Does homeschooling really prepare you for college any better than a

traditional school setting can?

It’s a common opinion – homeschooled students are less prepared for college than non-homeschooled
students. And I’m sure a lot of you have heard about it! There are concerns about socialization and the
completeness and quality of a homeschool curriculum. The thing is, I’d be lying to you if I told you that
these concerns didn’t have any validity to them! But I’d also be lying to you if I told you that they were
entirely true. To put it simply, there isn’t a simple answer to this question.

I mean, for starters, homeschooling is no different from public school, private school, unschooling, and
other educational systems in the sense that there are pros and cons. No system is perfect. On top of
that, you’ve got to keep in mind that in a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are identical,
and no two journeys along the same path are alike. I don’t expect everybody to agree with me, as my
answers will be purely based off what I’ve been through as a student. Everybody’s homeschool journey
is different, and so are their answers to the question: “Does homeschooling really prepare you for
college any better than a traditional school setting can?” So, with that finally out of the way, let’s
discuss…

First off, let’s talk about me. But not just anything about me, specifically what I think qualifies me to
speak about such topics. I mean, I’m just some “homeschooled” student, right? I’ve never actually been
to a regular school, right? Well, that’s where you’d be wrong. I’ve actually been through the traditional
system of education in the past, and after experiencing both worlds, I had finally come to a conclusion:
Homeschooling does it better. Unlike traditional systems of K-12 education, homeschooling is a
competency-based structured system, which places an equal emphasis upon lifelong skills such as
‘growth’ mindset, metacognition, learning how to learn, problem-solving, advocacy, collaboration,
creativity, and the habits of success, as they do upon academic knowledge and skills.

You see, in traditional systems of education, the needs of the current generation aren’t served, much
less the demands of the next. Many schools today look the same as schools did a century or more ago.
Desks are lined in neat rows, teachers deliver one standard lecture, and every student is expected to
perform at the exact same level – learning at the same pace and in the same ways as his or her peers.
This kind of learning model isn’t tailored for each student’s strengths, needs, and interests. Instead, it
places the individuals in a box, punishing whoever dares to step out of it. The current purpose of K-12
education is to, and I quote, “facilitate a process through which all students graduate high school with
the academic and lifelong learning skills to be leaders in their communities, and agents of their own
success – whether in college, career or navigating the opportunities and challenges they will encounter
in their lives.” But can we really say that the traditional system of education is doing just that?

Study after study shows that schools have not only been “killing creativity,” but have also been
inadequately preparing students for life after high school. I mean, even though schools indubitably do
teach helpful skills like perseverance, responsibility, and social skills, they fail to realize the potential of
many individuals out there, often mistaking their extraordinary talent for some form of behavioral
problem or cognitive impairment.

Take the story of Gillian Lynne, for example, who, at the age of eight, was already thought as a problem
student due to her inability to sit still and concentrate. When her mother, worried sick, sought a medical
explanation for Gillian’s constant fidgeting and lack of focus, the doctor suggested they speak privately.
As they got up to leave, the doctor turned on the radio. Left alone in a music-filled room, the eight-year-
old stood up, and began to dance. Observing through the window, the doctor turned to her mother.
“Gillian isn’t sick” he said, “she’s a dancer.” Today, we get to remember her as one of the world’s most
successful choreographers, with hits like Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Cats and Phantom of the Opera
among her many achievements.

Realizing this greater purpose for all students requires attention to issues of equity and quality, meeting
students where they are, and policies that create the conditions for success. I believe that the
competency-based education offered by homeschooling gives the most effective structure for achieving
this educational purpose. Homeschooling allows students to advance based on their ability to master a
skill or competency at their own pace, regardless of environment. You, as the parent and teacher, get
to develop your child’s curriculum. You can include subjects and activities that normally wouldn’t be
offered in regular schools. It’s tailored to nurture and harness the different learning abilities of an
individual.

I’m sure a lot of you still have your doubts. Sure, I’ve proven the academic flexibility of homeschooling,
but how about the other concerns regarding socialization? Some people believe homeschooled children
miss out on socializing with others and are sheltered from the normal pressures of life. Many question
how parents can cultivate important aspects of social development such as resilience and effective
interpersonal skills in their children if they aren’t being exposed to peers in a typical school setting.

I mean, I get it. Home education does occur from a ‘home base,’ but many homeschoolers extend
learning well beyond the bounds of the family home. This is simply because they aren’t confined to a
single classroom in a single building for five to eight hours a day. Their socialization goes beyond the
four walls of a classroom in a traditional school setting. They get to interact with people of all ages, as
well as adults! According to a study conducted by Stetson University on homeschooling and the
‘question of socialization,’ compared to children attending conventional schools, research suggests
homeschooled children often have higher quality friendships and better relationships with their parents
and other adults. Similarly, a study of 70 US home-schooled children concluded that “homeschooled
children’s social skills scores were consistently higher than those of public school students.” Moreover,
because of the homeschool’s curriculum’s inclusion of travel, volunteer work, local service projects and
athletics, homeschoolers are arguably more socialized than traditionally schooled graduates.

And it’s not just socialization homeschooling does better, it’s also building collaboration. Think back to
your own school years, if you asked the student next to you to share his or her ideas on a challenging
problem, you were likely scolded for talking in class or sent to the principal’s office for cheating. You
weren’t rewarded for what you could do with others, but for what you accomplished on your own. The
traditional educational model teaches us not to collaborate. In most cases, it punishes us – and that’s
the wrong lesson for future success. In college and beyond, collaboration skills are valued, as well as
people who are adept at working with others to create better solutions.

Last but not the least, homeschooling offers solid preparation for “adulting.” Inside the four walls of a
classroom, you get a rose-tinted perspective of the world, where everything is implicitly spoon-fed to
you. Through this, teachers teach to or ‘at’ students – “do what I do and know what I know.” In this
setting, students aren’t taught to learn, and this, ladies and gentlemen, doesn’t prepare them for
college, which is why I believe homeschooling does in fact prepare students for college, arguably even
better than a regular school can.