When should students consider going to college? In particular, homeschoolers
Image, thanks to Metro Seniors
Please welcome Todd Johnson, the college admissions counselor for College Admissions Partners .After 20 years of being a successful trial lawyer, Todd left it all because he “has always had a personal interest in college admissions and was often frustrated watching students choose a college without understanding whether the college was a match for that student. He also observed in talking to parents that they did not understand the basics of college financial aid and as a result were often spending more money to send their children to college than necessary.” To read more about Todd click here.
We are particularly pleased with Todd’s new column on American Muslim Mom because “Although Todd has worked with students who have gained admission to Ivy League Universities and highly selective colleges, his focus is not on finding the highest rated college for his students. He does not believe that the best college is the highest ranked or the college that has the lowest admission rate. Rather it means the college that is the best fit for the needs of that particular student.”
Todd looks forward to writing a monthly column on American Muslim Mom, in which he’ll share helpful tips and articles to help prepare our home schooled children to enter college. If there are particular topics that you would like to see covered, please contact us, or email him directly at todd@collegeadmissionspartners.com
As his opening piece, Todd will address the latest news of a 13 year old Muslim girl who will attend college this fall.
MashaAllah, Allah willed, my dear friend Anna’s eldest daughter to register for classes at the University of New Haven on a full scholarship this fall. In addition to Maida’s front page coverage of the New Haven Register’s Sunday, May 31, 2009 edition, Fox 61 News also featured her as well
MashaAllah, there are many supporters and other families with similar experiences as noted in this blog’s comments. But, some share their worries and/or concerns to assure that this young child does not have undue pressure as noted in these comments here. [Knowing Anna, her and her husband assure that Maida IS a child first, alhumdulilah. Watch her maturity & humility here.]
Regardless what your views are, Todd shares his 2-cents having assisted hundreds of students secure admittance to, and financing for one’s ideal college or university.
When should students consider going to college?
The answer to the question may seem obvious; after they finish high school. And for most students that answer makes sense. But for students who are home schooled, the answer becomes somewhat less clear.
As a basic I always recommend that the ideal curriculum for a student to follow in high school is 4 years of English, 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 4 years of social studies and 4 years of a single foreign language. Not all colleges will require this type of program but if you meet this scope of study, you will be in good shape to apply to any college. So, if your plan is to home school your child, that type of rigorous academic program, or as close as you can make it, is your best approach.
If you don’t feel comfortable teaching certain subjects, such as foreign languages, you might have your child attend the local public school just for that one subject. The other option is to have your child attend a local college to study that one subject. However, college classes tend to be much more difficult than high school classes so be very careful before sending your child to a college for a class.
The other major factor to consider when evaluating when it might be appropriate for a child to go to college is the maturity of the child. Some students are still fairly immature at age 18 and it might be wise to consider putting college off for a year or two for that student. This is known as a gap year and is getting more common every year. In fact, Princeton University last year started suggesting that incoming freshman consider taking a gap year.
The advantages of a gap year are not only additional time to allow a student to mature, but in the case of home schooled students, it can provide additional time to establish your child’s academic qualifications. Colleges often have problems evaluating home schooled students because the grades are difficult to consider against other students. Therefore, colleges need to rely more on standardized test results to evaluate home schooled students. By taking a year off, students can participate in college classes near their home to show a college that they are capable of handling such work. Students can also get more involved in activities outside the class that might show case their true abilities.
For other students, starting college before the traditional age of 18 may make sense. If you have a particularly bright child with high levels of maturity, starting college early may be necessarily to keep the student from becoming bored. I don’t normally recommend college for students less than 16 year old except in extraordinary circumstances.
Besides the level of maturity and the academic accomplishments of the student, you should also consider the time that is required to properly prepare for the college admissions process. I recommend that most students start preparing for the college process about one and half years before the time they would actually start college, regardless of age. This gives them adequate time to take the necessary standardized tests, evaluate their needs from a college, find a college to meet those needs and get the applications submitted to the colleges.
[Ponn Sabra] The majority of homeschool families I know start by adding community college credits to their high school portfolio of experience. This allows children to obtain transferable college credits; and in cases of unschooling families, it exposes them to the formalized setting of traditional college classes.
We look forward to your thoughts and concerns on this topic, so please begin a dialogue with us below.
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Category: Family
