College Without High School: A Teenager’s Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College

by Blake Boles

Because the real world is the best education.

High school can be boring. High school curriculum can be frustrating and out of touch.

So what is the answer for young people whose creativity, bright ideas, and boundless energy are being stifled in that over-scheduled and grade-driven environment?

What would you do if you could go to college without going to high school? Would you travel abroad, spend late nights writing a novel, volunteer in an emergency room, or build your own company? What dreams would you be pursuing right now?

College Without High School shows how independent teens can self-design their high school education by becoming unschooled. Students begin by defining their goals and dreams and then pursue them through a combination of meaningful and engaging adventures.

It is possible to pursue your dreams, and gain admission to any college of your choice.

Boles shows how to fulfill college admission requirements by proving five preparatory intellectual passion, leadership, logical reasoning, background knowledge, and the capacity for structured learning. He then offers several suggestions for life-changing, confidence-building adventures that will demonstrate those results.

This intriguing approach to following your dreams and doing college prep on your own terms will be welcomed by students (and their parents).

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Parenting, School, Self Help, Audiobook, Teaching

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good basic ideas in here for a young person who needs help with prioritizing what they want to pursue in life and figuring out how to make that happen. Unfortunately it comes with a heavy dose of sanctimony and not a lot of helpful detail beyond the most basic brainstorming. The author comes across as a cool kid try-hard wannabe, the kind of person who unironically refers to "the surburbs" with a knowing tsk and calls his fellow citizens "sheeple." The tone was off-putting and the book itself yielded nothing I could not have found from surfing internet homeschooling forums.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! His educational research was inspired by Grace Llewellyn and John Taylor Gatto, both of whom I find to be a bit extremist and not terrible concrete in their advice, but thankfully, Blake's book is very practical and inspiring. His approach to unschooling is very similar to my own. It's all about following your dreams and studying the things you love but also making a plan and setting goals. I found this so much more helpful than just a lot of talk about living wild and free. He even talks about how occasionally you may need to buckle down and learn something you don't love because you know it will be useful in helping you accomplish your goals. He provides in depth guidance in how to establish your goals and carefully explains what you need to do to satisfy college entrance requirements. I would recommend reading this even if you don't have teenagers yet, just to give you an idea of the possiblities that unschooling can provide.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Offers a practical framework for shaping interest-led high school experiences but for a very narrow audience. A good quick read if you're already familiar with alternative ed philosophies but not enough to be a thorough how-to K-12 for those with new interest.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and practical!

[Blake Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author, so I'm a little biased. I liked it.

[Brian Huskie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to do exactly what the title says. You have more options than you think!

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve homeschooled my eldest since kindergarten and she’s heading into high school age next year. I’ve always thought I would panic a little bit at this point, and I have. Suddenly everything “counts,” and I have to make sure I cover all the bases and prepare her to launch. I’ve mostly assumed I’d try to replicate a typical “college prep” high school experience for her, but over the last few months I’ve become aware of lots of other opportunities for high school. This book brings all of that thinking together in a concise way that really inspires and reassures at the same time. Now I’m handing it over to her so she can create a dream map and a plan for high school and beyond, and I can’t wait to see where she goes with it.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the practical nature of this book. The examples and suggestions help the reader to understand the “how” and get an overall sense of the ways they could apply the book’s ideas in their own life and learning situations.

As a homeschooling family using an eclectic variety of methods and philosophies, this was an excellent investment and a useful resource. It’s a guidebook for helping us see possibilities and ways to help teens own their education and feel really empowered to make it all they want it to be, while giving them the confidence that they can be prepared for college at the same time. Looking forward to sharing it with my teen. Thanks Blake!

[Matteo]

I think that this book helps me a lot on my hero's journey because it teaches me a lot of new things and gives me a lot of new ideas. I love that because I would love to go to college without and I like that because I wan to go to going to high school. Besides, this book has helped me a lot to fall in love with reading because it a great book and it teaches me a lot. Something special I have with this book is that every time I read it, I fall even more in love because it is super cool. I recommend it not only for every kid but also to their parents in order to know what to do if at any time any of their kids would like to have the experience or has the idea of going to college but without assisting in high school.

A teenager's guide to skipping high school and going to college

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

85% Inspiring

What I thought of College Without High School: A Teenager's Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College It was well written and quite informative. Had some great advice.

Author:

[Nicole Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring. The book is light on practical steps that are detailed (because so many paths can be chosen) but has lots of big picture ideas/steps. Definitely not for someone who wants to be told what to do- but great for someone who wants permission to think outside the box- but needs guidelines on how to do that in a way that allows for seamless “readmission” into traditional upper level education tracks.

[Hannah Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK! This is THE best self-help to read if you are trying to figure out what the hell you are doing with your life. It kind of reminds me of The Artists Way and another good one is The Hustle Economy--but this one is much more streamlined. It's written for homeschooled high school students--but I think it's great for anyone of any age who is trying to piece together the different directions they feel pulled in, and who is trying to put all of their obligations and what they love and cherish into a lifestyle that they can comprehend and manage. Who is not juggling with work/life balance, please tell me???

[Ashley Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inciteful, also love that there are more books mentioned at the end so that they can be looked into.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me a lot to think about...

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I've been unschooling for two years or because I realized about half-way through that college might not be right for me, but I really wish I read this book a few years ago. It's an okay read with an innumerable amount of resources and advice, all of which you can tailor to your needs. Some of the best advice does get drawn-out and complicated but it did cover everything.

I was skeptical about reading a book about being a teenage unschooler written by someone who never was, but it does include experiences from real-life unschoolers, for which I'm grateful.

Still, I could've gone without the overabundance of references to ~exploring the world~. They were used mainly to make unschooling seem more appealing to schoolers, but just made me feel like I should be doing 'more' as an unschooler, like maybe if I had just tried a little harder, I could've been in backpacking in Europe already. If only. The whole thing felt very patronizing to me, especially considering all the unschoolers who don't have the resources (or parental permission) to travel and still find plenty of worthwhile things to do at home.

For a book made to persuade teenagers to replace high school with unschooling and travel on to college, it surprised me with an annoying holier-than-thou attitude towards schoolers. I'd think that would pretty much alienate its target audience. Schoolers should take on unschooling because it fits their individual needs, not because they feel pressured that their college prep in public/private school wasn't enough.

I'm giving it four stars because it's a quick read and the information it has is of value, and (mainly) because you can ignore its flaws if the info's what you really need. I'd recommend it to new unschoolers (and unschooling families) looking for options.

[Littlevision · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay! Finally a less-radical book for those who still aren't sold on the concept of unschooling (or "self-directed homeschooling"). In College Without High School Blake Boles explains how you can unschool and still get into college -- and why it's a preferable and more fulfilling path altogether.

Boles' ideas are really exciting. Where Grace Llewellyn writes a book with more attack on the public school system and more inspiration for self-directed living, Blake focuses more on how to craft projects for yourself that meet all of your needs if you're planning to go to college: combining college prep with fulfilling, interest-driven real-life activities. Boles has helped me to quell my own fears about getting into college (if I choose to attend), and I'm planning on passing this on to my parents to calm their worries about my future as well.

The only thing I wish is that this book was been longer and a bit more in-depth. I would have liked to see sample portfolios that students would submit to colleges. Mr. Boles, I think another book is in order... one that focuses specifically on crafting a portfolio and admissions package that shows people your strengths, interests, and motivation. If this book had included these things it would certainly gain a 5-star rating from me.

[AnnaMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but after slogging through it (it's not really dull) for months, I decided that the reason I'm not that interested is because Katie's 3. It has lots of great ideas about furthering your child's education through extracurricular means, travel, research, etc. Even if I do keep Katie in traditional high school (someday), I'll still use some of these ideas for summers or supplemental education. It's very pro-"unschooling," so ignores some of the great parts of traditional high school. But interesting.

[Jen (bookscoffeedogs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome perspective from a guy who was majoring in astrophysics at Berkeley when he read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto and proceeded to then created his own major in alternative schooling. As a homeschooling Mom I found it an exciting perspective on what is possible for my kids, while still getting them college ready if that is where they want to head. The options are really endless in how to make life learning/student led learning able to be used in college entrance portfolios. Worthy read if you are a homeschooler/high schooler/homeschooling parent.

[Jenny Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now my first choice to recommend for practical guidance and understanding of why compulsory schooling is not the best, safe, or satisfying choice for high school students and how the path for independent, fulfilling, and project-based learning can be designed. A must for even veteran home-schoolers who need vision and help planning for the high school years that will bring life and not kill the love of learning cultivated in childhood.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this book last night it really helped me to get excited for my adventures- gave me some motivation for the next 12 days. I think it was geared more towards those who have not yet decided whether or not to home school, but it still gave me a lot of information: success stories, suggestions on how to build a resume/transcripts, how unschoolers make way better competition than those who went to traditional school.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad I found this book -- my hopes for the next four years for Emma have been greatly increased after reading this "guide" for unschooling high school. I am so excited for her -- and so jealous that this wasn't an option for me. I wish I could quit work and learn and explore and have wonderful experiences too!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiration for teens to unschool. Advice on how to acquire, and demonstrate acquisition of, competencies needed for success in college. Persuasive argument that a disciplined and passionate unschooler will not only stand out better in the ever more crowded field of college applicants but that she will enjoy her life so much more in the process.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my teenage brother. Replete with practical advice, this book encourages kids to take initiative, take responsibility and get an education, by focusing the college prep years on results-centered interest-development (instead of relying on time spent in a classroom).

[Linene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very informative. I was looking for something to help me plan for my daughters homeschooled high school years. It gave me a lot of ideas and concepts to era search. If you want your kid to go to college you and your child should should this book.

[Deana Talbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was eye opening but I wanted more.

[Tammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Looking forward to unschooling high school with Regan - starting in September!

[Dana Gordy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference book for prepping the kids for college. Lots of great ideas. So glad I read it.

[Rebecca Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nice to see people thinking outside the traditional methods of doing things!

[Mikayla Maki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Batyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents NEED to read this.