Top Journals for College-Bound Homeschoolers

Are overwhelmed about how to prepare a homeschooler for college? Do you wonder if your homeschooler can get into college? Concerned about ensuring your college-bound homeschoolers will be successful in their courses? Today we’d like to offer a few suggestions to help bring peace of mind and set your homeschooler up for success in their next stage of life.

College-bound homeschoolers can use any of our journals. However, a few have found a particular niche/ families say they’ve been especially helpful in preparing their students for college. We even have students who continue using Fun-Schooling journals in college for notes, research, and journaling!

High School Homeschooling Handbook/ Just for Teen Guys High School Handbook contains almost 500 pages for your student to document learning in all the required subjects. Some students have even used this to show their prospective University during interviews.

All About Money– Economics & Business. This is especially important for college-bound homeschoolers pursuing a business or finance degree. Moms tell us it is usually enough to fulfill a High School economics credit. Use it alongside Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury. Many families also like to use the Life of Fred Financial Choices book.

10/12 Subject Portfolio is an attractive and easy way to document learning in multiple subjects all in one place. Students have used this for college admissions meetings to show their work and edreading ucation. It’s also one of the most popular options for college students to be able to keep track of all their notes in one notebook.

How to Write Research Papers and Essays is an essential guide written by a college professor. It is a must for college-bound homeschoolers that they’ll reference again and again.

American History Timeline is a comprehensive journey through American history. This is one of our most in-depth journals. Students can use documentaries, podcasts, and books to meet the required hours for their high school credit. Many families like to pull books from Charlotte Mason-based booklists like Beautiful Feet Books and Ambleside Online to bring history to life.

Learn Any Foreign Language allows students to learn any language naturally and flexibly. Many Universities require a Foreign Language for admission. This is a journal students may want to bring with them to college as they continue their language learning.

Make Your Own Book of… we have about a dozen “make your own” journals. These are blank inside and the perfect place for students to take notes, make a portfolio, and document their learning. Students also like to bring these to college to take notes.

Master Class allows students to create their own portfolios as they work their way through online or in-person classes. We’ve had many Fun-Schoolers present these to college admissions counselors to display their work.

Picturing the Past is a Charlotte-Mason-based picture study journal of 75 historical paintings. Students use this as a guide for not only understanding art but also to gain a better foundation of history. It is especially great for college-bound homeschoolers looking to study history or the arts.

Pondering the Past exposes students to 30 works of Classical Literature. Some students use it as is for a general overview of the books. Others get more high school credits by reading some, or all, of the books. It’s also a popular journal to combine with Picturing the Past and the American History Timeline to build a more comprehensive picture of each historical era.

90-Day Homeschooling Planner allows your student to manage their school tasks, chores, appointments, and goals in one place. Help them build a habit of using this in High School, and they can continue using it in college.

Brain Games build skills in creative thinking, problem-solving, logic, reasoning, math, reading, spelling, and more. Plus, they’re a great way to relax and give your brain a break! College students also enjoy them as a nice reprieve after a busy day of classes.

Top 30 Grammar Mistakes dives into the most common Grammar mistakes and gives students plenty of practice using proper grammar rules. Even if your child completed this in a younger grade, repeating it to pick up rules that didn’t “stick” is a great idea. Many families like to combine the Life of Fred Grammar books to fulfill one (or more) credits- and they can often test out of intro-level college grammar with these books + this journal.

Spelling Time: Top 150 Misspelled Words helps students learn the most often misspelled words in a fun and engaging way. This is another journal worth repeating more than once to ensure each word is properly learned.

Viking Vocabulary is our most advanced Language Arts journal. We specifically wrote it as a college-prep journal. Students will learn tools invaluable to them in their college education. They’ll also build a stronger vocabulary and have fun learning about Vikings. Use alongside the Viking section in American History Timeline to do a deep-dive into all things Vikings!

Pocket Core Journals- These are 60-Day core journals that cover all the basic subjects in a smaller size. Students love these for on-the-go learning. Two cover options, boats and birds. They are also popular with students who have learning or physical disabilities or other learning challenges as they have much less writing space on each page.

What other journals are you having your college-bound homeschoolers use? Share in the comments to help other families!

Make sure to check out part 1- Is Fun-Schooling Enough for Students to Go from Homeschool to College?

More About Fun-Schooling High School

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.