From Homeschool to College

When I was in middle school, my biggest dream was to attend a public school. I thought it would be so cool to get to see my friends almost every day of the week instead of just once a week. I also really wanted to have my own locker for some reason. One of my old best friends gifted me a mini locker for my 11th or 12th birthday and I still have it stored away in my house. 

Having been homeschooled from preschool up to my senior year of high school, the transition to college made a huge impact on my life and drastically changed my daily routine. 

My dream of attending a public school faded when I joined a homeschool co-op called Classical Conversations, where I became extremely close with the 11 other students my age in my class. After making those friendships, I decided that maybe homeschool wasn’t so bad after all. 

I officially decided to finish homeschooling through high school when I was in 10th grade. It didn’t feel right to leave my class behind after we had been together since seventh grade. I met with my Classical Conversations class every Monday all throughout middle school and high school. The rest of the week, we would each complete our assignments at home in preparation for our weekly class time.

At our in-person co-op meetings, we would have in-depth discussions on the curriculum we were learning, whether that was Shakespeare’s plays, math and science concepts, logic, Latin, or history. We would do science labs and experiments such as plant and animal dissections and testing gravity and physics.

In my senior year of high school, I wrote a 23-page senior thesis on the topic of mental health being stigmatized within the Christian Church. Despite my senior thesis project being a ton of work, I really enjoyed writing it and it was one of my biggest accomplishments from high school.

In May 2023, I graduated. I couldn’t believe it. All of my hard work, stress, and tears had finally paid off. I was free. For a few months at least.

After considering my options for many months, I decided that Linn-Benton Community College would be the next best step for me in furthering my education. Since I had never been to a public school, I thought a community college would be easier to transition to than a huge university such as Oregon State. I had a hard time choosing my major, but I decided to go with journalism. 

I applied for FAFSA and the LBCC scholarships while I was still in high school and I sent in my LBCC application. I was able to enjoy a few months of relaxing and having fun with my friends in the summer, but I knew that the first day of college was looming just around the corner.

It was strange. I felt an overwhelming mixture of dread and excitement over starting college. Of course, I was excited for such a new experience and to finally get a taste for a public school, but I was also not looking forward to dealing with the high stress of assignments again. 

Before I knew it, Sept. 25 had arrived. I grabbed the laptop that my parents had gifted me, packed my books, and slung my burnt orange backpack over my shoulder. Then I was out the door and off to my first class of the term, Photojournalism. 

My first college classes were less intimidating than I expected. I was extremely nervous on the first day, but I soon learned that my instructors were warm, welcoming, and eager to answer any questions that I had. 

I felt less alone in my worries when I realized most of my classmates in my First-Year Seminar seemed pretty anxious on the first day as well. My teacher at the time, writing instructor Dio Morales, quickly eased our worries with her calming presence and encouraging personality, and I could see everyone gradually become more comfortable.

Despite having such great professors, college was difficult at first. It was extremely challenging trying to keep up with my studies and assignments while taking 16 credits. While the workload when I was homeschooled was just as heavy, I was in an unfamiliar environment and taking most of my classes in-person. Everything was new to me and it took a little while to get used to such a different routine.

The other biggest challenge I faced during my first term of college was connecting with students on campus. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, and I felt pretty alone most of the time. Many of my friends from high school had moved away or were going to different schools, and I missed them deeply. I longed for new friendships, but I couldn’t seem to find any at LBCC.

Thankfully, by winter term I began to make some friends in my math class and I felt more like I belonged. It’s funny how having a few friends to talk to can make class so much more enjoyable and give you something to look forward to amid the stress of assignments. 

Through homeschooling, I became well equipped in public-speaking, writing long essays, and memorization. Learning these skills made it much easier to adapt to college assignments. In eighth grade, I took a college level logic course which was extremely helpful when I learned similar concepts in my math class last term. 

In addition, because I got so much practice with memorization at my homeschool co-op, it has been extremely helpful in remembering the vocabulary in my Spanish class at LB, as the course is fast-paced. 

Another obstacle I’ve faced in my first three terms of college is having strict deadlines for turning in assignments. Although there were due dates in high school, my parents and co-op teachers were much more lenient when it came to deadlines and occasionally accepted late work. To overcome this, I’ve had to be extremely diligent in finishing my homework on time and say goodbye to my old procrastinating habits. 

Despite these challenges, I’ve really enjoyed receiving grades on my homework and assignments. My mom usually waited until the end of the year to tell me my grades, so it has been really motivating for me being able to see my current grade for each class. 

Overall, my first year attending a public college has been different than I expected it to be, but it has also been a highly rewarding experience. The middle school version of myself would be thrilled if she could see me now.