Common College Application Mistakes
By Mimi Rothschild
The process of college admission can be a very intimidating thing, especially for homeschool families and their homeschooled teens. There are ways for homeschooled applicants to avoid many of the pitfalls and problems that can crop up. With a little preparation and some planning, the process can be relatively painless for college bound homeschoolers.
The most important factor in gaining admission to the college of your choice is your grades. More specifically, how well you perform in your college preparatory curriculum. The ideal curriculum to prepare you for college is one that includes the maximum number of classes you can manage in the subjects that matter most to colleges. Mathematics, English, science, social studies and foreign language classes rank highest on the college watch lists. There are other factors that colleges will consider, but class performance in these subjects holds the most weight.
A common misconception is that grade point average is everything. Many parents and homeschooled students believe that if they simply choose easy classes and get the highest grades they can, then colleges are certain to line up to admit them into their schools. In fact, students have been turned down solely based on the fact that they chose easy elective classes instead of more demanding classes.
Another big mistake homeschool students make is ignoring great resources. Many homeschool students ignore or fail to identify resources available to them when choosing and applying to colleges. Contact current students of colleges to get an inside perspective on the school. Look to counselors and administrators to get specific information on their admissions processes. You can even use your friends and parents for third party advice or to bounce ideas and information off of to get a different perspective.
Do not choose a college based on a friend’s choices or because your parents went there. This is your future and you must decide on the best choice based on your own personal preferences. Personalize your search to include your own values. Evaluate the schools themselves based on the information you gather directly rather than from anecdotal evidence or the many myths that surround colleges. The point is, the homeschooled student will only be comfortable in an environment suited to their personal preferences.
Once you have narrowed your search down, explore your choices in more depth. Investigate college campuses, their specific courses, location and environment. During this process, ask yourself questions about what you want from the college and whether it matches your abilities and interests well. A major mistake many homeschool students make is simply choosing a school for its reputation and popularity and find later that it was just not a good match for them.
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