If you have a upper school student, let me tell you from wits that it is never too early to start preparing for college. (Especially the saving-money part.) From freshman orientation to graduation four years later, there is always something that you can be doing to help your homeschool student make the transition from upper school to higher and beyond. And whether this is your first year as the parent of a upper schooler or you’re just months yonder from your child’s graduation, it’s time to think well-nigh higher prep.
What, exactly, does “college prep” mean? It’s an unexclusive term that covers not only the lengthy and sometimes-complicated process of unquestionably applying for higher but moreover life lessons that will prepare them to survive on their own for the first time (in most cases). Let’s take a comprehensive squint at everything you and your student can do to get ready for college.
Do Some Vital Research
In this case, vital ways having a serious talk with your son or daughter about:
- What kind of career and/or interests they want to pursue and study in college.
- How far yonder from home they want to be. If they plane want to leave at all.
- How seriously they are taking their upper school education–after all, wonk scholarships could be in play.
Let’s say you’ve had a discussion with your daughter, and she wants to major in medicine. Now you know where to focus your search–schools with reputable medical schools and programs. College Navigator has an spanking-new search engine that allows you to plug in a desired location, programs and majors of interest, and other increasingly specific fields that can help you and your student narrow lanugo the list.
Teach Some Survival Skills 
That may sound dramatic, but teaching essential life skills is pretty important for survival. Some kids are just born with “street smarts”, aka worldwide sense, and just know how to do unrepealable tasks and how to icon things out on their own. Others, not so much. Unfortunately, the real world doesn’t have the time or patience for those who lack vital survival skills. Fortunately, it’s not too late to teach your kids some life skills. And if you start early enough, they’ll be just fine at college.
- Laundry: Easy to do, yet kids still screw it up. Teach your teen how to sort and separate, how much detergent to use, what each wash trundling means, what goes in the dryer and at what temperature, and how to fold and iron if necessary. It’s moreover a good idea to teach some vital safety features. You know, like don’t overload the washer, make sure to wipe the dryer vent surpassing each use, etc.
- Cooking: Your student doesn’t need to melt an eight-course meal. But he or she should know how to put together a pot of mac and cheese, grill a burger, and make scrambled eggs. Of course, there are some easy meal solutions like microwaveable dinners (or microwaveable anything) and soups. And the old higher stand-bys like canned beef-a-roni and ramen noodles still do the trick. But knowing how to at least cook the basics gives your soon-to-be-college student a leg up.
- Shopping: Being worldly-wise to shop smart is an important life skill to have. And it’s moreover kind of fun…there’s a sense of winnings when you’re worldly-wise to score an superstitious deal. But shopping smart isn’t just well-nigh saving money, it’s moreover well-nigh knowing what to buy. No matter where your student lives, they will need sheets, blankets, pillows, toiletries, cleaning supplies (in hopes they’ll unquestionably be used), and food. Off-campus housing, however, ways they have an unshortened suite to replenish too. This is where shopping smart comes in–looking for deals on furniture at consignment shops; undear prices on marketplace websites; sales on kitchen gadgets, washroom necessities, and similar items at unbelieve stores like Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond. Function over fashion, until you can sire otherwise.
Managing Their Time
No matter where your higher student lives, they will have plenty to do. Classes, studying, extracurricular activities, newfound friends and socializing, and possibly a job. Not to mention, if they’re living on their own, there are chores to do. It’s like they’re…real adults! The problem is, they haven’t been living like adults because…well…they’re still kids, despite their age. But womanhood will sneak up on them quickly, and kids need to be prepared for all that it requires.
Even with all of these things to do, there is still only so much time to get it all done. Now’s the perfect time to teach time management. Requite them uneaten jobs virtually the house, have them melt the occasional dinner, and make them responsible for ownership groceries. Adding that to their school, homework, after-school activities, friends, family life, and work suddenly makes their days pretty adult-like. You’re an sultana with real-life experience, so impart some parental wisdom upon your child by sharing a few of the tips and strategies you use every day. There are moreover some helpful websites that offer time management skills specifically for kids and teens. They’ll thank you later in life.
OK, now let’s fast-forward to when your high school senior starts getting serious well-nigh applying to colleges.
Applying to Colleges 
The process of applying to colleges may seem daunting–and it can be, to a degree. But as long as you stay focused and organized, everything will fall into place nicely. Here are a few things to plan for at the whence of the higher using process.
- SAT/ACT Exams: At this point, your student has probably once taken either the SAT or ACT standardized test. If not, sign them up as soon as possible (though many schools today are “test-optional”, meaning they don’t require SAT or ACT scores for admission) so they have the test results in time for using windows.
- College Choices: By now, your child has probably created a list of colleges and universities to which they’d like to apply. Ideally, students should consider applying to anywhere between 5 and 10 schools. Some experts recommend applying to:
- Two “reach” schools, colleges that they’d love to shepherd but might be a bit out of reach
- Four “match” schools, colleges where they’ve got a real solid endangerment of getting accepted
- Two “safety”, colleges that aren’t necessarily at the top of their list but where they’re very confident they’ll be accepted
- College Visits: Once they’ve established a list of schools, go see them up tropical and personal! Higher visits are the weightier opportunities to explore the campus first-hand, speak to current students and faculty, tour matriculation buildings, trammels out the living situation, and see what the surrounding zone is like. Most colleges host unshut houses during the fall; they moreover are very responsible to separate personal tours.
Application Deadlines
Once you and your high school senior (or junior…never too early to get started!) visit schools and narrow lanugo their choices, it’s time to apply! The first visualization you need to make is…when you want a visualization made! Meaning, does your child want an Early Visualization (ED), Early Whoopee (EA), regular decision, or rolling admission?
- Early Decision: This is a binding decision, meaning that if your child is wonted into the school on an ED application, he or she must shepherd that higher (unless the financial aid package is not sufficient). The deadline for applying for Early Visualization is often either November 1 or November 15, though many schools moreover offer a second ED period, which is usually in early to mid-January.
- Early Action: Early Action, on the other hand, is not binding, and your child still has until May 1 to decide which higher to attend. This buys a little bit increasingly time in the decision-making and financial aid process. The deadline for applying for Early Whoopee is moreover either November 1 or November 15.
- Regular Decision: This is a standard using deadline for students not interested in any type of early action. Most higher deadlines to wield for regular decisions span from mid-November through mid-March.
- Rolling Admission: Some schools offer this as an option. This is a flexible six-month using window followed by a visualization from the school between four and eight weeks later. Rolling admissions tend to goody early applicants, however, considering ticket stops once the school has unbearable students accepted. This window lasts until virtually May 1.
Note: Be sure to send all your applications together in specimen your child is rejected from his or her top choice. That way, no deadlines are missed when applying to replacement schools.
It sounds like a lot to cover, but you’ve washed-up all of it yourself, so your son or daughter can definitely handle it as well. Bridgeway Seminar can help your student get a bit of a throne start, too. Our dual enrollment program gives upper school students the opportunity to earn a full year’s worth of higher credits while they’re still in upper school! Bridgeway offers increasingly than 40 fully accredited college-level courses, all taught by very higher professors, to requite students a taste of higher education–while they earn credits they can put toward college upon graduation. If your student starts our dual enrollment program during junior year, he or she can plane earn an Associate degree upon upper school graduation!
Prepping for higher is an heady time–not just for your child but for the whole family. Enjoy the wits while helping your freshman-to-be icon out where he or she wants to be and teaching them invaluable skills withal the way.
Financial Aid
Since most colleges in America are quite expensive for the stereotype working family, you may need to consider financial aid packages and scholarships surpassing you and your child well-constructed the higher applications. The window to file your Free Using for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) often opens on October 1. The FAFSA, upon completion, will determine your family’s eligibility for loans, work study, and grants. [International students interested in financial aid should consult with the U.S. Department of Education.]
The benefits of FAFSA? It’s free, and it only takes well-nigh 20 minutes to well-constructed online. And it will tell you approximately how much money you may be worldly-wise to get to help pay for college–and believe it or not, most families are eligible for some type of financial aid. It’s definitely worth the little time it takes.
As for scholarships–there are literally thousands and thousands of them out there for the taking. You just need to know where to find them. Wonk advisors, colleges, and various websites (Nitro, Niche, Fastweb, Scholarships.com, for instance) can provide lengthy lists of scholarships that can range from a couple of hundred dollars to tens of thousands and may only require an using and/or a unenduring essay for consideration. Alimony applying for scholarships throughout your child’s senior year–you may be shocked at how much money your student can grab from these opportunities.
Time to Apply
Once you’ve taken superintendency of financial aid applications, it’s time to wield to schools. There are a couple of ways to go well-nigh this. Your child can wield directly through individual schools’ websites or apps. Or they can use the popular and user-friendly Common app, which boasts increasingly than 1,000 member universities and allows students to wield to multiple schools in one place while providing step-by-step guidance and advice.
Regardless of how your scholar applies, he or she will need some important information and materials surpassing proceeding, such as:
- Transcripts
- Standardized test scores (if applicable)
- Recommendation reports from teachers, advisors, counselors, coaches, employers, etc. (Pro tip: do NOT submit recommendation reports from family, plane if they were instructors)
- Essays
- Personal information
- Extracurricular activities
- Awards
Request any documents that you need at least a few weeks superiority of any using deadlines.
Read This, Homeschoolers!
As a homeschooling family getting ready to wield to colleges, it’s worth noting that homeschoolers must be uneaten diligent and organized! Why? Because, as a homeschooling parent, you may not have the luxury of asking a guidance counselor to email a transcript or having a teacher write a letter of recommendation. Now, if you homeschool with Bridgeway Academy, it can be that simple, depending on whether you’re enrolled in a program that offers record-keeping and support. Our wonk advisors are happy to provide you with transcripts and other records you need for the higher admissions process.
That said, it’s up to you as the parent to alimony detailed records for each class, towage scores, writing samples, projects, progress reports, instructor information (whether that’s you or someone else), and other student work to be worldly-wise to show what your child has learned.
Homeschoolers moreover must demonstrate increasingly proof of readiness for college. Why? Because, due to the wide variety of homeschooling programs and curricula and assignments and assessments, there’s no very measuring stick when it comes to determining how ready a homeschooled student is for college. While that may seem a bit unfair, it’s the way it is. So it’s hair-trigger that homeschoolers offer increasingly context virtually their education than their public school peers do.
On the other hand, homeschooling often proves quite salubrious in the vision of admissions officers at colleges and universities. Again, this will need context, but having successfully completed a homeschool education may demonstrate a strong sense of independence, wits in new and variegated environments and situations, and plane a broader telescopic of knowledge.
While filling out applications, your student may encounter specific questions surrounding homeschooling, where they need to provide detail well-nigh the structure and goal of your specific homeschool program. Also, some colleges still require official standardized test scores such as the SAT or ACT. Trammels with your local school system to see where and when your child can take the test if his or her school choices require it. Additionally, colleges may want to largest understand why your family opted to segregate homeschooling–so, be prepared to explain.
Regardless of what schools ask you as a homeschooling family, this is where warrant plays a huge role. If you enroll with Bridgeway Academy, you’re all set! Why? Considering part of our mission is to ensure that our homeschool programs have the accreditation your child deserves. College-wise, warrant may moreover unshut the door to potential NCAA funding and scholarships reserved for students peekaboo an accredited school. Some universities and colleges won’t plane consider homeschool classes as valid without accreditation. This not only may impact your child’s endangerment for a scholarship but moreover ticket into the school. If you’re not enrolled in our homeschool academy, you can simply purchase our Homeschool Accreditation program. This provides warrant as well as grade reporting, transcripts, credit tracking, and record-keeping.
Homeschoolers should moreover strongly consider polity higher courses while still in upper school. Not only does this indulge your student to earn both upper school and higher credits, but it moreover demonstrates how well they can handle college-level coursework. Bridgeway Seminar offers dual enrollment that accomplishes this goal. And it plane allows your child to earn an Associate stratum while still in upper school!
Bridgeway Has Your Back
If you’re homeschooling with Bridgeway Seminar and preparing your child for the unshortened higher process, you’re in good hands! Your child’s wonk counselor is a valuable resource and will help you compile everything you need. This includes transcripts, grade support, record-keeping, and guidance. As mentioned previously, if you’re not enrolled in our academy, we offer a Homeschool Warrant program, which includes:
- Expert counselor support throughout the homeschool year
- A well-constructed year of record-keeping, including report cards, transcripts, permanent records, honor roll certificates, and other recognitions
- Elite warrant recognized by colleges and universities virtually the world
- Placement testing
- Homeschool resources such as tips and tools, homeschool updates, and parent training
- And more!
Call Bridgeway Seminar today at (888) 303-7512 to speak with a homeschool expert well-nigh our upper school options and how to weightier prepare your student for life without graduation. Weightier of luck with all of your child’s higher prep!
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