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Teen Years, Homeschooling High School, College & Career Information

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Links to information about high school years, colleges, getting into college, financial aid, CHSPE, GED, KLEP, and preparation for tests - as well as career information and opportunities other than college.

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Articles: The Teen Years and Beyond The HomeSchool Association of California prepared this extensive resource with the help of experienced homeschoolers and teen advisor, Wes Beach, who has 30 years experience with teenagers who want to follow alternative educational paths. Although it includes information on issues specific to California, much of it helpful in any location. Older Kids This is A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling's page on the full spectrum of teen issues, from homeschooling, to drivers' ed, to college admissions, financial aid, homeschoolers in college, and more. College and Career Department - from Eclectic Homeschool Online An extensive collection of information and articles about high school, college, and career issues. Self-Direction, Engagement, and Success, by Wes Beach This "must read" article points out the profound natural differences between people, and offers some thought provoking observations about what can best lead to becoming confident, autonomous, and self-aware. The author has 30 years experience with teenagers, and has seen hundreds of kids without a conventional high school experience go on to do splendid things, including formal academic work at the highest level. "You've got to find what you love," by Steve Jobs In this Stanford Commencement address, the CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios provides powerful insights developed throughout his education, life, and career. Living What You Do Every Day A thought provoking article in which a former programmer turned secretary discusses the fact that "you have to live what you do every day of your life, so it's best to do what you love and forget about how it looks." How Not to Get Into College: The Preoccupation with Preparation, by Alfie Kohn This always thought-provoking educational critic eloquently explains why we need to "Take a step back from discussions about the relative benefits of SAT I and SAT II, or the effects of early admission, or other aspects of the search for more efficient methods for grooming students? transcripts, and ask the deeper, more subversive question: 'What are we doing to our students in the name of college prep.'" Starting College, by Earl Gary Stevens This Home Education Magazine article describes how Stevens? 14 year old son fit into a course at a university after never being in a classroom, studying anything called a "subject," reading a textbook, or studying formal grammar. The Door is Open, by Earl Gary Stevens This encouraging article from Home Education Magazine examines and refutes the myth that the only way for a young person to be accepted into college is through building a record for compliant behavior in a secondary educational institution or equivalent of one at home. Homeschoolers Are at Home at Harvard, by Nara K. Nahm, Published 1989 in the Harvard Crimson In the books Homeschooling for Excellence and Hard Times in Paradiise, David and Micki Colfax described how their sons grew up working on their goat farm/homestead and went on to Harvard. This insightful article in Harvard's newspaper while Drew, the third one, was there discusses their college experiences and includes some of the family?s comments about homeschooling. In a Class by Themselves, by Christine Foster A wave of homeschoolers has reached college age - students with unconventional training and few formal credentials. What have they got that Stanford wants? And how do admission officers spot it? Quick! Is Johnny signed up for daydreaming?, by Amanda Paulson "A grass-roots revolt is brewing." This article describes how some educators are speaking out against overscheduling, and are encouraging a limit on activities so that people can rediscover time to be a family and kids can have time to daydream. The Satisfied Learner: How Families Homeschool their Teens, by Cafi Cohen An interesting Mothering Magazine article in which a variety of individual teen homeschooling situations are described. Teens and Unschooling Sandra Dodd's collection of bits and links to help parents of unschooled teens feel confident and calm about how kids interact with the world inside and outside their families. Un/Homeschooling: Adapting to College or Work  An explanation of how unschoolers adapt to college of the work world after a self-directed education without an externally structured environment. Unschooling Into College, by Liz Shosie A mom muses on her unschooled son's journey from unschooling to the Dean's List in college. Fly-Fishing to College: The Value of Uniqueness vs. Orthodoxy, by Alison McKee An interesting and encouraging article about one family's experience in finding that the college application process need not be as traumatic as it is often made out to be. Unschooling High School and College, an interview with Alison Mckee An informative and thought provoking interview in which Alison McKee discusses a number of misunderstanding about unschooling and college readiness. Getting Hit on the Head Lessons, by Alfie Kohn A thought provoking examination of current and tradional educational notions - including the idea that certain things need to be done just because kids "better get used to it." Just Do the Math!, by David Albert This fascinating book excerpt explains how math can be mastered in an astoundingly short time when the time and conditions are right. Schoolhouse Rocked One of the more interesting and informative mainstream press articles about homeschooling, this one focuses much more than most on the teen years, and discusses college issues. College Admissions for Homeschoolers For those interested in finding out more about the requirments of some of the more competitive colleges, this article has some helpful tips about Harvard, Purdue, the University of Texas and a few others. Homeschooled Applicants Attractive to Top Liberal Arts Colleges, Admission Officers Say, by Jen Lehner This article describes how homeschoolers have become highly desirable as applicants to some of the best institutions of higher learning, and advises them that they might want to be prepared to provide special information to admission officers. Earn a Congressional Award This is an informative article that describes the advantages of congressional awards and how to go about pursuing them. America's Most Connected Campuses This is an article about The Princeton Review's Most Connected Campuses - colleges with a high degree of technological sophistication - and it has a list of links to some of the colleges that were reviewed. Homeschooling Comes of Age in College Admission, by Aaron Basko  An upbeat report on how colleges are responding with enthusiasm to the growing number of homeschooled applicants. Five Reasons To Skip College, from Forbes.com This interesting Forbes Business and Financial News staff article details why you should "by all means, go to college if you want the 'university experience,' but not spend all that cash just on the assumption that it will lead you to a higher-paying job." We're NOT Off to See the Wizard: Revisiting the Idea of College, by John O. Andersen Some interesting thoughts on the advantages of being open to options other than college. Alternatives for 18-Year- Old Homeschoolers, by Larry and Susan Kaseman Interesting ideas about thinking beyond the assumption that high school graduates should either go to college, get a full-time job and live on their own, or join the military. Advanced Yes, Placement No An interesting article with new data from the College Board - worth reading if you're considering AP classes.

Links:

American Homeschool Association (AHA) - High School - College email group
Ask questions about homeschooling through high school and college - or share your experiences and resources with others who may be seeking help. See the links section for lots of resource ideas.

Accepted.com's Odds-n-Ends Newsletter
A newsletter with tips of the month on admissions information for grad, law, MBA, and medical school applicants.

AmeriCorps
A volunteer opportunity with a network of national service programs formed to meet critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. You can serve through more than 2,100 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations.

Advanced Placement and Honors Courses Online, University of California, Irvine
UC Irvine is offering online advanced placement (AP) and honors courses to high school students. These online courses are approved by the University of California and satisfy the a-g subject requirements that most 4-year colleges and universities require for admission.  UC Irvine?s online AP and honors courses help students become eligible for admission to the University of California.

BrainTrack - College and University Directory
An extensive site that is a comprehensive directory of the world's universities and colleges. It indexes and contains information about universities, polytechnics, colleges and other higher educational institutions from over 190 countries. It also offers searches by degrees for specific professions or areas of study.

College Admissions 
Articles, extensive information, links to resources - from About.com

California Colleges
Developed in collaboration with the CA State University (CSU), University of CA (UC), California Community Colleges (CCC), Association of Independent CA Colleges and Universities (AICCU), and the CDE to allow students to obtain information about higher education opportunities in CA. The site aims to become the portal for all colleges and universities in the state.

California Colleges and Universities
Lists and profiles all public and private colleges and universities in California, including community colleges, AND even includes schools like the Golden State Culinary Institute and the San Diego Golf Academy.

California High School Proficiency Exam site (CHSPE)
All the information in detail about the nature of this test to get the equivalent of a California high school diploma, including sample questions,registration information, and more.

Career Exploration Links
Interest assessment for college major or career goal, plus links to hundreds of accredited programs in specific fields, and over 800 links to sites with information about a wide variety of careers.

College and University web sites 
Home pages for colleges and universities all over the world.

College Confidential
A huge list of places on the web for college research: admissions, search, financial aid, scholarships, international study, and much, much more!

College Internet Connection - Private & Home School Friendly Colleges & Universities
This is only a PARTIAL list of the many colleges that are friendly to homeschoolers - but it has useful descriptive links to colleges.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College-Level Examination Program gives you the chance to earn college credit for what you already know about a variety of subjects. More than 2,800 colleges and universities now award credit for satisfactory scores on one or more of the 34 CLEP exams.

Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers
Links to more than 1000 college Web sites appear here.

Colleges That Change Lives
Author Lauren Pope’s links to 40 colleges that can "give you a rich, full live, and make you a winner."

College Board Online 
A good orientation for college preparation, including information on testing and financial aid.

Educational Testing Service & Links to College Sites 
A gateway to definitive information about college and graduate school admissions and placement tests, with links to test websites, as well as other educational resources.

Financial Aid Information 
Free, comprehensive, independent, and objective guide to student financial aid.

GEDonline
A commercial site to guide adults in successfully passing the GED Test--help with practice tests. and suggested practice lessons to help improve any weak areas.

High School Ace: An Extensive Reference Site
A noncommercial portal to excellent free online academic resources for high school students. It features interactive learning activities, a reference collection, college information, and subject guides for English, mathematics, social studies, science, world languages, arts, and technology.

Life After High School - Resource for Colleges, Jobs, and Careers
A very helpful site -- many good links to job and career information, and scholarships.

Long Distance Learning - and Online Tutorials
Links to online courses, advanced placement courses, tutorials, high school resources, college and career information, and using the Internet for learning.

Mapping Your Future 
Information for planning a career, selecting and paying for a school, etc.

MyRoad.com
Quite an informative site built to empower students, parents, and educational advisors as they explore education and career opportunities.

Occupational Outlook Handbook 
Career information for making decisions about future work lives. Describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.

Peterson’s Education Site College and career information, study abroad, online learning, and much more.

Self Directed Education - Beach High School
Specialty: helping California teenagers make a transition from high school studies to their next life situation, whether college or other.

Vocabulary University 
Exercises to help prepare for vocabulary section of the SSAT, PSAT, GED, SAT and ACT.