Academic scholarships

[Cadetter]

Per the scholarships page, only HS seniors or HS grads/GED recipients are eligible for academic scholarships. I'm currently a junior, but I'm graduating a year early and, in May, will have my GED (it's necessary for scholarship eligibility at the state flagship since I'm home-schooled).

So am I ineligible for the scholarships on basis of my transcript stating I am a junior... even though I am graduating at the same time as the Class of 2018?

I'll probably send an email to inquire, but I'm just checking here in case anyone knows.

[Eclipse]

Apply next year when you meet the criteria.

[Cadetter]

I sent an email to inquire. By definition, a senior is a student in their final year... I don't know if the criteria is meant to exclude students graduating early. Most scholarships I'm applying to have the same basic criteria, and none of them exclude juniors who graduate 1 year early. And the criteria is "Must be a high school senior (with expected graduation in the summer), high school graduate or hold a GED" - my expected graduation is in the summer. I'll certainly wait to apply next year if it turns out I don't meet the criteria this year, though.

[Spam]

My advice would be to apply this year, and (if unsuccessful) apply again next year after a year of undergraduate experience/achievement. From my perspective, you would meet the definition of "senior" in terms of academic credit hours towards the graduation credit (its based on achievement, not age, or at least should be).

See the online application page to reference the following: https://www.capnhq.gov/CAP.CapScholarship.Web/CAPForm95.aspx

There is ample space in the online CAPF 95 application to note your specific circumstances. The place is in the "Supplemental" tab. My advice would be to note them in your resume (which you'll upload, noting your early graduation) again in your "flight path" statement of your objectives (required for flight scholarships, but I would say it would not hurt to do one in your case, if applying for an academic undergrad scholarship), and finally I would ensure that the person writing you a letter of recommendation discusses your specific case in his/her letter.

As a former DCP, every applicant is a case-by-case. Make a good case. Good luck.

V/r
Spam

[Cadetter]

My current résumé that I use to apply to internships, etc. notes academic achievement (will be nearly 5 semesters' worth of college/university course work with all As) in addition to standard high school coursework. Do you suggest submitting a "flight path" in addition to that? I can easily enough state my academic goals, but it might be rather redundant given the partial course listing on the résumé. And yes, my CDC or CC can certainly discuss my case.

I got a return email that I am eligible, so I'll definitely apply, and reapply next year.

[Spam]

The Flight Path document may be unnecessary, depending on your course of study (I had roommmates that were BA/Aviation Sciences majors... that might count as "flight training" but I'd doubt that CAP would class it as such). Just be clear with your goals and your achievements to date (don't overstate, don't omit).

Best of luck to you!
Spam

[abdsp51]

Are you graduating or getting a GED?  They are not the same....

[Cadetter]

Both, graduating unaccredited homeschool and getting a GED. Like I said in the first post, the flagship requires homeschoolers to have a GED for scholarships (regardless of SAT/ACT scores and undergraduate coursework).

[Eclipse]

What's a flagship in this context?

[Cadetter]

State flagship = most known/prominent/Idk public 4-year university in the state, such as the universities in this list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Flagship_universities_in_the_United_States

[abdsp51]

Both, graduating unaccredited homeschool and getting a GED. Like I said in the first post, the flagship requires homeschoolers to have a GED for scholarships (regardless of SAT/ACT scores and undergraduate coursework).

Wouldn't you have been better off graduating from an "accredited" home school program? I don't know of too many orgs that are inclined to take folks with a GED.

[Cadetter]

The most annoying part of following an unaccredited is being grilled about it by bystanders when that wasn't the question asked . Most places either don't care or have a couple extra forms (I have three siblings with this experience), and for the lines of work I'm aiming for it doesn't matter at all.

[JayT]

Good luck.

[abdsp51]

Wasn't grilling you at all.   Just don't understand why someone would pursue a GED when the benefits of a Diploma are far more worth while. 

So then I will pose this question to you. 

Why should you get a scholarship with a GED over say a cadet with a diploma especially and honors student?

[Cadetter]

The education I've gotten from being homeschooled is very worthwhile.

I'm not applying as a GED graduate because I won't have my GED when applying. A home school curriculum can be every bit as challenging, you know... even if you discount all of it, there's also around 23 college courses of A's, including the entire general education, the entire undergraduate statistics coursework, the majority of the math program with research under a professor, and 3-4 undergrad language courses.

And even without college courses, home school classes can still be VERY challenging. Please don't discount them.

[spaatzmom]

Cadet

Please try to remember that the whole home schooling thing is pretty much a foreign concept to those adults who are older than say 35 as it wasn't an accepted method of learning in much of the country until rather recently.  Accreditation and a diploma was always an extremely important need to have for further education.  GEDs would rarely get you into the door of a college just to get an application. 

I realize that times have changed, but often wonder if many of the changes I have witnessed are for the better.

[abdsp51]

The education I've gotten from being homeschooled is very worthwhile.

I'm not applying as a GED graduate because I won't have my GED when applying. A home school curriculum can be every bit as challenging, you know... even if you discount all of it, there's also around 23 college courses of A's, including the entire general education, the entire undergraduate statistics coursework, the majority of the math program with research under a professor, and 3-4 undergrad language courses.

And even without college courses, home school classes can still be VERY challenging. Please don't discount them.

Not discounting home-schooling at all.  In some cases I would advocate it. 
All I am saying is you'd be better off graduating from and accredited curriculum than going the GED route.

And you didn't answer the question posed...

[Cadetter]

Not discounting home-schooling at all.  In some cases I would advocate it. 
All I am saying is you'd be better off graduating from and accredited curriculum than going the GED route.

And you didn't answer the question posed...

I didn't answer the question posed because I don't have experience. I've never tried to get scholarships with a GED; I'm getting them as a future high school graduate based on challenging honors coursework (college courses are honors coursework at local high schools), just like everyone else. No high school seniors already have their diploma anyway; most people apply based on strong coursework, good SAT/ACT scores, etc.

I think homeschoolers should have better unaccredited routes than culminating with a GED - nose around the HSLDA website and you'll see many homeschoolers that agree. BTW, this is my final year of high school, so it's not like I'm could to change my education history even if I wanted to. No respectable accredited curriculum allows students to graduate after less than a year of education.

Cadet

Please try to remember that the whole home schooling thing is pretty much a foreign concept to those adults who are older than say 35 as it wasn't an accepted method of learning in much of the country until rather recently.  Accreditation and a diploma was always an extremely important need to have for further education.  GEDs would rarely get you into the door of a college just to get an application. 

I realize that times have changed, but often wonder if many of the changes I have witnessed are for the better.

Absolutely things have changed. There are still many ways to ineffectively go the non-accredited route, but there are a few effective ways. Once I have my bachelor's and/or PhD it's highly unlikely anyone in academia will care if I have a GED. And although I must submit a GED for scholarship eligibility, all scholarships I see for are based on the usual academic merit, extracurriculars, etc.

FYI, in some states GED certificates are different from a high school diploma. In mine, GED recipients get actual state high school diplomas. Not saying I agree with it, but my GED diploma will look exactly the same as a public high school diploma, and after undergrad, no one cares about high school GPA.

[etodd]

Involved with a local homeschool covering here. Many kids have graduated with a diploma from the unaccredited homeschool, yet due to their grades, and very high ACT/SAT scores have gotten full ride scholarships to some major Universities. Without ever having to take the GED.

We also have many students who get a head start with 'dual enrollment'. A local community college allows high schoolers (including homeschooled) to take one course per semester while in high school. This course can also be used as one of their high school credits. If they do it all through high school, they wind up with their first year of college knocked out when they graduate high school. They start college as a sophomore. A win-win. Finish up their sophomore year and get their Associates Degree, and then if desired, easily transfer to a 4 year college to finish up their B.S. or B.A..

[Cadetter]

Does anyone know when in March the scholarship notifications go out, or if they already have? I doubt that I will receive one, but I am curious whether it's already certain I haven't.