UD’s Elizabeth Griffin Smith: Home-schoolers ‘adjust to college level work well’

Home-schooled students adjust to college life similarly to traditional students, a University of Dallas enrollment official said.

Elizabeth Griffin Smith, assistant vice president of enrollment at the University of Dallas, told Education Daily Wire that approximately 15% of the university’s student body was home schooled during high school. UD’s admission counselor for home-schooled students helps “students from both accredited and non-accredited programs through the admission process,” Smith said.

“Like any student, home-schooled students can vary in how well they adjust to campus,” she said. “Since home-schooled students are oftentimes accustomed to self-directed academic work, they tend to adjust to college level work well, as college students are expected to complete much of their work on their own outside of classroom time.”

Christian college freshmen to traditionally schooled Christian freshmen suggested “that home schooled college freshmen successfully adjust to the social and academic and social environment of a Christian college with a diverse student population,” a 2007 National Home Education Research Institute study said.

UD was listed third among the top 30 “The Best Colleges for Homeschool Graduates,” TheBestSchools website said.

“Home-school students find that small seminar-style classes, tight-knit community and active faith life make UD a perfect place to build upon their unique educational foundation,” the UD website said. “We understand how exhilarating yet difficult the college search can be, so rest assured that the home school application process has been specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of a home education.”

A home-schooled student’s evidence that they’re “prepared for college-level work,” is an important factor in their admissions application, Smith said.

“Strength of curriculum and writing ability are two big determining factors there, in addition to grades/academic performance,” Smith said. “Additionally, what is their understanding of the University of Dallas, and what will they bring to our community? … While we do like to see students who are involved in things outside of their studies, we know this will look different for each student depending on their unique interests and circumstances.”

The dean of admissions at Colgate University in New York emphasized the importance of homeschool applicants sharing exactly what they did with their learning time, such as activities they participated in during their high school years, when applying for colleges in a 2018 U.S. News article.

Texas requires that state institutions of higher education hold home-schooled graduates “to the same general standards” as other graduates, the Texas Education Agency said. 

There are approximately 350,000 home-schoolers in Texas, the Texas Homeschool Coalition website said. Homeschool.com reports that homeschooled student applicants to a college will not be hurt by not having a class rank.