SeeingDouble

We have twins who we have home schooled starting in 6th grade. Their love of learning was being compromised so we removed them from public school after 3rd grade. They attended private school for 4th & 5th grade but they weren't being challenged enough & the school was combining 6, 7, 8th grades into one classroom which I didn't agree with. So we started with homeschooling through K12 in 6th grade. The twins won't be applying till next fall so we have a year to prepare their application. Don't know what strengths or weaknesses our application will have but our twins have some atypical activities which make them unique. Just don't know 1. how the admissions committee will look upon homeschooling even though it is through an online educational program 2. the feasibility that they both will go to the same school. Even though there will come a time when they will have to lead separate lives that time is not now and we will not separate them or force that upon them.

classicalmama

My son homeschooled through eighth grade with a couple ps classes in junior high and is now in his third year of boarding school. We didn't use an online program--that may be different. However, my sense at the time was that, while all schools are receptive on the surface, some schools were more open to homeschoolers than others. One way to discern this is to simply ask how many homeschoolers they have accepted in the past few years. Another is to look for special instructions for homeschoolers on the admissions page of the website--most colleges have these now, and some schools are following suit, which I think signals more openness.

winker425

Hello everyone, I recently saw that this thread had landed back on the first page, and thought that I'd report in, almost 5 years, and two kids in boarding school, later.

Short answer: no, it wasn't a negative. DD#1 spent two years at a local public magnet high school after homeschooling for half of middle school, and then transferred to PA as a new upper, where she thrived--she's now at Oxbridge. DD#2 homeschooled for almost all of middle, was waitlisted at two GLADCHEMS schools and attends Miss Porter's. (At the time I told her that as an East Coast girl needing FA, with an "unusual" transcript, she could be proud of those two waitlists.) While the transition was bigger than reentering "regular" school, DD#2 is thriving and was well prepared. Looking back, homeschooling in middle school was the ideal time to do so. We gave them a lot of intellectual freedom within broad parameters (EPGY for English, and a tutor for math...everything else was more or less self directed). It kept the flame for learning alive and afforded them the time and space to explore interests, to dig deeply. That intellectual, curiosity, engagement in learning and the self-discipline needed to be a homeschooler made them stand out, and also contributed to their success in BS.

It's certainly been an interesting trip, and one I would never ever have predicted....

girlgeekmom

Winker, thanks for sharing your experience "from the other side."

SeeingDouble, with one or two exceptions, we did not find that schools considered homeschooling to be a negative in our dd's admissions process. Some schools were clearly intrigued. And one or two seemed to consider it a "hook". Our homeschool approach was eclectic — some online courses (history and science), an online school for Latin, mom-taught French and English/LA, AoPS for math...

The hardest part for us as parents, since we did not just use a single system, was that we had to write progress reports for each semester. Sending in transcripts/grades would have been much easier! But it was also helpful to reflect upon what our dd was doing and learning, which, as "eclectic" homeschoolers, we did not always stop to quantify along the way. Strong standardized test scores and solid grades from a previous school were also part of our mix. Atypical activities and skills also added to the package.

One thing I will note, since the applications process is increasingly done online, is that when it comes to that end-of-process checklist, some of your homeschool information may not align exactly with "what's required." As homeschoolers you will want to keep in close contact with your admissions rep at each school to which your twins apply, to ensure you and the schools are on the same page as far as what you do and do not need to send in.

everbladeshockey

well, i was homeschooled for 8th grade, and then when I went to prep school, i had an absolutely terrible year, after which i left. but hey, maybe it was just me.

mountainhiker

Both our kids were home schooled, and both are now in BS. Their schools have rigorous academics, and both are doing very well academically (high honor roll grades) and socially.

I don't think you can judge a potential student's possible success based solely on whether they were homeschooled, in public school, or private school. Each of those schooling options can vary greatly, from less-than-stellar academics, to tippy-top challenging coursework.

Tibetan

Hi, I'm in the exact same situation as you, homeschooled twins, except mine have been homeschooled exclusively. Their older sis was just accepted to a HADES prep school (funny term, only learned of it after having applied), also homeschooled all her life except for this last year, where she joined an international school that jumped her one year ahead, so she applied as a repeat sophomore. I wonder if that outside verification, together with the fact she proved with her experience at this school that she can manage well being in a regular 1000+ students school, made a significant difference, that my twins will not have.