Senior year requires decisions that will affect future success and happiness; it provides closure and a chance to reflect on past accomplishments as well as future hopes. For me, senior year also poses a unique situation. I am a home-schooled student, and I am applying to a selective college: New York University.
As an early decision applicant, I am busy writing essays, filling out endless forms, and coordinating teacher recommendations and test-score reports. By turns, I feel fearful, excited, anxious, and hopeful. Never has the full import of a college application been so apparent: through test scores, a 500-word essay, recommendations, a transcript, and extracurriculars, I must prove to an admissions committee that I am destined to attend their college. This responsibility is a prospect both exhilarating and overwhelming.
My identity as a college applicant is linked to my home-school education. So far, the greatest challenge of applying has been portraying my unique education in a traditional manner while verifying that I meet New York University's home-school requirements. Although many methods of home-school exist, I chose one compatible with my interests and goals. In my application, my aim has been to demonstrate how I've combined a self-designed education with outside verification and accountability.
Accordingly, since 9th grade, I have been enrolled in Clonlara School, an accredited umbrella school designed for home-schoolers. This agency assigns credits and records my transcript and, next June, will issue me a high school diploma verifying my graduation from home-school. My contact teacher, the equivalent of a guidance counselor, answers my questions regarding college admissions and is also writing the counselor's recommendation for my application.
Even though my parents compute my grade-point average, my grades carry less weight than those issued in a classroom. Whether my grades are high or low, I am always ranked number one in my class. For that reason, of greater significance on my application are my scores on college entrance exams, including the SAT, ACT, and SAT II: Subject Tests. Additionally, as of now, I have completed three Honors or AP (Advanced Placement) online courses to supplement my independent coursework. Based on my written work and participation in student discussions, my instructors issued grades that are corroborated by my scores on the AP tests.
Outside verification, though, has not forced me to sacrifice the uniqueness of a home-school education. I still select my own courses, design my own study schedule, and develop my own interests. I have tailored parts of my application to reflect this. For instance, instead of listing school-organized activities under extracurriculars, I substituted community and church activities. And because home-schooling has taught me motivation and self-discipline, I underscored these qualities in my application essay and short-answer questions.
Applying to a selective college has required awareness of home-school requirements and, through planning and creativity, a balance between individuality and outside accountability. Now, after four years of high school, I feel ready—almost!—to hit the "submit" button on my online application. The next several years will launch me into the ranks of enrolled college students, and I look forward to a new stage of education and discovery with students from all educational backgrounds.