Providence will sponsor the Greater Los Angeles area Homeschool Graduation at the Christian Home Educators Association (CHEA) of California Conference for the third straight year on Saturday, July 15 at the Pasadena Convention Center.

“We value the quality and discipline of a homeschool education,” explains Providence President Dr. Jim Belcher, who adds that about 30% of the Providence student body was homeschooled. “And we know statistically that homeschooled kids outperform traditional students in a college setting.”

According to recent University of St. Thomas research data, homeschooled students entered college with higher than average ACT scores. And, when in college, their GPA averages were higher than other students averaging GPAs of 3.46 compared to 3.16. Moreover, homeschool students graduated from college at a higher rate of 66.7% than traditional students at 57.5%.

In addition, Providence offers a Homeschool Scholarship for entering freshmen to reward their homeschool experience and discount their tuition up to $5,000 each year of their college experience.

Over 2 million students in the United States are learning at home, a 75% increase since 1999. And the fastest growing segment of homeschoolers at 29% are high school age, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. With over 1.7 million high school students in California, it is estimated that over 50,000 of our state’s high schoolers are at-home learners.

Because these numbers are growing, Providence Christian College continues to also sponsor the Teen Track at the CHEA Conference ever year and offers tips for homeschoolers to prepare for college.

1. Start early – you should begin thinking about college at age 14 or 15
2. Network with other college bound homeschoolers to expand your pool of knowledge
3. Don’t assume you can’t afford private college since academic merit and other scholarships are readily available
4. Focus on math and verbal skills so you can excel in one and score above average in the other
5. Showcase your strength nurturing the one area where you have natural aptitude and ability
6. Add extracurricular activities to show you are well-rounded
7. Prepare for college entrance exams by starting with the PSAT
8. Collect college credits by taking AP tests, CLEP or DANTES exams
9. Take aptitude and personality tests to know your strengths and help direct your future career concentrations
10. Give back through community service since college admissions counselors will take a second look at kids who volunteer to help out their community.

There is still time to register and attend the conference, which will be held on July 13-15. Register here!