October 25, 2013 - Millenial Influx

Tripping My Way to a Beauty Pageant Crown

On October 25, 2013March 13, 2015 By millennialinflux

Double First Time: Mackenzie MacArthur (on left). by Mackenzie MacArthur, guest columnist It took many years, but my aunt finally […]

Slam Dunk + High School = Dream Fulfilled

On October 25, 2013October 28, 2013 By guest-columnist

by Kevin Horner, guest columnist Blistered hands, embarrassing failures, consistent disappointment. The struggles in my quest to dunk a basketball […]

The Bug That Almost Took My Life

On October 25, 2013October 28, 2013 By alyssapaulsen

Frustration swelled inside of me as I frantically searched for my mother’s car keys. I had borrowed her car earlier […]

Faith Meets Folk: My Experience at a Mumford & Sons Concert

On October 25, 2013November 1, 2013 By sarahkaczka

The music crescendoed in a blast of guitar rifts and drum patterns, the air pulsing with pure adrenaline. Someone a […]

The Big “21”: Responsible Freedom for One Who Can Drink

On October 25, 2013June 25, 2014 By tylercharleston

Some people consider birthdays to be worthy of a huge celebration. And in some places, being able to celebrate having […]

The First Time I Got a Brother

On October 25, 2013June 1, 2014 By annamorris

I’ve never wanted a brother. I haven’t blown out candles for a football-tossing, video gaming big guy, or gotten down […]

4 Things About Sleep No Millennial Should Ever Forget

On October 25, 2013November 16, 2013 By williambyrd

1. You are more likely to gain weight. When the human body doesn’t get enough sleep, the stress hormone “cortisol” […]

Is It Ethical for Andrew Howe to Wrestle in the NCAA?

On October 25, 2013November 16, 2013 By williambyrd

NCAA Wrestling is looking to have an exciting 2013-14 season. Many of last year’s national champions are returning for a […]

The First Time I Was Broken

On October 25, 2013August 16, 2014 By abbydorman

Having made it all the way to age 15 without breaking a bone or suffering a major injury, I thought […]

7 ¾ Tips for Your Millennial Budget

On October 25, 2013 By bondroth

We Millennials are overindulged. We can do practically anything from our fingertips, including ordering any item in the world we […]

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.