The college application process for Oak Meadow students is based on each student’s experiences, interests, and goals. Your educational journey has been unique, and we are eager to support you through this complicated process.
After decades of relative consistency, the field of college admissions has been changing rapidly in the past 5-10 years. Not only are parents astonished by how much is different since they had applied to college, some are remarking on the vast changes since their older children applied! Competition, standardized testing, course requirements, deadlines, financial aid and tuition discounting . . . oh my!
Despite the hype, however, one constant is that the college admissions process should be personalized to an individual student’s experiences, preferences, and goals. Yes, that process can feel arduous, but given ample time and thoughtful reflection, the result can (and should!) be a college that will ‘fit’ – be appropriately comfortable AND challenging for a student’s full undergraduate experience.
Applying to College with Oak Meadow
Oak Meadow can provide a range of college counseling services for enrolled students seeking a diploma, for fully homeschooled (or unschooled) students, and for everything in between (e.g. ‘hybrid’ students who take some accredited courses yet receive homeschool diplomas, etc.). Here are just some of the pieces of the process we help students and their families navigate:
- Where should I apply?
- What about visits, and interviews?
- Do I need to take (or retake) standardized tests? Specific courses?
- Do I have to take APs or college courses to get into specific colleges?
- How do I write my essay? Fit my activities into the space they provide?
- What do I do when a college application asks me XXX?
- How do we represent the learning of a homeschooled student?
- Who writes the recommendations for me?
- The price tags are so scary – how could I ever afford that college?
- What if I’m not sure, or want to take time off?
Sign up for our free College Counseling Webinars >
Here’s what we offer
Who is eligible for what services with Oak Meadow? Here’s the run-down of what’s available:
Independent homeschoolers (who use Oak Meadow or not), and all others
- Participation in our FREE Navigating College Admissions webinar series, offered virtually each fall and winter, and covering all phases of the college admissions process (see descriptions of all 8 webinars and register HERE).
- FREE Homeschool Transcript tool: complete instructions, sample homeschool transcript, and a template for independent homeschoolers to use.
- General Information, available in the Applying to College as a Homeschooler blog post.
- College Counseling, purchasable by the hour (here), for help on any of the parts of the process listed above, as well as assistance with the creation of a homeschool transcript, counselor letter, and other application requirements for homeschooled students.
Students currently enrolled in one course or more at Oak Meadow get EVERYTHING listed for independent homeschoolers, PLUS
- Official transcript for any Oak Meadow HS course(s) in which a student has enrolled and completed.
- Possibility of requesting a teacher recommendation (teachers always can decline, especially if they are not given ample time or if they feel they don’t know the student or wouldn’t have enough good things to say).
- The ability to schedule a brief college counseling session (30 minutes, while enrolled), which could be followed by the purchase of further college counseling.
- Access to recordings of the most recent college counseling webinar series (while currently enrolled).
- Additional college counseling materials and resources (e.g. 12-month timeline/sequence of TO DOs, additional details on approaches to standardized testing, advice from former grads, group meetings with HS director, registrar, college and school counselor, etc.) (while currently enrolled).
Fully enrolled students, working toward an Oak Meadow HS diploma would get all of the above, PLUS:
- Official Oak Meadow transcript, showing all Oak Meadow courses plus any accredited transfer/dual enrollment courses used to meet diploma requirements, including a final transcript reflecting the full HS program (required by colleges). Transcripts will be accompanied by the Oak Meadow Profile.
- Access (FREE) to college counseling, including a comprehensive counselor letter of recommendation (if required by college applications).
Resources
- Oak Meadow college acceptance list
- Homeschool Transcript Template
- FREE tool to help you build a transcript for your High Schooler – made for Homeschooling families using Oak Meadow or other homeschool curriculum independently.
- Oak Meadow High School Profile (for school and college administrators)
- “Applying to College- Make it work for you!” (by OM College Counselor KD Maynard)
- We also carry a number of resource books on college admissions in our online bookstore. These include:
