What do I need to prepare for US university applications as a homeschooler?

Introduction

Embarking or continuing on your homeschooling journey as a highschool aged student is exciting. There is so much more freedom to explore subjects that interest you outside the bounds of a traditional high school setting, whether it is with a state/public school or a private insitution.

But beware, there are some things to watch out for if you are homeschooling but still want to have a shot at applying to quality universities as a next step.

In this article, we'll cover some of the most important things to consider preparing for if you are planning on applying to universities in 🇺🇸 the United States and are currently homeschooling.

Homeschooler's university application checklist — US edition

Here's a quick table of contents for easy navigation:

Transcripts

Standardized test scores

References

Extra-curricular activities

Personal statement

Let's get started! 👇

Transcripts

Granted, not everyone is aiming for the Ivy League, but even if you are planning on applying for less competitive institutions, submitting a home-made transcript unfortunately most likely won't put you at an advantage.

Most universities require a transcript provided by an accredited institution, such as a public or private high school, but since our context is homeschooling, this will most likely not be possible.

What are you alternatives, then?

1. Get a GED

   The GED, the General Educational Development test, is an alternative to a high school diploma, and serves to certify that an individual has obtained academic knowledge at the secondary school level.

   Getting a GED if you are not able to obtain a high school diploma and associated transcripts from an accredited insituttion is generally accepted as a form of credential by most US universities. However, it is important to note that this is just one of many requirements that you need to meet in order to put together a strong university application. Don't forget about things like standardized exames like the SAT, and getting strong references, etc.

2. Take community college courses for credit

   If you are lucky enough to be homeschooling in the US, chances are you have a community college within driving distance.

   Consider enrolling in several courses at your local community college for credit, and strive to do well in these courses.

   This will be an excellent approach to 1) show universities that you have obtained the requisite academic knowledge to continue onto higher level education, and 2) provide an official transcript from an accredited institution.

3. Take the SAT & AP exams

   The benefit of taking the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and AP (Advanced Placement) exams as a homeschoolers in lieu of providing an official transcript from an accredited institution is that you are killing two birds with one stone.

   Scoring well on the SAT and doing well on several AP exams signal to admissions officers that you are academically ready to take on university level courses, which is a huge plus.

   Furthermore, since most US universities require you to submit a standardized test score alongside your other application materials, taking the SAT is no extra work.

   P.S. Read more about preparing for standardized test in the section to follow.

   P.P.S. You do not need to be enrolled in a school to take AP exams. There are a lot of resources online and offline to help you self-study for AP exams in any subject; in a future post, we'll cover what these resources are. However, make sure that you find a local testing center tha administers the AP exam you're hoping to register for. It's a good idea to do you research and contact test centers before spending time and money on registration and studying materials.

Standardized test scores

Most four-year accredited univerisities in the US require standardized test scores as a part of your application. That's not something you can typically avoid unless you won a gold medal at one of the International Olympiads.

The good news is that you do not need to be in a traditioanl schooling setting to study for or register to take standardized exams like the SAT or ACT.

Our recommendation is to purchase a few study guides for the standardized tests, do several practice tests, focus on areas of weakness, and practice, practice, and practice.

To achieve a storng score on your standardized test, there is absolutely no need to be in the 99% percentile in terms of intelligence. A lot of it comes down to repeated practice, as you need to get familiar with the format of different question categories and train yourself to solve problems in a strategic and timely manner.

Even though many students take on a tutor to prepare for standardized tests, we don't think it's absolutely necessary in order to score well. Practice is the key here.

However, if you do want to have some outside guidance, it doesn't hurt to get a qualified and experience tutor, or sign up for a highly rated online course like the one offered by Magoosh as a more affordable alternative.

References

This is the most tricky part when applying to US universities as a homeschooled student.

Most four-year degree-granting institutions in the US require not one, but THREE reference letters. Typically, two referees should be academic teachers, and one should be your guidance counselor.

As a homeschooled student, you might not have two teachers to turn to, let alone a guidance counselor, which is usually assigned to you in a traditional high school.

Our recommendation is to reach out to the schools you are interested in applying to, and get clarification on whether there are alternatives you can turn to as a hoomeschooled applicant. Speaking from experience, there is nothing to lose by reaching out. It might even make you stand out as someone with high agency to the admissions officers.

If you need help with finding references, it might be a good idea to reach out to our team and see if our guidance counselor service would be a good fit for you, and whether or not it makes sense to find two or more tutors in various subjects so that they can act as your referees when you apply to university.

In any case, it is a good idea to start planning for your university applications well ahead of time as a homeschooled applicant, as you won't be able to secure strong reference letters for your application(s) should you start piecing things together last minute.

Extra-curricular activities

Extra-currriculars play an important role in US university applications, because in the US, admissions officers typically assess applicants holistically. This means aside from your academic achievements, admissions officers also want to see the other facets of you as a future student and alumni of their institution.

This is why if you're in a traditional school setting, everyone emphasizes the importance of taking on leadership roles and picking up volunteering hours.

Being homeschooled actually plays in your favor in this respect.

The hours that are not spent going through high school curricula at the pace of a collective student body means that typically, you'll end up with a lot more free time to do things outside of preparing for exams and doing school projects.

Use this extra free time to pick up a part-time job, volunteering activity, or start a project yourself!

Ideally, you're not just doing extra-curricular activities for the sake of looking good on your university application, but the activities should also genuinely give you the opportunity to learn something and contribute to your development as an individual.

These are the type of formative experiences that help you shine in your application, which brings us to another topic, the personal statement, the place to highlight exactly why you're the right candidate to be admitted to your dream school.

Personal statemenet

The personal statement, or personal essay, is a piece of writing that introduce more qualitative arguments about what makes you a strong candidate amongst a pool of other hopeful applicants.

The great thing about applying to US universities is that you have the freedom to personalize your statements for each school you apply to. Even though most applications are submitted via the Common App, in reality you can submit one application, make changes to your materials, such as updating your personal statement, and then send the updated application to the next school on your list.

Because you have so much room to personalize, do not let this opportunity go to waste!

We recommend that you thoroughly research the degree program you are applying to at each university (in most cases, this would be a BA degree and you are not expected to have already fixated on a major, unless you are applying to a business school for undergrad studies).

Attend on-campus tours if you have the time and money to do so, or reach out to current students or recent alumni to learn more about their experiences.

Then, once you are confident you know enough about a particular school and can clearly convey why you're the perfect fit for them, time to start drafting your statement.

Here are a few rules of thumb to remember:

• Be concise - don't use fancy words just for the sake of it
• Highlight your personal experiences and tie them to why you are excited about being a student at the school
• Mention aspects that are unique to the school you're applying to to show that you've done your research and you are genuinely interested in the school
• Refrain from using tropes, AI-generated drafts, or other people's work without correct attribution and reference
• Make your voice shine through - be authentic!

Conclusion

This sums up some of the most important elements to consider when preparing for US university applications as a homeschooler.

Make sure you plan ahead on 1) transcripts/credentials, 2) standardized tests, 3) extra-curriculars, and 4) personal statement(s) so that when application season comes around, you're well-prepared to make yourself stand out.

If you have any questions around preparing for university applications as a homeschooler, don't hesitate to reach out to our team. We'd love to help!