help new to this!

[Courtney]

ok so ive been considering leaving public school and being homeschooled but my mom doesnt know what the councelor is going to say and shes worried i will ruin my future for colleges so what do i do??

[Theodore]

Homeschoolers do not have trouble getting into college. In fact, colleges like, and in some cases specifically seek out, homeschoolers. All you really need to do is take a bunch of standardized tests (PSAT, SAT/ACT, CLEP/AP) and score well, as well as having at least one or two interesting extracurriculars (colleges like well-rounded students). It's really just a matter of how hard you're willing to study, you can put in three hours per day year-round and still be a grade or two ahead by the end of high school if you work at it.

[hscoach]

Homeschooling will not ruin your chances for college. You should not have a problem being accepted into college is you make good grades and do well on your SAT. You can do volunteer work, play a sport, work a job, etc. to show that you are a well-rounded person. Here is a list of colleges that have been known to accept homeschoolers. You should show this to your mom.

http://learninfreedom.org/colleges_4_hmsc.html

You can go to the web site of the college you are interested in. See what their admission requirements are and make sure you meet them.

[Courtney]

well that really cleared up everything i think my mom is starting to understand but now my dad is worried about the fact that i wont have the social interation but i mean when i go to school i go to learn not to go and see how many friends i can make on facebook and go and party unlike other fools in my grade

[hscoach]

Your dad is worried about your socialization, but that is not a problem. All you have to do is connect with other homeschoolers your age. You can do this by joining a homeschool support group or a homeschool co-op, which is taking academic classes. Homeschool groups have all kinds of fun activities for teens, including proms. You will make friends with other kids quickly so you will have a whole new social life. Here are two links where you can find a group in your area.

http://www.home-school.com/groups/

http://www.localhs.com/

[Courtney]

so i saw your reply and im definatly going to have to see what the parents say
but do you know anything about online olympus school or could you look at it and tell me what you think thnks

[Theodore]

As far as socialization goes, "socialization" in public school doesn't really count - you're spending most of your time either studying or running from class to class, so the only actual socialization is after-school extracurriculars. Since homeschoolers don't have to spend nearly as much time per day studying to get the same or better results, that actually leaves you more time for extracurriculars and therefore socialization.

The only weak point may be sports - in Illinois there is a governing body for public school sports (IHSA) that currently says this about homeschoolers participating:
Yes, provided the student is enrolled at the member high school, the student is taking a minimum of twenty credit hours of work at the member school or in a program approved by the member school, and, the student must be granted credit for the work taken either at the member school or in a program it approved.

This is supposed to prevent ringers, but in effect it makes it difficult for homeschoolers to participate outside of forming their own private school / team, or sports league separate from the IHSA.

[hscoach]

I had never heard of Olympus school. I checked their site and one thing I noticed is that they have provisional accreditation. That means they have made progress towards meeting the standards but they are not fully accreditated. You could discuss it with your parents and maybe compare it with other online high schools. Here are a few:

http://www.aoacademy.com/index.php

http://www.oakmeadow.com/school.php

http://www.ablazeacademy.com/

http://keystoneschoolonline.com/

[Theodore]

To be honest, accreditation doesn't matter as long as you CLEP / AP after you cover the material. Good test scores are all you need to prove competence, and as long as you cover the subjects your state requires for high school graduation, you can award yourself a diploma.

[Courtney]

whats a clep?
anyways i have band practice tommorow but school hasnt started yet should i go or what because im gonna be homeschool like really soon ( with-in days ) and i dont want everyone to be like when they dont see me tommorow to be like she showed up one day and never came back

[Theodore]

I don't think showing up for one day of band practice would really help anyone - just let the school administration know you're going to be homeschooling.