Homeschooled students existed before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the Covid-19 pandemic has struck, the rate of homeschooling has significantly increased. Many people wonder if you can still attend a top 20 school if you only homeschool. Yes, the answer is yes.

Homeschooling is similar to school curriculums in that it refers to education that occurs outside of the public or private school system.

It is critical for both students and parents to understand the purpose of homeschooling - it is different from virtual or online learning, and it is more flexible than remote learning. Homeschooling laws vary by state, so it is important to note that homeschool requirements can change frequently, so make sure to check the requirements on a regular basis.

Because it is known to be more flexible than remote learning, students should learn how to make plans and create a schedule, so it is critical for students to sign up for Time4Learning, a national leader in online school, which helps students keep track of what they need to complete each day.

Finally, people frequently mistakenly believe that local homeschooling lacks an organized specified curriculum that prepares students for college admission. However, searching and looking for local homeschool groups can provide a variety of information on group field trips, essential classes for homeschoolers to take, and other forms of socialization such as internships, volunteers, and extracurricular activities that can build students' resumes or portfolios.

As the number of homeschooled students grows, parents and students wonder if homeschooled students can get into prestigious schools, including Ivy Leagues, because they are unaware of the college admission requirements for homeschoolers.

Good news for them: colleges and universities have specific application requirements for homeschoolers. Harvard University, for example, has application requirements for homeschoolers - the application process for homeschoolers is the same as for other freshmen applicants, by completing the Common Application and the Universal College Application, or Coalition Application.

Other top 20 schools, including the Ivy Leagues, state that their admission requirements do not differ from those of other freshmen applicants - they conduct holistic admissions of all applicants, which means they look for academic achievements and strong test scores, among other things.

However, some colleges and universities require specific supplements for homeschoolers; for example, Dartmouth College requires not only homeschool curriculum and outside letters of recommendation, but also students in foreign language proficiency with the AP or SAT subject test. Princeton University also requires a different application than other prospective applicants - homeschoolers should expect to take the ACT with writing or the SAT. Two SAT subject tests are recommended but not required.

To summarize the main factors for homeschoolers to focus on for college admission requirements, students must focus on transcript of course. Homeschoolers do not receive transcripts from their school; rather, homeschoolers and their parents are responsible for producing their own transcripts by providing academic accomplishments such as courses taken, GPAs, and more, using the transcript templates.

Standardized test scores are another option for focusing, but now that many schools are test-optional, colleges and universities expect strong SAT and ACT scores from homeschooled students. So it is critical for homeschoolers to earn the highest possible scores on standardized tests, and if they do not, they should be able to demonstrate college readiness through other exams that evaluate your academic skills, such as CLEP or AP.

Of course, letters of recommendation are important for homeschoolers; however, they must avoid receiving recommendation letters from their parents, knowing that colleges expect letters from people other than your parents who have been with you the longest. Make sure you interact with people outside of homeschool enough so that they are aware of your strengths and can explain your potential in writing.

Finally, extracurricular activities are important factors for non-homeschoolers as well - internships, volunteers, and extracurricular activities are important for building resumes. Colleges look into sports, volunteers, local clubs or organizations, or even donations, as well as internship opportunities and the positions you held in those activities. For example, they are not interested in students being members of a specific club activity, but they are interested in what positions and tasks you were performing in those activities.

As previously stated, many students and parents are unfamiliar with homeschooling curriculum; however, there are homeschool success services that assist students with academic and test planning, essay coaching, and developing college roadmaps, among other things. This consulting program is not required; however, it would be a very helpful program for those who are unfamiliar with the homeschooling program.

There are many reasons to homeschool, and it is important for parents to take responsibility for investigating their children's learning style, personality, and health, and if necessary, to join the homeschool - this program should not be avoided simply because it does not have the exact same school curriculum, but should be embraced for students who are in need.

Read more: The Growing Popularity of Online High Schools and How To Choose One

High school is probably the most important step before going to college, with 100% of report cards, extracurricular activities, and teacher evaluations directly influencing college admissions. So many parents are extremely concerned with what they can do best for their children. Students can attend public, charter, magnet, virtual, or private schools.

Public schools are those that receive funding from the local, state, and federal governments; they are required to admit all students who live within their district's boundaries. Counselors are unable to take control of students' entire roadmap because public schools accept almost all students within the district.

Charter schools are relatively new types of public schools of choice that operate without many of the local and state regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The difference between charter and public schools is that charter schools allow parents and school administrators to innovate, create, and provide students with flexible education.

Other school types include magnet schools, which are designed to attract students from diverse social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds by focusing on a specific subject, such as science, technology, or the arts. Magnet schools are a little different in that they require students to take exams in order to be admitted. Because of Covid-19, virtual schools are on the rise, and students can now receive their education via computer, either virtual or online.

Surprisingly, the school's curriculum is very similar to other normal curriculums, except that everything runs online, allowing students to study with flexibility and at their own pace. Finally, private school allows students to prepare for college - private schools often have a traditional or elite reputation and a long history.

However, religious private schools, such as Catholic, Christina, Buddhist, and others, are considered to have religious faith. While private schools are more like a family like 1:1 counseling, private schools have so many students that lack one on one attention - so it is very important to determine student's learning style as well as to find out student's needs to choose appropriate school for the student.

Unless the parents and children are religiously sensitive, many people consider other factors rather than focusing solely on the school religions. Before deciding on which schools to attend, consider the following:

• What is the curriculum vision for the school?
• Does the school offer any extracurricular activities or field trips?
• What is the percentage of college attendance?
• What is the school's admissions procedure?
• Where is the school located? Is school secure?
• What is the average class size?

Parents knowing their children the best, it is critical to understand their children's potential and interests. Of course, the school curriculum is important; however, it is preferable to find a school that can help students discover their hidden talents and develop them to their full potential. Even if a student has great potential, if the school does not have student support that values students' tardiness, parents should not send their children there. As a result, parents and children must visit the school website to determine whether the school offers customized mentorship, resources, or counseling programs for students.

True, not all schools offer mentorship programs, but mentorship can be replaced by a counseling program or a peer mentor, indicating that the school values the relationship between school administrators and students, as well as the bonding among students themselves.

Consider your nationality and the environment in which you feel most at ease. Not to mention that each student has their own cultural background and communities that they have grown up in, and the abrupt change in the environment can have an impact on students' daily routines. For example, students who have been homeschooled face difficulties as they begin to attend school, regardless of the type of institution - demonstrating how the learning environment requires a smooth transition for stabilization.

Course options and extracurricular activities offered are indeed important in the eyes of students. Whether the school follows an AP or IB curriculum, it is critical to examine the number of AP courses offered as well as the class quality. Colleges look closely at not only your academics but also your club activities, volunteers, and internships, and both parents and children should check to see if the children's goals and the school curriculum are aligned.

Covid-19 The pandemic has had a significant impact on school systems and curriculum, and it is critical for students and parents to check how schools respond to those sudden pandemic effects - what types of extracurricular activities they provide online, or if they have adequate access to technology and are up to date.

As previously stated, the most important part of the investigation is to go to school websites and look up course catalogs, and even go to Niche to see what parents and students think about teachers, systems, and curriculums, etc. Because the reviews are subjective, the comments are varied and candid.

Because high school is only one step behind college, which opens the next chapter for students, it is critical to carefully select the right choice for students. However, by putting in the bare minimum of effort to search up school websites and go to niche to read reviews, it is never considered difficult to decide.

Read more: The Growing Popularity of Online High Schools and How To Choose One

An old problem has reappeared in the United States. China, who imported 8.79 million barrels of crude per day in July, up from a four-year low in June but still 9.5% less than the previous year. This is a concern because the US oil price has risen as much as China's, and oil demand for 2022 is expected to rise by 1.8 million barrels per day year on year to 99.7 million barrels per day, just short of pre-pandemic highs. Brent crude futures were up 81 cents to $95.73 per barrel, an unexpected increase, according to Business-standard.

According to Barron's, oil prices have recently fallen below $100 per barrel as recession fears hit the market, and researchers predict that oil prices will fall to $65 per barrel by the end of 2023 if oil-producing countries do not invade to reduce supply. "Recession talk is becoming more common, and if it becomes a reality, it will most likely address some of the imbalance." According to CNBC, Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Onada in London, said.

State higher education funding increased in 2021 as a result of higher inflation rates, with total state and local funding for all higher education totaling $113.2 billion, including $3.7 billion in federal stimulus funding. According to the State Higher Education Finance, five states – Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wyoming – as well as Washington, D.C. – relied on federal stimulus funding for more than $20 in higher education support. State tax and non-tax appropriations accounted for 85.2 percent of state and local funding.

According to SHEEO's analysis, declining enrollment rate has been showing for approximately for 10 years, and challenges may be ahead for many colleges as they make do with fewer students. "While generous federal stimulus funding protected state revenues and directly supported higher education, reducing states' need to cut funding during the pandemic and brief economic downturn," states the report, "sharp declines in student enrollment and net tuition and fee revenue signal continued upheaval for public higher education revenues." According to the latest SHEEO release.

“Now we’re in a world where enrollment is still down across higher education, but with inflation rising rapidly, state funding is unlikely to keep up in most states,” said Robert Kelchen, professor and head of the department of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic influenced not only students' choice of higher secondary education institution type, but also college majors in a systematic major, by considering more stable majors they could pursue after graduating.

ScienceDirect, Shu (2016) and Liu, Sun, and Winters (2018) investigated how the recession affected college major selection, focusing on STEM and business majors thought to be recession resistant, emphasizing how the percentage of degrees awarded in recession-resistant and recession-sensitive degree fields changed - recession-resistant majors increased by 1.5 percent points while recession-sensitive majors decreased by 1.4 percent.

Researchers from ScienceDirect reported that the recession caused students to shift away from degree fields that were unstable during the recession and toward degree fields that were relatively stable during the recession, and these findings are based on the different types of institutions students attended, and they gained an understanding of how the global economy has impacted major distributions by considering variation across the business cycle.

Furthermore, Best Colleges reported that the recession-proof industries that saw growth during the last two recessions are thought to be healthcare, civil services, education, and business. For example, social and human service assistants, recreation workers, and legal clerks were classified as civil servants, whereas management analysts and logisticians were classified as top business careers.

Moreover, three Yale economists reported that due to growing pay disparities between scientific and business professions and those in the arts and social sciences fields, students should choose college majors more carefully during the recession period. Research reported the Religion and philosophy majors earn 42% less than the average major in their first year out of college, and 55% less during a recession.

Former President Donald Trump recently spoke out for the need to abolish the United States Department of Education during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas Texas, which was established in an effort to save money and make federal education programs more accountable, insisting on the need to abolish the Department of Education if federal bureaucrats are going to push the radicalism, which is a long-standing Republican wish because they have seen education policy as falling within the remit of states and localities.

It is unclear whether Trump's proposal will be approved by Congress, as Democrats are expected to oppose it; however, this demonstrates the need for the US government to reverse course and transform public education to align with economic needs now and in the future.

Read more: Colleges Are Now Adjusting Their Tuition and Fees to Account For Inflation as a Result of the COVID-19 Effect.

As Covid-19 hits the education institutions hard, many are turning virtual — virtual online classes are now on the rise, as many people are paying attention to virtual classes, even with receiving diplomas through online schools, with the benefits of enjoying more flexible schedules as well as the benefit of choosing the learning environments.

Online learning allows students to work at their own pace and eliminates social distractions. According to National Society of High School Scholars, online schools would help students with time management and independence skills in general. These online classes are now used not only in colleges, but also in high schools.

According to Washington State University students, 26% said they took online courses because they were not available on campus, 26% said it was to earn credits for graduation, and 16% said the flexibility of online learning was better for students' learning styles.

Instead of having classes turn remote with the Covid-19 Effect, many are focusing on online high schools, particularly the well-known ones in California. Stanford Online High School (Stanford OHS) has ranked first in 'Niche' — evaluating the reviews and ratings, as well as powerful search and data tools, assisting millions of students and families in finding and enrolling in the right school for them.

Stanford Online High School, founded in 2006, is a private school affiliated with Stanford University, a highly selective school located in California, offering grades 7-12 students- they provide high-technology, providing open environments enabling fluent interaction between instructors and students during the seminar, all classes are provided as college-style seminars that meet twice a week and are conducted in real-time.

Students prepare for discussion seminars by watching recorded lectures and completing assignments using the flipped classroom model. All classes are recorded and available for playback, allowing students to go back and investigate specific sections to prepare for the exam.

“With 14 years’ experience running seminar-style online classrooms, we want to help others during this health crisis to consider online teaching as an alternative to shuttering schools completely, and for online teaching to be effective, you need to have a well-developed remote learning plan in place first. We hope schools find the resources we are providing useful for that purpose.” Said Tomohiro Hoshi, the Head of School.

Stanford Online High School, Mt. Everest Academy, Laurel Springs School, Alternative Education — San Joaquin High School, and California Preparatory Academy came in second and third, respectively.

According to Niche, Mt. Everest Academy, Laurel Springs School, Alternative Education-San Joaquin High School, and California Preparatory Academy followed, based on student and parent reviews, California's test scores, college preparatory system, graduation rate, teacher review, and so on.

How to Choose an Online High School

Although online high schools gained popularity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still less well-known than off-line or residential high schools. As a result, students must be extremely cautious when selecting an online high school, taking into account more delicate and thorough plans.

Students must ensure that they have a compelling reason to apply to and attend the school to which they intend to apply by visiting school websites, researching accreditation, tuition costs, the relationship between students and educators, and the school curriculum and how it operates online.

According to Forest Trail Academy, the first major factor to consider when selecting an online high school is accreditation, which is a process used to ensure schools adhere to a nationally or regionally recognized educational standard.

The US Department of Education develops K-12 education levels, as do six regional accreditation boards that coordinate the review of educational programs, all of which are reviewed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Most secondary educational institutions will reject credits from an unaccredited high school, so make sure the school you plan to attend is accredited.

Applicants should check the school's website for course catalogs to see if the courses are adequate for college preparation - they must check if the courses include the availability of honors, AP, and college prep courses, as well as access to college advisors and counselors, and so on.

Finally, extracurricular activities are important when preparing for college - because everything is done online, it is essential to check if the school offers extracurricular activities that involve social interaction in online environments.

According to Stanford Online High School, it not only offers virtual extracurricular activities, but also activities that provide opportunities to engage outside of the classroom, such as a spring celebration in Boston, a visit to Elsinore Castle in Denmark, and even a friendly gathering in Katsuura, Japan. Club activities are listed below for Stanford OHS.

• Pixel Journal
• Pixelstra (Pixel Orchestra)
• Women in STEM+
• OHS Salon
• Model United Nations
• ERA Coalition
• Advanced Programming Club
• Climate Action Club and more.

Extracurricular activities may differ by school, so it is recommended that applicants visit the websites of the schools they prefer.

Because every course is run online, both students and parents must recognize the characteristics of weaknesses in online high school — lack of social interaction — which makes it important for students who attend online high school to get involved in a variety of activities that require not only sports or field trips, but also internships or job shadowing.

Now that online high school is gaining popularity among students for a variety of reasons — distance of commute, varying quality of schools, and bullying — it is critical for schools to implement the school system as well as extracurricular activities and a variety of student support services. The Covid-19 pandemic is still revealing new variants; we never know if the enrollment rate of online high school will soon surpass that of offline high school.

Read more: Absenteeism as a COVID-19 Effect — How Do Schools Respond?

Historical Inflation Rates in the United States

Correlation between College Tuition and Inflation Rate

Colleges are adjusting tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year

College tuition fees are now being adjusted.