15 key facts about homeschooled kids in college
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: College/University on 17 Sep 2011.
IN RECENT YEARS, HOMESCHOOLING HAS SEEN A RISE IN POPULARITY, with more and more parents deciding to educate their children not at a traditional school but at home, typically with a parent as instructor. But just like traditional classrooms, homeschool doesn’t last forever, and homeschooled students at some point will have to get ready to move on to college. Things are easier for homeschooled college students today, but in the past, these students were plagued by difficult admissions, culture shock, and more. Now, homeschool students often enjoy easier admission, better college performance, and even the opportunity to enter college with several credits already earned. Read on, and you’ll find out more about what the homeschool college student experience is like today.
1. HOMESCHOOLERS OFTEN ENTER COLLEGE WITH MORE CREDIT
Homeschooled students are able to work at their own pace, and as a result, students have the freedom to move significantly faster than those in a traditional classroom. Michael Cogan, a researcher at the University of St. Thomas, discovered that homeschool students typically earn more college credits before their freshman year than traditional students, with 14.7 credits for homeschoolers, and 6.0 for traditional students. Earning college credit before freshman year can save thousands of dollars and shave time off of a degree. The 14.7 average credits for homeschoolers represent a full semester of freshman year, which is typically 12-15 credit hours.
2. HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS DO BETTER ON THE SAT AND ACT
Perhaps benefiting from personalized test prep, homeschool students typically score higher on standardized college admissions tests. The homeschool average for the ACT was 22.5 in 2003, compared with the national average of 20.8. The SAT was no different, with a homeschool average of 1092 in 2002, and a national average of 1020. ACT and SAT scores are very important for college admissions and even financial aid, so doing well on these tests is vital to a great college experience.
3. HOMESCHOOL GPAS ARE CONSISTENTLY HIGHER
As a homeschooled student, you work on a flexible schedule. Young children may rely greatly on their parents for scheduling and instruction, but high schoolers typically become more autonomous in their studies, learning key skills for success as independent students in college. Research indicates that this time spent learning how to study independently pays off, as homeschoolers typically have higher GPAs than the rest of their class. Homeschool freshmen have higher GPAs in their first semester at college, with 3.37 GPAs for homeschoolers, and 3.08 for the rest. This trend continues with an overall freshman GPA of 3.41 vs. 3.12, and senior GPAs of 3.46 vs. 3.16, indicating that homeschoolers are better prepared for college.
4. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ATTEND COLLEGE
Homeschooled students seem to be more likely to participate in college-level education. As reported by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, more than 74% of home educated adults between 18-24 have taken college level courses. This rate is much higher than the general US population, which comes in at 46% for the same age range.
5. HOMESCHOOLERS ARE EVERYWHERE
Patrick Henry College is one college that specifically caters to the homeschool population, but homeschoolers are increasingly accepted in a wide variety of colleges and universities. In fact, homeschoolers are now in over 900 different colleges and universities, many of them with rigorous admissions. Some of these colleges include Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, and Rice University.
6. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE
Making it to college is one thing, but actually sticking around and graduating is another. Students who have homeschooled will typically do better than other students, with a slightly higher retention rate, at 88.6% vs 87.6% for traditional students. Graduation rates show a higher disparity between homeschoolers and the national average, with 66.7% of homeschooled students graduating, compared to 57.5%.
7. SOME COLLEGES ACTIVELY RECRUIT HOMESCHOOLERS
Homeschool students have proven themselves to be so outstanding that several colleges have begun to actively recruit them. Boston University, Nyack College, and Dartmouth are among them, with a Dartmouth College admissions officer recognizing, “The applications [from homeschoolers] I’ve come across are outstanding. Homeschoolers have a distinct advantage because of the individualized instruction they have received.”
8. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE VERY LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE
Research and probability indicates that homeschooled students typically do very well in college, not just academically, but socially as well. Skills learned in homeschooling translate very well to the college campus, with strong self-discipline and motivation. Colleges recognize this advantage, including Brown University representative Joyce Reed, who shares, “These kids are the epitome of Brown students.” She believes they make a good fit with the university because “they’ve learned to be self-directed, they take risks, they face challenges with total fervor, and they don’t back off.”
9. HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS ARE OFTEN NOT REQUIRED FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Although traditional students will typically be expected to submit their high school transcript, homeschooled students usually do not need one, submitting other information instead. Sixty-eight percent of US universities will accept parent-prepared transcripts. Others will take portfolios, with letters of recommendation, ACT or SAT test scores, essays, and more, allowing homeschooled applicants flexibility in admissions.
10. HOMESCHOOLERS CAN PLAY COLLEGE SPORTS
As long as they meet standardized guidelines, homeschooled athletes can be awarded freshman eligibility to participate in college level sports. The number of homeschooled students participating in sports is growing as well, with up to 10 each year in 1988-1993, and as many as 75 students in the late 90s. Homeschool waiver applicants are typically approved, and in the 1998-1999 school year all applicants in Divisions I and II were approved, indicating not only an increased interest in college sports from homeschoolers, but an excellent openness in participation.
You can read the rest of the article “15 Key Facts” here.
—————————————————————————————————
This article was posted by Carol Brown
8 Comments so far...
Eunice K Says:
17 September 2011 at 10:13 pm.
Has anyone ever done a research on homeschooling in Malaysia? Would be good if we can have the statistics and see how they are doing in our country.
DAVID BC TAN Says:
18 September 2011 at 12:40 am.
It’s early days yet, Eunice. Homeschoolers are still under the radar for one (for obvious reasons), and second, it is still a road less travelled. One day that might change. One thing I do know is, the circle of homeschoolers in our sons’ batch have done pretty well 🙂
Eunice K Says:
18 September 2011 at 1:45 am.
Dear David,
Thanks for the reply. Quite sure the govt knows about it 🙂
While we are very encouraged by the stats in the US, we do wonder exactly how the homeschoolers in our nation fare. While the US has an abundance of resources for homeschooling families, Malaysia as a developing nation might be a bit behind and lacking.
Well, this is just one of the many concerns that we have. And some of us anxious parents do want to know what is at “the end of the road” before we embark on this journey.
Would you be able to compile and come up with the statistics? Or perhaps feature some interviews with those of your son’s batch?
We do need some statistics to be more encouraged. 🙂
Lydia Tan Says:
18 September 2011 at 8:12 am.
Proud to say my daughter is in her second year in SAU in Southern Arkansas, last year she finished her Freshman with a GPA3.88.
My niece is there this year, accepted with a good scholarship and in the Honors Program and she is having an “awesome time in the awesome place” (her words).
I believe Malaysian “Homeschoolers” should be doing just as good if not better. Unfortunately, I have seen “Unschoolers” being called “Homeschoolers”, so that might affect the statistic, I am afraid.
DAVID BC TAN Says:
18 September 2011 at 4:15 pm.
Eunice,
The issue is never of resource but resourcefulness and conviction. It does not matter whether we have abundance or otherwise because everyone starts from somewhere -pioneering homeschoolers in the US didn’t get as much support (for want of a better word) back in the early 60s and 70s. Malaysian homeschoolers like ours who began in the late 80s or early 90s are pretty much in the same place as those pioneers. We have had a number of write-ups on Homefrontier already and a bit of finger tapping will point you to those stories – plus articles on possibilities and potential. We are not as lacking as people imagine, and it doesn’t take much to to educate a child at home, thank God!
Anyway, here’s a list to give you an overview. If these stories say anything, it is that no two families are the same. Different education philosophies, different circumstances, but with similar convictions. And yes, we are all genuine D-I-Y without a care about the bit that’s “behind and lacking” 🙂 Enjoy!
Homeschoolers:
Brian
Jiawen
Balakrishna
Next stop: University
Ethan
Jian Eu
Families:
The Phillips
The Soons
The Ngs
The Lims
Idris Family
Homeschooling Cherish
DAVID BC TAN Says:
18 September 2011 at 4:25 pm.
Wonderful news, Lydia. Take a look at the other stories we have previously posted (if you haven’t read them before – check out reply to Eunice K’s comments) and perhaps we could feature your story one of these days.
The term homeschool refers to those whose kids are mainly educated at home by their parents – whether using a structured programme/curriculum or not. Going by this definition, unschoolers fit the bill. Perhaps you could say they are more radical than most. However I wouldn’t call kids taught in a learning center homeschoolers, even if these centers promote themselves as Homeschool Centers, since learning does not take place at home in the main, and their tutors aren’t their parents.
Eunice K Says:
19 September 2011 at 11:21 pm.
Thanks, Lydia and David for that input and links. It is truly encouraging to hear. Will check out the links!
JANET Says:
20 November 2011 at 9:36 pm.
My friend wanted to homeschool her eldest, who’s 13 but upon given negative remarks about homeschoolers by some of the colleges in Penang, she has decided not to. Some of the remarks by the colleges who have taken in hs: homeschoolers have not been able to adjust to life in college, they are not able to do well in college exams as they have no practice in exams. They get bad grades. They slack etc. Nothing positive at all. I told my my friend that she should do more research and read up on homeschoolers because the contrary is true. Please advise. Is this(what the colleges say) true about majority of homeschoolers in our country?