My blog has been silent for a long time now. We've been busy making changes to our website and will soon have it up and running.
For those of you that are heading to college next fall, your busiest scholarship season is just around the corner. Most scholarships are awarded during the spring, so be sure to keep your eyes open for scholarship opportunities. Pick up applications when you find them and be sure to get them turned in on time!
Have a very Merry Christmas!
Linda

Well, school is back in session for most folks or will be within the next week or so. If you have a high school Junior this year, be sure to have him take the PSAT in October. This is a sort of "practice" test for the SAT and is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship program. It is a great way to get in a practice test prior to taking the SAT for real. This fall's test will reflect the changes to the SAT that will begin with the first test date of 2005, so it will be a good preview of that new test.
Also, freshmen and sophomores can take the test---no results will be sent anywhere except to your home address if you register as a homeschooled student. I highly encourage any homeschoolers to take this test. It is a great way to get some testing experience when the results really won't matter and it will give you a good idea of what to expect on later tests.

If you are interested in taking the test, be sure to contact a local high school (some larger private schools also offer the exam). Find out how they want you to register, but do this NOW as registration will end in a few weeks. Remember that the schools do not have to allow outsiders to test with them, so if one school refuses, keep checking around til you find one that will work with you.

I have further information on the PSAT and other tests in my HomeSchooler's College Guide. Let me help you prepare your child for college admission and scholarship application! Come by my website at www.homeschool2college.com

Well, it's been a while since I added to my blog. Been busy getting ready for a homeschool event where I will be giving a presentation on college prep and financial aid.

For those of you preparing for homeschool classes next fall, if you have junior high or high school students, please consider adding some mythology and Shakespeare to your reading for next year. These are areas that they will need some background in for college level English classes. It will make the transition to college classes much easier for your homeschoolers.

Be sure to stop by our website at www.homeschool2college.com We have changed our prices and will add that info to the website soon. The complete notebook is now $60 plus $5 for shipping.

Have a great summer.
Linda Weaver

Found a great link this week!
www.securityoncampus.org
You can type in the name of a college and it will do a search for that school. Then click on the college you want and you can get all kinds of crime statistics for that school---everything from burglary and rape to hate crimes. Also if you check at the bottom of the page for the school you are checking, you can click on the NCES IPEDS COOL button. This is the National Center for Education Statistics in the US Dept of Education and is the College Opportunities On-Line site. This will give you the current information on cost of attending that school. This should make comparing college costs much easier than going through the on line website for each school. If you find schools you are interested in attending, you ought to go to their wegsite to get more info, but this should make comparing colleges a good bit easier. It will also be nice to check on the crime rates for each school.
Be sure to come by our website for more information on getting your homeschooled child into college! www.homeschool2college.com
Have a great day!
Linda

Well, I haven't added anything in a long time. I've been busy getting my website redone and working on a presentation that I will be doing at some homeschool bookfairs this summer.
Seniors should be waiting to hear the results of scholarship applications! Usually late April and early May are pretty exciting times!
If you are a Junior, it would be good to begin looking for scholarships for next year---if you find some applications, check over the form and see what types of information you will need to supply next year.

There are a series of articles in the most recent US News and World Report about the costs of a college education. The price continues to go up every year. In fact, the article indicated that costs have risen 38% in the last 10 years; however, during that same time, median family income has only increased by 10%. It is getting more difficult to afford college every year. Scholarships and financial aid are the only way many people can afford the education. These are the areas that I can help homeschoolers! Come visit my new, improved website at www.homeschool2college.com

Scholarship season is here! If you have a senior homeschooler, NOW is the time to be diligently looking for scholarship opportunities! Many scholarship applications are due during March and April. Begin looking everywhere for these opportunities. Check your local newspaper, your employer, your student's employer, local clubs and civic groups, anywhere you can think of.
I have full info on finding and applying for scholarships in my notebook. We learned so much about the process as our girls went through it. There is lots of scholarship money out there, you just need to find the scholarship opportunities that match your student and get to work making the applications!
Come visit us at www.homeschool2college.com

Have a great day,
Linda

Well, it's done---time to celebrate! We got our taxes done the end of last week and submitted the girls' taxes today and filed a FAFSA for each of them. It is a chore that I dread every year, and when it is done I often wonder why I dreaded it so much! Just the thought of getting everything together, I guess.
If you have a homeschooler that is a senior this year or is continuing on in college or even beginning college after sitting out a while, you need to get this form filed ASAP. This is the beginning point for financial aid at almost every college and the earlier you get it submitted, the better your chances of finding funding.
Go to www.fafsa.gov.edu to fill out the form. Be sure you never pay for this application. It is the Free application for Student Aid and costs you nothing.
I have more info on the FAFSA in my notebook in the Money section. We have learned a few things over the last several years. This is the best place to start when seeking financial aid as nearly every school uses it (sometimes along with a form of their own) to determine financial aid for their students.

Have a great rest of the week.
Linda Weaver HomeSchooler's College Guide

Let's talk today about helping your child in career choices. Some children seem to quickly figure out what they would like to do with their lives, but for others, the decision is one they struggle with for years. Homeschoolers have an opportunity to explore the fields they love, and this can be very helpful in deciding what to do with their lives. Encourage your child in the subjects/topics they find interesting---feed that interest and look toward careers within that area.
Here are some web sites that might give you some assistance as you explore careers.

www.jobstar.org they have a free online career test
www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors What can I do with a major in.... great site!
http://www.careerkey.org/english have a free test for career guidance
www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter online temperment test
www.ipl.org/div/pathways Internet Public Library Career Paths--has some free tests to help narrow down
your career choices
www.jobhuntersbible.com Good site. Go to Tests and Advice--have some great career stuff

Hope some of this will help you and your child. Come visit us at www.homeschool2college.com

Linda Weaver

Well, this month has flown past! I've been busy getting my taxes together and will be ready to send them off to my accountant by the first of Feb. It always seems like I get the last of my info from banks, etc the first day of Feb, so I can't send off my taxes til after that.
Accountants are usually not very busy through Feb, so ours can get our taxes done very quickly and I can then file the FAFSA for each of our girls by mid Feb beating the March 1st deadline by a couple of weeks.
We found that it is best to file the FAFSA after getting taxes done---a correct FAFSA was far better than one done on estimations. The year we estimated, we had to make lots of corrections after taxes were done. This flagged us for an audit on our FAFSA and was a continual headache for months. We were forever having to find some papers to send in for validation. Eventually, we did get it all straightened out and our daughter got the funding she needed, but it is far easier to do it correctly the first time and not have to go through the mess of validation!
I have more tips and hints for filing your FAFSA in the Money section of my notebook. Come visit at www.homeschool2college.com

Linda Weaver

Happy New Year to all!

Wow, 2003 sure went by in a hurry and now we have a new year to work with!
If you have a Senior that will be graduating this spring and heading to college in the fall, now is the time to begin working on her financial aid for school. Financial aid begins with filing your FAFSA. This must be done as soon as possible after Jan lst. We have found that it is best to file it after we get our taxes done, so during Jan, I work hard at getting all my tax stuff together so that we can get our taxes done during the first week of Feb and file our FAFSA by mid Feb. I have lots of tips and suggestions about filing this form in Money section of my notebook. Please be sure to check it out at
www.homeschool2college.com.
Have a great day,
Linda Weaver