Olin College

At Olin, we welcome students with diverse educational backgrounds, including homeschooled students.  We do not have separate requirements for homeschooled applicants – like all of our applicants, they are considered within their unique context.

What makes reading a homeschooler's application a little tougher is figuring out what you have learned and how you compare to the other, in school applicants. In the absence of a traditional high-school transcript, you and your parents must provide documentation of the material you studied and the level of academic performance you achieved. This documentation will be different for each student – you may be enrolled in an umbrella school that is accredited to grant a diploma; maybe you’ve registered for classes at your local college or university; or perhaps you have augmented your homeschool curriculum by taking online courses (for example, EPGY).  Most other students will probably need to compile a portfolio of their work. Providing us with meaningful records of your work is key – just sending a list of courses titles and grades is not enough!  Some elements of a portfolio might include a transcript written by your parent, titles of textbooks completed, samples of papers or projects you've completed, and anything else that indicates the breadth and depth of your study.

Some tips for homeschooled students:

• Our homeschooled applicants, like all of our students, have been active in their communities. Most of our homeschooled students have taken advantage of extracurricular activities and community groups, such as community music ensembles and theatre, sports scouting, religious groups, volunteer work, part-time job, etc.
• Many of our homeschooled students have also participated in summer programs. For some students, summer programs are a great opportunity to work with other students from diverse backgrounds in a collaborative manner. However, we realize that these programs can be costly, so spend your summer in a way that makes sense to you and your family.
• As is the case with any applicant to Olin, we welcome extra recommendations and they can be especially helpful for homeschooled applicants. We require three (3) letters of recommendation in total (a counselor and two teachers); in the case of homeschoolers, the “counselor” recommendation is usually written by a parent and the “teacher” recommendations are from instructors or professors (not related to you!) that have taught you within the past two years.  We encourage additional recommendations from other people who know you well, such as coaches, mentors, job supervisors, clergy, etc.
• One quality that we look for in all of our applicants is evidence of having taken initiative, showing an entrepreneurial spirit, taking full advantage of opportunities. Many of our admitted homeschooled applicants have demonstrated their passions through self-started clubs and projects. Homeschooled students can create their own learning environments, and we are always happy to see applicants who are excited about learning and have demonstrated this passion in a variety of contexts.