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Test Scores and College Admission Anne gave some great advice for others about test scores and college admission on my Facebook page after getting her own question answered:I just wish I had asked it at least a year ago. However I have 3 children yet to graduate so I can still use all the help I can get. My oldest son is graduating in May of this year and we have had some disappointments. He did...

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...

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...

As a nurse working in a hospital,  I learned that the warm touch of hand-holding can improve heath and healing.  I think it's true for homeschoolers as well! I loved what Anita wrote in this note about hand-holding!Dear Lee, I want to thank you so very much for all the hand holding for my first graduate.  It was so nice to be able to email you with questions that I had regarding my daughters transcripts 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...

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...

High school is like driving on auto-pilot. You arrive at the destination, but can't remember driving! When you homeschool high school, sometimes life ...

You do NOT need to have an official and approved AP course in order to give colleges the AP exams they want! Not all public schools offer every different AP classes.  Although colleges may like kids to take those classes, they know they aren't available in all schools. Colleges are looking for the exam.The College Board likes to think they have sole rights to putting a capital A and capital P together on a transcript. If...

You are not legally required to provide your social security number on college applications: your social security number is private.  Schools are not required to ask for it.  It will be required for a college loan, but it  should not be required for a college application.  That’s why I recommend that you do NOT put a social security number on your transcript. I can teach you how to create transcripts and records that win scholarships. Click...

Please note that as of January 2021, The College Board has discontinued SAT Subject Tests® and SAT® essay. Although better than most places, the homeschool world is not completely free from the rumor mills—or if you’re a Veggie Tales fan, the rumor ‘weeds.’  Here are a few homeschool ‘rumor weeds’ I’ve heard recently from concerned parents: "Colleges won’t accept foreign language credit if you used Rosetta Stone.""Colleges don’t accept Latin as a foreign language, since it’s not...

Please note that as of January 2021, The College Board has discontinued SAT Subject Tests® and SAT® essay. If you are a prepared homeschool parent, no doubt you’re steadily working on your child’s transcripts, you have test dates on your calendar, and perhaps even a few college visits planned for the summer of junior year.  But even with all that preparation, it’s important to remember that admission requirements are often unique between schools, and what one...

Homeschool Records + Talent = Julliard Dreams Fulfilled Getting into Julliard is like getting into Harvard. You really have to have it ALL - academics, special talent, passion, and luck! Anytime you are trying to get into a highly selective school, it requires some extra effort from both the parent and the child.Recently I received this lovely thank you note from a Gold Care Club member. Their family achieved wonderful success!"I have enjoyed being a gold...

CLEP Exams should come with a big disclaimer saying "it depends."  Although CLEP was wonderful for my family, using CLEP test really depends a lot on the university where the student will attend.  In this blog post, we will compare different college policies on the use of CLEP scores, and see the wide variety of how those test are used. What if you just pass the CLEP exam let’s say with the score of 50?  Does...

As you can imagine, I get a lot of "interesting" press releases.   Recently I received information about how grades improve when the house smells good. Here are the very important statistics: We’re working with homeschooling mom and the founder of Mom Bloggers Club, Jennifer James, to let people know about this new study which shows that 84% of students reporting GPAs of A or B reported positive childhood home smells, such as lemon, mint or “clean.”...