College coursework indicates achievement in much the way that Advanced Placement courses do for regular applicants. Bennin took math classes at UC Berkeley and attached laudatory notes from professors to his applications. Test your knowledge. Virginia urges students to take five or six subject-specific SAT II tests if possible. Polish your portfolio.
Essays take on greater importance, too.
The five homeschooled applicants who made it into Stanford this year could articulate why they'd been homeschooled and what they had learned from projects they had done, says Jon Reider, senior associate admissions director. Ironically, the most competitive schools often prove the most flexible. Bennin applied to three, with an essay on why he enjoyed math and more than 200 pages of math papers he'd written for courses. He got into Harvard , Berkeley, and Cambridge University in England and opted for Harvard. World Report Inc. All rights reserved.