Nick Pulgine, Author at Millenial Influx

Helping the City of Lights Shine a Little Brighter

On December 2, 2013December 2, 2013 By nickpulgine

Aurora, Illinois is home to 199,932 residents, making it the second largest city in Illinois behind Chicago. In 1908, Aurora […]

Miley: Dirty Rebel or Superstar Genius?

On November 15, 2013November 15, 2013 By nickpulgine

A few months have passed and Miley’s crazy act at the MTV Video Music Awards has finally started to die […]

Abby Dorman: Girl Next Door Goes Global

On November 11, 2013 By nickpulgine

A broken foot (twice), a mom with multiple sclerosis, a dad with a passion for sports, and a heart for […]

Sex and Flashing Lights

On November 1, 2013 By nickpulgine

Sex, sex, and more sex. The entertainment world is increasingly riddled with innuendos, scantily-clad women and men, and an ever-growing […]

My First Week of College

On October 25, 2013August 16, 2014 By nickpulgine

“Mom, I finally made a decision…Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.” The past eight months of stress didn’t matter anymore; I was […]

Heather Headley and Broadway: A Calling Ground for Believers

On October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 By nickpulgine

What do Broadway and Christianity have in common? Heather Headley. Heather Headley is a Trinidadian pastor’s kid, who, while performing […]

Working Out Her Faith: Katy Perry’s Spiritual Journey in the Entertainment World

On October 11, 2013October 18, 2013 By nickpulgine

Money, fame, and power: three of the biggest driving forces in celebrities’ lives. Celebrities in today’s culture are being stripped of […]

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.