What classes should my homeschooled student be taking in high school in order to have the best chance for college acceptance and scholarships?

The best courses to take in high school are standard subject and college-prep courses. As a rule, your student should take the most challenging courses he can. University admissions counselors are much more impressed with a student who challenged himself with an AP (advanced placement) Calculus class but only made a ‘C’, than a student who only took Algebra II and made an ‘A’.

That being said, there are specific courses that every homeschooled student should take in order to best prepare for college courses AND the standardized tests which are required for most college admissions. These courses are the following:

• 4 years Math including Algebra I and II, Geometry and Calculus
• 4 Years Science with labs including Physical Science, Biology, Physics and Chemistry
• 4 years English including creative writing, literature, composition, etc
• 4 years Social Studies/History including World History, American History, Government, Economics, etc.
• Minimum 2 years of the same foreign language

Obviously this is not an all inclusive list, as electives will need to be added in, but they are all extremely important and will prepare your student well for the next level. The goal as a homeschooling parent should not be to stay on par with public or private schooled students; it should be to have your student surpass the competition. Remember, we have an advantage. Our students want to learn, they have the freedom to go deeper in their studies, and there is no homework…it’s all homework!

Related posts:

1. What are the Best HS Courses to Take?
2. How Early can my Child Begin College?
3. Questions of the Day – Transcripts & College Applications

Today’s question of the day comes from Cindy, who asks:

“My boys are just now in 6th grade, but I would say that my biggest question is what courses and how much of each should they have in high school in order to best prepare them for college? I am not worried about SAT/ACTs, but more just the best foundation in the liberal arts so that they will not feel like they are “catching up” in college.”

Cindy, great question, and one that many parents are unsure of. I’m glad to hear you’re interested in giving your sons a solid liberal arts education. The liberal arts truly are the foundation upon which all other education is built. Now, to answer your question. In order to best prepare your sons for college, whether they plan on attending an Ivy League school or a small Christian liberal arts college next door, you need to make sure they have the following subjects:

• 4 units of English, including: Grammar, American Literature, World Literature, and Advanced Composition.

• 4 units of Math, including: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Calculus.

• 4 units of Natural Science, including: Physical Science, Biology w/lab, Chemistry w/lab, and Physics.

• 4 units of Social Studies/Social Science, including: American History, World History/Western Civilization, Economics & Government, Philosophy, Psychology, etc.

• 2 units of Foreign Language, consisting of Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, etc.  (It’s best if the same language is taken throughout.)

Lastly, I would suggest your sons keep a list of all the books they’re reading throughout high school. This can be very impressive when applying to liberal arts or great books colleges.

These sample course listings should give your sons a strong enough foundation that not only will they score highly on their standardized test scores, but they’ll be setting the pace in their college classes so that their public school counterparts will be the ones who need to “catch up.”

Related posts:

1. What HS Classes Should My Student Take?