AROTC and Homeschooled Student

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hokiecavalier

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Aug 22, 2016
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Hi Everyone,

This is my first post, and I'm the parent of a rising senior. He has been homeschooled for his whole academic career, except for 2/3 of 8th grade and 9th grade, when he attended our local public school. He is completing his application for the first boarding for AROTC. We are so new to this process, as I'm sure everyone has been at some point!

On the "Request for Secondary School Transcript, Scholastic/Background Data" part of the application, I'm assuming that, as the chief administrator of his homeschool program, that I would be filling out the paragraph comment areas on how GPA and rank were determined, as well as additional comments. Please correct me if I am wrong. He has taken 13 courses as a concurrent enrollment student at our community college, and he will be taking two classes at the local high school (the maximum allowed through part-time enrollment for home educated students in our county), but I still assume I am best equipped to serve in the role of counselor/administrator.

Also, for those who have had home schooled students apply for ROTC scholarships, did you include a school profile to accompany your transcript, and if so, can you tell me more about what categories of information you included with that?

Thank you!
hokiecavalier
 
My two oldest sons are 4 yr scholarship winners and survived being home schooled. We did not provide a school profile (honestly, I do not even know what that is). In Alabama, we are required by law to have a legal covering. That is who provided our transcripts. If memory serves, for rank he just put NA (although later joked in the interview that he was valedictorian, best dressed, and most likely to succeed). At the time the boys were applying, ROTC wanted the scholar-athlete-leader model. We emphasized those components through ACT scores, club sports (national level swimmers), and leadership/volunteer activities (part-time jobs, team captains, etc.). I believe they were able to further distinguish themselves at their interviews. Some people are skeptical of home educated kids, some are not. We got a phone call the night before our first son's interview from the PMS at our son's first choice school. He wanted to assure us that we would be entering friendly territory, as he and his wife home schooled their kids! Best of luck, and please feel free to reach out if I can answer any other questions.
 
Thank you so much. This is super encouraging. I know it is possible, and it is helpful to hear from those who have been there. I have a lot of questions! Is the interview with the PMS or ROO at the schools they choose, or is it local in your area with someone nearby (but not associated with a particular college)? My son is at the uploading scores and transcripts point, and hoping to get his PFA done this week. It sounds like interviews are arranged after those documents are up and approved.
 
The interview is with the PMS. Conventional wisdom is that it's best to do the interview with one's first choice school, if resources allow. It shows a commitment/interest in the school and also helps your son to see cadets and cadre in person.
 
Regarding your question about the school profile, our high school provides a one-pager about University High School. It explains the school's mission, culture, etc., and why they don't have a class ranking system. You might consider pulling together some general stats on home schooling, the likelihood of professional success, % graduation, % to college, % attaining a BS/BA, etc. Maybe a home school association already has this type of document. Worst case scenario, you upload it and they don't accept it. Best case you upload it, someone reads it, and learns more about home schooling.
 
I have twin daughters who were home schooled. They did attend a "home school high school" for some classes which provided them with a transcript and diploma, but they also did concurrent enrollment and we did many classes ourselves. As with many small private schools, they did not have a class rank because their were only 13 seniors in their graduating class. Both of my daughters received excellent scholarships from their college choices (not ROTC yet for one daughter, but only because she was trying for a service academy and didn't apply). That said, I think home schooling has achieved widespread acceptance and even preference in some cases, so it's not like it was 10-15 years ago when colleges and scholarship boards didn't understand it. The ACT/SAT scores and concurrent enrollment should speak louder than GPA or class rank. As long as you explain it on the application your son should be fine.
 
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