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What do colleges like to see?  More than academics!

If you have a student who plans to go to college (and even if you don’t—remember, they sometimes change their minds!), it’s important to include in their high school activities at least some of the things that colleges like to see.  Leadership is high on that list for almost all colleges. Of course, when some homeschoolers think about leadership, all they think of is being student body president, but there are actually a million ways to demonstrate leadership outside of the typical school government model. For some kids, leadership might look like teaching Sunday school class or pursing an Eagle Scout award. For other kids, especially if they’re very quiet and reserved, leadership can involve teaching another student something such as guitar or piano.

Community Service is another thing which colleges like to see in their applicants. As parents, we try really hard to have our children serve the community, and serve the Lord, too. There are lots of possibilities for service in your communities, so encourage your children to either find an area that matches their interests or passions, or an area that they feel called to help out in.  Perhaps it will be serving at an elderly person’s center, or tutoring at the local elementary school, or shelving books at the library.  It’s easy to find places that will welcome volunteer help.

Finally, if you have a child who’s interested in the military, physical fitness is something that colleges care very deeply about. Nowadays, all military academies accept homeschoolers without an accredited transcript, which is great progress. The academic preparation for military academy is actually the easiest part of the application. The harder part is showing your student’s physical fitness, leadership, and other non-curricular activities.  Make sure you plan your student’s high school activities with an eye towards these requirements if they are interested in military school.

 



 

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