- Eligible high school students may be allowed to take a college credit course, which will earn college credit and also satisfy the high school graduation plan’s required course.

Trying to find the way through the many alternatives of early higher education can almost cause migraines. Honors class grades and CLEP, SAT II, and AP test results are all viable means of persuading an admissions counselor that a child belongs in the higher-level classes once they reach college. These usually work, but some colleges will not accept certain CLEP test results, or they are skeptical that a mother’s version of an honors class (and maybe even a public high school’s) is not “good enough,” so what can she do? How can a parent make the best choice for her child? Which option yields the best dividends?

My daughter is now an eleventh grader, but she is also in her second semester of taking dual credit—or as called by some, Early College Start (ECS)—classes and is doing wonderfully. Why are dual credit classes such a good option?

PROS

Credit for each course can be earned at the high school and college level simultaneously.

The early college classes are just that—college classes. Once a student takes classes and passes them, those grades become a part of the credits necessary toward earning a college degree, but they can also be added to a high school transcript as credits.

Whereas some colleges will not accept various CLEP test results as acceptable credits, they will usually accept fundamental community college credits as classes taken. Examples of basic classes would be English Composition I and II, U.S. History I and II, and U.S. government. Students can also take elective classes or classes toward a specific degree. For example, a student working toward a computer science degree could take Calculus I and II, introduction to philosophy, fundamentals of programming, C++ programming, and speech.

The quality of education is relatively good.

Having heard many horror stories of liberal professors spewing their jargon and cramming atheism down students’ throats, I was understandably nervous about exposing my little darling to such prejudiced slants on the truth. I was pleasantly surprised to find that textbooks, in our experience, mostly seem to shy away from opinions and exaggerations and instead try to present things in a factual manner. They cover the necessary points and leave the student with a better knowledge of the subject matter. We did have to talk about one short story in the English composition class that basically presented a glazed-over account of adultery as being nothing about which to worry, but I welcome these opportunities so that I can discuss them with my child while she is at home, rather than have her process them alone at college.

My daughter’s teachers have been very helpful, and they responded quickly via e-mail whenever she had a question about an assignment.

Grading is taken seriously.

I was nervous about my daughter being awarded high grades simply based on the fact that she did the work. As most home schoolers would concur, just doing the work is not enough—a student must do the work well with conscientiousness. So far, I have seen the grading requirements of both English I and II and American History I and II. The student must get above seventy percent on all tests, which are taken on campus in a supervised room, in order to pass the class.

There is a variety of subject choices.

The counselors were great at recommending subjects with which to start. I was given a notebook, with a 1½-inch-thick spine, of information on the various classes, what kinds of classes a student should take based on his degree plan, course descriptions, student services, admissions procedures, and testing information—all of which was very helpful.

Driving to and from class is not a necessity.

This was my favorite part. I opted to enroll my daughter in online classes. I would not have to drop her off at school or leave other kids at home to pick her up again, although I did do this whenever she took an on-campus test.

It is highly affordable.

Dual enrollment classes are the same classes that a student would take upon entering college—basic English, history, government, etc. Most dual credit classes are considerably cheaper, and some community colleges even offer them free of charge for students in the tax district. A high school graduate entering, for example, Austin Community College (ACC) would pay $400 for each class, whereas high school students can take these classes for free! (If the student lives outside of the tax district, there is a fee. We paid $40.),
ECS students who reside outside of ACC’s taxing district will be charged a $40 per course fee unless the scheduled class is held on a high school campus. Financial need may exempt students from this fee. For students who reside within ACC’s taxing district, ACC classes are tuition and fee exempt.

One can complete the first year of college while still in high school.

There are three trimesters in each college year, so an ECS student can complete twelve classes over a period of two years. Financially, this could save approximately $2400 of tuition money, not to mention the cost of travel, food, lodging, etc.

CONS

Naturally, with every choice we make for our children, there are always the negative aspects to consider. The main difficulty for me was the first one below.

Parents have no say.

At ACC parents must sign a form stating that they understand they cannot access any information on the student, they cannot talk to the teacher about their child’s performance without the child’s permission, and they cannot speak for the child once the child is enrolled as a college student. Each student is treated as an adult, regardless of his age. I questioned the admissions counselor about this policy, and she said that one child’s parents ruined it for all parents to come—they changed their child’s major from dance to biology, without even informing their child of this change. Granted, if I were the one paying for the classes, I would be relatively upset to find that my money was going toward making my child a prima ballerina instead of the next Nobel prize-winning scientist.

Grades can be forwarded to prospective four-year colleges.

This is a great perk if the student can do the work well, but if ECS is used to fill time or as an experiment, low grades could work against acceptance at a future four-year college. South Texas College (McAllen) comments on this policy:
A student’s final grade in a dual enrollment class, or withdrawing from a class past the deadline, can affect financial aid eligibility and admission to an institution of higher learning upon high school graduation. Students SHOULD NOT enroll in the dual enrollment program unless he or she is committed to meeting the admissions requirements and deadlines as well as passing the class.

The number of classes a child may take per semester may be limited.

Often ECS students may take only two classes per semester, and these classes may only be taken in the junior and senior years of high school. A local admissions counselor said that their youngest student was fourteen and took the ECS classes because she had already completed all of her high school work, but while they would consider younger students, they do not recommend it.

A high school transcript is required.

This is not a negative thing if a parent is highly organized and has recorded the quality of work completed over ninth and tenth grades. I compiled a small portfolio of all of my daughter’s grades, achievements, and work samples, only to discover that all the college wanted was a page of listed credits, but even that was a chore. Parents should check with the college to determine exactly what the college requires on a high school transcript and what denotes an official transcript from a home school student. Some colleges prefer to have home school transcripts notarized, and others simply want the parent’s signature as the administrator of the school.

Not every child can qualify.

Admission to the ECS program is only allowed if the student proves, through early SAT scores or the community college’s admissions test, that he is capable of handling the level of material. For example, according to Houston Independent School District, high school students may co-enroll in Houston Community College based on these criteria:

The rules for dual enrollment/credit are developed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and not by TEA. Since the fall of 1998 in order to be eligible for courses awarding dual credit, a high school student must take the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA—formerly called the TASP test).

The THEA consists of reading, writing, and math tests, advisement and placement, and developmental education for students who do not pass one or more sections of the test. It is administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Students in high school may take the THEA after passing the TAAS exit-level exam or may score high enough on the exit-level TAAS or TAKS, ACT, or SAT to be exempt from the THEA.

Students in the graduating class of 2005 may take dual enrollment courses during their junior and senior years if they achieve the TAKS, SAT, or ACT passing standards in English/language arts and/or mathematics (as applicable) as established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Overall, the mothers with whom I have spoken have found that dual credit classes have been a positive experience for their children, and they would recommend them to others.
Endnotes
http://www.austincc.edu/orgref/glossary.php#d
http://www.austincc.edu/ecs/
http://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/de/guidelines.html

http://www.houstonisd.org/portal/site/StudentSupportServices

The post Early College Start appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

Receiving a Diploma or Its Equivalent

Personal Graduation

You can graduate them. Because a home school is considered a private school in Texas, the administrators of a home school (the parents) have the ability to determine the requirements for graduation for its students just as any other private school. When your child has completed what you have determined to be your school’s requirements for graduation, you may graduate him and give him a diploma.

Umbrella School Diploma

If your child is enrolled in an umbrella school, he will probably receive a diploma from the school when its requirements are met. Be sure to determine whether the umbrella school requires a student to be enrolled for the entire four years of high school in order to receive a diploma or if it allows other options.

GED

Your student may obtain a certificate of high school equivalency – general educational development (GED). If you are uncomfortable taking full responsibility for awarding a diploma, your student can take the GED test to prove competency. This is certainly not a requirement or even a recommendation, but it is an option that some parents choose. Students can take the GED exam through their local school district, community college, adult education center, or university. Call the toll-free GED hotline anytime at 800-626-9433 (800-62 MY GED) for the location of a test site in your area.

Graduation Ceremonies

This is the fun part of graduating a student from your home school academy! Although a person’s education is not complete at the end of high school, home schoolers often like to participate in this rite of passage into the adult world. Many local and regional support groups sponsor commencement ceremonies in which parents and students may participate. These ceremonies are very similar to those provided by any school. An exciting difference between home school graduations and those given by traditional schools is that, usually, the parents are able to participate along with their student. This experience has provided special memories for many families across the state.

Usually the support group will have a coordinator who will deal with the issues of cap and gown, pictures, invitations, and the time and location of the event. Sometimes there may be a group of parents that gets together to do this. The program for the actual graduation ceremony will be determined by the coordinator or by the parents working together. Often these ceremonies are intimate with twenty or less graduates—and the memories are priceless. After the actual ceremony, often there is a reception at which each graduate has a table decorated to his taste, that reflects where he has been, what he has accomplished, and what his future plans are.

Beyond Graduation

Another oft-asked question from new home educators concerns what happens after home schooling. The options for home school graduates are no different from those for any other high school graduates. They include apprenticeship, college, employment, marriage and family, the military, and trade schools. On succeeding pages, several of these options are addressed. Students should feel confident about their home school education, because home school graduates have proven to be excellent students when they choose to further their education, conscientious employees, and successful members of the armed forces.

Apprenticeship

Many home educators are returning to this time-tested method of training for employment. Read an article explaining more about this option.

College

Many home schoolers successfully attend college after graduation. There are a number of ways for home school students to make the transition to college. The specifics may vary, based upon the needs and goals of the student. Some have begun college work while completing their high school-level work by taking courses at a local college for dual credit. Some begin after high school graduation by enrolling in a local junior college and later transferring those credits to a four-year university.

Employment

As home education becomes more accepted, home educators are seeing attitudes and laws change that have been discriminatory in the past. For example, in 2003 in the Texas legislature, in a measure that merged the Registered Nursing Board and the Vocational Nursing Board, the prior requirement for a high school diploma for an accredited school was deleted. Home school graduates are now accepted on the same bases as public high school graduates.

Employment application procedures are the same as with any other graduate. If asked about a high school diploma, the home school graduate has no need to apologize or hide the fact that he was educated at home. He simply needs to explain that he received his high school diploma from a home school, which in Texas is considered the same as a diploma received from any other private school. (It should be noted that, like home schools, two thirds of the traditional private schools in Texas are not accredited.)

Marriage and Family

Just as home educators have chosen a route different from that of the general public for educating their children, many are also encouraging their young people to choose a different method of finding a life partner. These are returning to the time-honored tradition of courtship rather that dating.

Also going against the trend in society, many young families are choosing for the mom to stay home as they plan to homeschool their own children as their mothers educated them. This is as viable and noble a goal as any other the other choices discussed here.

Military

The United States military is an admirable career field open to almost any home school graduate. For reasons explained in the article, Military Recruitment and Acceptance of Home School Graduates, those who wish to have a military opportunity for their students should look for classroom opportunities for their children, including dual credit classes at junior colleges or college classes after graduation.

Proprietary or Trade Schools

A home school graduate may attend trade schools in Texas. If asked about a high school diploma, he may simply explain that he received his diploma from a home school. In 1999 the Texas Administrative Code dealing with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and admission into proprietary schools {Section 807.2(21)} was modified to define secondary education as “successful completion of public, private or home schooling at the high school level or obtainment of a recognized high school equivalency credential.”

Law Enforcement

Another career that is open to home school graduates is law enforcement. Texas allows high school graduates to attend police academies hosted by junior colleges or cities for the purpose of training potential police officers. In 2004 the director of education and training for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) clarified state policy for these academies by stating, “…an academy may not require more of a homeschooler than they do for any other applicant.”

Click here to order the THSC Handbook for Home Schoolers.

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In 2012 it is uncontested that home schoolers are dominating college admission test scores, and it is growing more evident each day that they are highly qualified and successful college students when they are admitted. When I was growing up, elite prep schools dominated the college admission numbers. Today, the new “elite” are home schooled graduates. They are the most highly recruited, most highly valued freshmen, at secular and Christian schools alike. Recently on a Harvard University online chat room, I read, “If Harvard wants to be the best, the most relevant institution in the years ahead, it must recruit and admit home schoolers.” Indeed.

Harvard has reason to worry. A Yale recruiter told me that while Yale wants home schoolers, home schoolers do not seem to want Yale; they are not applying there. I have two distance-learning students who were heavily recruited by Ivy League schools. They both chose local alternatives (a state school and a Christian school).

It is not my purpose to lobby for any particular college or university. However, mostly for fiscal reasons, the majority of Christian home school graduates go to secular colleges. Therefore, this article is about the secular colleges home schoolers will attend—how they got to be the way they are and how home schoolers can prosper in such a place.

To most evangelical Christians, the modern, secular university is a hostile place. It was not always so. In fact, the American university was built solidly on evangelical principles. There were no so-called “official,” “secular” colleges until the rise of the land-grant colleges in the middle of the nineteenth century. An early brochure, published in 1643, stated that the purpose of Harvard University (the oldest American university) was “to advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches.” Harvard’s motto for 300 years was Christo et Ecclesiae (“For Christ and the Church”). In fact, most of the American universities founded before the twentieth century had a strongly religious, usually Protestant, evangelical Christian character. Yale, Princeton, Chicago, Stanford, Duke, William and Mary, Boston University, Michigan, and the University of California all had a decidedly evangelical Christian character in their early years but abandoned it by the twentieth century. By the 1920s, the American university had stepped completely back from its evangelical roots. This was true of almost every American university founded in the first 200 years of our nation’s existence.

The core curriculum at these universities included Bible courses and Christian theology as mandatory courses. All American universities insisted on doctrinally sound content for sensitive courses and often required that faculty be born-again Christians! Chapel attendance was required at Harvard and Yale. It is more than coincidental that the architects who designed early universities designed them to look like churches.

Universities were founded because early Americans earnestly believed that American society should be governed by evangelical Christian people. They believed that American industry should be run by evangelical Christian entrepreneurs. They believed that American culture should be created by evangelical artists. The early American university was committed to making sure that that happened.

The marriage of spiritual maturity and elite education is a potent combination and, to a large degree, assured the success of the American experiment. Its divorce may presage its demise.

Today the university is not even loosely a Christian institution. Religion in the university and in public life is relegated to the private experience. So-called “academic freedom” has become a sacrosanct concept and precludes anything that smacks of religiosity–especially orthodoxy that evangelicals so enthusiastically embrace. Religion is represented on campus in sanitary denominational ministries and token chapel ministries (that are hardly more than counseling centers).

To a large degree, the American university abandoned the evangelical, and the evangelical abandoned the American university, which created a crisis in both. The secular university became an academic hothouse for pompous rationalism. Evangelicals abandoned the secular university and, until recently, more or less compromised their own academic base. Evangelicals even founded their own universities, but they were poor academic substitutes for secular offerings.

The university, if it is to have any value, must be involved in the communication of immutable, metaphysical truth. The American secular university is not about to accept such limits. It recognizes no citadel of orthodoxy, no limits to its knowledge. But, like Jesus reminds Thomas in John 14, our hope lies not in what we know but most assuredly in Whom we know.

Most secular universities have concluded that abstract concepts like grace, hope, and especially faith are indefinable, immeasurable, and above all, unreasonable. Not that God can be proved or disproved. There are certain issues which the order of the intellect simply cannot address, so we must rise above those to the order of the heart. Faith is our consent to receive the good that God would have for us. An evangelical believes that God can and does act in our world and in our lives. Human needs are greater than this world can satisfy, and therefore it is reasonable to look elsewhere. The university has forgotten or ignores this fact.

That is all changing—and partly due to the popularity of the American home schooling movement. In massive numbers the American home school movement—initially and currently primarily an evangelical Christian movement—is depositing some of the brightest, most capable students in our country into the old, august institutions like Harvard. What is more exciting, the flashpoint of cultural change is changing from Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Stanford to Wheaton, Grove City, Calvin, and Liberty (all evangelical universities). Before long the new wave of elite culture creators will be graduating from American secular universities and Christian universities, and they shall be a great deal different from the elite of which I was a part in the middle 1970s. I am not saying the secular university will change quickly—intellectual naturalistic reductionism makes that extremely difficult. However, I do see the whole complexion of university graduates changing significantly in the next twenty years. Never in the history of the world has such a thing happened.

Young people, make sure that you know who you are and who your God is. “By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” (Heb.  11:24) Theologian Walter Brueggemann calls American believers to “nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.”

Refuse to be absorbed into the world, but choose to be a part of God’s kingdom. There is no moderate position anymore in American society—either we are taking a stand for Christ in this inhospitable culture, or we are not.

You are a special and peculiar generation—much loved. But you live among a people who do not know who they are, a people without hope. You need to know who you are—children of the Living God—and then you must live a hopeful life. Quoting C.S. Lewis, we “are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”

Take responsibility for your life. Moses accepted responsibility for his life. “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time” (Heb. 11: 25). If you do not make decisions for your life, someone else will.

Get a cause worth dying for. Moses accepted necessary suffering even unto death. You need a cause worth dying for (as well as living for). “He [Moses] regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb. 11: 26).  “We are crucified with Christ, yet it is not we who live but Christ who lives in us.” (Gal. 2:20)

Finally, never take your eyes off the goal.  “By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). What is your threshold of obedience?

Young people, if you are part of this new evangelical elite, you have immense opportunities ahead of you. A new godly generation is arising. You will be called to guide this nation into another unprecedented revival. We shall see.

Jim and Karen Stobaugh have four home educated adult children. They have a strong burden for the new leadership group that God is calling forth from the home schooling community. Jim has written one of the best resources for the SAT exam, SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student as well as a language arts critical thinking literary series, American and World History Unit Studies, and three new books, Fire that Burns but does not Consume: Devotions for Thoughtful Christians, A Companion to 50 Classics, and A Gathered Inheritance. Jim and Karen reside in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania.

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Myth #1: The confusion of forms to complete just to enter college and apply for any financial aid is overwhelming.

Although it may seem that way at the outset, there are a couple of basic steps that will help you begin the process. Anyone planning to attend college should plan to take the PSAT during his junior year and the SAT and the ACT during the first part of his senior year. Forms for application may be found at any local high school or obtained from their source. It is always best to take both the SAT and ACT, as the design of each test is different, and some students may do better on one than the other. It is recommended that tests be taken early in the year so if the scores are not satisfactory, the student may repeat them later in the school year.

The second step is to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Financial Student Aid), also available at local high schools and usually libraries. Along with scores from tests, these results should be sent to universities the student is interested in attending. Of course, the student also must fill out an application for admission and be accepted prior to the college’s computation of a package of financial aid based on information supplied in the FAFSA.

Myth #2: Colleges and universities provide all the aid within their packages that students need to attend.

Packages provided by universities usually contain available grants, some general scholarships for which students may qualify, and, often, work-study options. This amount is rarely enough to cover costs, especially if the student is living on campus. Many schools require students to reside in college dorm housing their freshman year, so commuting or living off campus may not be an option. This restriction necessitates a search for other offers such as private scholarships.

Myth #3: There is a myriad of easily obtained scholarships available on the Internet.

While there is a significant number of scholarships discussed on the Internet, they can be far from easy to obtain. Searching through all the sources can take hours. Most will send you to the donor’s website, where you will have to search for the requirements and the forms. Some even require a written request for an application. It is said that there are always scholarships that are never distributed because they lack suitable applicants. After looking at the maze of listings, it is easy to understand how that could be true.

Myth #4: There are individuals and companies who offer their help in searching for scholarships, and many guarantee results.

It is quite risky to expect someone to produce guaranteed scholarships. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Often these companies charge large amounts of money for their services. When I was a high school counselor, we told our students not to pay for scholarships, either to the source or to whomever is providing assistance.

Myth #5: School counselors have plenty of scholarship applications and books in their offices to provide to students on a regular basis.

Although school counselors may have a few local scholarship applications and schools have a process to select applicants, counselors are far from an adequate source. Counselors have so many demands on their time that they often must spend the majority of it testing, scheduling, and handling other administrative tasks rather than counseling students on college admissions and scholarship application. What about students who are homeschooled and do not have access to a counselor? Books listing scholarships are available in counselors’ offices and in libraries, but many of the scholarships are out of date or are no longer given.

Myth #6: The only reliable source for scholarships is online, and parents and students must spend endless hours searching on their own.

Although the process of applying for scholarships is not a simple task, there are online sources that will give assistance in narrowing down the search and facilitating the process by providing the information in a readable, user-friendly format. Some of these online information providers are free, and some involve a fee.

Myth #7: All online scholarship information providers are basically the same, so it is best to utilize the free ones instead of paying a fee.

The free sites do provide savings, but some of them require more time on the part of subscribers. For instance, some sites will require students to fill out extensive forms so the recommended scholarships will be more specific. This may be helpful, but it will exclude many listings based on the choices on the form, and many students are not entirely certain about their interests and majors. Free sites are generally funded by advertisers, so their sites will contain many ads, some very distracting. Often, they will only provide national offerings and will not include state or regional scholarships.

Sites with fees may have larger databases, but be sure they are verified and updated. Scholarship due dates will change from year to year, and some of the requirements can be different, or the awards may not be given some years or cancelled. Incorrect information can clutter the listing and take up valuable time. It is also important that links are available to the scholarship sites themselves, as often there are applications that can be completed online. Last, but certainly not least, it is a plus to have an established record of success by the company as well as a customer service contact available. Most online services are very limited in this respect.

Despite the fact that applying for college financial aid can be a daunting process, there is dependable, legitimate help available. When carefully chosen, it will make the job less of a hassle. The reward comes when a student receives an award. It makes all of your persistence worthwhile.

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Gone also are the days of questioning whether or not home schooled high school graduates can make it in college. There is now plenty of evidence to show that they can not only do well at higher education institutions but also excel. Even college sports, once thought to be out of the question for the home educated student, are now an option. (See p. C-8 for information about NCAA eligibility requirements for home school graduates)

Preparing for the Classroom

Many parents still wonder, though, how their home school graduate will handle the formal classroom setting of a college campus when they have not experienced it. The answer to this question is preparation. To thrive in a college classroom, students must have the study skills necessary to be independent learners. They must also have assumed responsibility for their education. The following are some areas on which students should focus to gain this vital preparation:

Note Taking

This ability gives practice in the skills of summarizing and evaluating information. Students can practice note taking with church sermons or home classroom lectures.

They can take notes or make outlines from texts. Taking notes on recorded talks gives the student the additional advantage of being able to listen to the information again, assess the completeness of the first note-taking attempt, and look for areas of improvement.

Time Management

One of the greatest strengths of home schooling is its lack of rigid structure. However, students must develop their own mental structure that enables them to follow through on assignments, meet goals and deadlines, and use time efficiently. They must know how to use assignment sheets, organizers, calendars, etc., to track studies, projects, responsibilities, and activities. If they work under the pressure of immovable deadlines at home, they will be prepared for the immovable deadlines of unsympathetic professors. If they suffer unpleasant consequences when they fail to meet deadlines at home, they will quickly learn to manage their time wisely.

Test Taking

Although they are an unreliable way to measure learning, tests are an integral part of the college experience. Consequently, knowing how to take a test is critical to succeeding at the university level. Parents should give students opportunities to experience the different types of tests: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, essay, and oral. In addition to seeing how well the student has mastered the information on the test, parents should also use the test as an indication of how well the student’s test-taking ability is developing. If the student’s performance is under par, the parent could work with the student on finding a better way to study, take notes, memorize, etc.

Standardized tests are a necessary evil that all college bound students will encounter. To prepare themselves, it is recommended that students take the SAT and ACT every year beginning in their freshman year or earlier. Taking these tests repeatedly makes students familiar with the testing format and environment. It reveals test-taking weaknesses on which students can work before their senior year. It provides a “bank account” of scores from which students may draw for scholarships and college admissions. Also it allows students to recognize the test as a tool, not a judge. For more information, see Testing below.

Use of Reference Materials

It is important for the student to be familiar with reference books (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature). The Internet is a reference tool of vast proportions. The student can learn to locate needed information by using search engines or by following Internet references. Train the student to depend upon these resources for research and report processes.

Research Papers

Do not decide it is too much trouble to be worth it. The discipline of seeing a long-term research and writing project through to completion is invaluable. Set aside six weeks of English lessons for students to work on an in-depth, single-subject paper. Helpful teaching tools for research papers are Writer’s Inc., The Write Source, and the MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook.

Organization

Require the student to put papers away neatly and in chronological order. Establish certain places for books, pens, pencils, and other supplies. Organization can be learned; be a good example to your student—put your things away.

Projects

Do them. There are usually many opportunities for participation in science fairs, history fairs, etc. Start small so you and your student will not get discouraged.

Preliminary to Making Application

Academics

It is important for all students to have a strong background in reading, written communication, oral communication, math, computer skills, and critical thinking. If a student is strong in these five areas, he will be mentally prepared for whatever life has in store for him.

However, the college-bound student should have an additional list of more specific academic goals. The place to begin making this list is the admissions office of the colleges in which the student is interested. Make an appointment to visit with an admissions counselor, either in person or on the phone, during the student’s freshman or sophomore year. The counselor will be able to explain what the school’s admissions requirements are for high school academics. Based on the counselor’s information, work with your student to create a plan that will enable him to meet the school’s requirements.

If your student knows in what majors or career fields he is interested, the admissions counselor should be able to tell you what additional academics are required by those fields of study. If he is undecided on a major, consider administering a career assessment or interest inventory test. See if your local institution or college of choice offers this service. This should help determine what extra requirements may be necessary.

Typical years of high school credit required per subject for general college admissions:

English 4
Math 3
Social Science 3
Laboratory Science 2
Foreign Language 2
Electives 3.5

Testing

Colleges rely more on test scores than on transcripts for home schoolers. Find out which test(s) and what scores are required for admission to the colleges or universities your student is interested in attending. His test scores could determine which school he eventually attends.

Testing takes place at local high schools, community colleges, and universities. Check testing websites (See p. 4-8) for information about testing dates and locations and to see if the student can be registered online. When he goes to the test site, the student should be prepared to show a photo ID.

The following are the most common test scores requested by colleges and universities:

THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment) is the new name for what was called the TASP (Texas Academic Skills Program) test. The THEA test is designed to provide information about the reading, mathematics, and writing skills of students entering public colleges, universities, and educator preparation programs in public institutions. It has been approved for use by Texas institutions of higher education as an assessment instrument for entering students.

The GED (General Education Development) test measures knowledge and academic skills against those of today’s traditional high school graduates. This test is not required for admission of home schoolers to Texas state colleges and universities.
The SAT® is a three-hour test that is intended as a measurement of the critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills students will need to be successful academically. Many colleges and universities use the SAT as only one indicator among others—class rank, high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal essay, teacher recommendations, etc.—of a student’s readiness to do college-level work. SAT scores are compared with the scores of other applicants and the accepted scores at an institution and can be used as a basis for awarding merit-based financial aid.

The ACT® (American College Testing) test is designed to assess high school students’ general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science.

While the SAT and ACT are very different tests, they fulfill the same role in the admissions process. The SAT and ACT exams are designed to provide college admissions officers with two things: a predictor of first-year academic achievement in college, and a common yardstick to use in comparing students from a wide range of educational backgrounds. Many schools accept either SAT or ACT test results, or both.

The PSAT/NMSQT® (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is used in the National Merit Scholarship competition. The PSAT is administered once or twice a year in October, unlike the SAT and ACT which are administered many times throughout the year. Although students may take the PSAT more than once, only the score from the student’s junior year is used for the National Merit competition.

Visit your local high school to register and to get a copy of the PSAT/NMSQT Student Bulletin. Schools can set their own fee for administering the test, but legally they must charge the same fee for home school students as they do for public school students. The tests must be ordered, so contact your local school as early as possible. Most large bookstores carry test preparation books; computer programs are also available.

Test Code Numbers

Home educated students in Texas should use these numbers when completing their applications for the following tests:
ACT Code: 969-999
SAT Code: 970000
PSAT Code: 994499

For more helpful information, see the following:
ACT: www.act.org
PSAT: www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/reg/homeschool.html
National Merit Scholarships: www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php
SAT: www.collegeboard.com

Develop a Transcript

A transcript is simply a list of classes taken, along with grades and credits earned. It may be traditional or built on a spreadsheet on your computer. A transcript must have an explanation of grades, grade point average (GPA), and honors classes. A GPA is calculated based on grades for classes, points assigned for grades, and total number of classes/hours. The transcript should include the signature of the principal. Class ranking is usually required but does not apply to home schoolers. TranscriptPro, available from EdPlus+, is a tool for recording classes and assigning credits for your student’s high school career. (See www.edplus.com.) Other helpful information may be found elsewhere on the Internet.

Build a Resumé

Your student should prepare a resumé for college admissions and scholarship interviews. This resume´ should briefly describe experience the student has in community service, leadership, major-based employment or apprenticeship, etc. It will be most effective if it contains action verbs and states facts, not opinions. Some of the information in the resum&eacute’ might also be used in a portfolio. (See Other Options below.)

Financial Assistance

It is advisable that neither you nor your student go into debt for college. Consider having your teen pay for part or all of his college. This could mean taking PSAT, SAT, or ACT prep courses; many schools offer partial or whole tuition scholarships for high test scores. If your student earns his college money by working, it should be for less than fifteen to twenty hours per week. That will provide enough money to help him start taking responsibility for his own life.

Many home school graduates have been able to receive financial assistance toward their college careers through numerous scholarships and grants. Be aware that scholarships and grants abound, and many go unclaimed because no one knows they exist or goes to the trouble to apply for them. Scholarships and grants are awarded according to several different criteria: academic, ministerial, athletic, departmental, need, ethnicity, etc. There are books in the public libraries that address scholarships in certain fields.

In 1998 the U.S. Congress passed legislation clarifying that home schooled graduates meet the eligibility requirements to receive federal aid (grants and scholarships). (See Appendix, page C-4, for directions to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.) The clear intention of the U.S. government is that home schooled graduates should not be discriminated against in college admission policies and procedures.

When seeking financial aid, complete the necessary paperwork early in the process. An admissions packet from the college/university will have financial aid information. Application for financial aid can be started on the Internet site for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafsa.net) and finished by providing the needed financial information to the school the student plans to attend. It is very important to start researching during the junior year. Get an admission packet in the summer and apply in the fall. Do not postpone until spring; by then it will be too late for many scholarships.

In 2001 the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board issued a memorandum to all colleges and universities in Texas to explain that home school graduates are eligible for Texas grants and scholarships. (See p. C-5 to see a copy of the memorandum.) In 2007 the Texas Legislature amended the Texas Education Code to make home school graduates eligible for B-On-Time Loans. (See letter from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Appendix, p. C-9.)

Other Options for Earning College Credits

Dual credit

Consider enrolling your high school student in a local college to receive dual credits for high school and college credit simultaneously. Community colleges in Texas are now required to offer dual credit courses to private school students, which includes home schoolers, in the same way they are offered to public school juniors and seniors. Your student could graduate from home school with many college hours already to his credit. Be aware, though, that credits earned through dual credit can jeopardize the student’s eligibility for certain scholarships. Check with the college admissions or financial aid officers to see if this applies to your student.

CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)

The CLEP examinations cover the material taught in introductory courses that students are often required to take during the first two years of college study. Frequently, these courses cover material that should have been learned in high school. Therefore, students who, through disciplined study at home, independent reading, and life experiences, have achieved a solid high school education, may be able to “CLEP out” of some college classes. Credits earned through testing generally do not affect a student’s scholarship eligibility. In addition, credits earned this way do not affect a student’s GPA, making a CLEP test the perfect way to get credits for those subjects in which a student struggles. Check CLEP testing at www.collegeboard.com to learn about the tests and to locate testing sites in your area. Costs will vary according to location, as will the procedure. Be forewarned that if you have a child trying to take a CLEP test, he must have a picture ID and a Social Security number.

The College Board website will provide a downloadable free demo that will familiarize your child with the computerized test format. There, you will also find more information about the individual subjects that CLEP offers. In general, there are tests for English and literature, foreign languages, history and government, mathematics, and science. There is no minimum age limit, so a student can gain credits and experience at any time. Credits for tests are granted at the college or university’s discretion. This means that a school may not accept a particular CLEP test for credit.

Portfolio

A portfolio may translate prior college-level experience and learning into college credits. A student begins creating a portfolio by taking a thorough inventory of his learning experiences. He should evaluate special skills he has learned and knowledge he has gained on a particular subject through personal study, classes, or workshops. Unique volunteer or ministry work and leadership experiences should definitely be included. Music lessons, landscaping, counseling, home economics, computer skills, and mission trips are just a sampling of the activities eligible for credit.

A portfolio has two parts. The narrative part describes in detail (five to fifteen pages) how and when the learning took place. This is the student’s opportunity to “make the case” that his efforts are worthy of college credit. The documentation part is a compilation of reports, pictures, letters, certificates, etc., verifying specific learning. If the college of choice does not offer a portfolio program, the Internet will be helpful in locating one that will offer transferable credits.

Online and Distance Courses

These options offer the flexibility for a student to study on his own time with accountability to an instructor. There is a vast selection of online courses offered today. With e-mail and the Internet, a student can pick classes and instructors from virtually every continent. Online courses are usually the most expensive of the credit-earning options unless taken from a junior college. Your student might benefit from taking self-study courses in accelerated reading, writing, and memorization that can help streamline and enhance time spent learning. The student generally will read assigned text, write several essays in response to chapter questions, and then e-mail assignments to a course mentor for grading. Sometimes there are online lectures and group discussions in which to participate. The course mentors are available to answer questions by phone, email, or live chat.

Some Cautions

Even though the prevailing thought in our society is that a person cannot make a good living without a college education, there are some things a family should consider before automatically pursuing college for their young person.

One set of questions to ask would be: Is college necessary? Can my young person accomplish what he desires without spending the time and/or money that a college education will require? What is the ROI (return on investment)?

Also many Christian young adults lose their faith during their college experience through discouragement, moral temptation, and indoctrination—even at some Christian colleges. Parents and students should pray, and the student should enter college only with clear confirmation from God.

If the family concludes that the student is to pursue college, the parents might want to consider the following suggestions to help prepare their young person to face the onslaught of evolution, humanism, liberalism, and immorality:

1. Read and discuss good books about worldviews, such as Understanding the Times, The Case for Faith, and The Evolution of a Creationist. Talk about what can be expected.

2. Summit Ministries or Worldview Academy camps are highly recommended. The students spend time examining worldviews in light of the Creator.
3. Seek Christian ministries on campus. On many campuses, there are active Christian ministries; denominations also might have ministries. Visit area churches with the student to help him find a church home.

4. Have the student live at home. Some students will thrive on campus but can still have a safe haven at home.

5. Consider the distance learning options when more education is needed but God has not given a go ahead for college.

Suggested Timeline for the College-Bound Student

Before high school:
• Start high school subjects, if possible.
• Take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring.
• Pursue community service and leadership.

Freshman year:
• Carry a full academic load.
• Take CLEP or AP tests for subjects studied.
• Take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring—send scores to favorite schools.
• Pursue community service and leadership experiences.
• Discuss possible majors/career paths with parents and other adults.
• Discuss universities and colleges with parents, other adults, and alumni or current students of various schools.
• Fill in transcript/curriculum list for freshman year.

Sophomore year:
• Carry a full academic load.
• Take SAT and/or ACT.
• Pursue community service and leadership experiences.
• Take CLEP or AP tests for subjects studied.
• Visit with admissions officers from at least one private school and one state school you are considering.
• Visit with deans or department heads for the majors you are considering.
• Discuss what adjustments need to be made in your academics and extra curricular activities.
• Register for the PSAT/NMSQT for October of your junior year and obtain a picture ID for the test.
• Update transcript/curriculum list.

Junior year:
• Adjust academic load per recommendations of admissions counselors.
• Take SAT and/or ACT.
• Pursue community service and leadership experiences
• Take CLEP or AP tests for subjects studied.
• Take the PSAT/NMSQT in October.
• Obtain catalogs from favorite schools and begin researching degree plans and credit by examination opportunities.
• Check into dual credit courses.
• Familiarize yourself with admissions timelines for specific schools.
• Research scholarships—deadlines, paper trail, etc.
• Update transcript/curriculum list.

Senior year:
• Finish up home school academics.
• Take the SAT and/or ACT (have at least 2 scores on record).
• Acquire credits through CLEP, AP, classes, etc.
• Pursue community service and leadership experiences.
• Find practical ways to experience your major.
• Follow application/admissions procedures for your preferred schools.
• Begin scholarship application process as early as possible.
• Visit with the dean/department head of your major at each school.
• Check into the honors program at your schools.
• Enjoy planning your graduation.
• Finalize transcript/curriculum list.

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Many of these young people describe feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because they cannot figure out what they are supposed to do with their lives. They have no method or strategy in place that allows them to sort through all their options and pick a path that best matches who they are. They say they want to do God’s will for their lives but are confused about how to uncover it. They tell me that if God would just let them know exactly what He wants them to do, then they would do it. Others describe feeling guilty; they have been told that they are supposed to do something “big” with their lives, but they do not know what that is. They recall comments from well-meaning adults who have told them that God has a special calling on their lives, but they cannot even decide on a college major, much less identify the something “big” or “great” they are supposed to do.

Why am I here and what is my life’s purpose, are common questions in our society. This is evidenced by the popularity of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, and books by other authors addressing topics like God’s will for my life, how to make a difference with my life, understanding my life’s journey, etc. There are many excellent books and articles available addressing the why am I here and what is my life’s purpose kind of questions. So, why would I want to add to this discussion that has already been addressed so excellently? First, because I have spent more than twenty years of my life helping people sort through these types of questions in my college and career counseling practice, and for quite some time I have wanted to consolidate the insights I have gained from this experience. Second, I want to approach the questions of why am I here, what is my life’s purpose, and how do I discover God’s will for my life from a different angle. Instead of asking why am I here, I want to ask a different question—where am I? I believe it is possible to gain new insights into our life’s purpose if we first address the issue of where am I?

Where am I, should be the first question you ask before deciding on a direction or purpose. For example, if you want to get from San Antonio to Dallas, you will need to head north. If you want to get from Amarillo to Dallas, you will need to head south. In both cases, your purpose is to arrive in Dallas, but where you are before you begin that journey greatly impacts your direction. You do not just get in your car and randomly pick a direction without first considering where am I?

Have you ever really thought about where you are? I am not referring to in which town you live or in what stage of life you are; I am asking if you have considered how your life’s purpose might be affected by the fact that you live on earth? What kind of place is earth? What kind of place was earth before God placed man here, and in what condition was the earth when God began to create heaven and earth? When I ask people in what kind of condition the earth was when God began His creating process, they usually say that the earth was in a state of “nothingness.” However, according to Genesis, we learn that the earth was formless and empty, and darkness existed when God began to create heaven and earth.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 [New International Version])

In considering the question where am I from a biblical perspective, we realize we are on a planet that in the beginning was empty, dark, and formless. The first thing we see God doing in the creating process involves Him taking a formless, empty, and dark place and bringing order, shape, and purpose to it. Throughout the days of creation, we see God bringing order, separating things from one another, and setting clear boundaries. He was reclaiming order from chaos. The creating process involves restoration and redemption—a theme we see throughout all of God’s Word and clearly one of God’s purposes for the world and for mankind.

When looking at the Hebrew/ancient Eastern roots of the creation story, we see a somewhat different interpretation than what many Christians today would view as the beginning. To most Christians, the opposite of the created order is “nothing.” However, to the ancients, the opposite of the created order was something much worse than “nothing.” It was an active, malevolent force we can best term “chaos.” In Genesis 1:2, chaos is depicted as a dark, undifferentiated mass of water. In Genesis 1:9, God creates the dry land and the seas, which can exist only when the water is gathered together or bound by dry land.

If we begin our search for understanding who am I by first asking where am I, we can gain new insight into understanding our purpose. If we are, in fact, located in a place that has been redeemed and ordered by God, we can say that we are in a place that was once in chaos but was restored and in the beginning was even declared “good” by God.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31 [New International Version])

Unfortunately, we know that after mankind’s fall, the original creating efforts were distorted and now wait for the day when all will be finally and completely restored and redeemed. However, since we also know that we are created in God’s image and since we live in a world that currently needs lots of restoration and repairing, what if part of our life’s purpose is to help bring order out of chaos? What if we are to join in the redeeming and restoring of our world?

A favorite Hebrew phrase of mine is tikkun olam; it means “repair the world.” What if one of our life’s purposes is to fix those things that are broken in our world? If it is, then one of the answers to why am I here might be—to help bring order out of chaos. This purpose is one that we can plug into every day of our lives. We no longer have to look for some extravagant or lofty goal to bring meaning and purpose to our lives. You do not have to find the cure for cancer or banish world hunger; you simply need to do your part in repairing and restoring the things that are broken in the world, things that you see within your sphere of influence that need fixing. Following are a few examples of how simple it can be to see your life’s purpose in action, if you understand part of your life’s purpose is to be about bringing order out of chaos in even the small things every day.

Everyday Examples of Tikkun Olam

One of your friends comes over confused about what to do about a certain problem. You help her sort through her thoughts, examine her options, and decide on a course of action. You have helped her bring order out of the chaos of her thoughts, and you have helped her restore peace and order to her world.

Your son falls off his bike and cuts his knee. You help bring order out of the chaos by applying antibiotic ointment and a bandage to his knee. This may seem like a simple thing, but a cut knee left unattended could lead to a serious infection and much chaos.

Your grandmother’s electricity was cut off because she forgot to pay her electric bill. You take a look at her checkbook and realize that she has not been balancing her checkbook or paying her bills on time. You offer to take care of her bookkeeping and bill-paying. You help bring order out of the chaos and provide a more peaceful and stable environment for your grandmother. This simple act of restoring and repairing makes a huge difference in her life.

Each of these examples is a simple way to help repair and restore things or situations that can become broken in our world. When I pray I ask God to show me the places and situations where He wants to use me to help bring order out of chaos. I ask Him to make me attentive to ways that I can help restore order and bring wholeness and peace to a situation. He gives me the opportunity to do this task almost every day in my college and career counseling practice and in dealings with my family, friends, community, and church.

It concerns me when I hear people distressed because they do not feel like they can discern God’s will for their lives. I hear many confused and frustrated young people say they feel that God has abandoned them because He has not made His will clear to them. They are searching for some elusive and mysterious answer to their life’s purpose instead of seeing that God provides opportunities every day to be involved in the repairing and restoring of our world.

I am afraid we have made the search for God’s will in our life far too complicated. Jesus simplified God’s will for our lives when He was asked by the religious leaders of His day to identify God’s most important commandment. Let us look at two Scriptures from the book of Matthew to see how Jesus summed up God’s will for our lives.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40 [New International Version])

In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12 [New International Version])

When people tell me they do not know what God wants them to do with their lives, I try to encourage them by saying that I believe Jesus simplified it for us. He said we are to love God and love others. If you are doing those two things, you are doing God’s will for your life.

Short Answer to Why Am I Here?

So, in summary, when trying to answer questions about life’s purpose, God’s will, and why am I here—consider these two things.

1. Recognize where you are. You live in a world that needs to be restored and repaired. You can have a part in helping to bring order out of chaos. Do good deeds. Look for simple, everyday opportunities to serve others and make the world a better place. Actively participate in tikkun olam (repairing and restoring the world).

2. Do not waste time and get frustrated waiting for God to reveal some specific will for your life. Get busy where you are. If you see something that needs to be fixed, changed, or done differently, jump into it, and help fix or change it. If someone needs your counsel and comfort, offer it. If you see something that needs to be organized, bring order to it. Look for ways to do good deeds, repair, restore, and make someone else’s life better. By participating in this type of activity, you are representing God, loving Him, and loving your neighbor, which is exactly what Jesus said was the most important thing you could do.

As people whom Jesus has redeemed and restored, we are equipped to serve others and fix those things that are broken in our world. I think a big part of our life’s purpose is summed up nicely in Ephesians.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 [New International Version])

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It may sound harsh, but if you cannot respect your child now, you probably never will. What used to be a helpless babe is now a fully functioning adult, and though you may not be impressed with the decisions he has made thus far, he is now living in his world and has to make his own bed and lie in it without Mommy coming along to straighten the sheets and fluff up his pillow. Unfortunately, I am that mommy, but we will not get into that right now….

Yes, you have a right to worry. Your child—um, adult—can do anything he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it, and he will not run anything by you for approval anymore. Aaaargh! So now that you have fallen onto the carpet shag, gripping shreds of it with your teeth, stay there awhile and begin to breathe again. While you are there, answer some questions:

Does my child want to go to college?
Why does he want to go?
What does he see himself doing with his degree?

These questions will help you get the focus off college and back onto where it belongs—your child.

Love and Respect

Now that the carpet is nice and wet, here are a few more questions to ponder while your eyes slowly open and you track the popcorn on the ceiling.

Of what is it that you are afraid? What is the bottom line? The problem is, even if you want to send her to a tiny local college ten minutes from the house, this is really not your choice anymore. You can put your foot down if she wants to go to USC because you fondly know it as the University of Scared Caucasians, but you cannot control her decisions for the rest of her life. You might want to keep her at home taking online classes so that you know she is safe

Hopefully she loves and respects your opinion, but equally hopefully, her life is no longer run by your agenda for it. Your original plan was not to send a pushover into society. You wanted her to learn how to think for herself after gathering wisdom from trusted sources; you wanted her to learn self-control. “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” (Proverbs 25:27, [ESV]) If you make this life-changing choice for her, it is like breaking into her city and leaving her defenseless.

As a mom whom she trusts, you can sit down with her and outline your concerns, or you can point out all the positive aspects of different universities/colleges. Obvious points are: safety on campus, affordable housing, recognized faculties, sports opportunities, and available scholarships. Highlight her talents, gifts, and strengths. Explain why you think one college might be a better fit for her over another. Keep it positive instead of filled with fear.

The college your child picks might be the party college of the whole country, but she has probably picked it because of other things like the small classes, or perhaps she knows other friends planning on going there. It may turn out that the hunk of burning love she has had a crush on for the last three years is going there, but even that need not give you a minor coronary—it will be an excellent lesson for her to learn in making better decisions (that do not involve wannabe flames) in the future.

Panning for Gold

A friend’s daughter, Rachel, insisted that she was meant to go to New York and learn the fashion trade. She had prayed about it, believed that it was God leading her there, and told her mom she needed to let her go. Her mom did, and over the next few months Rachel went through many trials. She was alone, broke, and weary of trying to get low-end jobs; but God shone into her darkness and showed her hope and love. Now He really is in the center of her life. She had to see what life was like without Him to know how much she needed Him.

Apart from God, respect is the key ingredient in keeping marriages strong. It is the same in our relationships with our grown child—we must begin to respect him and treat him as an adult. It is really not the end of the world if he makes bad choices in his first year—the wrong college, the wrong degree, the wrong state. Most of the subjects are basic, and transfers are easy to make. He can never learn about how to function freely unless he is truly free. That is the one thing we love about God—we are truly free to make mistakes and learn from them, even through we may look back now and sigh. If we ask God where He was in the midst of our ineptitude, we can see His hand panning through our muck to find the gold.

Your child is not a disaster waiting to happen; he is a package of blessing waiting to shine in his campus community. By stepping back and showing your child you believe in him and his decision-making ability, you can help him forge a new season of life (while all the time keeping the phone charged and ready, just in case he might shock you and ask for more advice).

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