If you do not plan to attend a four-year college, perhaps a two-year college would be more suitable. It affords a 2-Year or Associate's Degree in an area of study such as nursing, computer and electronics technology, physical therapy assistant, automotive tech, law enforcement programs, dental hygiene, machine tool technology, drafting, business, occupational therapy assistant, respiratory therapy, graphic arts, early childhood development, refrigeration/air conditioning/heating and many others. These colleges usually have a smaller student population, smaller class sizes, a good support network for students and lower tuition than that of a 4-year institution.
Before enrolling in a 2-year college, contact the admissions officers for several institutions and ask for information to be mailed to you about the college. Start on this project in the junior year of high school to allow time to consider your options. Prepare a high school transcript of the courses you have studied, all other extra-curricular activities and community service involvement and your ACT score if you have taken it. Sample transcripts are shown in a number of home school reference books. Network with other home schoolers and find out who has blazed the trail before you.
Besides 2-year colleges and technical schools, there are many other types of schools such as beauty, construction, therapeutic massage, truck driver training, plumbing, decorating, taxidermy, electrical, travel agent, and paralegal. Check your telephone book yellow pages under "schools" for a listing.
If you plan to get a job, start your own business or go to a vocational school after finishing home school high school, you will probably want to get a GED. The General Education Development (GED) diploma is earned in lieu of a high school diploma. One out of every seven people graduating from high school each year earn a diploma by taking the GED exam. One third of high school graduates would not be able to pass the GED exam. The GED test is a series of five tests which cover Writing Skills, Social Studies, Science, Interpreting Literature and the Arts and Mathematics. The Writing Skills section is has two parts, one with 55 multiple choice questions and the other requires a written response to a question or issue (about 200 words.)
GED study books with practice tests are available at Hastings or Barnes and Noble bookstores. Classes are often offered at an adult education center or church. There are some review courses online and your library may have videos to help prepare for the GED. The "GED on TV Program" is offered on many public television stations to allow you to study at home. Call your local public TV station or (800) 354-9067.
For any student under age 18, a letter to the Adult Education Center must be obtained from the local school district indicating that the student is a registered home school student. This information is taken from the letter of intent form. The student must pass a pre-test for each section before taking the actual GED test.
The GED is an eight-hour test. The student can take one section and go home and study for a few days or weeks and return and take another test until the entire GED battery is completed. A passing score for each section is 45. When the student completes the entire test, it is sent to Little Rock for scoring and a report of the scores and a diploma are returned to the student. Scholarship awards are based on the GED scores.
The contact person in Arkansas for the GED is Kay McVey, Administrator, Arkansas GED Testing, Arkansas Department of Workforce Education, Luther S. Hardin Building, 3 Capitol Mall, Room 200D, Little Rock, AR 72201-1083. You may call Ms. McVey at (501) 682-1978.
Last updated: 05/24/2000
Back to Arkansas Homeschool Resource Directory main page
To HEAR's Homepage