Preparing any child for college can be extremely daunting, we only want what’s best for them and will do all we can to help them achieve their goals. For conventionally schooled children, their high-school will often help them to handle their college preparation process, but for homeschooled children, the task often lays in the hands of the parents. So what can we do to prepare them?
Think about it early
In school, student counselors recommend that parents and children start to think about college and university as early as the 8th or 9th grade. There’s a lot to think about, including finances, career options, degree paths and of course which college or university your child wants to attend - do you want to pursue a Grand Canyon University accreditation or are you thinking about a bachelor degree in Finance?. Thinking about the process early will help to take away some of the stress that both your or your child may feel as deadlines start to approach.
Start introducing them to college-level assignments
There’s no doubt about the fact that the jump from high school to college-level education can be tricky for some children at first, but you can help them to make this leap by starting to introduce them to college-level assignments. This will help them to feel more confident going into college and when they’ve been given their first real assignment.
Enroll in some college-level classes
Towards the end of high-school, teaching can ramp up significantly and many homeschool parents start to enroll their children in outsourced classes with teachers who are familiar with the college syllabus. This ensures that their children will be best prepared for college-level classes and also gives homeschool parents a bit of extra time to work on other aspects of the college application process. It’s important not to see delegating classes as a failing on your part as a parent, it’s just a transition that may need to be made to help your child seamlessly fit in with college life.
Take an application writing course yourself
College and university applications can be notoriously difficult to fill out and without help from your child’s school, you will need to take on much of this process yourself. It can be highly beneficial to invest some of your own time into taking an application writing course to help you feel more confident with this process.
Prepare them for life away from home
If your child is going to live away from home, then this one applies to all kids, homeschooled or not. Living away from home is about so much more than just knowing how to do their own laundry or how to cook themselves a decent meal, it’s about money management, balancing priorities and making adult decisions. Sometimes, homeschooled children may miss out on things like commuting to and from school and so it’s important to build their confidence with public transport and to ensure that they have the skills necessary to take on the world alone.
