Sydney wants to be a mortician. CA only has two accredited mortuary science programs. The plan: get the credential to actually do the job, AND stack a BS that gives her flexibility later (own a funeral home, pivot to grief counseling, public health, etc.).
| Step | Where |
|---|---|
| AS Mortuary Science | Cypress College |
| —or— AS Funeral Service | American River College (distance ed available) |
| Apprentice Embalmer (2 yrs, 100+ embalmings) | Any CA licensed funeral home |
| Pass CA Embalmer + Funeral Director exams | CA Funeral Bureau (cfb.ca.gov) |
| Degree | Opens up |
|---|---|
| BS Funeral Service | New Cypress 4-yr pilot — direct industry leadership |
| BS Business Mgmt | Owning/operating funeral homes |
| BS Psychology | Grief counseling, bereavement services |
| BS Biology / Public Health | Medical examiner, pathology, death investigation |
Sources: abfse.org · cypresscollege.edu · cfb.ca.gov · arc.losrios.edu
She's 18+, so no mandatory waiting period and driver's ed isn't required. Recommended: 50+ supervised practice hours (10 at night) before the road test.
Source: dmv.ca.gov · Fees: ~$38 written + ~$38 drive test
For ADD, consistent biological routines are the highest-leverage intervention. Tap a circle to mark today done. Aim for 5+/7 in each row.
If she might leave home in ~12 months, these are the practical "adult basics" worth deliberate practice now.
Sources: commonapp.org · satsuite.collegeboard.org · studentaid.gov · ncaa.org
May 2, 2026 official sitting. Section scores below; domain bars show where she scored in each skill area. Tap a domain to see what's tested.
Log future sittings to see her trajectory toward 1200+.
2026 SAT test dates: Aug 22 · Sept 12 · Oct 3 · Nov 7 · Dec 5. Fee $68 per sitting.
Tests transitions, rhetorical synthesis, sentence revision. Highly learnable — these are pattern-based questions.
Tests ratios, percentages, scatterplots, tables, basic stats. Smaller question count but lowest current score.
2025 sitting (sophomore year): two 2s. Most colleges want 3+ for credit; selective ones want 4+. Naming this honestly so the senior-year AP decision is informed, not default.
| Year | Exam | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | English Lit & Composition | 2 | Below the typical college-credit threshold. Skip reporting on most apps. |
| 2025 | Human Geography | 2 | Same — likely not worth reporting. |
Two 2s suggests AP isn't currently her best signal of college readiness. For a homeschool senior aiming at D3 business + soccer (not Ivy-tier), dual-enrollment classes through a community college (Palomar, Mira Costa, UMD Global) are often a stronger signal than another AP attempt, AND they generate transferable college credit. Recommendation: pick 0–1 AP senior year (in a subject she's strongest in), and prioritize dual-enrollment for everything else.
As a homeschooler, the parent is the "school counselor" on the Common App. This package replaces a traditional high school's documentation.
When you upload Maddie's transcript here, we can review it against what selective colleges expect.
Goal: play in college, not at scholarship level. That points to D3 (no athletic $, lots of merit aid) or NAIA (small programs, often need-based aid). D3 coaches rely heavily on ID camps + direct emails — she should drive this herself.
These are starting points — a mix of D3 and NAIA, mostly West Coast / accessible from CA, all strong in business and study-abroad.
Easier to pick a college with study abroad baked in than to bolt it on later. Ask each school:
She's 16, so California's under-18 rules apply: driver's ed + 6 months on a permit + 50 supervised hours (10 at night) + 6 hours pro behind-the-wheel training before the road test. Provisional license has passenger/night restrictions for the first 12 months.
Source: dmv.ca.gov · CA Provisional License (under 18) requirements
A two-semester load could earn 12–14 transferable college credits BEFORE she starts college — strong signal for selective business programs.
Sources: palomar.edu/high-school-students · palomar.edu/enrollmentservices Special Admit · (760) 744-1150
Four parallel tracks: academics (GPA + course rigor), baseball development (measurable KPIs), recruiting exposure (showcases, video, coach contact), and physical foundation (strength, sleep, nutrition appropriate for a 14-year-old's growth).
| Mission Vista HS | Homeschool + Club / Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball exposure | HS season (Feb-May), CIF San Diego. Local visibility but college recruiters spend most time at club/travel events. | Year-round club ball with elite organizations (SoCal Renegades, Trosky, Canes SoCal) — this is where D1 actually recruits. |
| Academic ceiling | Constrained to what MV offers (AP load, scheduling). Need to confirm AP availability + class rigor. | Maximum flexibility — stack AP, dual-enrollment at Palomar/Mira Costa, online providers for the most rigorous courses. |
| Social experience | Traditional HS — teammates, friends, daily routine, school events. | Requires intentional social structure (homeschool co-op, club teammates, church group). |
| Scheduling for showcases | HS season conflicts with some spring showcases. | Total flexibility for travel, showcases, weekday tournaments. |
| Local homeschool ball | N/A | San Marcos Youth Baseball (1,500+ players, fall ball, tournaments) + North County Sports Academy clinics. Confirm whether a true homeschool league exists or if it's "homeschoolers playing club ball." |
| Path to top D1 / Stanford | Possible but rare from MV specifically — track MV's recent college commits as proof. | Far more common path for elite recruits. Most D1 commits come through travel ball + showcases. |
If the social side of MV matters to him (Friday-night feel, school sports culture, classmates daily), that's a legitimate reason to go — kids burn out on year-round travel ball without that grounding. Mid-strategy adjustments are also possible: HS frosh/soph year, then transition to homeschool junior year when recruiting heats up.
Sources: maxpreps.com · sanmarcosyouthbaseball.com · ncsasports.org · perfectgame.org
Update Eli's current metrics as he tests. The green tick on each bar is the typical D1 recruiting threshold by junior year.
Sources: ncsasports.org/baseball/recruiting-guidelines · premierathletes.co · nextcommit.ai
NCAA D1 contact rule: coaches can't directly contact recruits before Aug 1 of junior year, but Eli can email coaches anytime and attend their camps.
For Stanford-tier admission, course rigor and unweighted GPA matter more than any single test score. Build the schedule below over 4 years.
| Subject | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Honors English I | Honors English II | AP Lang | AP Lit |
| Math | Geometry or Alg II | Alg II or Pre-calc | Pre-calc or AP Calc AB | AP Calc BC or AP Stats |
| Science | Bio (H) | Chem (H) | AP Bio or AP Chem | AP Physics |
| Social Studies | World History | US History or AP World | AP US History or AP Gov | AP Econ or AP Psych |
| Foreign Lang | Lang 1 | Lang 2 | Lang 3 (H) | AP Language |
Stanford profile: avg unwt GPA ~3.96, SAT mid-50% 1510-1570.
For a 14-year-old still growing, the highest-leverage training isn't max-effort lifting — it's movement quality, posterior chain strength, and arm care. Overuse pitching injuries (UCL tears, growth-plate damage) are the #1 thing that derails baseball trajectories. The Pitch Smart guidelines (mlb.com/pitch-smart) cap pitch counts and require rest days; ignoring them is the single biggest preventable risk to his career.
Healthy framing: Stanford is the north star, but several other outcomes also count as a great life. Naming them now reduces all-or-nothing thinking.
| Outcome | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Stretch · Stanford / Ivy baseball | 3.94+ GPA, max rigor, 1500+ SAT, plus D1-level recruiting profile |
| Realistic · Top D1 baseball | 3.5+ GPA, strong recruiting profile, willingness to consider any geography |
| Realistic · Top D3 baseball (Pomona, Claremont, etc.) | 3.8+ GPA, strong rigor, solid HS-level player. Best blend of elite academics + playing time. |
| JUCO → D1 transfer route | Strong HS profile, JUCO development year, then transfer up |
| Non-baseball path · Top university | Academics carry the day; baseball was the development engine, not the ticket |
Stage: Run a real, small thing. Bonus: a funeral home is itself a small business — entrepreneurial skill maps directly to her career goal.
Stage: Ship a side hustle + study the playbook. The best prep for studying business is having actually run something. Bonus: a real venture is a compelling Common App essay.
Stage: Earn the first $100 yourself. At 14, the most valuable thing is the experience of doing something for a customer who pays. Tiny scale is the point.
Highest-leverage AI use for ADD: structure scaffolding. Break assignments into steps, build study schedules, summarize chapters, prep flashcards.
For her: use AI to learn faster, not to write for her. Common App + most colleges now ban AI-written essays — but feedback partner is fair game. Also great for SAT prep, business research, and language practice for study abroad.
For him: AI as the most patient tutor he'll ever have. Powerful for math (step-by-step), language conversation, baseball analytics. Caveat: he must do the actual thinking — AI explains, he solves.
| Habit | What it actually means | Time/day |
|---|---|---|
| Scales + arpeggios | All 12 major + 12 minor keys, hands together, eyes closed | 5 min |
| Sight reading | 1 brand-new short piece daily, played slowly without stopping | 10 min |
| Repertoire piece | One challenging piece worked in 4-8 bar chunks (not start-to-finish) | 15 min |
| Ear training | Play a song by ear (pop, hymn, anything) — no sheet music | 5 min |
| Theory / improv | Play chord progressions in different keys; improvise melody over them | 5 min |
Realistic goal: play casually for life, perform 1 family piece per holiday. Piano is also a great ADD-friendly mental reset (10-15 min before studying = better focus).
Goal: strong well-rounded musician by graduation. Piano is a great extracurricular for college apps — but only with evidence of engagement (recordings, recitals, accompanist roles).
Goal: keep momentum through high school. Most boys quit piano around now — staying with it is itself the win.