I am an Australian homeschooled student who took the AP, SAT and ACT exams. I was homeschooled for only my last year of high school because I had to withdraw from a private school where I attended on a scholarship due to health issues. I originally was going to apply to Oxford or Princeton to study Classics, where I meet the entry requirements. However, due to my health issues, I had to instead opt for my local university (The University of Melbourne). I’ve been rejected from the University of Melbourne because they do not consider AP, SAT and ACT exams without a US high school diploma. The reasoning behind this is because Australia’s final high school exams(VCE) have forms of public assessment before the actual exams are taken. I offered to submit written work from when I was homeschooled but the admissions office still stressed that the course of studies I have chosen are not equivalent to VCE without public assessment. I meet all the actual exams marks by a mile but because I was homeschooled and had no formal public assessment, I’ve been rejected. I think it’s unfair and arbitrary since I do have qualifications and I am willing to send essays. It breaks my heart that I could have applied to top tier universities like Oxford or Princeton and had no issues, but my local university won’t even consider me. Should I appeal? What should my arguments be?
Here are my stats:
AP Latin (4)
AP World History (5)
AP Literature (5)
SAT Latin (800)
SAT World History (800)
SAT Literature (800)
SAT United States History (800)
ACT (32)
SAT I ( 1400)
Here is a link to the University’s entry requirements:
https://study.unimelb.edu.au/how-to-apply/undergraduate-study/international-applications/entry-requirements/indicative-entry-scores-international-students/qualifications/united-states-high-school-diploma-and-satact
What do other homeschooled Australian students do? This is a US based forum so you’re likely to get limited useful input on your specific issue, I suspect.
Are your health issues permanent, or could you take a gap year and reapply overseas for next year? (Although that 4 in Latin would scupper you at Oxford plus they want at least 32 in ACT or 1470 SAT, but you might be able to set your sights a bit lower).
Thanks for replying! My laptop keyboard is kinda messed up so I have some mistakes in my post( obvious one in my thread title). ACT score should be 36 and Latin score should be 5; I did do quite poorly on the SAT I though.
I’ve already taken a gap year so I’m already behind the rest of my cohort. My health issues are permanent or at least won’t be sorted till I get surgery next year, so applying overseas is really not an option anymore. Other Australian homeschooled students would have done VCE independently so I really am in the worst position possible. When I decided to do AP/SATs the idea of applying to Oxford was still possible since I hadn’t been diagnosed with any health-related issues yet.
Don’t assume you would have gotten into Princeton, either. It’s much more than stats, but the 1400 is below their target bar, and there are plenty of holistically strong, English speaking candidates from the UK realm.
I wasn’t just assuming that I would have gotten in. I meant that my application would have at least been considered. I know how incredibly difficult it is to get into such prestigious universities. I wasn’t making a chance me thread; otherwise, I would have added a lot more academic information. I made the thread for some advice on a very particular situation.
Why wouldn’t you just take the VCE? Sometimes, especially when dealing with large institutions, you need to just jump through the hoops they set up. You are obviously a strong student, you should do well on the exam and the problem is solved.
Certainly I am not an expert on Australian colleges but here are my two cents:
If you are an Australian and want to go to an Australian college I expect you will need to meet the requirements they have in place for domestic students. I would contact an Admissions representative at the University of Melbourne to discuss your situation and see if there is any leeway. If you need to take the VCE you should prep for it (if you need to) and take the exam.
Most importantly, I hope your health issues get resolved.
To be fair, I don’t think any US colleges do either, at least not for local students? Home schooled students still need to provide a transcript or other evidence of curriculum.
Incidentally, it looks like 1400 is below the middle 50 for Princeton (you didn’t provide the SAT1 breakdown) and 32 on the ACT is at the 25th percentile. Princeton would have been a reach for you. In retrospect it is a pity that you didn’t consider that you might need an Australian uni as your safety and pre-emptively prepare for that possibility. How often do they hold VCE exams? Is it like SAT at regular intervals or is it once annually? When can you feasibly write it? Unless you want to start your college career with an online programme, this really looks like your only realistic option.
I hope your health improves and that really should be your first priority. Depending on what the particular issue is, it might also make more sense to be studying at home rather than abroad with serious health issues.