When you tell people you are homeschooling high school, you may get some pretty unusual questions. What about college? What about scholarships? What about socialization? For me, the strangest question was always, “What about Prom?”

Yeah… what about it?

Homeschoolers who want to have a prom can create one! Read this article, about a homeschool group that got together to make a Prom for their high school students.

Appleton-area homeschoolers experience razzle-dazzle of high school dance Teens show off new clothes, new steps.

A group in my area did the same thing, and had a large group get together. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can locate an English Country Dancing group, and do a “prom” the way Jane Austen did dances in her day! English Country Dancing groups are found in many locations. We didn’t have a prom, but when my son went to college he arranged a “Pemberly Ball” at the university, in the style of Jane Austen. You can read a few blog posts about it here: Can’t Get Enough Jane Austen?

If dancing isn’t your cup of tea, some groups will have a formal dinner instead. At a home or restaurant, it can give teens the opportunity to dress up and practice manners in a wholesome environment. Like etiquette classes of the past, these experiences are important for future professionals. In fact, these experiences are common on college campuses, where groups can learn adult manners. There are plenty of resources if you search for “Teaching Manners to Adults.”

So go ahead and create your own brand of “Prom” that is as unique as your homeschool! Start planning now, and you can have a great event for the upcoming homeschool year!

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Anne asked for help on Facebook.  When she said “Thank you” for answering her questions, she gave some advice for others.

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 Bob Jones curriculum for the most part all through high school but did take some outside co-op science classes and has taken almost a years worth of college dual credit classes. He has made straight A’s on everything. On top of this he is an Eagle Scout, has hundreds of hours in volunteer work and has been involved in 2 robotics clubs for the past 3 years. He has also been a beekeeper and gardener for the past 5 years. His Act score was 31 and his SAT 1950. Respectable scores but not fantastic.

The problem has come in his choice of colleges, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, Georgia Tech, CalTech, and UT Austin. So far we have been rejected by Caltech and MIT and wait listed for Georgia Tech. We have not heard from Stanford or Carnegie Mellon. UT Austin has accepted him at the Dallas campus and I expect a  scholarship offer but it has not happened yet. I am thinking that the test scores are the problem. He did a great job of the transcript and course  descriptions and it was pretty easy because of the majority being Bob Jones curriculum. What I didn’t really get was that he needed to test early and set his targets from the test results or study more to improve scores. However having said that we also believe that God works all things together for good and Hazen will be a success on matter what. ~ Anne on Facebook

Anne’s son obviously has a LOT going for him.  Still, getting kids into college is more about “fit” than anything else.  A good fit leads to scholarships, a less-good fit may lead to disappointment.   Learn how to evaluate test scores and how they can help you determine a good college fit.

For help, you may want to look at my two videos about college: Finding a College , Getting the BIG Scholarships

Or, for those who enjoy digital products (and getting lots of bonus materials!) check out my Parent Training A la Carte courses: Getting the BIG Scholarships, College Scholarships for High School Credit.

Do you need a speaker at your next homeschool conference?  Talk to your conference coordinator about having me come.  I would love to meet you in person!  Here is a list of my speaking topics, or you can read my profile on the Homeschool Speakers Bureau.

Scholarship seekers become scholarship winners!  I love to hear about homeschoolers winning college scholarships, but it doesn’t happen by accident. Paula shared the story of her daughter with a senior portrait.

My husband and I are so proud of our daughter, Katelynn.  Katelynn has been homeschooled since the third grade.  We are so proud of all her accomplishments, and we can’t believe she just graduated from high school.  Katelynn has been accepted to the University of Montana where she will major in Wildlife Biology.  Katelynn was awarded the WUE Scholarship of $12,000 per year.  She was also awarded three other scholarships worth $3,700.  Katelynn is a beautiful young lady inside and out.  She has an amazing heart and love for God.  We are truly proud of her, and we are so very blessed by her.
~ Paula

You can tell right away that Katelynn has a passion for horses and animals.  Highlighting the unique passions of your student can help them get scholarships!   So focus on the love of learning, encourage your children to pursue their interests while covering core subjects.  These successes can happen to you, too!

Isn’t it thrilling to watch other homeschoolers share their success?

Featured resource: Getting the BIG Scholarships

Parent Training A la Carte – parent training on homeschool high school issues.  Enjoy 10% off today by using coupon code “easy10″.

There are more girls going to college than there are boys.  Girls are in the majority, so they are less likely to receive admission and financial aid…..  except in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  In those areas, girls are still in the minority.   You can encourage your young women to pursue a college major in STEM, and it might improve their chances of admission and financial aid.  One of my clients recommended Expanding Your Horizons conferences for girls.

Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics™ conferences for girls

Their mission is to encourage young women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Through Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Network programs, they provide STEM role models and hands-on activities for middle and high school girls. Currently Expanding Your Horizons conferences are held in 31 states and in Europe and Asia.

Locate a conference in your area

When you are applying for colleges, you will need a great homeschool transcript.  The good news is you can “do-it-yourself” and save thousands.  Discover the Total Transcript Solution.

One tip to getting a good scholarship is to give college exactly what they want.  The happier you make the college, the more they like your student. That means they may give you money in scholarships!   Here is Ann’s recent experience:

Recently, Ethan received a letter from the Dean of Admissions at CCSU. It said his application was important to them, and they wanted to interview him. We didn’t know what to make of that, but if I understood Ethan correctly, he interviews students who he thinks might have challenges making the transition to college (he is interested in improving the graduation rate at the school). He wondered if it would be a big change for Ethan to go from homeschool to a school of 12,000 students, but said the music department is small and tends to be close-knit, so the adjustment may be easier. I think he was just curious about homeschooling–he said CCSU and another state college have received many applications from homeschoolers this year, and he complemented Ethan a few times (then me, too, after the interview) on our records. I would not have had homeschool records like that without your training and assistance, so I need to pass that complement on to you! He wanted to show the records to others in the department, and said something along the lines of what one of the admissions counselors you dealt with said–something about wishing he got more than a transcript from other students as well. I got the impression that he was very curious about homeschoolers, probably because of all the applications he’s been receiving.
~ Ann in CT

In Ann’s experience, the college seemed to have questions about socialization.  They wanted an interview to see if the student would be able to transition from homeschool to a large university.  Some people don’t understand that homeschool students are wonderfully socialized!

When I read that, I’ll admit I felt some frustration with this college. When I went to the University of Washington, I did know a student who completely fell apart when faced with the large class sizes.  She was a public school student, but from a rural district with a graduating class size under 30.  It wasn’t because she was homeschooled!  But look at Ann’s great response.  She doesn’t get self-righteous and up-in-arms.  She gives the college what they want – an interview.  Naturally her son has no trouble, and passes that test with flying colors.

In Ann’s experience, they were extremely grateful for her thorough documentation.  Using examples from the Comprehensive Record Solution, Ann created great course descriptions for every class.  They were thoroughly read and evaluated.  One college my children applied to said, “I wish all the public school kids had to provide these course descriptions.  They come to the university with four years of English but they can hardly read and write!  I’ve always wondered what they were supposed to be learning in those classes!”  And here, in Ann’s experience, another college has a similar feeling.  They LOVED having the extra documentation.  Yes, it takes some efforts to create course descriptions, but it’s worth it.

Give the college what they want.  Unless they are asking you to do something against your values, bow to their preferences and give them what they want.

The Comprehensive Record Solution provides the training and templates and real life examples of successful high school records.

Learn the Steps to Getting BIG Scholarships!  You’re not just a homeschooler.  You are the Homeschool Parent PLUS Counselor PLUS Mentor PLUS Advisor.  Don’t worry, though. Homeschool parents are GREAT high school guidance counselors, motivated by love and a long term commitment to their child’s success.  But even the most determined and steadfast parent may quake at the cost of college!

Learn how to market your child for college admission.  Marketing can increase your chance of admission, increase your scholarship awards, and significantly decrease the cost of college.  The DVD format makes it easy to share the information with your teenagers, who may be more receptive when they hear the information from an outside authority.

Learn more about “Getting the BIG Scholarships” in my video.  It will take you step-by-step through the process of getting significant scholarships, using concrete, easy-to-implement steps.  You can’t really delegate this task, so you might as well learn about it so you can relax and enjoy this stage of your child’s life.

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