Kristen Speelman – Millenial Influx

News, commentary, opinion, and analysis from the Millennial generation

The Great Adoption Controversy

On April 19, 2016April 19, 2016 By kristenspeelman

According to Adopt U.S. kids there are over 108,000 children waiting to be adopted across the United States.Unfortunately there are […]

Profile of an Artist: Makayla Cole

On April 7, 2016 By kristenspeelman

There is no denying that art plays a significant role in all of our lives whether we are creating art […]

Decreasing Divorces: What has Changed?

On March 26, 2016March 29, 2016 By kristenspeelman

There is no doubt that the American marriage is changing. Laws and social norms established over the last century […]

Second Class Citizens? Muslims in America

On March 3, 2016 By kristenspeelman

In December presidential candidate Donald Trump made headlines with the suggestion that all Muslims should be barred from entering the […]

Four Senses: My Experience with Blindness Opened My Eyes

On January 29, 2016March 31, 2016 By kristenspeelman

Humans have five senses: touch, smell, taste, hearing, and vision. For most people vision is the most important of the […]

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.