In 2006, my boys were two of 108 top applicants invited to compete for ten full-tuition scholarships at Seattle Pacific University. All 108 invitees had great SAT scores. All had compelling personal stories. Between them they had thousands of hours of community service. Indeed, there was very little – on paper – to distinguish one from the other. That is why, I suppose, SPU used a full day competition to make their decision.
When they were on campus that day, they were evaluated in all types of settings: class room observation, panel discussions, faculty interviews, dining table conversations, walking between classes. For eight hours, they were under a microscope. When they got back, both boys agreed it was the most exciting and invigorating day of their lives.
Only ten full-tuition scholarships were given that year and my homeschoolers got two of them! What made the difference? In addition the normal stuff (GPA, SAT, community service), we were told that the winners were chosen based on things like:
- intereaction with their peers,
- engagement with the faculty,
- self confidence,
- maturity,
- courtesy, and
- a well developed sense of who they were.
In a nutshell, they were chosen based on socialization. Now isn’t that the most ironic thing you’ve ever heard!!
Remember: we did nothing special. We were just ordinary homeschool family struggling our way through high school. The only difference was we taught our kids at home, independently.
Eventually, the world will recognize the superior socialization provided by homeschooling. Do not be discouraged when you are asked for the thousandth time “what about socialization?” Just smile and tell them our story and think about the story you will be able to tell in a few years!
Do you have a favorite socialization story? I’d love to hear it!
