unschooling to college questions

[L.T. Szu]

Background info: I'm trying to convince my parents let me unschool. No success so far :(
One reason I think is because I'm a non US-citizen living outside US so they probably think its impossible for unschooling foreigners to attend college . I heard that U.S. unschoolers have gotten into college via homemade transcripts and good standardized test scores. Is this really true? And does this apply to international students like me? I posted a similar question on yahoo answers (probably a bad place to ask but I was feeling a bit desperate) and got this reply:

"If by "college," you mean yet another online/homeschool, then yes, plenty of US homeschoolers get in. However, if you are referring to a real school, then no, you are mistaken. Any respectable admissions committee will immediately throw out any application that doesn't contain a legitimate transcript backed by the oversight of a reputable accreditation agency.

Homeschooling is the worst thing you can do if you desire a future."

err ... I really want to unschool but will I be able to go to college? What other options are there?

[Meg Walker]

The information from Yahoo is not accurate. However, every college seems to have its own way of dealing with homeschoolers. You need to look at the websites of colleges you're interested in and see what they say about admission for homeschoolers. Then you should call or email the admissions office and ask them some questions to make sure you've got everything covered. Also, there are extra requirements for non-US students applying. Again, read the website then contact a person to verify. You might have to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or offer some other proof that you have the English skills to handle college work.

Some colleges don't mention homeschooler requirements on their websites, so you'll have to contact the admissions offices there, too. I think all of the colleges I've looked at (my son is applying this year) have extra requirements for foreign students. Do not be afraid to call or write the admissions office--they want you to come there and they want your money, so they are very friendly and helpful!

Good luck!

- Meg

[C. D. Eagle]

Don't ever go for any type of information about parenting/education/homeschooling on yahoo answers. It if full jerks to be honest who never have any idea what they are talking about. There are a few cool people of course but they are drowned out by the other people.

As for your question, follow Megs advice. Ask the colleges themselves, especially since you are a foreign student.

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

I just applied for college and it had options for homeschoolers for all three of the colleges I looked at some of them just wanted a g.e.d. or compass test scores. Unschooling is a kind of homeschooling.
Have you read this book?

http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-School-Education/...

I would suggest it, I think it's a good starting point, I tried to convince my mom to homeschool me when I was in grade school I finally got into a relaxed alternative school in 9th grade which was so much better for my learning style.

It's also good to look into the state requirements for homeschoolers where you live.