Article brought to you by: Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
More colleges welcoming home-schooled students
July 29th, 2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
More and more two and four-year colleges are readily accepting students from homeschooling backgrounds. These students have proven repeatedly that they are capable of academic excellence and intellectual vitality, and are welcome assets to their schools.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Homeschooled students had to overcome initial prejudice from the academic community. Grant Colfax, a homeschooled student along with his brothers overcame numerous obstacles to be accepted into Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now Director of HIV Prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Colfax is now proud that his family served as role models in the national phenomenon of homeschooled students. Their book, "Homeschooling for Excellence" details Colfax and his brothers success stories of going on to procure master's degrees at Ivy League institutions.
Stephen Norberg, was a homeschooled student who went on to be accepted at Harvard. Citing his own experiences, he says "homeschoolers now generally have a good reputation academically and have statistically proven to have sterling test scores, so I think colleges are pretty open to the idea of accepting us . I know it also helps the diversity of the student body, and that's something Harvard is very focused on."
Many colleges boast of many graduates who were originally homeschooled. Bethany College of Missions in Bloomington, Indiana reports that 27 percent of their freshman class in 2008 were homeschooled students.
Jonathan Reider, formerly the Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Stanford University says some homeschooled students do face obstacles, but is usually one of benign indifference. "I don't think anyone has caught on the fact that these are such interesting kids. The distinguishing factor is intellectual vitality. These kids have it and everything they do is responding to it."
While all creditable colleges should have unbiased admission policies, home-school friendly universities include Beacon College, Bob Jones University, Bryan College, Bryn Athyn College, Columbia College, Davis College, Judson College and Troy University.