No homeschool hurdles

For many homeschooled students, applying to college can be an arduous and complicated experience.

But UNC has the right outlook on the admissions process for homeschoolers by not adding the additional burden of extra submissions like many other universities require.

Because they are not enrolled in the public school system, homeschooled students do not receive the class grades or other standardized measures of success that their counterparts do. Thus, the admissions process can be difficult as universities do not have much to go by.

 The College of William & Mary and Miami University of Ohio, for example, require homeschooled applicants to submit a supplement to the Common Application designed for homeschooled students.

Oberlin College, a university in Ohio, requires homeschooled students to take two additional SAT subject tests, complete an interview and create an academic portfolio in addition to their regular application.

Homeschooled applicants certainly should be up to par with the University’s standards just like everyone else. But adding extra requirements doesn’t necessarily ensure that students are qualified.

Besides, homeschoolers need to meet state standards like their public-school counterparts. For example, the state requires that homeschoolers take an annual test that must satisfy three criteria. The test must be nationally standardized, be an achievement test, and must at least cover English grammar, reading, spelling and math.

Only 92 homeschooled students have enrolled at UNC since 2006, and so determining performance at the University is very difficult. But it is nonetheless important to keep extra requirements out of the admissions process.

Homeschooled students offer a different perspective than publicly or privately schooled students and must be included as part of the University’s diverse range of student backgrounds.

By not burdening homeschoolers with extra requirements for admission, the University makes itself more inclusive toward this group.