<p>I really hate my school, and I can’t afford boarding school, and it’s too late to transfer to another day school (I’m a junior), and I won’t qualify for financial aid, and I live in manhattan.</p>
<p>Sooo… My question.</p>
<p>Would colleges (ivies and top lacs) think it weird if I homeschool my senior year?</p>
<p>I know of one student who left school in April of Junior year, applied as a homeschooler to college, and is at Amherst now. I recommended that he leave school.
However, in this case, he was unpopular among the teachers in the school and his grades showed it. His testing was great but his grades were abysmal, so there seemed like no downside to giving it a shot. It worked, but the school atmosphere was very negative toward him. The guidance counselor who called me in later told me that the high school had already decided not to give him a degree.
I would hesitate to do this in general. I would need to know much more about your situation. Believe me, I am sympathetic to people who are unhappy in school. Don’t be hasty.</p>
<p>Academically, like in school, I’m doing fine. I go to one of the best private schools in new york city and I have a 3.5 uw, and this semester, I’m going to get like a 3.8-3.9, depending on my finals. My teachers like me. I mean, I’m not the class pet or anything, but they like me alright. And I have friends, and I’m in the most challenging classes offered. And I’m doing a ton of EC’s. On paper, I’m doing fine.</p>
<p>Now the problems: I have a really bad attendance record (not so bad that I’ll fail the year, but bad) and I go to school at 8am and get home at 8pm. No breaks except for a 40 minute lunch. Class ends at 5 and I do EC’s till 8. And I work till 3. And no, I can’t move down in anything (it has to do with the levels and timings and stuff- it’s the system). And it’s not hard, it’s just time consuming. I go to a Jewish school so I have 5 hebrew classes and 5 regular classes and art and gym and health. And I don’t get to choose any of my classes. My favorite subjects in general are math and english, but the english dept. at my school is really bad (no discussions, few papers, we get TESTS!, etc.). Thankfully, I have an amazing math teacher, so even though the math dept. is bad overall, I got lucky. I’ve had this teacher every single year in high school. I’m thinking of homeschooling because I’m sure that I would get more done that way, and I want to study things that interest me. I want to study philosophy, I want to read more, I want to learn psychology, I want to learn about outer space, I want to learn a new language (I speak french and spanish and my school doesn’t offer anything else), I want to take ballet, and I want to learn how to play tennis, among other things. I really like the idea of homeschooling because it would let me do what I wanted on my own time, so I could do a year of math in 2 weeks if I wanted to (I’ve done it before) or I could spend 3 months learning Greek philosophy, as long as I got the basics done by the end of the year. I know that I didn’t really effectively show you how much I hate my school, but it’s one of those things I can’t really explain. It’s just- just being there makes me miserable. </p>
<p>I learn really well on my own, and I test well, too. I’ve been tested, and I don’t want to sound pompous so I won’t say what I got on each test and all that, but I’m in the pg range (verbal) on the iq test (wisc-iv). I’m less overall (eg, I think) but I do have strengths. I took the math IIC SATII last year, and I got a 740. I took the psat’s and I did really badly (200) but I got like 3 hours of sleep the night before because I had homework to do (my school made us go to class after the psat’s and my teachers gave a ton of hw to do that night). When I took the practice tests (I took 2), I got a 2200 and a 2360. So I’m not stupid. I could do the work if I homeschooled, and I am motivated because as weird as it sounds, I actually like the whole idea of school. I like the idea of having a place to go to do nothing but learn. I just think that in the case of my school, the idea was executed poorly. </p>
<p>As far as friends and a social life go, I’m part of a writing program outside of school and I could take random classes like dance, tennis, whatever to meet people. I know that I would see people my age a lot less because I wouldn’t be spending my entire week with them, but I think I could manage. I would just go out with friends more (right now, I see my friends in school, but we like never go out on weekends).</p>
<p>I really like the idea of unschooling, but regular homeschooling would be sufficient. I’m just… idk, worried, I guess, because I don’t want colleges to think I’m weird because I homeschooled senior year. I mean, after all, I come from one of the best schools in America (b/c NY has some of the best schools in America, and mine is one of the best of New York) and I’m doing well, and I live in a city (not a farm or anything secluded like that) so wouldn’t it be weird? I mean, I doubt that many people homeschool in the city. So they might think I’m anti-social or just plain weird, and I’m afraid that they wouldn’t take me because of that. And NY state law requires you to get a GED if you homeschool, I think, and don’t colleges look down on that? </p>
<p>This is a huge decision, so I’m trying not to be hasty, but I’m kinda at the end of my rope here. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to spend another year at my school. I was going to apply to boarding school (I even filled out a few applications!) but then my mom said that there was no way we’d be able to pay for it and there was no way I’d get FA (we’re above the cutoff but we have debts and stuff, so after taxes, we end up making a lot less than it seems at first glance) so it would be pretty pointless to even ask for teacher recs to apply. I wanted to apply to day schools in the city, but no school accepts new seniors so I couldn’t even apply anywhere. St. Anne’s said that I could send in the application and they would look at it if a space opened up, but spaces never open up there because the school is so popular (there are no grades- it’s progressive, but actually really good). I would apply to college, but right now, I have a fair chance at the UPenn/Columbia level (my school is connected and kids with lower everything than mine got into these schools from my school) and I don’t want doors to close just because I applied early. My dream school was Yale but my grades aren’t good enough, so I think I might want to go to UPenn, Wellesley, Swarthmore, or Brown, maybe, to name a few. I’m almost sure that I’d need senior year before I applied to any of the schools I named, but maybe I could apply to Barnard… I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know if they’d take me, but I do know that they’ve taken juniors in the past (past as in, before Columbia become coed). <em>sigh</em> I just want out. But without closing opportunities. Do you see what I mean?</p>
<p>So… advice? Any? Some? Please? 
lol</p>
<p>ok – if you are interested in homeschooling for next year, start with checking on the basics. what are the laws in NY to homeschool (every state is different) and will your parents agree. </p>
<p>it does sound like you have legitimate reasons to homeschool and that it would work well for you. The resources to explore and learn in NYC are tremendous and it sounds like you are too busy to take advantage of them.</p>
<p>a note of caution – any school you look at is going to heavily weigh you test scores and grades through 11th grade (they want to make sure you didn’t homeschool because of bad grades). So keep those grades as high as possible! Leaving after 11th grade with great grades and great test scores to learn even more on your own sounds better than ‘left because I hate my school and got bad grades’. sounds legit!</p>
<p>make sure you keep good relationships with a few teachers since you will need letters of recommendation. </p>
<p>finally – do some brainstorming on what you want to do senior year. have you considered a year doing study abroad?</p>
<p>Also – most selective colleges like to see 4 years of english, 4 years of math, 4 years social studies, 4 years science (with lab) and 3-4 years of foreign language. What are you missing?</p>
<p>Look at Simon’s Rock College of Bard.</p>
<p>I was considering home-schooling my daughter for her senior year as we did not like the things that were being taught at her school. In the end, decided against it for sports reasons. However, just about every top-notch school she was interested in applying to said they would take her with a diploma from an “accredited” home-schooling program. It’s important to call colleges you may be interested in to see what home schooling programs they accept. I don’t think it matters that it is your senior year. They just want a diploma from an accredited program they accept.</p>
<p>Real quick because I’m heading out the door. I’ll post later.
Simon’s Rock takes people early to college. I’m sure your story is very familiar to them. I don’t know whether the same federal financial aid programs are available to early starters, but it should be easy to check. Even if you needed a GED I’m sure it would be apiece of cake for you.
I met a PhD. student at the University of Chicago who went to Simon’s Rock and had already decided to homeschool her kids.
My kids applied to many of the same schools you are interested in and the schools weren’t interested in accredited homeschool programs, high school diplomas, or GEDs either. The only one you listed that I know “asks for more” is Columbia, which wants 5 SAT Subject tests. However, someone in these threads had a homeschooled daughter who applied with the usual number, was accepted and is attending.
I think you’d want a positive “story” to tell the colleges you are interested in. Do you have an abiding interest or passion you’d like to fulfill next year that you couldn’t pursue keeping a regular school schedule? You could self study for the Subject Tests (my kids did). You could also self study for AP tests, if you choose. No AP course is needed.</p>
<p>you do not need a diploma from an accredited homeschool program at just about any school, including the ivy leagues and all the service academies. Some schools do want “outside validation” of your work – which your transcript from your current high school along with SAT I & II and AP tests will provide. </p>
<p>High school and college sports can add complications into the mix – If you want to play anything other than intermurals in college, you will need to research that. If you are not a sports person, you don’t need to worry.</p>
<p>To me, you have a positive story to tell. Homeschooled kids apply to top colleges and are accepted all the time (and many apply and are denied – just like everyone else).</p>
<p>I’m not really into sports, so that wouldn’t be a problem. I really want to do this (I’ve always thought it would be fun to homeschool) and I’d be willing to put in the work and everything, the only loophole in my whole little plan is that my parents don’t think I’ll get into college if I do this, because “nobody homeschools.” They don’t know anyone that homeschools (well, we know one family, but that’s because the kids’ parents are scientists or animal researchers or something like that so they move around a lot in underdeveloped countries) and I don’t think they know that much about it. I wanted to make sure that my reasons were logical and that I actually would/could get into college from homeschooling before I talked to my parents seriously about it. </p>
<p>I do need to do a bit more research before I make the final decision, but before that, I’m going to talk to my parents about it. I think they’d be okay with it if they heard from someone they knew (that knows about homeschooling and stuff) that I would be okay if I went ahead with it. </p>
<p>Oh- and about my courses- I’m completely on track so far with them. I’ve done English, History, Lab Science, Math, and French every year so far. I wouldn’t stop if I homeschooled. I’d just tweak it a little, maybe. But I’d keep on doing those subjects. So as far as that goes, I’m fine.</p>
<p>it sounds like you are on the right track – do some research and make some plans. A good book to read is the well-trained mind by bauer. there are other good books. have your information in place and your plan for senior year and then talk with you parents.</p>
<p>read The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn for ideas</p>
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<p>Here is some information on NY homeschooling laws from the Home School Legal Defense Association(HSLDA)'s website: <a href=“Homeschool Laws By State”>Homeschool Laws By State;
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<p>So it sounds like your parents would have to be behind you if you truly want to do this.</p>
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I don’t want to offend your parents, but lots of people homeschool - somewhere around 1,000,000 (one million) students in the US have been homeschooled for at least one year. Also, most colleges are more willing to accept homeschoolers, because homeschoolers are traditionally smarter than their counterparts. Since you have three years of ‘traditional’ school (albeit a private religious school) under your belt, though, they will be more likely to look at your private school record. </p>
<p>According to HSLDA(<a href=“http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00000241original.asp#99[/url]”>http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00000241original.asp#99</a>), only two colleges do not accept homeschoolers: Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL, and Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY.</p>
<p>IMHO, you should contact an admissions officer at the universities you’re looking at applying to, and ask them how homeschooling your senior year would affect your chances of admission, fin. aid, etc. Just a suggestion.</p>
<p>I actually think the study abroad suggestion was a good one. The older you get, the harder it becomes to travel, especially long-term, immersion travel. Take the opportunity if you can.</p>
<p>If you choose to homeschool, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. Just keep careful records. Take a class or two at the community college or a university and get letters of rec from those teachers. Ask for any letters of rec you need from teachers at your current school this year - it’ll be far less of a headache, believe me.</p>
<p>Actually I don’t think you need to concern yourself with education laws or New York homeschooling laws for senior year at all.
You are turning 17 during your junior year (next week).
This eliminates any reporting requirements.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your help.</p>
<p>I’ve talked about it with my parents, and we’re between a few options. I might either homeschool next year, try to switch to another day school, or I’ll go to and English/American school in Brazil. My extended family lives there, so I’d probably go stay there with my mom’s sister and her family (they’re really nice) if I pursued the last option. We’re looking at two schools there. They’re among the best schools in Sao Paolo (and South America, even) and they’re very good with college acceptances. And then I’m still trying to find a way to go to boarding school.</p>
<p>So we’re going to look at the four options and find the best one for me. I don’t think that we’re going to find a good private school in the city that accepts new seniors (or juniors, even, really) so although that would probably be the simplest option, it’s probably not going to work out. Homeschooling is definitely an option, my mother is calling the schools in Brazil, and my aunt said that she’d love to have me, so Brazil’s an option, too, and… I might apply to boarding school just in case, though because of the original issues with that plan, I doubt it’s going to happen.</p>
<p>I will definitely post the final decision here! Thanks so much for all your help! :)</p>
<p>Sorry- just one more thing- Does anyone know anything about Mary Baldwin’s PEG program, by the way? I just read something about it, and I just wanted to know how reputable it is… Thanks!</p>
<p>Purpoise Pal – sounds like you have some good plans and that it will work out, no matter which option you choose. Personally, I would suggest the school in Brazil. The school sounds good, you get an out of the country experience and you say it places kids well into colleges. </p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Yeah- That’s what my mom wants (over all the other options). And I’m lucky because although it’s usually hard to get into both schools I’m looking at, (graded.br and stpauls.br) my family’s really cool in Brazil and it would be really easy for me because we have a ton of connections to both schools (my mom went to St. Paul’s for nursery school before moving to Rio and I’ve had a ton of cousins go to both schools). There may be a few issues with St. Paul’s because I’m not doing IB, but depending on when they start their school year (January or September?) it might not be a big deal because then I could just do 11th grade there starting in like, 3 weeks or something and then I could come back to UNIS (united nations international school) to finish up for 12. Oh wait- no I couldn’t- then I’d graduate a year late because I’d have to wait like 6 months between finishing St. Paul’s and going to Unis. </p>
<p>My only major concern is that it might be a little stifling to live under such heavy security measures. Because Brazil is very dangerous and kidnapping (for money) is very common, pretty much everyone has bullet-proof cars and drivers/bodyguards (everyone has the cars, not everyone has the bodyguards- it’s only for people with high profile jobs, really). The apartment buildings are really nice and they have indoor swimming pools, pizza ovens, playgrounds, gyms, all that, but they are secured by high walls, cameras, and plenty of security. Each apartment building is like a compound (to keep robbers out). I’ll be realistic and admit that I almost definitely won’t get kidnapped (it happens, but I won’t be living with anyone particularly high-profile so I’ll be fine), but I don’t know… It would kinda suck not being able to go take a walk on my own. if I want to walk, I’ll have to do it at school or on the building’s grounds. You can get mugged if you walk out on the street alone. I’d definitely be able to live with it, it would just be sort of annoying.</p>
<p>Still, as an experience, it definitely sounds like something worth thinking about. I mean, I’ve been to Brazil before, and I even went to school there for a week in 2nd grade. (I went during my vacation in August to see my cousins and I had nothing to do when they were in school, so my aunt called up the school and I went for like a week or two. It was really fun!) Living there for a year would be so different, though, and probably really fun. Plus, they get a ton of vacations, so I’d have time to see my parents and stuff still (not that I’m going to fly to NY every time I have a vacation, but at least I’ll have more of a choice of when to see them lol). </p>
<p>I know that this is sort of beyond the scope of the homeschooling forum, but to anyone reading this, looking at the websites and stuff (there aren’t a lot of pictures of people and the schools themselves for security reasons), what do you think about the schools?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about private schools – but as far as not being able to take a walk outside, that is part of the experience. Other cultures are different – whether it has to do with security or food issues or activities. Think of how great a college essay topic it would be to talk about the differences between the freedom in the US and the closed culture of Brazil – and the reasons behind them.</p>
<p>Another option would be to do the IB program starting this winter and do two years – graduating with an IB diploma and going to college a year later.</p>
<p>If money is not a big issue – you could also look into spending the year abroad elsewhere (something different). There are many study abroad companies that do a great job (my son went to Egypt with AFS). You could go somewhere other than south america for yet another experience.</p>
<p>I think you can tell that while most of us here are homeschoolers, we are most interested in people thriving and being happy.
Brazil, with your family supports, sounds like a good opportunity. As a parent, with the security issues, I would worry about living there long term. But it sounds like a great experience that certainly is more apt to help than to hurt your college aspirations.</p>