Making the transition from a high school classroom to a big university can be daunting enough for a K-State freshman. One group of students face a bigger culture shock as they move from the kitchen table with mom to a lecture hall full of strangers.
“I remember my first day in a hallway with hundreds of kids waiting to get into class,” said Eric Lovich, sophomore in architectural engineering. “I was like, ‘Wow. This is way different.’”
Lovich is one of a small handful of K-State students that earned their high school degree from home.
As a member of Cornerstone Family Schools, a home education assistance organization based in Topeka, Kan., Lovich was able to study from home and participate in other academic, athletic and social events to help him get into K-State and make a smooth transition.
Getting In
It all starts with a visit. Lovich, his best friend and their mothers explored K-State at a Homeschool Day event on campus. That was enough for Lovich to know he wanted to be a wildcat and began the application process.
The application process for homeschool students is similar to that of a public school student. K-State requires a minimum ACT score of 21, a SAT score of 980 or above, or a GED score of at least 510 on each subsection. Other qualifiers do not apply to homeschool students because they of the different educational situation.
Many homeschool students take classes from a community college while they are still in high school to help prepare them for the college classes and make it easier to get into a bigger university like K-State.
“My application process was helped by the transfer credits that I had from Allen County Community College,” said Joe Mollenkamp, junior in mechanical engineering. “I did not have any trouble applying. I was not only accepted in to the university, but also the College of Engineering on my first try.
However, some homeschool students decide to go the traditional route and jump head first into the collegiate experience away from home.
“I think the more daring of us who were ready to run away from homeschooling and were tired of our parents were the ones who jumped here the quickest,” said Caitlin Reynolds, a senior in history and anthropology. “I think we are pretty well adjusted.”
According to Pat Bosco, Dean of Student Life, K-State is the often the number one choice for homeschool students in Kansas. K-State admissions representatives continue to recruit homeschooled students because of their overall successes at K-State.
Getting the Grade
Getting in to K-State is just the beginning. Adjusting to classes is its own set of hurdles for homeschoolers. Lovich said his community college classes in high school gave him a heads up, but there were still adjustments to make.
“The first couple weeks I was here were a little weird,” Lovich said. “I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed, but it was so much bigger than Allen County. I didn’t really feel that overwhelmed with the classes when I got here. They had more work, but at the same time I was used to college level classes. The only problems I had with teachers were normal problems every student has, like how I was graded on something.”
The initial switch is not always as smooth as some would like. Some have a harder time adjusting to the larger class sizes.
“The first semester I did not do exceptionally well,” Mollenkamp said. “it is just that I was used to a smaller class environment. The next semester I did better and have gotten decent to good grades since.”
With the increase in class sizes comes another distraction, the people themselves.
“I am used to doing my work on my own so that when I am around my friend I can have fun,” Mollenkamp said. “I have had trouble working in a study group. I know other people can help, but when they are around I tend to get distracted.”
Bosco said that homeschoolers are a “great group” of K-State students and tend to do very well in the classroom. Mollenkamp agrees and said that homeschoolers perform well in the because of the strong work ethic instilled by their parents.
“Homeschoolers tend to see C's as barely passing and sub-par,” Mollenkamp said. “I think it comes from having you parents see all of you work, not just grades. It is hard to hide poor work when they are doing the grading.”
Fitting In
A heavily debated concern about homeschooling is a perceived lack of socialization. Lovich agrees that it is one of the biggest pieces of the transition, but believes his time in sports through Cornerstone prepared him well.
“I don’t openly go around saying, ‘Hi. My name is Eric and I was homeschooled,’” Lovich said. “Unless people ask me where I went to school, they don’t even know. Most students here, at least from my experiences, whenever I tell them I’m homeschooled, they are like, ‘Woah! Really?’ They expect some weird, nerdy, freak kid. I have met some homeschool kids here that make me understand why there are stereotypes, but I have also met a lot that are out there that you wouldn’t be able to tell.”
Reynolds agrees that most homeschoolers pass by everyday undetected and that might have something to do with their extracurricular activities and social groups.
“No one assumes you were homeschooled when you say you are on the debate team,” Reynolds said with a laugh. “That’s where all the liberals hang out. There’s definitely a lot more diversity here than there was in homeschool-land. Most of the arguments or disagreements were about theoretical positions or nonsense like that. So then you come to college-land, and you’ve got the hippies over here and the liberals over here. Homeschooled, conservative Christians are probably your smallest niche group.”
Reynolds went on to say that she enjoys the diversity at K-State and the freedom to be her own person. During her sophomore year, Reynolds was forced to choose between the rowing and debate teams due to time conflicts.
“It was a big turning point in my college career,” Reynolds said. “I think I picked the least homeschooler-ish choice in that situation. I chose to hang out with people completely opposite of the kids I hung out with in high school. I think that was my break away from my last vestiges of homeschool-land.”
This break away from “homeschool-land” was exactly what Reynolds needed in her life, but was very different from the path her younger brother Colin, sophomore in pre-law, chose.
“He is big on campus ministry groups like Cats for Christ,” Reynolds said. “He’s much more on the straight and narrow, traditional homeschooler path than I ever took.”
Although homeschooled students enjoy the freedom to choose to go down different paths and join a new social circle, problems can arise when ideas clash.
“Homeschoolers do not have to worry as much about the social scene and this relives a lot of unnecessary pressure in high school,” Mollenkamp said. “The problem arises when they interact with people that don't understand their point of view. Interaction between homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers is similar to the interaction between people from different states. They are basically the same just with a different view point on life.”
Despite the differences in education, Reynolds believes both groups need time to adjust to the collegiate social world.
“It wasn’t some kind of culture shock and homeschool girl had to run home,” Reynolds said.”It was more just other people adjusting to me. It took a while for people to believe I had friends and could speak normal languages and not just Latin. Eventually I convinced people I knew what social interaction was.”
Staying Fit
As a part of Cornerstone, Lovich and Mollenkamp competed in basketball , track and cross country during their high school years. After graduation, they had to make changes to keep their bodies and competitive spirits satisfied.
 |
| Lovich (#15) celebrates winning the championship with his homeschool basketball team. |
Lovich keeps up with his passion by playing when he can at the Peters Recreational Complex. Mollenkamp went in a different direction to keep in shape. He joined the Air Force ROTC program. Mollenkamp said he enjoys the early morning physical training sessions and combatives classes that came along with the program.
 |
| Mollenkamp now serves in K-State's Air Force ROTC. |
Reynolds took a different path from most homeschoolers again when it came to athletic activity after high school. She was given the opportunity to join the women’s rowing team and take the step up to Division 1 competition.
“You come from homeschool-land where it’s more important that you are praying before games than practicing your free throws,” Reynolds said. “Division 1 is all about your work ethic. Rowing was a different sport and we all sucked at it. It was a different sporting climate, but it was still a team. I think teams are important for settling into a new place.”
“You come from homeschool-land where it’s more important that you are praying before games than practicing your free throws,” Reynolds said. “Division 1 is all about your work ethic. Rowing was a different sport and we all sucked at it. It was a different sporting climate, but it was still a team. I think teams are important for settling into a new place.”
 |
| Reynolds believes her year with the rowing team was beneficial to her college experience |
Staying Connected
Like most high school students, homeschoolers also spend time planning their escape into the real world.
“I was like any other 18 year old,” Mollenkamp said. “I wanted to get out of my parents house. When I graduated I went to work for my cousin in Idaho. When I was there, I did miss my family, but it was not too bad. I still am close and keep in touch with all of my siblings.”
A child leaving the nest is a part of life, but it is often harder on homeschool families because they are together more than their public school counterparts.
“I think it’s a typical parental feeling,” Reynolds said. “It’s probably a little bit different for homeschool parents because they are used to having their kids with them all the time. Then all of the sudden, there is a shift to the kids not being under their control anymore. It’s probably harder on the parents than the kids. We look forward to it.”
As much as kids look forward to the escape, the parents look forward to the returns.
“They always say when I come back that the house has all this energy and they miss that,” Lovich said. “They aren’t crying or anything. They know this is how it works.”
Reynolds said it is a similar situation in her family when she and her brother have not visited home recently.
“I do not go home enough for my mom, Reynolds said. “She highly disapproves. I think she was insecure about it my freshman year, but my dad was cool with it and calmed the waters a bit.”
With a couple years under their belts, they all say they are still close with their families despite being an hour away from them. They say they appreciate the time the spent together over the years, but right now are enjoying their time apart.
“Obviously I miss home at times,” Lovich said. “I get in a groove coming here and this almost feels like my home.”
No comments:
Post a Comment