Question for Fellow Homeschooling Parents with High Schoolers

[DisneyWalle]

What extracurricular (social, volunteer or academic) activities does your teenager participate in that will count on college applications?

My DS is starting 9th grade this year and I'm trying to plan ahead for the next 4 years. I'm looking for all kinds of ideas and suggestions.

Does anyone else have a highschooler that is indifferent to what they want to do for their future? My DS has no clue what he would like to do for a career. (When I was his age, I at least had a dream. It didn't come true but I was goal driven and worked for it.) What do you suggest for a child like this?

 

[Marionnette]

What extracurricular (social, volunteer or academic) activities does your teenager participate in that will count on college applications?

My DS is starting 9th grade this year and I'm trying to plan ahead for the next 4 years. I'm looking for all kinds of ideas and suggestions.

Does anyone else have a highschooler that is indifferent to what they want to do for their future? My DS has no clue what he would like to do for a career. (When I was his age, I at least had a dream. It didn't come true but I was goal driven and worked for it.) What do you suggest for a child like this?

Most kids who are college freshmen don't know what they want to be "when they grow up". It's not uncommon. Give your son a chance to experience a variety of things so that he can learn what he likes and dislikes, as well as what he excels at doing vs. what he struggles with.

My older son entered college with an undecided major and will graduate next spring with a degree in information technology. We always knew that he had a knack with computers and he is acing those courses. When he was still in high school, he built his own PC. We started off by giving him old PCs to tear apart and practice on. Once he learned how things went together and how they functioned, he was off to the races! Find something that your son likes to do in his spare time and provide him with the tools to make it work.

Volunteerism is especially important on college applications. Organizing collections for our soldiers, schools supplies for less fortunate kids or canned foods for a food bank are all great ways for a high school kid to make a difference in the community. If your son has a particular academic talent, then have him volunteer to tutor younger children in that area of knowledge. If he has an athletic talent, offer to act as an assistant coach for the local youth club. He can ask your church if there is anything that he can do as a junior volunteer there (Sunday School? Youth Group? Junior Usher? Music assistant?)

Colleges are less interested in the student who has a laundry list of short activities than they are in the kid who demonstrates a long-term commitment to a few select services and activities. Whatever he chooses to do, it should be something for which he has a true interest because he should go into it with the idea that he will be in it for the duration of his high school career.

 

[tkbbmom]

Don't worry about not having direction for a chosen career path at this point in time. Like the PP stated most college freshman don't have any idea and the majority that think they know will change their major at least once in college.

There are materials available -- Sonlight has a Career and College Planning program that we use that helps to give some insight for the dc to explore possible careers, job skills, personality, etc. I also have my kids "job shadow" some if they think they have an interest in a particular career/job. I encourage them to think outside the box for their electives as well to see if anything sparks an interest.

For "activities" for their college apps -- it's varied. My current Sr. will have Gymnastics, Key Club, Church Youth Group as her main activities. My current freshman I anticipate will have Key Club, Church Youth Group, Baseball and Lego League Mentor.

 

[hsmamato2]

wow....you homeschool, so you really need to allow your ds the freedom to find out what he wants to do....as a hs'er also (20 years worth) I can vouch for the need for 'guidance counseling' in the form of family friends, mentors,classes outside the home(chosen) and patienceIf he's 14,he has some time to think about things,right? And one thing every hs parent needs to learn (ask me how I know) is that this is truly your sons path, not yours. Just b/c you're there facilitating,perhaps more so than the average 'schooled' kid,doesn't mean that your stresses over his future mean a whole lot. High school homeschooling has its own challenges, a BIG one being teens do NOT think/act/move through life like younger kids do. I suggest you look around in your community for opportunities ,and present them to your ds as options- community college courses(even just for 'fun' and enrichment- co-op classes run by homeschool groups,sports events,etc,whatever it is that interests your kid outside his regular studies.
Homeschoolers,on average tend to have the time needed to pursue whatever interests them,which means a commitment to whatever that may be,which translates well onto job apps,college apps,etc etc.