HSHSP 107: How a Homeschool Athlete Made it to Harvard

This week on HSHSP 107: How a Homeschool Athlete Made it to Harvard.

HSHSP 107: How a Homeschool Athlete Made it to Harvard

Join us for a fun interview with homeschooler, Jake Johnson, and his mom, Suzanne, Sabrina and Kym (who have been Jake’s teachers at the local homeschool group classes).

Jake gives brief explanations for:

Swim ranking in high school
His recruiting adventure
His experience choosing Harvard (and Harvard choosing him)

His mom tells their homeschooling stories:

Their choice to homeschool highschool after some years in a private school and why
The ways homeschooling gave Jake more time to train in his swimming “career”

How did they recognize the gift and that they needed to invest in it:

Early love of swimming (even at age 3, Jake loved swimming)
Early showing of potential/naturalness/speed at swimming
Developing passion and work ethic from early childhood through high school
Recognition on national leader boards
Continuous love of the swim-meet and networking process (peer swimmers and coaches nationwide)

Why homeschooling gave Jake time to develop his swimming skills:

It gave him flexibility to travel
It gave him better time to balance academics and 6-9 practices/week
It helped him develop time management skills
It helped him develop communication skills as he worked with homeschool group classes’ teachers when he needed to be absent
It helped him develop self-management (knowing when to give his phone to teachers, so he didn’t
It helped him manage priorities (balancing academics/swim/friends/church)
It helped him learn to “tough through stuff” when necessary

Jake and his mom’s tips for NCAA swim athletes:

Travel to national and junior national competitions through high school
Work to be on national leader boards
Keep feeding the passion
Keep having fun
Make sure all courses are Level 3 (College Prep) and up
Set up a portal at NCAA eligibility center
Make sure all courses are NCAA approved
Learn how the recruiting process works, talk to NCAA and to coaches BEFORE high school
Keep up with NCAA communication promptly
Do research on the schools that are watching your athlete
Visit interested colleges, at least by sophomore year