From the kitchen table to the lecture hall: Homeschooled students adapt to college life

Note: More on homeschooled students making positive adjustments to college life both
academically and socially...

By Felicia Baskin (Washington University, St. Louis)
On the first day of classes, the grand lecture halls on Washington University's campus amaze many freshmen. Classes of 300 shock students who are accustomed to classes numbering in the low multiples of 10. For some, however, even the act of learning in a classroom is a change.

For senior Cash Carr, the shift was a positive one. In Colorado, Carr had studied with his brother Nick, now a freshman in college, at home. The switch from a classroom of two to an introductory physics course of hundreds was daunting at first, but Carr noted that "it didn't seem like an impersonal setting."

In fact, according to Carr, the only notable difference between the homeschool setting and the classroom setting was the ability "to interact and ask questions, and immediately get an answer."

There is no official program for homeschooled students in the United States, so studies on homeschooling vary widely. Many students' parents serve as teachers, as was the case with freshman Hannah Sharp.

"[Being homeschooled] gave me a great opportunity to become close to my parents," said Sharp.

Frequently, homeschooled students supplement their work at home with classes at local colleges.

Junior Katherine Martin, a Missouri native, had the opportunity to take classes at Washington University during her senior year of high school, which she said "eased [her] into a college atmosphere of learning."

Sophomore Robyn Haas, however, relied entirely upon home-based coursework for the 10 years before college. Having a set class schedule was noticeably different from the structure of classes at home, where she was able to determine the order of her subjects and the time spent on each subject.

As a result of planning their own academic schedules in the past, homeschooled students at Wash. U. have found that their time management skills are well-tuned for college.

"Even before college I had to figure everything out on my own," said Haas.

For Carr, reserving time for school work is also not a problem.

"Finding time to do things is actually a lot easier," said Carr. "There aren't as many distractions… it's just me and the homework."

While in high school, homeschooled students have access to just as many extracurricular distractions as students in local schooling programs. Both Haas and Martin were active participants in Girl Scouts and interacted with children from other schools in local youth organizations.

Like Haas and Martin, Sharp was involved in a local homeschooling network. She even coordinated the homeschooling conference for her home state of California. Homeschooling networks coordinate field trips, sports and even dances for homeschooled children living in the area.

Carr's family home is 20 miles from the nearest town, so "there weren't a lot of other kids [his] age around."

Yet, Carr's weekly schedule involved four days in a nearby mountain range, practicing with a competitive skiing team. Teammates were actually quite jealous of Carr's schooling situation, because he didn't have to engage in the "political games" of requesting time off from teachers for ski races.

Other homeschooled students also found that their academic arrangements allowed them to pursue personal passions. Martin and her siblings spent their nights practicing piano and other forms of art.

Haas' love for computer science morphed into a custom class taught by her father. She is now a computer science major.

"[Computer science] isn't something my siblings are necessarily going to do… because I was interested, my dad created the class for me," said Haas.

Haas' pioneering didn't stop with her customized academics. The oldest of six children, Haas was also the first go to through the college application process. Without an advisor, it was up to Haas to research schools.

Carr received help from the local public school counselor, but since he "didn't know how well [he'd] do getting into college," he submitted applications to a broad range of schools.

Sharp feels that her application process did not differ much from that of her fellow college students.

"College applications were the same for me as for everyone else-a pain!" exclaimed Sharp.

Nanette Tarbouni, Director of Admissions, noted that the admissions department addresses the distinctive situation of homeschooled students.

"[The admission department's] goal is to get to know each applicant individually and to review their application in the context of the settings they have been in," Tarbouni said.

Since homeschooled students do not always receive measurements of academic achievement (like a GPA), Tarbouni acknowledged that the admissions team does "place more emphasis on standardized testing for these students and [is] clear about that."

Martin recognized that her strong SAT scores likely helped her get into the University, but believes that homeschooling prepared her for much more than superb performances on standardized tests.

"So much of college is studying by yourself," Martin said. "It's not just classroom studies, and I think my homeschooling taught me that."

Though Haas had "no idea at all what to expect" when coming to Washington University, she didn't find herself struggling in the new social environment.

"People seem to have an idea that homeschoolers aren't socialized," Haas said. "But the truth is, they are able to interact better with people of a whole range of personalities."

Carr noted that he "gradually adjusted over the last three years to being more social" in a dormitory context, but he attributes this adjustment period to his personality rather than his home schooling.

The dormitory atmosphere has also been quite influential in Sharp's adjustment to college. An only child, Sharp was not used to living with other children, let alone in a coed environment. She feels, however, that her adjustment into University culture has been easy.

"Forsyth House has done a great job of making it feel like family," said Sharp.

Reflecting on their own high school years, other students might assume homeschooled students have missed out on valuable experiences.

"I don't feel like I missed out on anything," said Martin.

Haas echoed Martin's sentiments and appreciates the effects home schooling had on her character.

"Without going through the middle school and high school phases of peer pressure, I became more independent," Haas said. "And I don't care what other people think of me."

Martin noted that people's perceptions of homeschooled students have changed for the better.

"Too commonly, people think that just because we have strong views we are backwards in education," said Martin.

She then added, her voice gaining a note of delight, "I've noticed over the years that more and more, people seem to have an admiration. There is more respect now."