llege Admissions

1. Co Preparing for College, the Application Process and Financial Aid October 25, 2001 Presenters: Lydia Knopf Director of Community Programs and Services Julie Walker Manager of Homeschool Outreach Biola University Take a closer look into llege Admissions

2. Julie Walker Manager of Homeschool Outreach Biola University La Mirada, California

3. Lydia Knopf Director of Community Programs and Services Biola University La Mirada, California

4. This Session: • What the "Typical" Admissions Counselor Looks Like • What Admissions Professionals & Colleges Think of Homeschooled Applicants • Why Homeschoolers Can Be a "Speed Bump" in the Road and What You Can Do to Help Smooth the Way • HSLDA’s Recommendations to Colleges and Universities • What Some Colleges and Universities Are Doing to Support Homeschoolers • How You Can Assist in Building the Bridges of Support

5. The Admissions Professional • Events such as visitation days • Recruiting • college fairs, schools, conferences, campus visits • Processing Applicants • phone calls, letters, interviews, evaluations • The “expert” on the school, its major offerings, residence life, financial aid, extra-curricular programs, etc.

6. How many homeschoolers does it take to change a light bulb? • Only one, but...

7. First, Mom has each of the kids use the concordance to look up all of the scripture verses referencing both light and darkness. • Second, each of the children have to memorize two scripture verses pertaining to light. • Third, Mom takes the kids to the library to find any and all books on electricity. • Fourth, the kids make models of light bulbs and give oral reports on their history and manufacturing changes throughout the years. • Fifth, after reading a biography of Thomas Edison, the children write and then perform a skit based on his life.

8. Some of Their Perceptions on Homeschooled Applicants: • Parents have a million questions, long appointments. • Parents not willing to make financial sacrifices or take out student loans. • Often wanting to seek a way in through the “side door.” Miss deadlines. Expect exceptions. • Parents have a fear of the stigma of the GED. • Defensive about low test scores. • “My child doesn’t test well.” • Backwards socially. Student does not talk.

9. More Perceptions • Lowest GPA observed was a 3.6! • How can this be?? • “How fast can I get out?” • Some students seem to be in a hurry to complete their education. • “How early can I enroll?” • Some students “graduate” from high school at young ages.

10. Now that we’ve looked at some informal perceptions of Admissions professionals from a focus group setting, let’s take a look at a nationwide survey.

11. Survey of Admissions Personnel In 1997, Dr. Irene Prue, Assistant Director of Admission of Georgia Southern University, released a nationwide survey of admissions personnel’s knowledge, attitudes and experiences with home educated applicants. In general, a total of 210 (out of the 1,289 surveyed) respondents to the study reported:

12. Survey Results • Homeschoolers are academically, emotionally, and socially prepared to succeed at college. • Parental motivations and involvement are in the best interest of their children. • While documentation and evaluation of home schooled applicants is problematic, it is not insurmountable.

13. Sixth, everyone studies the methods of lighting throughout history. • Seventh, Mom leads everyone in dipping their own candles. • Eighth, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. • Ninth, on the way home from the store, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. • Tenth, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light.

14. An additional source offers more insights...

15. Matt Osborne, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Spring Arbor “[Homeschoolers are] often self-motivated, [achieve] higher test scores, and in general are better students. One weakness is that they aren’t always in sync with the ‘calendar’ for applying to college and seeking financial aid. Another issue is that they don’t all keep adequate (or orderly) records of their studies.” Homeschooling High School, Dennis, p.145

16. Why Homeschoolers Can Be a "Speed Bump" in the Road and What You Can Do to Help Smooth the Way.

17. Speed Bumps • Student’s failure to communicate academic and social preparation • classroom experience and extra-curricular involvement not listed on transcript, application or interview • Failure to complete traditional high school courses required by most colleges • Failure to consider which college is a good match, instead badgering Admissions professionals about school policies • Not knowing or not meeting the deadlines for admittance • Not revealing the fact that you are home educated • Inadequate Transcripts • Low SAT/ACT scores • “Us” and “them” or arrogant attitude

18. Michael Farris, Former HSLDA President • Homeschoolers’ greatest strengths: • Initiative and willingness to “think outside the box.” • Homeschoolers’ greatest weakness • Arrogance • “I see that a lot…Because homeschoolers have had to defend themselves from prosecution, we’re always bent on telling people how wonderful homeschooling is and how great our kids are. Yeah, our kids are really good, but they’re arrogant…much of the time.”

19. What are colleges really looking for?(See Handout) • Academic Preparedness • Social Preparedness • Demonstrated by Good Communication Skills • Community Involvement • Leadership Experiences

20. High SAT/ACT Scores • validates a high GPA • College Preparatory courses that go beyond the “minimum graduation requirements” • Character Development • Financial Preparedness and Willingness to Consider Loans for Higher Education.

21. What should I be looking for when considering applying for college? • Make sure the school matches your family’s mission, vision, and values. • Web search, college fairs, campus visits • Does the school you are considering serve homeschoolers? • Refer to HomeSchooling High School • By Jeanne Dennis • Refer to Guide for the College Bound • By Dr. Larry Linamen

22. 12 Questions to Ask a College Recruiter(See Handout) • Is this a teaching or research university? • What is the student/faculty ratio? • May I see a copy of your annual crime report? • May I have a copy of last year’s or this year’s chapel schedule? • What religious groups meet on campus? • Do you have a campus newspaper and can I subscribe in advance?

23. 12 Questions to Ask a College Recruiter (continued) • Can you show me the type of room I would have if I lived on campus? • What are the best examples of God’s presence on this campus? • What are the strongest majors at this college? • What percentage of the faculty have doctorates and how many are alumni of this university? • Does the school have graduate programs and if so, in what area? • May I have a copy of your student handbook?

24. Steps you can take to be prepared for the admissions process:: • Prepare your student by providing a college preparatory course of study. Go beyond the basic graduation requirements. (Refer to VBA’s graduation requirements.) • Document your courses by preparing course descriptions and transcripts. (Refer to Mary Schofield’s samples.) • Prepare adequately for ACT/SAT tests. • Retake them if necessary. Take the PSAT. Consider investing in a tutorial program. • Know the deadlines and plan ahead so that applications can be prepared completely and on time. • Prepare your student for the interview. • Consider allowing your student to participate in the interview without you!

25. National Center for Home Education Recommendations to Colleges About Admissions Policies (A Way to Assess Homeschool Friendliness)

26. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 1. Home educated applicants should not be required to submit an accredited diploma or GED. • Accreditation does nothing to measure a student’s knowledge or what he was taught, it only reflects where he was taught. • In addition, GED carries with it the stigma of being a high school drop-out. Home schoolers are not drop-outs, but talented, conscientious students who have completed their high school education. They should not be treated as drop-outs by being required to obtain a GED.

27. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 2. If a transcript is required, colleges should have flexible guidelines for records and documentation of the basic credit hours for high school completion.

28. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 3. As the primary instructors, parents should be recognized as capable of evaluating their student’s academic competence in letters of recommendation. Schools frequently ask for an additional evaluation from someone outside the home.

29. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 4. SAT/ACT scores and portfolios or performance-based assessments provide schools with a solid basis for admission.

30. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 5. Mandatory SAT II testing in specific subjects is an unnecessary roadblock. • Requiring only home school students to take these tests, in addition to the SAT, is discriminatory. • Colleges will discourage home schoolers from seeking admission by holding them to this unreasonable standard. SAT/ACT testing is more than enough to indicate the academic proficiency of the student.

31. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 6. A bibliography of high school literature and an essay are two admission criteria which accurately evaluate a student’s life experience and thinking skills.

32. NCHE Recommended College Admission Policies • 7. Interviews and a review of extracurricular activities are two ways to determine overall student proficiency and leadership qualities

33. Survey of Admission Policies In 1996 the National Center for Home Education conducted a nationwide college survey: a sampling of the home school admission policies in all 50 states. National Center’s liberal definition of “policy” includes colleges that take into account home schoolers’ unique capabilities and circumstances. Only 44% of the responding colleges had verbal or written policies for home school applicants. Course descriptions or portfolios are accepted in lieu of an accredited diploma or GED by 93% of the schools polled. Nevertheless, 96% of the colleges polled had at least one and sometimes over 200 home educated students enrolled at their college. Several colleges had home schoolers excelling in their honors programs.

34. “We look at them in their own individual situations,” was the welcoming attitude expressed by a director of admissions in New Jersey. “We just try to be open minded.” Copyright 1996, 1999, 2000 National Center for Home Education. Reprint permission granted.

35. HSLDA’s Tier Rating System • The National Center sent letters to 971 colleges, requesting information on their home school admission policies. A total of 513 institutions (52.8%) responded with complete information, and these usable responses were ranked in the following three groups:

36. Tier I • Admission policies similar to NCHE’s Recommendations • A majority of the respondents (349 or 68%) had admission policies similar to the National Center’s recommended policies. These colleges typically required a parent’s transcript, general standardized achievement testing, and/or the review of a portfolio of the potential student’s materials in place of an accredited diploma.

37. Tier II • GED required in place of, or in addition to, any of the Tier I requirements: • Nearly a third of the respondents (144 or 28.1%) required a GED for home school admission. • Many of these colleges based this admission criterion of a GED on a federal requirement for financial aid in the Ability to Benefit. • However, this federal requirement no longer applies since the passage of our home school amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1998.

38. Tier III • Standardized achievement test scores (i.e. SAT II) required from home school, but not traditional high school, graduates: • Three and one-half percent of the respondents (18) asked home schoolers to take extra standardized exams. Also contained in Tier III were colleges requiring home schooled students to score higher than traditionally schooled students on standardized achievement tests or entrance exams. Only two respondents (.03%) did not accept home school graduates.

39. College ranking: www.hslda.org

40. Would you like to have a part in building the bridges between homeschoolers and colleges?

41. Building the Bridges of Support • Invite college admissions personnel to your support group meetings. (Good Job!  ) • Plan a visitation day with your high school families. • Attend college fairs and introduce yourself as a homeschooling family. • Make appointments with admissions counselors EARLY in your student’s high school years and begin to prepare your student for college • Attend events at the university.

43. Insights From Reputable Colleges

44. Wheaton College Wheaton’s 1999-2000 freshman class had 104 (out of 550) students who had been homeschooled at least one year.

45. Harvard University Most of their home educated students “have done very well. They usually are very motivated in what they do.”

46. Boston University “We believe students educated at home possess the passion for knowledge, the independence, and the self reliance that enable them to excel in our intellectually challenging programs of study.”

47. Stanford University “Homeschoolers bring certain skills - motivation, curiosity, the capacity to be responsible for their education - that high schools don’t induce very well.” Jon Reider Senior Associate Director of Admissions Wall Street Journal Feb. 11, 2000

48. Why did Biola choose to actively recruit homeschooled students? • Most home educators are Christians • The fastest growing educational trend • An estimated 1.7 million students are homeschooling • This is an increase from 1.2 million in 1996. • Academic achievements • Mission and Values Match

49. In Summary: • Admissions people care about assisting you in the application process. • There are things you can do to prepare your student for the admissions process. • HSDLA is working with colleges to help make the process “more fair” for homeschool applicants • Many Colleges and Universities are actively recruiting homeschoolers. • YOU can be a bridge builder to better relationships with the college of your choice.