The welltrainedmind forums are a better place to get info than here. Lots of people with success.

Test optional is not optional; your child needs to submit test results. Also, helps to show success in outside courses: some credits from community or regular colleges, courses from high schools that allow part-time students, online classes, and etc.

Anonymous wrote:You will need to focus on having your child either taking AP exams or dual enrollment classes to show that your child's education is comparable to public education. For more selective colleges, I recommend the AP route.

I agree with this assessment. It is not easy to find a school which will allow a non-enrolled student to sit AP Exams at that school.

As a comparison, posts in other forums suggest that top college applicants often (not always) take 6-10 AP-labeled HS courses. Many AP-labeled courses do not require the student to sit the AP exam, however.

For a home-schooled student, an AP Exam score of 3 or better likely will help college admissions. A score of 3 will not get college course credit but is good validation for admissions folks of learning the material.

YCBK podcast has some episodes on admission for home schooled kids. Worth listening to.

Homeschool kids can take classes at community college. Colleges love that. It shows that the student is capable of handling the college level work load.

Also, homeschooling in HS is more like being in college. Independent study, going to CC for classes, managing your own schedule. It’s probably an easier transition.

Have had three kids apply and been accepted to great schools from homeschool (Haverford; Colorado College; SMU; Rhodes; Pepperdine; UMD Business School, etc.) If you are interested in homeschooling for high school, there is no reason to not do it based on fear about college admissions. I would say that it is difficult to get accepted to Ivies unless your child also has an unusual "passion" that they pursued extensively (like building their own sailboat and sailing independently to the Caribbean, etc.), but then it is difficult to be accepted to the Ivies from any background.

You will need to focus on having your child either taking AP exams or dual enrollment classes to show that your child's education is comparable to public education. For more selective colleges, I recommend the AP route.

Keep good records. I created an "Annotated Transcript" for each child, with course descriptions, books read, etc.

Have your child participate in some live classes during high school. This shows that they know how to work with a teacher and classmates (colleges already understand that they can work independently.)

Other questions?

Generally, this board tends to be very anti-homeschool. There are a number of Facebook groups that address this with much more sympathy and fewer stereotypes, including College Confident Homeschoolers.

There are also specific groups dedicated to NCAA recruiting for homeschooled kids, if that is an issue.

Curious on how it works out - ease, success rate, process for those who homeschool kids transitioning to college? Do your kids have a harder time with applications or does it not really impact? How do colleges view applications of homeschooled kids?