St. Mary’s College welcomes homeschooled students to apply for admission. The following advice to parents acting as parents, guidance counselors, and school administrators, will help their applicant navigate the extra challenges in the application process.
All applicants are required to submit a transcript. For students enrolled in a school system this is done by asking the school to send an official transcript to us. However, if the parents develop and administer their own curriculum they will have to generate a transcript of their student’s work. Transcript templates are available online, or it is simple enough to create your own. Do not forget to indicate academic work with tutors or dual enrollment classes if applicable. Including academic evidence with the transcript helps validate and support the claims made on the transcript. Evidence could include syllabi that include course descriptions, books and supporting materials used in your program, and examples of graded work.
The required essay will be an important indicator of your academic abilities, and will be another piece of evidence to substantiate your transcript. It is graded and ranked against the other applicants by the Literature department. They supply both the subject matter and the guidelines to be followed while constructing your essay. Make sure you follow those guidelines, and give yourself ample time to do your best work. A good technique is to write your paper well in advance and then put it aside for a few weeks. Read it again after that break and see if you still think it is your best work. Good writing normally takes many revisions.
The national test score is an important indicator of how well a student is prepared for further academic studies. Like the essay, the national scores help to substantiate the accomplishments reported on the transcripts. This validation is important especially for home-generated transcripts, so practice for the test you choose and aim high. To see how the average SMC students have scored on these tests, see our Facts and Stats page.
Two letters of recommendation are required. One is a character reference from a priest. The second is an academic reference that should not come from a relative. This can be a challenge for a homeschooled student. Alternatives could be music teachers, tutors, or individuals who have offered on-the-job training. Contact the Registrar if you have questions.