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What are your options when a college decides your homeschool child is "not college ready"? Dear Lee,I am hoping that you could give us some advice.  We have homeschooled our daughter all of her life.  She graduated this past May. She has done well with most subjects at home and at various co-op classes.  She has consistently scored low on the SAT and ACT tests throughout her life.  She took two classes for ACT/SAT prep in...

Do you have to take AP classes if you don't want to? Debbie wrote on Facebook:"I have a 12 yr (7th grade) daughter who is currently doing 9th grade work. As I pick her school work is it necessary for her to do AP classes and how do I know which home school courses are AP? In other words, can I make any curriculum an AP course and how?"Debbie, anyone can take an AP test, even...

Put that College Fair on the Calendar!It's college fair season, and it's time to get that responsibility on your calendar before it gets full!  Attending a college fair is a key to finding a college, and I strongly recommend that every homeschooler attends a college fair in Junior Year.  I think they are great for freshmen, fabulous for sophomore and seniors, but should be required for Juniors.  One of the major tasks of Junior year is...

If your child struggles with learning challenges, you are not alone!  Read my article "College for Struggling Learners" to hear about other teenagers with learning problems. These are the resources listed in the article, linked so you can easily access the information. Learning Disabilities Association of AmericaTypical learning difficulties include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia - often complicated by associated disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Learning Disabilities Association Tips for College AdmissionLearning Disabilities - 8 Tips For...

If you are stressed out that your high school teen hasn't found a career interest yet, relax. Some kids decide on a career when they are very young, a...

How can you ensure long-term success when you are homeschooling unique children and preparing for unknown plans in their college or career future? Seek Individuality and Capitalize on Strengths Seek individuality, don't hid from it. And capitalize on strengths instead of focusing on weaknesses. Read Mary's story for some real encouragement today!It’s not About Me, It’s About Themby Mary in NC, mother of 3Stunt actor, criminal justice student, and flutist – what do they all have...

Are Apologia science textbooks rigorous enough for college-bound students?  Sure, they are popular with homeschoolers, but how GOOD are they as science books? Are Apologia science textbooks fairly rigorous, for college-bound students?  I've heard a few conflicting reports...~Jill in SeattleApologia is a very rigorous college prep series.  I don't usually recommend specific curriculum, because I know it's all about "fit" more than a textbook.  When it comes to science, though, I had such success with the...

If you're anything like I was end of my junior year, the college application process is going to hit like a ton of bricks. I knew better than to put o...

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy I may make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte.The Teaching Company provides excellent college level lectures, called The Great Courses. We used them often in our homeschool, to supplement areas our boys were interested in, such as science and economics, and to fill in the gaps in my own weak areas, such as music. Today they are available not only on CD and...

Using CLEP exams in high school can get complicated. What if you just pass the CLEP exam let’s say with the score of 50?  Does that mean that you are given the college credit for that class but are also given a C on the college transcript like on an AP test?  My daughter is studying for her first CLEP and I want this figured out before we put the time and money in to it.Thanks...

Many times music scholarships really aren't a scholarship at all.  They are really more like a WORK STUDY PROGRAM. Music scholarships many require many hours invested in practicing and accompanying.  Students may spend hours playing music they don't like to accompany other musicians and singers.  This level of commitment may be required by a music scholarship.  A music scholarship may have relatively low monetary value, and may represent a work study program earning far below minimum...

Hi Lee,I have a question and maybe you can advise me in. I have been homeschooling my 4 children for the last 7 years. My oldest will start her senior year sometime in the next few months. My next one will be starting her junior year. For the last year, they have done nothing but beg me to send them back to public school. Suddenly they want to experience it. My head says it would be...

HSLDA reports that colleges are now required to determine the validity of high school diplomas from public and private schools. How exactly can the college determine validity?  Will they be requiring course descriptions from every applicant?  That would be a lot of reading for the admissions team.  Homeschool parents often think about their own transcripts and validity.  Yes, you are valid!  Isn't it interesting that public and private high schools are now having the same concerns...

Many parents ask, "What is the difference between history and social studies?" or "Are social studies and history the same thing?" Those are good...

Apologia Science is Great College Preparation This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy I may make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte.img class="aligncenter wp-image-14863" alt="Apologia Science" src="https://hhhblogs.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/08/apologia.png" width="553" height="414" Apologia Science is a very rigorous college preparation series. I don't usually recommend specific curriculum because I know it's more about how it fits your child than the textbook or curriculum itself. When it comes to science, though, we had such...