All homeschooling journeys end sometime.
I homeschooled my kids for many years, yet I never really thought about that time with them ending. Some veteran parents say to begin learning at home with “the end in mind”, which is awesome advice that you should totally follow.
Our family has gone through a couple of monumental changes since my kids were born, though. And “the end” is looking very different than I would have ever imagined.
One of those changes was deciding to strongly encourage a university education for my kids. I didn’t parent them that way for most of their childhoods. Trying to course correct at a later age came with some…challenges.
In case any of you are also trying to navigate this adjustment during the teen years (or if you just want to learn from my mistakes), I wanted to share three tips for helping your homeschooled child prepare for college.
By no means are these the only three ways that will work, nor are they necessarily the best ways to approach this transition. But they worked for me. And they may work for you too!
Why the Idea of College Was Difficult for My Homeschooled Children
In our case, the very idea of college was novel. I didn’t raise my kids to grow up and go away to a university. We never talked about it in their young years and they didn’t know anyone who had a college degree either.
After my divorce, I decided to go back and get my degree in accounting. I graduated cum laude last fall, by the way.
Trying to get a college education while raising four children alone and holding down a full-time job was unbelievably hard. Probably one of the most difficult pursuits I’ve ever attempted.
I thought about my children and what life I wanted for them. I didn’t want them to miss getting their educations during youth and then try to go back and juggle everything later like I had to do.
This was a drastic u-turn for us. But finishing my degree helped me get a better job, which led to a better lifestyle for the kids almost immediately. They got to see the difference between having a college education and not having one – right before their eyes.
That helped a lot.
It was still an uphill climb, though, especially for my boys who are not fans of school in the first place.
3 Ways to Help a Homeschooled Child Prepare for College
1. Consider putting them in public school (for a while, at least).
Okay, I know this may be controversial, but hear me out.
My kids were homeschooled almost the entire time from birth through middle school. After Covid eased and schools started to open back up, I decided to send them to public school permanently.
Because our family life had been heavily structured around a strict religious belief system, they didn’t have much exposure to kids in the community and how they lived. Getting them into public school helped them become acclimated to people who thought and behaved differently from them.
Without that, the prospect of college would have been impossible.
If you can get that exposure for your kids without putting them in public school, awesome.
But enrolling in public school was a good decision for our family. So if you’re thinking about doing the same, don’t feel like a homeschooling failure by any means.
2. Take as many college tours with your child as you can.
This one is pretty simple. Start taking your kids on college tours as early as possible.
We’ve gone to several and I’ve taken my younger kids as well. The sooner they get used to the idea, the easier that adjustment will be with them as they reach high school age.
If I could go back and do anything differently, it would be to take this step earlier – probably around middle school.
3. Try a college experience stay-away camp.
This is fantastic for older kids. Find a college in your area that allows students to stay for a week and get the experience of attending class and living on campus.
My oldest son attended one this summer at the University of Georgia. All of the pictures in this post are from that camp.
He stayed in a freshman dorm with a roommate for the week and walked to class each day. He ate in the dining hall and had a RA in his dorm and everything.
It was a fantastic, eye-opening experience for him. And for me.
By the end of day two, he was barely calling me at all because he was so busy with the camp schedule and making new friends.
I guess I need to prepare for him going to college too, huh?
There are plenty of other things you can do to help your kids get ready for college, like inviting friends and relatives with college degrees to share their experiences, talking to people at your church who can mentor your kids, and more.
How have you navigated the transition to college for your homeschooled child? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments!
Need more homeschooling tips?
