Are GEDs bad?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I guess this is a spin-off of the thread about getting into high school. If we decide to homeschool up through grade 12, and don't go through an umbrella school of some kind that gives a diploma, my dc would have to get their GED, right? And then they can use that to go ahead and go to college, right? If they get a college degree that is what people would look at on their resume, right? (I've been asked where I went to high school but no one has ever asked for my diploma, ever.) So is it ok to plan to homeschool through high school and to have my dc get their GED? I just started getting nervous because it seems important to a lot of people to put their kids into public or private high school so that their dc will have an official diploma.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

You do not need a high school diploma or a GED to go to college if you have a solid academic background, and don't mind taking a lot of tests.

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with Jedi and will add that a GED is definitely looked at as a lower standard than a diploma. You even qualify for few jobs/benefits when joining the military if you have a GED v. a homeschool diploma.

[TraciWA]

I agree with Jedi and will add that a GED is definitely looked at as a lower standard than a diploma. You even qualify for few jobs/benefits when joining the military if you have a GED v. a homeschool diploma.

I also understand that it is harder to advance in the military with a GED.

[abbeyej]

From the college standpoint, you're better off "graduating" your student from your personal home school than getting a GED. But you'll be even better off if you also have SAT scores and additional subject tests (SAT-II, CLEP, AP) that can vouch for the level of work your student has done.

The GED can, in fact, be a detriment in some cases.

[Katia]

No, you do not need a GED to get into college. I gave two of my dc a home-made, computer-generated diploma and they were both accepted, with academic scholarships via ACT scores, to the 4-yr college/university of their choice.

[PariSarah]

. . . in NC, the homeschooler gets a valid high school diploma. It's just issued from an unaccredited private high school. (I.e., PariSarah's Homeschool Academy)

It's a diploma. A real one. I don't know why you'd go to public school for the diploma. There are plenty of reasons to go to public high school, but being able to call yourself a high school graduate is not one of them. Graduating from homeschool is graduating from high school. College-bound kids will have to make sure that their homeschool preparation is recognizably up to par (minimum required credits, grades and everything), but they shouldn't label themselves anything other than high school graduates.

[Peek a Boo]

another vote for "detriment."

There was a lot of discussion about this when i was homeschooling up in NY.

Not only does it place limitations on military aspirations, it can also disqualify you from some scholarships [altho i don't remember which ones --several people were researching it and had lists].

During the course of the discussion, they also found out that NY State was trying to find a way to make sure juvenile prisoners could get a high school diploma so they wouldn't be saddled w/ the STIGMA [their words!] of a GED.

So as far as they are concerned, a GED isn't even good enough for a juvenile delinquent --much less a serious student.

[OhElizabeth]

You neither need a GED nor want one. As one who worked in a university admissions office, I can in fact tell you it creates a red flag in the process and should be avoided. We worked with the homeschoolers to inform them that this was not necessary and to avoid sending the results if the dc had taken it for some reason. As the others said, homeschooling is now widely enough accepted that they will take you at your word with the diploma you issue and your transcript. In reality, the test scores for your dc will validate his work. The GED just isn't necessary.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Cool! A homeschool diploma it is!

[Kari C in SC]

I guess this is a spin-off of the thread about getting into high school. If we decide to homeschool up through grade 12, and don't go through an umbrella school of some kind that gives a diploma, my dc would have to get their GED, right? And then they can use that to go ahead and go to college, right? If they get a college degree that is what people would look at on their resume, right? (I've been asked where I went to high school but no one has ever asked for my diploma, ever.) So is it ok to plan to homeschool through high school and to have my dc get their GED? I just started getting nervous because it seems important to a lot of people to put their kids into public or private high school so that their dc will have an official diploma.

Please do NOT have your kids get a GED if they have even the most remote chance of joining the military. My 19 year old ds just joined the Army with a homeschool high school diploma. It was not accredited. It was basically a piece of paper that the Florida association gave us for doing a graduation there. If he did not have that piece of paper and had a GED, he would not have qualified for the $40,000 bonus he received. My nephew joined the military and had a GED even though he had been homeschooled. He did not qualify for the bonus. It has to do with tiers and they count GED along the same lines as not having a high school diploma.

As far as college, many colleges take a homeschool diploma with proper transcripts. My sister-in-law graduated from UNC and had a homeschool diploma. I hope this helps!

[angela in ohio]

NO! You give them a diploma because they are a high school graduate. :)

[StaceyinLA]

She wants to go to cosmetology school and the state licensing board for that requires an accredited diploma or a GED. Even if she chooses to attend college, she would start at the cc level and they have no qualms with the GED either.

Oldest dd had her hs diploma, test scores, etc. and did fine getting into a regular, 4-year college here. 2nd dd has no desire, at this point, to go to college and will have to have the GED to get into the program she wants, barring my having to scratch and kick my way through the state licensing board, which I just don't know if I'm up to doing. Because of that, I am letting her go the GED route AND graduate with her hs diploma.

3rd dd is in ps for high school after 2 years of wanting to go. Obviously, she will have no issues.

Ds is undecided, but, with his abilities, I doubt he'll have any problems going where he wants to go when the time comes.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I know it is a hindrance in the military, but I used to tutor adult high school/GED students and one of the guys I met there was an attorney who had started out with his GED.

[ravengal]

I don't think so. If a student starts out at the community college level, proves themself academically, and moves on to a four-year program, I don't see how having a GED would be harmful.

Other than military enlistment, does possession of a GED have to be disclosed? Could a student get one and get a mom-generated hs diploma. Our local two-year schools don't accept students on the basis of a homeschool transcript alone. . They will accept homeschooled students who enter as postsecondary students, which requires parents to declare themselves a private school in order to take advantage of the program.

[Ellie]

I know it is a hindrance in the military, but I used to tutor adult high school/GED students and one of the guys I met there was an attorney who had started out with his GED.
I'm not sure it's a *hindrance* in joining the military. There was a time when some branches of the armed forces (or all--I don't know) *required* homeschoolers to have a GED. Happily, that is no longer true (although some recruiters have not figured this out).

At any rate, I don't believe a GED would be a hindrance if it was once required, KWIM?

[Kari C in SC]

I'm not sure it's a *hindrance* in joining the military. There was a time when some branches of the armed forces (or all--I don't know) *required* homeschoolers to have a GED. Happily, that is no longer true (although some recruiters have not figured this out).

At any rate, I don't believe a GED would be a hindrance if it was once required, KWIM?

I guess you could say it is not a hindrance, because they can get into the military with a GED. The negative is they do not qualify for the bonuses with a GED. My ds just joined last month and this was the case as of then. My nephew joined 2 years ago. He was homeschooled through 11th grade. Then he got his GED. He did not qualify for very much in the way of a bonus.