Dear Mom,

I am assuming considering the age of your oldest child that you are planning a 'college portfolio'. We have merely kept a running account of all the activities and achievements that the student has accomplished. For example, all of the 4 H awards or activities are accounted for, as well as the special honors that a child has earned. I like to keep these awards (the certificate or letters of recommendation) in an accordian file type folder. Each child has a folder.

Remember too that outside work apart from school should be considered in the portfolio. Letters from employers or references are important to have on hand and should be stored in the portfolio.

Do not be intimidated by the process of college entrance. While it is important that we take the steps necessary for entrance into college (if this is the child's goal) the method is fairly straightforward or at least it has been for us this past 8 times. heehee

I would suggest that you call the guidance or counselor office at the local community college and get their opinions about what is truly necessary for the entrance portfolio. Many colleges have open house days when high school students are encouraged to attend and ask questions relevant to entrance. Whether or not your child plans to attend that particular college is not important, just talking with someone at the college will be very helpful. Pick colleges close to home to visit and make the first steps into this process easy and as stress free as possible.

The second most important part of college entrance is to find out exactly what the time line for paper work is and make certain that you are finished with your end of the paper work in a timely fashion. Nothing will cause more stress than for Mom to be late with some simple piece of paper work, like the transcript. Though colleges are eager to have new students they are institutions whose internal workings are filled with paper work and deadlines. Many times because the number of children applying is large a student can get lost in the works and fail to meet the necessary requirements if we are not informed and understand our responsibilities. All colleges have brochures that clearly outline the process.

The highest priority with regard to college entrance is the one that I trust you have already and continue to meet. Prayer. Spend time each day in prayer with your young person and help him to understand that the Holy Spirit is guiding the process. Young people take great comfort in knowing that it doesn't 'all' depend on them. Going off to college is a passage and a journey. Preparation for both begins with prayer.

Let us pray this morning for all college freshman, especially those that are coming from the homeschooling experience. Let us pray that they will have the inner strength to stand firm in their beliefs and have the docility of spirit to 'call home' when issues and challenges become more than they feel they can handle. Let us offer up a Hail Mary for these intentions and for all the intentions of moms everywhere who are watching, guiding, and encouraging their homeschool. Amen.

Sending out a prayer,

Rita Munn