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Is Holistic Homeschooling Good? Is It Affecting My Application? | HomeSchoolToGo

There are both good and bad things about Holistic Homeschooling.

By The custom websitesPublished 4 years ago 5 min read

Holistic Homeschooling has been on the rise since the pandemic ended. For many people, Holistic Homeschooling is a short-term move caused by the pandemic. It has taken many different forms. As someone who has brought a tutor into their home, this is a good idea. They have formed "pandemic pods" to teach their kids together. Finally, some parents are teaching their kids on their own.

There was no way I could have taken on the full responsibility of teaching them all by myself, so I hired a tutor to come to my house for a short time. When there's a pandemic, our family has to use this as a short-term measure. After six months of online learning made kids were less motivated. They needed something else to help them get through this time when their school was closed. However, many parents have chosen to Holistic Homeschooling their children for good. For these families, the home can offer more than a traditional school can, so they can stay home and learn. Those who believe that a child's natural abilities and unique needs should be considered when they are taught at home rather than in a traditional classroom.

In other words, what can Holistic Homeschooling do better than traditional learning, and what can it do worse? If a family decides to homeschool, how does that affect their college chances?

There are both good and bad things about Holistic Homeschooling.

Parents need to think about the pros and cons of Holistic Homeschooling before deciding. Any change to a student's learning environment is disruptive and takes time to get used to, so parents and students should think carefully before starting this new path in life. Here are some things to think about when making this decision.

There are a lot of benefits to Holistic Homeschooling, like:

  • I have a lot of freedom about what and when to study.
  • This means parents can change teaching methods and paces to fit their child's needs. They can also find a schedule that works best for both the parents and the child.
  • This means the student doesn't have to share the teacher's time with a group of students.
  • If the quality of the available education is terrible, Holistic Homeschooling may offer better quality at a much lower price than the public schools.
  • Students who have trouble adapting or are bullied at school may find Holistic Homeschooling a better, happier place to be.
  • More time together leads to stronger family bonds between parents and children and between siblings. This is true for both parents and children, and also between siblings.

The downsides of Holistic Homeschooling

  • Teaching takes a lot of time, and it costs a lot of money. Parents should think very carefully about whether they have the time to teach their children.
  • School at home can be socially isolating if it isn't paired with group activities or learning.
  • There are some subjects that parents can't afford to help their kids with because they don't have the money or the space (for example, a science lab).
  • Parents will not have the same knowledge about a subject as a teacher, especially at the high school level.
  • When parents and students spend too much time together, they might not have a good relationship and find it hard to learn.
  • Lack of motivation and patience: When students are taken out of a stimulating and competitive environment, their encouragement may fade.

Keep in mind that there are ways to get around some of the downsides of Holistic Homeschooling, so don't forget that. High school students might want to take online or community college classes as they move up in the ranks and get better grades. Students who feel isolated can join extracurricular activities or even learn together with other Holistically Homeschooled students. And a group of families can work together to get the equipment or tools they need to teach a particular subject.

My Holistically Homeschooled senior needs to apply to college. How do I do this for them?

In the beginning, you might think that Holistic Homeschooling is a better choice for your child. However, when it comes time to apply for college, you might have doubts. What does a Holistically Homeschooled person need to do to apply to college? No, Holistically Homeschooled applicants are treated the same as any other applicant.

Requirements for school

Admission requirements for Holistic Homeschooling applicants aren't very different from those who went to a public high school. College applicants always have to send in their high school transcripts. The person in charge of Holistic Homeschooling is in cost of making your high school transcript and sending it to the colleges you want to go to. All the courses you took in high school should be on the transcript, with the number of credits and grades you earned for each. There should also be a cumulative GPA for each year and a cumulative GPA for all four years.

It is great to take classes with an online high school or college. You should send transcripts from these schools with your application.

Examples of what you need to do in school

  • NYU wants you to do the following:
  • There is proof that you have graduated.
  • diploma from home school
  • Getting a certificate of completion is the same thing as getting a high school diploma in your home state.
  • UPenn wants you to have a "consolidated transcript" that shows all of your academic work in one place. If the name of a class isn't clear, add a short description. Listings of your courses, grading or rating scales, syllabi, lab work, reading lists, textbooks, and historical or current information help us better understand your academic program.
  • All information about your education and personal background is welcome at Harvard. There isn't a unique process, but all information is welcome. All applicants must also send in standardized tests, a transcript (you can make your own), and recommendations.
  • It may be necessary for you to add more explanations of your coursework to the transcript that you send to Caltech.

Be aware that even though many colleges now allow students not to take tests, that isn't a rule that everyone has to follow at all times. Colleges may still ask Holistically Homeschooled applicants for test scores. People who apply to Pitzer, for example, don't have to take a test. However, holistically Homeschooled students have to. Holistic Homeschooling can show what they've learned by taking tests like the SAT, the ACT, and the SAT subject tests. It also shows that the grades on the transcript aren't unfair.

Does a Holistically Homeschooled college applicant have an unfair advantage because they haven't been to school?

There is no evidence that Holistic Homeschooling hurts your college chances. However, an NHERI study from 2016 shows a difference. Between 15% and 30% more Holistically Homeschooled students did better on standardized academic achievement tests. While this study from 2010 is a bit old, it found that Holistically Homeschooled students have better test scores and better grade point averages (GPAs). In addition, they look at the graduation rates of students who aren't going to school the traditional way.

Well-educated people could get into more schools than people who aren't well-educated. Unfortunately, there isn't any data on how many Holistically Homeschooled students get into college compared to students who traditionally went to high school. On the other hand, anecdotal evidence shows that admissions go just as well for both students. Harvard has a blog where they write about the admissions process of three Holistically Homeschooled students. Articles like this one are great for giving homeschoolers some good advice on using what they've learned.

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