Should a Homeschooler take the GED?
Homeschooling parents often ask me about the General Equivalency Diploma, should they or should they not have their student take the GED? This can be a touchy subject, but the answer is pretty straight forward. Colleges and universities have a general bias towards those students with a GED certificate instead of a high school diploma. It really doesn’t matter the reason the student received a GED, whether homeschooled or not.
When a student is applying for admission and doesn’t have a high school diploma, it says to the admissions office that this student flunked out, dropped out, was kicked out, or wasn’t dedicated enough to graduate high school. The last thing you should want for your student is to be lumped in with this group!
Since homeschoolers are some of the brightest and most academically gifted students in the country, don’t demean yourself by stooping to the level of the GED. If you keep accurate records and transcripts, most universities won’t even ask to see a diploma. If you do wish to provide one for your student, check out Home School Diploma for custom made diplomas and other graduation goodies designed specifically for homeschoolers.
It is possible that you may run across a college biased against or ignorant of homeschooling who will require your student to take the GED before the application is considered for admission. If you encounter this, look for another school. The GED is for high school drop-outs, and homeschoolers are far from drop-outs! Although now a much rarer occurrence, it does still happen, and when it does, can be very disconcerting for many parents and students. Don’t play into this game. Rise above it and prove your student is well above this inferior academic level. Don’t take it personally, they just don’t know. If you want to try and educate them, go ahead, but many times it’s easier to save the headaches and simply move on to another school.
So, to recap, don’t take the GED, unless you feel it’s easier than fighting with the school who requires it, and you don’t mind your student being categorized with high school drop-outs.
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