How have homeschoolers fared in liberal college environments?

<p>My D is seriously considering New College of Florida which has a reputation, even among colleges and universities, of being very liberal.</p>

<p>We are attracted to New College because it seems to be a very good academic fit, both in terms of academic credentials of in-coming classes and in terms of substantive coursework offered. Its reading- and writing-intensive curriculum fits in nicely with D's interests and skills.</p>

<p>My D went to private school pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, then was homeschooled at her request. She has been raised in a conservative Christian home, but she has not been excessively sheltered. We have given her a lot of freedom and have tolerated, if not actively encouraged, independent thinking.</p>

<p>Even so, New College seems a bit edgy.</p>

<p>Would homeschoolers kindly comment on their college experiences in which the college's non-academic environment is quite different from that at home?</p>

<p>This isn't exactly on point, but my homeschooled son found it helpful to visit the schools to which he was applying. Staying overnight with some students was particularly helpful in getting the feel of what students actually do at a school.</p>

<p>Is your daughter worried about political liberalism (e.g. being attacked for conservative political views about the economy and the war) or social liberalism (being surrounded by students who are gay, or having premarital sex, or liberally drinking and/or using illegal drugs)? If drugs/alcohol, she might investigate whether New College (or other schools she is considering) have sub-free dorms.</p>

<p>As an aside, I was amused by the difference between the thread title, "How have homeschoolers fared in liberal college environments," and the first post, which talks about the college non-academic environment being quite different from that at home. There are plenty of homeschoolers who are liberal! </p>

<p>My homeschooling son will be going from his liberal home to a liberal college. I can sort of imagine the shock your daughter will be facing when I consider what it would be like for my son to go to a school like Liberty University.</p>

<p>I don't know if this will help or not, but it seems to me that most colleges and universities have an edgy component. If it is the substance abuse you are addressing, I personally worry more about alcohol abuse and the pressure to party at the larger state universities such as the number one party school in the nation--UF. According to my kids' friends (public and private schooled) who attend these schools (UF, Florida State), peer pressure to jump on the party wagon can be intense. </p>

<p>My son is thinking about NC as well as a number of other liberal arts colleges scattered throughout the country. We are not, as a family, politically conservative, so the liberal political leanings of most of DS's colleges do not bother us. On the other hand, we certainly don't want our kids to become entangled in a drug and alcohol scene. I can say that our daughter who is a student at a liberal women's college in the NE, has come home and told us that she and her group of friends at school have decided themselves not to drink or use drugs. She tells me that the opportunities are there, but she does not partake of them. And she seems to have plenty of company. She enjoys the diversity of political opinions presented at the school--actually finds that immensely refreshing after some of her narrower experiences she had with homeschool groups--but she can still become exasperated with some of the over-the-top PC she has experienced at times. </p>

<p>We hope, as parents, that we have set up our son to make the best choices when he goes to college next year. He chose his colleges with academics in mind, so we hope that he will find a peer group that shares his academic passions and can have a good time but remains substance free or at least respectful of his decision to remain substance free. Not a single college on our son's college list is substance free, but again, I worry more about the pressure to drink and do drugs at a few of the larger universities with party honors.</p>

<p>I hope that makes sense!</p>

<p>Thank you for your comments!</p>

<p>I didn't mean to imply that homeschoolers are all conservative; I know many who are not.</p>

<p>The idea of staying in a dorm a night or two and visiting a few classes during the days (not to mention a meal or two in the dining hall) seems a very good one.</p>

<p>We've visited New College, but the typical campus visit may not be enough.</p>

<p>Substance abuse issues arise at every college. One thing I am trying to find out is how New College's substance abuse issues compare to those at UF, particularly, as UF is one of my D's other choices.</p>

<p>I seek feedback on how homeschoolers feel they are treated at schools where the political and social environment are very different.</p>

<p>I'm not worried at all about my D's ability to tolerate others who are different and who have different political views, she'll be absolutely fine in that regard; I'm wondering about others' experiences as a political and social minority in being tolerated by the majority.</p>

<p>Have others found tolerance as a two-way street?</p>

<p>I go to a school which is considered tolerant, but the vast majority of students here are liberal. I am pretty conservative.</p>

<p>For me, it has depended on who I associate with and which courses I take. I enjoy discussions with liberals but find kindred spirits amongst libertarians and conservatives. Don't join a huge dorm system, where partying is more likely, if your daughter is concerned with that. Don't sign up for classes on the Iraq War or gender studies, etc., as those courses here at least tend to be more politicized.</p>

<p>On the other side, attending a liberal college has been greatly beneficial to me. I was sheltered by my being homeschooled. Going to college and hearing others' varying opinions has helped me better understand why I think the way I do, if I should toss out some of my views, if I should incorporate other views, and, if not, the reasons behind why I shouldn't. It is a good experience to get the full picture.</p>

<p>Hope that helps a little. Your daughter should be able to find her niche wherever she goes.</p>

<p>I think it's never so cut-and-dry, really. I have a politically liberal son (from a politically liberal family) who was homeschooled from 1st grade. He doesn't go to a big party State U, but instead to a small, prestige-y liberal arts college. There is an immense amount of drinking there. He is an athlete, and his team is pretty hard-partying. He doesn't drink, has chosen to live in the sub-free dorm (and just loves it there), but gets along great with his teammates, just the same. He says he hasn't felt pressure from them to drink, although the opportunity to do so is ever-present.</p>

<p>I think our kids are going to do whatever they're going to do. Sometimes they'll make mature and wise decisions and sometimes they won't (probably no different from their parents in that regard ;) ), but they will grow up just fine and have memories of their own of things they were proud of, things they were less proud of... but they'll all be fine.</p>

<p>I do think, though, that it's impossible to predict too much about the nature of the college itself and the effect it will have on our kids.</p>

<p>My very non-partying (also homeschooled) daughter will be going to Flagship State U next year, where the drinking is heavy, the pot-smoking is legend, and the sports goons are a major feature of the student population. I don't worry about her for a minute though. She'll make her way and find her niche, make some choices from time to time that I don't need to know about... but in a dozen other ways this school will be a great fit for her intellectually and artistically.</p>

<p>My very conservative son goes to a LAC with a huge party reputation. He has fared well and has lots of friends, but he does find it sad that so few students seem to have any clue how to socialize without getting bombed. He thinks socialization was an advantage of being homeschooled :-) It has helped a lot that he chose a substance-free floor -- it concentrates the students who have things to do other than drink.</p>

<p>I had a friend very long ago who went to New College. It was very, very drug oriented back then. I'm guessing that the drug orientation has diminished a bit since then, but that the politics may be more oppressive. Tough to be one of a kind. I am a big believer in attending a college that will stretch one, academically and socially. But I am not for not in living in a hostile environment for four years.
St. Johns (MD) among many others has a reputation of offering a classical liberal education.</p>