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Ask the Guru a question.Home Schooling
I'm in 10th grade and have been home schooled since 8th grade. We haven't exactly kept good track of my work and grades though. I'm afraid because of that, I won't be able to get into college. Is there any way we can undo the damage? I don't want to, but should I try getting back into regular school? Being homeschooled, how do I figure out my GPA?
Please take a look at our prior answer on this issue. It is possible to get grades in home schooling depending on how structured the program is. Some home schooling involves independent classes, online classes and correspondence programs that do issue grades. Without knowing more about your home schooling structure, I can't say whether it's possible to get a GPA. It may be that proving grades is impossible in your case in which case colleges will have to rely more on test scores and other factors in determining your admission. Every home schooling situation is different and, therefore, I recommend deferring to the judgment of home schooling experts when setting up a program.
Our 8th grade public school daughter has been doing EPGY math for a couple of years in lieu of our school curriculum. She likes it and the rigor of the course seems more suited to her math ability. Any info from colleges if she stays with EPGY through high school level courses (hence no math grade included in transcripts)? As she plans for hs classes, is a 4.0 in standard hs fare better than a high 3+ average in higher level classes?
EPGY isn't going to be as well-known to some colleges as, say, AP math level classes, and although I'm not sure about this, I don't think EPGY courses will be accepted for college credit. Obviously EPGY has a great reputation, though. Typically, a high 3+ in more challenging classes would fare better. If you get a 4.0/4.0, who's to say what you were really capable of?
I am home schooled. What would best prepare me for college admission?
Let me give a short answer to this question now, and return to it a bit later. I think the topic is worth more space and time than we can give it now. There are parts of your application that will put you on par with other students from mainstream schools, for example, your SAT or ACT score, community involvement, essay, recommendations, and so on. These “points of reference” will allow an admissions pe rson to judge you against other applicants, and you need to be competitive. Colleges, though, depend on an understanding of each high school’s curriculum and degree of difficulty. You, being home schooled, will have been educated in an unknown environment. Therefore, it is vitally important that you communicate not only “how you did,” meaning your “grade” in the courses you took at home, you must also communicate what you learned, meaning the content of the courses you took. How you go about this will be expanded on a bit later. Colleges do recognize that more and more students are being home schooled, often with better results than public school. Home schooling should not be viewed as making it more difficult for you to enter the college of your choice. Colleges are definitely taking note of these students.
I am a sophomore in high school, and I am home schooled. Do colleges regularly accept home schoolers, or should I think about going back to school for my last two years? I have homes chooled since seventh grade, and before I started home schooling, I was in a highly recognized high school, but we moved, and the current district I am in has very low college ratings. If I go back to school, should I try to go back to my other school?