[twyn1]

Have you had much experience with home-schooled students at the college level ? I ask because my son, who was homeschooled from the 8th grade, is now in Community College and seems to be handling his courses well (Dean's List, 3.95 GPA) -- Although we are what could be called "relaxed" homeschoolers (no strict schedule, you can do "school" wherever/whenever you're comfortable, and we worked until mastery with minimal emphasis on tests), we did focus on strengthening basic skills, esp. grammar & writing (even diagramming sentences) and he actually enjoyed going on to advanced math. I am not overly surprised that he is doing well academically, but I was a little worried about his keeping to a schedule and staying oraganized. Any thoughts ?

[Desparado]

We homeschooled both of our children from 7th grade. Our Daughter is a junior now at the University of Tenn. studying Spanish and world business. She honed her study skills by associating with serious students in her classes.(there are always some students who are actually there to get a good education) They form study groups and study together at night. This has enabled her to get very good grades since she started in a local community college. I wouldn't say we were particularly hard on our kids at home as far as school; but we did make sure they both understood grammer and correct writing techniques by assigning many essays on topics ranging from history to politics of the day. (thus killing two birds with one stone) It is also imperative that they study Algebra 1&2 plus Geometry which really teaches them how to think more tha anything else. Of course some good Critical Thinking courses come in handy too.

[visagoth]

Have you had much experience with home-schooled students at the college level ?

Yes I have, and on balance they are a pure joy to have in class. The homeschooled students get their work done, contribute to class discussions at a level much higher than their peers, and turn in papers that are not painful to read. Which reminds me, I have to order another 55-gal drum of red ink for the assignments I need to correct later today...

College is a little more structured than what the typical homeschooled student is used to but they rapidly adapt - I think they want even MORE structure than less.