In my opinion, home-schooled children can be able to gain admission and thrive in good colleges.

In the common definition of 'homeschooling', homeschooling is regarded as the education at home by students' own family members, especially their parents or guardians. Students who are unable to fit into the rules and regulations of the public school systems, as well as conventional private schools, are sometimes educated at home. Parents may also decide to teach their own children if they feel they have the abilities or capabilities to teach their children at home, in a different setting as compared to schools. 'Good colleges', as what I thought, is the colleges that will stimulate the intellectual and social capabilities of the student, hence different people with different sets of needs will have different colleges that would be good for their development.

Legally, it is possible for home-schooled children to get into good colleges. As long as homeschooling is for 'religious' purposes, as stated by the Wisconsin v. Yoder ruling in 1972 and guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; or that home-schoolers, the parents or guardians who act as the home-schoolers' teachers, legally apply for private school status or accepting monitoring from the local school district; it is still possible for home-schoolers to continue being home-schooled and eventually take the standardized tests, that are required for admission in almost all colleges that will be beneficial for the home-schoolers.

Intellectually, I believe the home-schoolers can be stimulated in all fields of study that are required for success in courses in good colleges. Though most home-schoolers may use materials strongly influenced by the Bible or any other religious texts, I personally think they are sufficient, as they are designed to be under the specific guidelines up to the high school curriculum, which is precisely designed to meet the needs for the eventual ease of transition of students who wish to study in college.

Socially, I believe churches or places of religious interests encourage communication between home-schooled and their peers who are not home-schooled. There are also associations for home-schoolers, from Boys' Brigade to Girl Scouts, that allow social interactions, volunteering efforts and leadership opportunities to home-schoolers. Some states like Florida even allow home-schoolers of high school age to participate in high school activities, like sports events. They will not only foster healthy communication and relationships between home-schoolers and the other students in schools, they will get extra-curricular credentials that help in securing admissions in college.

To ease any further concerns in the transition to college, I believe the home-schoolers and their caregivers-cum-teachers can ask for help from counsellors in college. In addition, I understand that everybody have weak areas of concern, or subjects, for help. It should be natural to ask more proficient people in the fields home-schoolers are weak in, for continuous improvement.

I think home-schoolers, having more say and more part in their learning process, have more initiative and power to have their choice in studying, including gaining admission into colleges that are good. Let us all give them the hope to the success they desire now!

Learn more about this author, Timothy Huang.
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