Starting College as a Homeschool Graduate: What I Wish I Knew and What I Gained
Starting college is a big step for anyone, but it can feel especially unique when you’ve been homeschooled from kindergarten to graduation, as I was. Like many others who enter college, there were things I felt prepared for and areas where I quickly realized I was behind. In this post, I want to reflect on what I wish I had known when I started college as a homeschool graduate—and the advantages that homeschooling gave me in the transition.
What I Wish I Had Known
One of the challenges I encountered was academic formatting, to be more specific, essay formatting. If you’re like me, you might have done a lot of writing in high school, but the specific rules for academic writing in college—MLA, APA, Chicago, you name it—can feel like learning a new language. Understanding how to structure a paper, properly cite sources, and format it according to your professor’s requirements is a skill that I wish I had focused on before stepping foot on campus.
Another area that caught me off guard was the sheer number of study tools available—tools I didn’t know about until I was already struggling to keep up. Many of my peers had already been introduced to things like flashcard apps, online study groups, and note-taking strategies during high school. Meanwhile, I found myself playing catch-up, figuring out which resources worked best for me. I learned that there is a difference between self-teaching which many homeschool students are familiar with and reviewing notes or study habits.
What Homeschooling Gave Me
On the flip side, homeschooling gave me a distinct edge in other areas. One example is time management. Being responsible for your own schedule for years really pays off when you get to college and suddenly no one is making sure you go to class or finish assignments on time. Many of my fellow freshmen struggled with balancing their new freedom with the demands of college life. This wasn’t as much of an issue for me—I was already used to structuring my day and sticking to a plan.
Additionally, when things went awry—whether that was a class being canceled, a sudden switch to an online format, or needing to miss a lecture—I had the skills to seek out resources on my own. Homeschooling instills a sense of independence and resourcefulness. If I didn’t understand a topic, I knew where to find the information: whether it was in a book, a YouTube video, or an academic journal. While many of my peers were floundering when things didn’t go as planned, I was able to adjust and find alternative ways to learn the material.
Finding a Balance
For homeschool graduates like me, starting college is all about finding a balance between new challenges and leveraging the skills you’ve already developed. While I struggled at first with things like essay formatting and finding the best study tools, I found that the independence, time management, and resourcefulness I had honed during earlier school years gave me a head start in other areas.
Many people think homeschoolers are destined to be behind, but that is not remotely true. I finished my first year with a 3.8 grade point average, and 78% of peer-reviewed studies on academic performance show that homeschoolers perform statistically higher, and they are more likely to graduate from college. Suppose you’re about to start college as a homeschool graduate. In that case, my advice is this: take some time before your classes begin to familiarize yourself with the academic tools you’ll need—especially for writing and research. But don’t discount the skills homeschooling has already given you. Time management and independent learning will serve you well in ways you might not expect. College is a learning curve for everyone, but if you can combine the best of what homeschooling has taught you with the resources available in college, you’ll set yourself up for success.
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