Do you want your name to also be an acronym? Get a sheet of paper and write down all of the acronyms you like. For instance, I chose O.R.I.O.N., because it's my favorite constellation and the name of my backpacking tent. :-)
Now figure out a name that fits those letters. It helps if it's relevent to your studies. I chose the Outdoor Recreation Institute Of New England.
If you don't care about acronyms, it's a lot easier to think up your name :-)
You'll probably want to create an individualized letterhead design to use for official business and for things like transcripts. When you graduate, a lot of people will want transcripts and other paperwork, written on your college's official letterhead. If it looks official, it causes less eyebrow raising.
Do a search on google to make sure no other college has your same name!
Keep track of what you'd like to do and what you've done already. It helps you focus, is inspiring, and provides material for people to look at.
If you like paperwork, create a newsletter. Write reports. Develop a portfolio. Take pictures! Posting a webpage is an even better idea. :-) There is a lack of information on unschooling in the later grades and college out there. Be a leader in the unschooling movement!
What to study:
The average interesting college costs around 100 thousand for four years. Imagine what you could do with all that money!
Is somebody gave you 100 thousand dollars to study, no strings attached, what would you want to do? Study Astonomy? Spend it on a trip to New Zealand to live with and study natives?
Write down everything you want to do, things you want to learn, places you want to go, people you want to meet.
If you want to graduate with a degree in a specialized field instead of liberal arts, go to some college websites and look up what they make their kids study for that particular degree. You'll probably be shocked at how easy it is when you read the course descriptions! Take a look at their syllabus, too. The bulk of reading material is comprised of textbooks, but you can usually find good normal book selections.
Portfolios:
Portfolios are impressive. They're a collection of things you've written, sculpted, invented, improved, created. They're tangible, physical proof that you've done something.
They're a heck of a lot more interesting, imformative and impressive than a pile of test papers and some lackluster admission essays!
As you learn and do interesting things, keep a record. Take pictures of that 100 mile bike ride you organized. Save the newspaper clippings of the play you were in, or write your own report. You could include that book of poetry you produced, and the illustrated chart you made to identify wild edibles.
But what do you do with your portfolio?
You can take it to job interviews. You future employer will be impressed at all the knowledge and experience you've gained, and remember it more than a chronological list on a sheet of paper.
You can use it to remember all the great things you've done. It will help when the time comes to create a resume.
If you're an artist, a portfolio is a nesscesity. If you devote your college time to projects you love, you'll have a lot to show art galleries and future employers when you graduate!
How do you know when you're ready to graduate?
When you feel like it :-) Seriously! You are your own worst critic. If it's been 2 or 4 years and you don't feel like you're ready to graduate, don't.
One of the great things about Uncollege is that it's easy to integrate with the rest of your life. You can be in Uncollege, have 3 jobs, and volunteer on your off hours for Habitat For Humanity.
Don't feel like you have to complete your degree in a specified time period. If you get really involved with a subject and decide you want to give yourself a masters or a P.H.D, go for it!
Awarding yourself a degree:
In Vermont, it's prefectly legal to print yourself a diploma, if you can show that you've done the work required. A Portfolio is helpful for this, too. Check your state laws.
Remember, there are lots of credible unaccredited colleges operating in every state. Yale, Harvard, and Princeton were all unaccredited at one time. It doesn't make your studying and your degree worth less if your school isn't acredited.
If you want to get accredited (WHY?) you can shell out a lot of money - along the lines of several hundred or thousand dollars - to your local state agency for the privledge. It requires proving that you have your student's best interests at heart, you're not misrepresenting anything, and your professors are decent people.
Degree Specifics:
Check out the Putney school degrees, as done by students. They are so pretty! If you're more computer inclined, you can design one on the computer and print it out on fancy diploma paper or cardstock. Then both you and your parents can sign it.
To make it look really official, you could pay a little money to your town clerk and have her notorize it. This just means that she recognizes the fact that people have signed it. You'll get a cool foil stamp or an embossed seal of the town stamped on your diploma.
If you want to spend around 50 bucks, you can design your own school seal and get an embosser made. It makes documents look oh so official.
These are fun things to do, but don't stress out over them. Likely nobody but your family is going to see your diploma. Has anybody ever asked to see your parents' highschool or college dimplomas? I bet not. But they're still fun to have. :-)
