Admissions
Homeschooled Students > Admissions
Lake Forest College is extremely interested in having Homeschooled students as part of the College community. On average we receive 6-10 applications from Homeschooled students each year, and enroll 2-4 students a year. They come from near and far away, and appreciate our intimate size, opportunities for independent work, and broad support of their intellectual aspirations. Homeschooled students clearly demonstrate their love of learning and potential contributions to the community.
We realize that each Homeschooled student has chosen a unique path, and as such we evaluate your preparation in a holistic manner. Because you will rarely have a traditional transcript and may have a variety of experiences that have contributed to your overall education, you should contact our office to speak with the Homeschool Admissions Counselor, David Bennett '94 (bennett@lakeforest.edu or 847-735-5007). He will be able to walk you through the process and assist you in preparing your application to the College.
In general we have the following requirements of Homeschooled Students:
- An application. We use the Common Application, and you can reach this through our Applying page.
- A brief description of your goals for homeschooling.
- A syllabus or detailed description of the courses you have taken, including books or articles used.
- A general outline of how your education has been structured, i.e., daily study patterns, experiential learning opportunities, and possibly relevant travel.
- A phone or in-person interview. While we realize it may be difficult to get to campus, we would like to speak with you directly about your educational history and goals for college.
- Standardized test. These can be either the ACT or SAT (writing is not required).
- We do not require a GED, but your course work must meet our general requirements for admissions. They include a minimum of 4 years of English, 3 years of math (through trigonometry), 2 years of science (including 1 year of lab science), 2 years of social science and we recommend the study of a foreign language. We also need an analytical writing sample.
- At least one of your recommendations should be from someone unrelated to you and may include someone who has supervised you in community service, a coach, or extra-curricular activity. Recommendations should address your academic potential and contributions to the community.
Homeschool students are eligible for all of the academic and talent-based scholarships the College offers.
As always, you should feel free to contact us with any specific questions.
James Zender
Homeschooled Student
Fishers, IN
"Being homeschooled has given me specifc skills and needs. When I was looking for a college, I wanted my background to be appreciated. Lake Forest has not only been eager to accept my homeschooling, they have embraced my skills and allowed me to continue to grow in all of the ways that allowed me to succeed as a homeschooler.
"The professors are always pleasantly surprised to find out about my prior schooling and find it an interesting topic of discussion, which really helps me to further my relationship with them. Between this and the overall attitude of Lake Forest towards the choice of homeschooling, any thoughts of 'transition problems' were merely an afterthought a week into my first year. Lake Forest is a truly diverse liberal arts school as it is one of the select few that actively pursues homeschooled students knowing they will not have trouble in college and will bring an interesting and necessary dynamic to a diverse college campus.
"For all of this, I am more than happy, and proud, of my opportunity to be a part of Lake Forest and the wonderful things they have offered me as a homeschooled student."
