Chapter 46 - Going to College: Applications for Home Schoolers / 第46章 - 上大学：在家教育学生的申请指南

The education教育/ˌedjuˈkeɪʃn/ we describe in Parts I through III is college-preparatory大学预科的/ˈkɑlɪdʒ prɪˈpærətɔri/. College大学/ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ isn't for everyone, but a student学生/ˈstudnt/ who plans on a white-collar白领的/ˈwaɪt ˈkɑlər/ or intellectual智力的，知识分子的/ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl/ job should go to college.

The possession of a college degree大学学位/ˈkɑlɪdʒ dɪˈgri/ has risen in importance重要性/ɪmˈpɔrtns/ over the last decades几十年/ˈdekeɪdz/ as the value价值/ˈvælju/ of a high-school diploma高中文凭/haɪ skul dɪˈploʊmə/ has dropped.

According to the National Center for Home Education全国在家教育中心/ˈnæʃənl ˈsentər fər hoʊm ˌedjuˈkeɪʃn/, 93 percent93%/ˈnaɪnti θri pərˈsent/ of colleges大学/ˈkɑlɪdʒɪz/ polled in a recent study研究/ˈstʌdi/ were willing愿意的/ˈwɪlɪŋ/ to accept course descriptions课程描述/kɔrs dɪˈskrɪpʃənz/ or portfolios作品集/pɔrtˈfoʊlioʊz/ instead of a high-school diploma.

Some universities大学/ˌjunɪˈvɜrsɪtiz/ will always look at nontraditional非传统的/ˌnɑntrəˈdɪʃənl/ work with suspicion怀疑/səˈspɪʃən/; state universities州立大学/steɪt ˌjunɪˈvɜrsɪtiz/ will occasionally take an inflexible不灵活的/ɪnˈfleksəbl/ stand. But as the home-schooling在家教育/hoʊm ˈskulɪŋ/ wave continues to swell, more and more colleges are growing accustomed习惯的/əˈkʌstəmd/ to home-school applications申请/ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃənz/.

Generally, we favor smaller schools较小的学校/ˈsmɔlər skulz/; we've noticed that home schoolers在家教育学生/hoʊm ˈskulərz/ do better in a more intimate亲密的/ˈɪntɪmət/ environment in their first two years away from home. Small schools also may be more likely than large schools大型学校/lɑrdʒ skulz/ to extend a welcome欢迎/ˈwelkəm/ to home schoolers.

Many parents父母/ˈpɛrənts/ and students don't think about a high-school program高中课程/haɪ skul ˈproʊgræm/ until eighth grade八年级/eɪtθ greɪd/. But if college is a goal目标/goʊl/ for your child, you should begin preparation准备/ˌprepəˈreɪʃən/ for a college-track program大学预科课程/ˈkɑlɪdʒ træk ˈproʊgræm/ in middle school中学/ˈmɪdl skul/ (grades 5 and 6).

Critical-thinking批判性思维/ˈkrɪtɪkl ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/ courses, research projects研究项目/rɪˈsɜrtʃ ˈprɑdʒekts/, elementary Latin基础拉丁语/ˌeləˈmentri ˈlætɪn/, and modern foreign language现代外语/ˈmɑdərn ˈfɔrən ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ/—all of these are college-readiness大学准备/ˈkɑlɪdʒ ˈredinəs/ courses.

Ideally, the college-bound准备上大学的/ˈkɑlɪdʒ baʊnd/ student will begin Algebra I代数一/ˈældʒɪbrə wʌn/ no later than eighth grade in preparation for the SAT学术能力测试/ˌes eɪ ˈti/ and ACT美国大学测试/ˌeɪ si ˈti/. The minimum math requirement数学要求/mæθ rɪˈkwaɪrmənt/ for a college-prep program is Algebra I, completed in ninth grade, and a course in geometry几何学/dʒiˈɑmətri/, completed before the PSATs预备SAT/ˌpi ˌes eɪ ˈtiz/ given in the fall of the eleventh-grade year.

Latin拉丁语/ˈlætɪn/ increases vocabulary词汇量/voʊˈkæbjəˌleri/ scores and general reading阅读/ˈridɪŋ/ and grammar语法/ˈgræmər/ skills. Since students who do well on the SATs have read widely广泛地/ˈwaɪdli/ for the previous ten years, the middle-grade student should develop the habit习惯/ˈhæbɪt/ of reading, rather than constantly watching TV or playing computer games电脑游戏/kəmˈpjutər geɪmz/.

Find out what colleges need to see from home-schooled students在家教育学生/hoʊm skuld ˈstudnts/ by visiting the admissions招生/ædˈmɪʃənz/ web page; if you can't find the information信息/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/, call and ask for it. Some want transcripts成绩单/ˈtrænˌskrɪpts/; others ask for a listing of courses, projects, and books read; still others will examine a complete portfolio作品集/pɔrtˈfoʊlioʊ/.

It's always good to take at least two subject tests学科测试/ˈsʌbdʒɪkt tests/ in addition to the SAT, especially if the student tests well考试表现好/tests wel/. According to the College Board大学理事会/ˈkɑlɪdʒ bɔrd/, a transcript成绩单/ˈtrænˌskrɪpt/ isn't necessary for college admissions.

After sending her own children to college—and after years of counseling咨询/ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ/ other home schoolers—Jessie strongly advises parents to exercise their judgment判断力/ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ (and economic leverage经济影响力/ˌikəˈnɑmɪk ˈlivərɪdʒ/) to steer high-school students away from making college decisions that might sabotage破坏/ˈsæbəˌtɑʒ/ their mental, physical, social, or spiritual精神的/ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl/ health.

Over the last fifteen years, Jessie has observed that home-schooled students who flourish茁壮成长/ˈflʌrɪʃ/ both academically and personally keep close ties with family家庭/ˈfæməli/, make dear and valuable宝贵的/ˈvæljəbl/ friends, and adjust well to the demands要求/dɪˈmændz/ of college. These students invariably attend small colleges小型大学/smɔl ˈkɑlɪdʒɪz/ that have a moral and religious宗教的/rɪˈlɪdʒəs/ climate similar to that found at home.

If the college agrees to look at a portfolio (and many do), this will be your most persuasive有说服力的/pərˈsweɪsɪv/ tool. What should be included in your student's portfolio?

1. A narrative description叙述性描述/ˈnærətɪv dɪˈskrɪpʃən/ of the student's high-school studies. This is the place to explain the Great Books伟大著作/greɪt bʊks/ program.
2. A list of all significant books重要书籍/sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt bʊks/ read (from about seventh grade on).
3. At least one writing sample写作样本/ˈraɪtɪŋ ˈsæmpl/.
4. A description of any academic contests学术竞赛/ˌækəˈdemɪk ˈkɑntests/ and honors.

Many home schoolers finish their high-school studies early. It's been our experience经验/ɪkˈspɪriəns/ that students are better off spending the extra time before college by studying and reading while working at an internship实习/ˈɪntərnˌʃɪp/, apprenticeship学徒期/əˈprentɪsˌʃɪp/, or other meaningful有意义的/ˈminɪŋfəl/ job. Maturity成熟/məˈtʊrəti/ can't be forced—students who go to college early are more likely to founder失败/ˈfaʊndər/ socially, academically, or spiritually.