So how is my homeschooled son doing in college?

My son is home for a long weekend.  The school is calling it fall break.  Now that we can finally see each other face to face, I got to pull some information out of him regarding how he is doing in college.

His answer...  It's Ok, but hard.

The amount of reading is astronomical, but he's keeping up with it. (He hasn't discovered that most kids don't do the reading.)

He had a couple of really bad exams, but he's caught on to what the teachers want, so his tests scores are much better.

He is getting A's in English, and doing well in Kinesiology (phys ed/health)

I reminded him that he is on scholarship and has to meet a minimum GPA.  He gave me panicked look
and said "what GPA".

I told him that he needed a 2.5 overall, and a 3.0 in his art (major) class.  He breathed a huge sigh of relief and say he was sure he'd make it.  If he worked really hard, he would get pretty close to a 3.0, but might fall short.

That made me a little sad for a minute.  In my mind all along, a 3.0 GPA or higher was the number in my mind that would prove that homeschooling was successful.  If he didn't get a 3.0 GPA first semester then I would have failed him.

But my oh-so-wise son asked me a question that brought my worries to a halt.  "What did you get your first semester of college?", he asked.  I thought about it and remembered that I got a 1.7 and was on academic probation at the end of my first semester.  Keep in mind that I was an A student in high school and did not goof around at all in college.  The only distraction was that I was commuting from my home in Yonkers NY to Fordham University in the Bronx.... It took about 90 minutes by public transportation.

Not only did I end that first semester on academic probation, but I dropped out and started over again the next fall at a community college in Upstate NY and then graduated from a state college. ... (I ended up being a B student in college)

So I have decided that if I, in all my infinite wisdom and formal education totally flubbed up my first semester, that my homeschooled son should be given some leeway.


FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE
ahermitt.com

5 comments:

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

WHAT?? Really? YOU?? 1.7?? I just am having trouble ever, ever seeing you fall short of a 4.0.

Yonkers, huh? You are a tough girl. I lived in Mt. Kisco and went to school in la di dah Chappaqua. I lived in the dorms in college and it seemed baby-easy except you have to tell the professors what they want to hear. You know? It took me a LONG TIME to figure that out and see? I have a blog and still haven't figured out that I should tell people what they want to hear if I want my numbers to go up. :)

You are one wise Mom to just let it go b/c he sure sounds like he is trying!! He can read and write and sounds like a nice man so there you go. Homeschool success.

Ahermitt said...

Yep... No 4.0 for me. IQ isn't always indicative of performance. I'm sure the chip I had on my shoulder didn't help.

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

More likely the commute really... though the chip on your shoulder is what makes you able to fight what's wrong now. Otherwise there are a ton of things you likely wouldn't bother with... :)

Blondee said...

You went to the Upstate area?! I'm about 35 minutes from Syracuse, NY. :)


Glad he is finding his way. No matter HOW incredible your homeschooling is, college life and learning is an adjustment for all.

Prayers for him that he does well. :)

Ahermitt said...

Yes Blondie. I was in Albany for 4 years then when I graduated I moved to Rochester for 6 years. The kids were born there.

12 grade year of homeschooling, Finishing Strong

We are almost done with my college prep series. There will still be a video on completing the transcript.    Stay tuned... meanwhile, ...