Homeschooler Advice

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Skibbly

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Feb 19, 2019
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Hello, I'm currently being homeschooled and have been since I started school. I'm 15 and currently a freshman in High School, hoping to get an appointment to the USAFA and become a pilot.

I live in a relatively small town with not much to participate in, especially because I'm a homeschooler. There are a couple of events around my area, such as Church Youth Group and Swim Club that I could join.

I'm trying to lean towards playing video games less and doing as much to increase my grades and physical fitness as I can. Is there any advice you guys could give to me as far as Academics and Extracurricular activities go?

Thanks,
Eric
 
Skibbly said:
Hello, I'm currently being homeschooled and have been since I started school. I'm 15 and currently a freshman in High School, hoping to get an appointment to the USAFA and become a pilot.

I live in a relatively small town with not much to participate in, especially because I'm a homeschooler. There are a couple of events around my area, such as Church Youth Group and Swim Club that I could join.

I'm trying to lean towards playing video games less and doing as much to increase my grades and physical fitness as I can. Is there any advice you guys could give to me as far as Academics and Extracurricular activities go?

Thanks,
Eric
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I would suggest that you get involved in your community. Church youth group would be great because it would give you interaction with your peers and allow for social activities with peers of your age. Youth groups typically are heavy in volunteering which is favorable in the eyes of the academy. Do you like to swim? If not, then a swim club may not be your thing. If you do, it would be worth looking into joining the club. You can also volunteer on your own. If you have a nursing home in your area that is a great place to volunteer. It can be as simple as helping at activities like bingo or organizing a group of friends to come in visit. You could look for a part-time job or mow yards in the summer.
 
The SAs want leaders. Leaders take initiative. When leaders see an issue that needs to be addressed, they resolve to fix it, devise a solution and rally others to a cause. So don’t let the fact that you’re home-schooled and live in a small town be an excuse. Make an impact in your church group and/or swim club. And yes, spending less time on video games and more time on fitness is a great start. Leadership is also about knowing what matters most. Best wishes to you.
 
Can you become an Eagle Scout?

Plan on going to boys state.

Can you become a black belt in a martial art? Or take up boxing and become gold gloves?

Are there leadership positions in your church or community?

Meet with local officials ... are there projects they need help with?
 
You can participate in extracurriculars with your local district, even if you're homeschooled. You could also take a blended course load, maybe sign up for an AP class or two at your local school if they offer AP. Look up WCS on this site and you can see how you'll be scored.
 
Skibbly said:
Hello, I'm currently being homeschooled and have been since I started school. I'm 15 and currently a freshman in High School, hoping to get an appointment to the USAFA and become a pilot.

I live in a relatively small town with not much to participate in, especially because I'm a homeschooler. There are a couple of events around my area, such as Church Youth Group and Swim Club that I could join.

I'm trying to lean towards playing video games less and doing as much to increase my grades and physical fitness as I can. Is there any advice you guys could give to me as far as Academics and Extracurricular activities go?

Thanks,
Eric
Click to expand...
 
Are your parents keeping track of your academic documents? Please make sure they have a detailed record of curriculum, course summery, grades. You’ll need to have that info. for all the years in high school. I would also start preparing for the SAT. As a homeschooler, you will not have class ranking, so your SAT/ACT scores become very important. And if you are able to, start thinking about college dual enrollment classes, you can take these online. Good thing is that you are starting early in the game so time is on your side. God bless you in your journey to service!
 
Good advice above. A couple more things to consider (from a fellow homeschooler):

1. Recommend looking into Civil Air Patrol and/or AFROTC. There are a lot of resources out there about these programs, and I'm not about to try and provide a comprehensive summary, but suffice it to say they offer a whole bunch of excellent, AF-related leadership opportunities which look good to USAFA (and also provide you with a taste of the military lifestyle).
2. Think about getting a job. I worked as a bagger/cashier in a supermarket during junior and senior year. Was I supervising a bunch of people? Um, no. Did I learn a lot about customer service, effective interpersonal communication in the workplace, and working under a supervisor (while also earning some extra money)? That's a yes for sure.
3. Do sports. More than one would be highly advisable. Martial arts is a great one, like A1Janitor mentioned above. Tennis? Distance running? Crossfit? There are a lot of individual sports out there even if you can't join a school team.
4. I really like what MidCakePA said. Sometimes, the leadership position you're looking for may not be available. Guess what? You can often influence the powers that be, and create the position. :) Difficult? Yes, perhaps. (Pro tip: stories of overcoming adversity/achieving difficult things will become VERY useful a few years down the road when you are writing essays for USAFA. ;))
5. Look into dual enrollment classes at your local community college (highly HIGHLY recommend this). Not only can you possibly get transfer credit at USAFA (if you do very well in the classes), you will also learn more about college time management and gain more advance subject knowledge compared to HS classes. Is it a similar environment to USAFA? No, but a lot of the skills will carry over.

The great news is that you have A LOT of time to prepare (although you DON'T have time to waste). Good luck and feel free to PM me once you get to 5 posts if you are interested. :thumb:
 
@Skibbly: Lots of homeschooler info available by using the "Search" Function. Good Luck!!
 
Learn to Pole Vault and become a master at the SAT / ACT, stay on top of keeping records of your education.
 
Thanks, everyone for your advice! I will try and put this advice into tuition.
 
Sargon said:
You can participate in extracurriculars with your local district, even if you're homeschooled
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This is not always true, is definitely NOT TRUE in my school district (except for band).

We homeschooled our children K-12, and my twins were in the class of 2012. If you have questions, feel free to PM me, or have your parents do so.
 
fencersmother said:
Sargon said:
You can participate in extracurriculars with your local district, even if you're homeschooled
Click to expand...
This is not always true, is definitely NOT TRUE in my school district (except for band).

We homeschooled our children K-12, and my twins were in the class of 2012. If you have questions, feel free to PM me, or have your parents do so.
Click to expand...


True. Every state is different. My district allows it.
 
Parent of a home-schooler here, now C4C cadet at the Academy. You can PM me with questions, too. Many things I would have suggested have already been suggested above.
 
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