Will college be correct for her?
As we approach the new year some major decisions must be made by your older home school student. Should they be applying to various colleges in the hope of being admitted? The first thing to consider is what is it that your child wants to do with their life. Are they headed into a medical profession, a college degree is going to be a must. Are they going to be an entrepreneur starting their own business, college is questionable.
I just read a really interesting article written by Kate Fredkis a home school student and it sparked a look at what my own home school students were doing with their lives. My oldest son, who is into computer software, sampled college before he turned 18 and found that it had limited application for his needs. He embarked on an odyssey that included ordering the books from Harvard University and reading the subjects that interested him. He absorbs information quickly and is able to apply it to whatever he is doing. His journey has included running his own businesses, working as a consultant for major companies and running software teams. Did his lack of a college degree hurt him? I think his ability to learn what he needed and his drive to succeed were the important parts of his life so far. He is a firm believer in the home school system and advocates for it whenever questioned about it.
My daughter wanted a horse when she was little and I told her when she could afford the Vet bills she could have one. Well, she can afford them now as she started college when she was 16 and went on to complete her Veterinarian degree and become a Doctor before she turned 24. College was a must for her. She found some of the subjects boring as they really did not apply to what it was she wanted to do with her life, but persevered because they were necessary. She is a firm home school enthusiast and is planning on home schooling her own daughter.
Now we come to youngest son. He is on his third college. He started at our local technical institute and transferred to a University after finishing his second year, after graduation he decided that his big sister could not out rank him in degrees and has continued on in his college to become a Doctor. He is not a home school enthusiast. He debates whether or not home school was correct for him and is unsure if he will send his children to school or not when he has some. Several college degrees are important to him.
An item to consider when your child is looking at further education is how have they learned in the home school environment? Did you have a very structured setting where the children were instructed from 9 till 2 everyday and worked on their subjects in order, or did you have a very free structure where your children learned what they wanted and how they wanted? If they are use to a structured class then college will not be a shock to them and they may learn very well in a classroom setting. However, if your student had a more open way of learning then college life will be hard and unproductive to start. For the free learning style student I would suggest taking a few courses at a community college to start and begin the adjustment process.
Is a college degree necessary for them? Only if they are going into a field of medicine that requires it in order to practice. Do they just want a sample of what college is like? So study the alternatives and good luck on your journey!
