these schools is very difficult and even applying to all of them does not mean you will likely get into one of them despite what the statistical analysis reveals.

When you apply this year, make sure that you apply to a range of selectivities. If you are applying only to schools that accept a third or less of their applicants, it is very possible you won't get into anything. You need to hedge you bets.

By Hyoseobee (Hyoseobee) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 09:59 pm: Edit

Thanks a lot for the advice. I really appreciate the help. I guess the first thing I must to is to find somewhere I stand out, esp in character.

By Hyoseobee (Hyoseobee) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 09:59 pm: Edit

oops dbl post