Advice on homeschooling through high school, from a college admission expert

At STAC, parents of upper-level students have a secret weapon: community member Brett Kennedy is an Independent Educational Consultant, also known as a college admission counselor. With more than 25 years of experience managing admissions for public and private universities including University of Alabama, Birmingham-Southern College, DePauw University, University of Maryland and Berry College, Brett generously offers free workshops and information to STAC parents and is available to answer questions. We sat down with him to get his thoughts on how our students can navigate the path to college.

A lot of homeschool parents worry that their kids won’t be accepted into college. How do you reassure parents of college-bound students that they can, in fact, successfully homeschool through high school?

I have seen a substantial uptick in the number of homeschool-educated young people who are able to present themselves as applicants to college with very strong, compelling academic records. And once they go to college, I’ve seen those students perform very well academically and socially. So I don’t think there is any evidence to suggest that homeschooling through high school is not a viable and legitimate option.

Is it true that some schools won’t consider homeschool students?

Sadly there are some institutions, even in 2020, which may be less inclined to value the homeschool experience as much as they do the traditional high school experience. However, one of the things I stress in my counseling practice is finding the right fit academically, culturally and financially for the student and their family. For every school that does not value homeschoolers, there is another, equally good institution that does. It’s about finding that fit, and knowing how to unearth that identity as you move through the process. Schools may not openly state that they don’t value homeschool people. But the reality is that the admissions process is affected by the biases of the people who control the process. So, there are going to be those people out there who are biased. The good news is that over my 25 years, as the nature of homeschooling has changed, so have many opinions on the quality and validity of homeschooling. I think you will see less of that kind of bias as time goes on.

What are some of the biggest pieces of misinformation that you see out there about college admissions and homeschoolers?

One thing I hear is that it is universally difficult to get into college today, and not just for homeschool students. Yes, there are a few institutions in the country that are incredibly challenging for applicants. They may accept as few as 5-15% of those who apply. We saw this in the recent “Varsity Blues” scandal. However, the reality is that there are more than 3,000 colleges in the United States, and most are admitting a relatively high number of those that apply. Remember: the super-selectivity of a school does not necessarily equate to an especially high quality of the education provided. We have to guard against believing that the acceptance rate is a marker of academic quality. There are lots of opportunities for an excellent post-secondary education out there.

The second piece of misinformation I hear is that the admissions process is one that can be “gamed.” There are no secret formulas, special tricks, or checklist approaches that will somehow guarantee admission to a highly selective institution. It is simply incorrect when someone says “If you do X, you are guaranteed admission to that certain school.” For most colleges in the country, the admission decision is driven by whether or not the student has demonstrated the potential for academic success at the institution. While many colleges and universities are moving away from looking at standardized tests, the admission decision is still fundamentally an academic one. 

Does the curriculum followed or classes taken during high school years matter?

Absolutely, it matters. In the admission world this is called “rigor.” And certainly a student with a strong GPA combined with a rigorous set of high school courses is the most desirable to colleges and universities. This is demonstrating academic potential. However, this does not mean that every student has to take exactly the same classes. There is no “perfect” transcript! Admissions officers see many variations of the required classes on transcripts coming from public, private, and homeschool situations. A student will not be denied admission based on the fact that they took a different sequence of science or literature classes than is traditional.

Each institution is going to have its own particular preferences in terms of what they want to see in an applicant. The process is about looking at what the student did in their high school years and determining whether that is a fit for their culture and academic environment.

What advice would you give parents when they are thinking about college admission?

I would remind parents that the front end of the admission process has become a very sophisticated marketing operation. Information overload is real.

Be wary of believing everything you read on the internet, even if it seems to provide the easiest answer. There are very well-meaning people out there who report their own experience as a guiding principle. Truthfully, the experience of one student in the admission process may be markedly different than the experience of another student (even from the same family) a few years later. Over that short time, admission standards and institutional priorities can change dramatically. Also -- and I say this with nothing but respect for parents, as a homeschooling parent myself -- but it breaks my heart to see some of the misinformation in parenting forums online about the college admissions process. So much of what’s out there seems aimed at scaring parents or making them worry that they are never doing enough. I’ve been appalled to see people suggest that by asking a question of an admission officer they are somehow going to be denied admission! Admission officers are not evil wizards hiding behind a curtain manipulating secret machinery. For the most part they are nice people who want to help you and your family figure out if this place is a fit for your student academically, financially, or culturally.

My advice is: Do your research. Visit lots of schools. Ask questions. Go to college fairs. Remind your child to keep an open mind and never apply to only one institution. They should have a variety of schools on their list -- target schools, safety schools, and reach schools. Remember, most of all, this is about finding a place that is the best fit for your student. 

And of course, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider talking to an Independent Educational Consultant about the services they offer. Consultants know this process inside and out and this kind of help can be surprisingly affordable.

What does STAC do well in terms of helping high school students on the path to whatever their post-secondary goals are?

Obviously, as a STAC parent, I’m biased. I think that STAC does an excellent job of offering rigorous and interesting courses. I like that the people offering classes at STAC come from a variety of backgrounds, and are highly qualified. 

In particular, I like that students are expected to think critically in all levels of classes, even in elementary. STAC instructors seem to encourage kids to think deeply and make connections across subjects. They do a lot of analysis, collaboration, research, and forming their own opinions. That’s the kind of thing that may not appear on a transcript but those skills are certainly important to the success of a student once they are in college -- or even just in life.

I also like the fact that STAC recognizes that students are not cookie cutters. They will not all have the same desires or experiences or abilities or needs. Instead, STAC leaves that responsibility to the parents to define what is best for their child. This is the challenging part of being a homeschool parent -- you have to decide what being well-educated means for your student, as each one is an individual and has differing needs. There are a lot of different paths a family can take and STAC offers support regardless of what that might look like. 

Brett Kennedy is available to answer questions from STAC parents about their child’s transcript. For information about consulting or college admissions counseling, you can contact Brett directly at kennedybrett5@gmail.com. To learn more about STAC, email us at stacofga@gmail.com.