A College Fair just for the Homeschooled Student!
As college applicants, homeschoolers are becoming an ever more respected and sought after demographic. We owe much of this to previous groups of pioneering homeschoolers who have shown beyond a doubt that they can, and do, excel in higher education.
Homeschoolers contribute to the diversity of college campuses by bringing a wide variety of unique backgrounds and perspectives. Additionally, during their 'middle school' and 'high school' years they have the time and freedom to fully pursue their individual interests, often allowing them to be more passionate and focused in their studies. And because they are self-motivated and have a great deal of experience seeking out their own questions and answers, they tend to make excellent researchers. It is no wonder homeschool students enjoy a higher-than average college graduation rate. For all of these reasons, colleges are increasingly motivated to recruit and accept homeschoolers.
2007 Homeschool College Fair
Homeschooled students seeking a path to college will find it exciting, challenging and frustrating, often all at the same time! While colleges are now actively seeking homeschoolers, the application process, admission requirements, and available resources continue to be tailored for traditional college-bound students. This disconnect often leaves homeschoolers to fend for themselves, or forces them into the awkward position of trying to relate their experiences in terms of a traditional student.
As homeschool parents, we can do two things to make the transition to college as enjoyable and successful as possible for our kids. First, we can educate ourselves about the best ways to prepare our kids for college. This requires us to become familiar with different types of institutions – whether they be universities, liberal arts colleges, technical schools, or community colleges. It is important to understand the particular strengths and weaknesses of each type of institution as well as their widely varying enrollment requirements and application processes. Second, we can work to educate colleges about the diversity and uniqueness of homeschoolers while encouraging them to adapt their recruitment and admissions policies in ways that allow our kids to highlight their unique strengths.
Thus, it is important to start your research early. While it is certainly necessary to prepare for the transition to college as your child approaches their 16th and 17th birthdays, many homeschoolers begin when their child is much younger - around the age of twelve or thirteen. The earlier you begin to think about college admissions and application requirements the better prepared you will be to support your child in this process. Even parents with 'middle school' age children or younger will benefit from a greater understanding of their child's eventual transition to higher education, as this will help them plan their high school curriculum and begin learning about and practicing thorough record keeping and transcript writing - areas which are very important in the college application process.
Supporting your child may also include helping them find meaningful and unique extracurricular activities that serve their personal growth while also strengthening their college application. For instance, homeschoolers may choose to take advantage of a variety of exciting running start programs through their local community colleges. Additionally, experiences such as Homeschool Speech and Debate, the Washington Engineering and Science Fair, Audubon Society, Homeschool Student Exchange Programs, and many more will allow your child to pursue their passions while also widening their college options and increasing their scholarship opportunities.
A college fair is a great way to gather information on future educational options and to begin communicating the strengths and needs of the homeschooling community to colleges throughout the country. Attending a college fair allows you and your teen to ask questions directly to college representatives and to become familiar with the myriad of options available for higher education. College fairs also allow you and your teen to meet with college representatives face-to-face and establish valuable personal relationships.
If you have ever attended a college fair you probably noticed many of the benefits noted above. You may have also been a bit disappointed with the majority of college representatives who responded to your homeschooler specific questions with the same responses they would have given to traditional students. Many college fairs offer informational seminars as well, but again, these do not focus on homechoolers.
Cascadia Community College
In response to the needs of our ever-growing homeschool community, this year will mark the second annual Pacific Northwest college fair in the that specifically focuses on the needs of homeschooled students! The fair is being held October 25th at Cascadia Community College from 10 am to 2pm and is free to attendees and their families. Fair events and activities will focus on the homschooler's transition to college. Strengthening the homeschooling community's relationship with institutions of higher education is a long term goal of the fair.
In addition to hosting colleges from around the region and country, many unique educational opportunities and extracurricular programs will be represented, giving attendees a convenient venue to begin exploring ways to add to their current homeschooling experience and prepare for the future.