Oh, the excitement of that college acceptance letter! Success! Your home school graduate will head off soon to a great college experience, they have a good idea of what their major will be, and their future looks bright.
College Acceptance and Program Reality
Enter reality. When you enter a university as a freshman intending to major in engineering, computer science, nursing, or another major, there may still be one hurdle. There is no guarantee that you will actually be admitted into those programs within that university.
If a university has a huge number of applicants to the school of engineering or school of nursing each year, they may reject a large number of candidates that are already attending the university. That can delay graduation if you don’t get into your program on the first try.
The most important take away here for homeschool parents and would-be graduates is to check this out in advance. First, read the statistics about your university. How many years does it take the average student to graduate? Then ask questions. If the school you’re interested in has this sort of situation, find out the acceptance percentage rate, and make sure your student’s grades will get them where they want to go. If not, it might be wise to consider ways to improve their GPA (such as community college classes), combined with great recommendation letters from people in the field.
Don’t give up, but know what you’re up against before you make your plans! Remember, homeschoolers have the advantage when it comes to college preparation!
As you wrap up your homeschooling years, let me help you to finish strong with my special support group.