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A note from the webmaster:

I am aware that many people even today have lingering sentiments over the Civil War. As I grew up in California from more recent immigrants to the U.S., I have no particular emotional or other attachment to either side of "The War Between the States." I think the best way to get a balanced picture of the good and bad on both sides is to read a variety of good books from different points of view. Besides being a moral issue in its own right, there are many parallels between slavery and abortion. The study of the Civil War and the effects and problems of slavery can shed much light on issues of today.

Can Homeschoolers Get Accepted into "Good" Colleges?

Can Homeschoolers Get Accepted into "Good" Colleges? Absolutely! See List of Colleges that have accepted Homeschoolers. Homeschooling has moved well beyond the stage of having to convince colleges that our students are capable of handling their programs. Harvard has been accepting homeschoolers for many years and has a full-time admissions officer dedicated solely to homeschool applications. The College Board, which administers the SAT tests, has many pages of information on their website dedicated to homeschooling. Homeschoolers have been accepted into all kinds of Colleges and Universities - religious, secular, military, etc.

Preparing for the SAT/ACT -
Doing well on these tests will be one of the biggest factors in the college admissions process, particularly for homeschoolers. Set academic goals that will help you do well on the SAT and prepare for it as well. Don’t let the SAT define your high school academics, but don’t underestimate its importance. By the way, studying Latin has been a real help to many homeschoolers in the English part of the SAT.

You can find books on preparing for the SAT at any bookstore - they contain practice tests and other tips and suggestions. Remember that the test has a time limit. Practicing timed tests would be a good idea.

The SAT includes timed tests in Grammar and Math and a Test of Standard Written English. Some colleges (such as University of Notre Dame) will require homeschoolers to take the SAT II (formerly called ACT tests) which tests in English, Math, Science, History and a Foreign Language. This is to give them a more objective record of your abilities in these subjects. You’ll have to find out the policy of the college you’re interested in.

Transcripts -
It’s a good idea to keep detailed records of your highschool education - grades, subjects and books studied, and samples of your work. Don’t panic if it’s not complete, however, because many (but not all) colleges are quite lenient on this point if you can write up a good summary of what you’ve studied and if you do fairly well on the SAT. (Also see Thomas Aquinas College's homeschooling information.

Letters of Reference -

Many colleges require letters of reference to determine intellectual ability, leadership qualities, etc. Many times parents will be considered somewhat biased in this area. Be creative in thinking about appropriate people for this task. If you’ve had some classroom experience outside the home during highschool, that teacher would be a possibility. People you’ve worked with in extracurricular activities and volunteer work are other possibilities.

Admissions Essays -

The Admissions Essays (where required) can be a great place to display, among other things, your abilities, interests and writing skills. Be humble enough to admit your weak areas, but don’t be afraid to let them know your strong points too. Be sincere.

Other Suggestions -

Collect information from colleges early on to get an idea of what you should be aiming for.

Apply to several colleges. Dr. Andrew Tadie, in an article from The Catholic Home Educator makes the following recommendation. "...apply to several schools I the fashion of triage: apply to two or three dream schools, two or three that are highly desirable, and two or three that are minimally acceptable. Make your choice after you know which institutions have approved admission and after you know the amount of financial aid they offer." (Lent 1997 issue)

It would be nice if regional homeschooling newsletters would print lists of colleges that have accepted homeschooled highschoolers from their group. (As is the norm with many high school newsletters.)

Ideas

Geography is a subject that "leaks into" almost every other subject. Every family should have a world map and/or a globe and refer to it frequently. Every time you read a story, learn about a new Saint, etc., have your children find where these people lived or these events took place. Similar to memorizing history dates, being familiar with where things happened helps to understand any given lesson much more fully.

If at all possible,

I highly recommend that prospective homeschooling parents read several, if not all, of the following books on Catholic homeschooling. There are several reasons for this. Together they make up a wealth of information that will be invaluable to you. Secondly, even the various Catholic authors, who have a great deal of homeschooling experience, vary significantly in their ideas and methods. I certainly don't agree with everything I've read in each book! (Several of the books even recommend items that have been placed on the Red Flag List.) The different perspectives will give you a more complete picture of the possibilities of homeschooling - leaving you better informed to make decisions about your children's education.

Introduction

Photograph of author G.K. Chesterton

"How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."
-- G.K. Chesterton in What's Wrong with the World

J.R.R. Tolkien on the Blessed Sacrament...

"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . . There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that." J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter to his son

Learning Latin,

like working through long division and playing chess, involves multi-level thinking that is very good for the development of the intellect. It also gives students a better understanding of language and grammar, develops their vocabulary and can be extremely beneficial in recognizing medical and scientific terminology (even a trip to the zoo can be an opportunity for students to appreciate their Latin skills as they recognize some of the scientific names for the animals). For Catholics too, Latin has special meaning as it is the official language of the Church. It is good thing for young Catholics to learn to love and begin to understand the wealth of beautiful hymns, chants and prayers that are part of our cultural and religious heritage.

Making it work

Homeschooling is a serious undertaking and many people wonder how it can work on a practical level - particularly for people on tight budgets and those with large families. Although not all of these books specifically address homeschooling, they have some very useful and practical ideas for running a household more effectively, especially in the areas of organization, finances, time management, and family life.

Making Sense of Galileo

Errors regarding the story of Galileo's "run-in" with the Catholic Church over the heliocentric (sun-centered) theory of the universe and the inerrancy of Scripture are so common that it might be impossible to completely avoid all books that contain the error. It is essential, however, to find out what really happened. Generally, modern texts proclaim Galileo as a great hero who was willing to stand up to the Church's out-dated, anti-scientific beliefs. The truth is, of course, more complex.

Joshua prayed to the Lord, and said in the presence of Israel, Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the valley of Aijalon! And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, while the nation took vengeance on its foes. Is this not recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun halted in the middle of the sky, not for a whole day did it resume its swift course. Never before or since was there a day like this, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. Joshua 10: 12-13

The passages in the Bible which speak of the sun standing still were traditionally believed by the Church to mean that the sun actually revolved around the earth. Those involved in the Galileo case (most notably St. Robert Bellarmine) stated very clearly that if science proved that the sun did not revolve around the earth that the Church would accept that that particular passage of the Bible should not be understood literally. However, Galileo had not yet proved that the earth did move around the sun and, in fact, still had some serious errors in his scientific facts. There are other important details, including mistakes and silly-sounding quotes from some on the side of the Church all of which can be discovered by reading the following articles on the Galileo incident.