Is your child prepared for college? Did you start planning and preparing early on, or have you waited until the last minute--eleventh and twelfth grade? Unless you have the acceptance letter in hand, then it is Dr. Beasley to the rescue.

Imagine a student with a GPA (grade point average) less than 3.0 but with mid- to high 1500 SAT scores (old scoring system). How well do you think this student did? He graduated high school at 16 and received ten scholarship offers and a West Point appointment. He went on to serve seven years with the US Army, retiring as a major in the reserves, received a BS from Texas Christian, an MBA from Oklahoma City University, a Doctor of Ministry degree at Tyndale Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Texas, Arlington. With all this college--22 years--he paid for only one semester! How did he do it? That's what Dr. Beasley wants to share with your family in College 101.

Not only did Dr. Beasley go to college, but he was a college professor for 18 years. He learned the process and packaging that gets college and university administrators' attention. Though homeschoolers many times rise above their public and private school peers academically, homeschool diplomas and transcripts don't have the look of traditional school diplomas and are often put at the bottom of the pile to go over later, and later never comes. You need a strategy that gets your child noticed. And then there's preparation--is your child prepared to take long, exhaustive tests, pore though mountains of material, and write extensively at the college level? Your child can use the same techniques Dr. Beasley used himself and has taught to hundreds of students.

Let's start with your college strategy for your student.

Community College
The community college strategy is known as a "2 + 2" strategy: 2 years in junior/community college and 2 years at a four-year college. The "2 + 2" is becoming more and more popular because it provides several advantages:

• Class Size--Many large state universities present their freshman and sophomore classes in large lecture halls with 200-500 students, with professors who would rather be teaching upper division classes. Two-year colleges will usually have smaller classes with professors more focused on teaching students.
• Value--Community colleges are the best college value in America. They are usually very low cost. Many even offer reduced tuition for concurrent enrollment while in high school; some even provide free tuition. In addition, they have the mandate and resources dedicated to help students fill in any academic gaps they have.
• Maturity--Many parents would prefer to have their children closer to home the first year or so of college to allow them time to transition and mature a few more years.
• General Courses--The student does not have to commit to a major as soon. Students can take the general requirements and take courses in different subjects in order to explore different areas.
• College Credit--Most two-year colleges are more liberal in accepting tests for college credit (CLEP, DANTES, etc.).
• Scholarships--Many four-year colleges are reserving more and more scholarships for students coming out of two-year colleges.

Four-Year College
Many students seek to enter four-year colleges right out of high school. The United States has the most eclectic mix of public and private colleges and universities in the world. Finding the right one might be difficult. Getting in once you have found one might be even more difficult. Things to consider when looking at four-year colleges include the following: