Homeschooled & Headed for College: Your Road Map for a Successful Journey

by Denise Boiko

Overview

Can homeschoolers successfully navigate the path to college?The answer is an enthusiastic "Yes!"If you love homeschooling but need a clear road map for the journey from high school to college, this is the book for you.

You'll appreciate this practical, detailed guide that walks you step by step through the entire process-from the beginning of middle school to the day you give your college freshman one last goodbye hug.

Countless "how to" tips packed into 440 pages will relieve stress as you creatively design a high school program strong enough to stand up to even the most rigorous admissions process.

You'll discover how to use the middle school years to jump-start your high school planning, how to create customized curricula, and how to find materials, support, and sources for courses-often in the most unlikely places!

You'll gain confidence in keeping orderly records, calculating GPAs, and constructing professional-looking transcripts and portfolios.

You'll thoroughly grasp the entire spectrum of college prep considerations:

- Locating or designing honors and advanced courses

- Seeking out leadership opportunities that provide fun, growth, and positive attention from admissions staff-even at highly selective universities

- Preparing your student for college entrance exams

- Helping your high schooler navigate community college courses

- Tackling college applications and coaching your student through personal statements

- Gathering insightful recommendation letters

- Scouting out scholarships

- Planning a gap year if your student desires a time of exploration

- Best of all, you'll learn how to leverage the #1 college admissions secret, for which homeschoolers are excellently positioned.

Packed with tips and advice based on years of meticulous research and personal experience, this expanded second edition of Homeschooled & Headed for College brings you insights from a veteran homeschooling parent who has successfully navigated the selective college path for her own children and has guided hundreds of other students through the college prep process.

Homeschooled & Headed for College maps out your itinerary so you can relax and enjoy the journey!

You'll love this book, because the journey of a lifetime deserves a personalized GPS.

Grab a copy today to gain momentum for your own adventurous road trip.

Named one of BookAuthority's "Best New Homeschooling Books to Read in 2021."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781087888842
Publisher:	Denise Boiko
Publication date:	06/20/2020
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	444
Sales rank:	978,010
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Denise Boiko and her husband, Ron, homeschooled both of their children from kindergarten through high school. With acceptances to multiple colleges, their daughter earned a B.S. and an M.S. in biology at Stanford University before going on to medical school, and their son chose the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in engineering. Since then, Denise has successfully walked more than 150 homeschooled and traditionally schooled students through the college admissions process, with acceptances to universities such as MIT, Columbia, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Duke, and Rice. As a speaker at homeschool workshops, and in one-on-one sessions, Denise loves to partner with homeschooling parents and lend a hand as they construct customized curricula, create credible transcripts, and craft compelling counselor letters. Homeschooled & Headed for College was written to help other homeschoolers benefit from the many years of research and personal experience that facilitated the Boiko students' admission into selective colleges. With a degree in biology and a lifelong passion for writing, Denise has taught biology, composition, and literature since 2006 at a local homeschool academy and at other homeschool class sites. Since she seeks to make these subjects come alive, a classroom visitor might witness a mock-up of the Berlin Wall, an Ides of March party to conclude Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, or a lively model of the cell's plasma membrane, composed entirely of teenagers. In her pockets of spare time, Denise enjoys making friends with neighborhood cats (especially black ones), baking lemon bars and peanut butter-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies for the holidays, watching old Monk crime drama episodes, creating colorful quilts, meeting former students for coffee, and reading dozens of books while running on the treadmill or climbing the never-ending stepmill. Connect with Denise through her website, https: //HomeschoolRoadMap.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Daunting But Do-Able: Homeschooling the College Bound Student

Chapter 2

Warm-Up Time: Designing a Personalized Middle School Program

Chapter 3

Course Planning Basics: Credits and Graduation Requirements

Chapter 4

Beyond the Three R's: Subject-by-Subject Suggestions for a Strong High School Program

Chapter 5

Sources for Courses: Where to Find Your High School Curriculum

Chapter 6

Putting It All Together: More Tips and Sample Four-Year Plans

Chapter 7

Education by Design: Creating Customized Courses

Chapter 8

A Real Example: Life Cycle of a Typical Course

Chapter 9

The Dreaded Red Pen: Grading Your Student's Work

Chapter 10

Keeping Tabs on the Paperwork: Record Keeping and GPAs

Chapter 11

Your Official Documents: The Transcript, Portfolio, and Diploma

Chapter 12

Jumping Ahead: Honors and Advanced Placement® Courses

Chapter 13

New Kid on Campus: Community College During High School

Chapter 14

More Tips: Making the Most of Your Community College Experience

Chapter 15

Extra, Extra! Extracurricular Activities and Employment

Chapter 16

Being a Leader When There's No Student Body: Leadership Skills

Chapter 17

Staying on Track: Timetables for a Smooth Journey

Chapter 18

Decisions, Decisions: The College Search

Chapter 19

Sharpen Those #2 Pencils: SAT® and ACT® Exams ... and the Rest of the Tests

Chapter 20

Information, Please: A Tour of a Typical College Application

Chapter 21

Working Smart, Not Hard: Tips and Precautions about College Applications

Chapter 22

Your Life In 650 Words or Less: The Application Essay

Chapter 23

The Sealed Envelope: Letters of Recommendation

Chapter 24

Behind Closed Doors: The Admissions Process

Chapter 25

Show Me the Money: Financial Aid

Chapter 26

More on Financial Aid: Private Scholarships and Helpful Tips

Chapter 27

A Taste of Reality: Internships and Career Planning

Chapter 28

More of a Good Thing: Considering a Gap Year or a Super Senior Year

Chapter 29

You Can Do It! Survival Tips for Parents

Chapter 30

Ready, Set, Go! Gearing Up for College Life

Chapter 31

Concluding Thoughts: Encouragement for the Journey

APPENDIX: USEFUL WEBSITES AND RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Editorial Reviews

"Denise has developed a comprehensive guide to help homeschooling families design and implement a rigorous college prep program. Homeschooled & Headed for College discusses academics, electives, testing, and documentation, and she walks families through all aspects of the college selection and application process. Denise's research and recommendations will save families precious time." - Carol Becker, Home School Legal Defense Association High School Educational Consultant, Team Leader

"This book is a must if you are homeschooling your high schooler who is, as the title says, 'headed for college.' We found it an empowering and encouraging resource. It may very well be the most important college prep book you buy." - Kathy Gelzer, The Old Schoolhouse(R) Magazine, LLC

"What sets this book apart from some others on the same topic is the extensive coverage on planning for those aiming for highly competitive colleges since that was the route Denise's daughter and son both selected. Even though that information is included, those not aiming that high can skip sections that are irrelevant to them and still have everything they need....I very much appreciate the fact that this book is based on both research and experience." - Cathy Duffy, cathyduffyreviews.com

From the Publisher