Transitions after home-schooling?

[Bibby]

It's been a while since I've finished high school - nearly seven years, in fact. A lot of things in home-schooling have changed now that there are so many new technology options I either didn't have or didn't know about a decade ago, and some of this post deals with local/regional concerns that might not apply everywhere. The basic question, however, remains the same: Since high school isn't going to last forever, how have former home-schooled students adjusted to college, jobs, and the "real world"? Were there any bumps in the road, expected or otherwise?

Academically, I've had no real problems adapting to college. Home-schooled students typically have an excellent grasp of the fundamentals needed to succeed at the college level - being able to read well, to understand basic math, to think critically, and to be self-motivated enough to study even if nobody's holding your hand every step of the way. I've passed all 14 of the CLEPs I've taken, and I still have a 4.0 GPA entering my senior year. That's not so bad. I've hardly ever gotten a score lower than a 90 on any significant assignment in college. Some of my classes have had team projects or more writing and more quizzes than I was accustomed to, but adapting to those was not hard at all.

The most difficult part of college was actually getting in. The university I had originally been planning to attend has a confusing and bureaucratic admissions process, which turned me off so much that I wasn't sure college was feasible for me - especially since I was unsure about how home-school transcripts would work. Leaving the flexible, anarchic structure of home-schooling can be a shock when you move to someplace that's shackled by rigid policies and procedures. I later enrolled in another (brick-and-mortar) college that was somewhat less confusing and bureaucratic, where I expect to graduate in about a year. I also had a tough time settling upon a single program of study, since there were a lot of different things I could've pursued, and I had a hard time committing to a major.

I've found adapting socially to be more complicated. I'm basically an extrovert, and I usually enjoy meeting new people. I've had no problems getting to know the older students in my class. However, I've found it hard to communicate with my younger classmates. It's awkward to try to converse with someone who's constantly texting and Facebooking, and at least in Florida, the younger generations seem to be a bit on the chilly side. Being able to connect with older, more experienced professionals is great for one's career, although it's not the best news for the romance department or for those wanting to meet people who aren't overburdened by their jobs or family obligations.

Professionally, getting a job has proven to be rather difficult - although that's hardly a rarity living in Florida, especially in a neighborhood that's been hit especially hard by the "Great Recession" and local demographic shifts. I've generally heard that home-schooled students do well in their careers, although there's been a lot more research on home-schooled students' success in college than in the job markets.

This topic has been on my mind lately, and since a big chunk of the members here have some kind of background in home-schooling, I'd love to hear some of your experiences and opinions.