By Josh Burk
Money should NOT be a consideration. Top universities across the nation have adopted a zero-loan policy for students who qualify for financial aid. Schools like Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, and MIT create financial aid packages for needy students that allow virtually no debt after graduation! Generally speaking, if your family income is less than $100,000 per year (and even if you have $0 college savings), your child can still go to an Ivy-League school without huge student loans. More than 75 colleges offer no-loans policies, and even more have incredible financial aid opportunities.
There is only one major factor in college admissions for homeschool students: TEST SCORES. Because classes and GPAs can be relatively subjective and inconsistent from one homeschool to the next, the SAT or ACT stands as the one factor that can report your child’s ability in an unbiased and standardized manner. I recommend the SAT over the ACT because of the incredible scholarship opportunities available through the PSAT/NMSQT, which is a test that students take in 11th grade (and is almost identical to the SAT).
Thus, helping your child prepare for the SAT may be the most important thing you can do to put him or her on a path to success. Not only can a high SAT score mean acceptance to a top university with a zero-loan policy, but also it can mean merit scholarships at schools that may be less generous. In fact, many merit scholarships are awarded regardless of need, so if your family does exist in higher tax bracket, a merit scholarship could mean thousands of dollars in decreased tuition costs! The higher the test scores, the more money a student can receive.
Success on the SAT, however, does not happen overnight. Some of the brightest and most determined students do poorly on this test because they do not understand how to properly study for it. Standardized tests such as the SAT (and PSAT/NMSQT) can be figured out if a student can understand the recurring patterns and strategies. Look for a test prep program that teaches the formula of the tests, and then have your child make preparation a priority.
For homeschoolers, I always recommend making SAT preparation part of your high school curriculum. Add it to your weekly schedule like any other class. As time goes by, you will note improvement that will have incredible repercussions on your child’s future. A raise of 200 points could mean a $10,000 scholarship per year. A raise of 400 points could mean a full-tuition scholarship. A raise of 600 points could mean acceptance to Harvard, zero loans, and a future as a world changer!
Talk to your child about his or her goals. If becoming a major player on the global stage is one of them, college preparation should be a top priority. And for parents, that means starting SAT prep, and starting it early.
