By Meredith Sexton
Editor-in-Chief
Bryan’s new crusade of recruiting homeschool students is creating one of two perceptions. Either homeschoolers need special attention because they are behind or because they are more valuable than other prospective students.
The first option is that homeschoolers are a remote minority, like an abnormality in the student population, something to be monitored. The intense observation of the preferences of homeschooled students, while not giving the same attention to students from private or public schools, makes it seem like homeschoolers are less understood and need special tactics, unlike the “normal” kids.
The second option is that this specialization is elevating these prospective students to a glorified position, as if they are worth more than the other students.
Joshua Hood, director of admissions, said that their recruitment efforts are directed at reaching students from all educational backgrounds. He said it is easier to reach out to public and private schools because they are brick-and-mortar institutions that actively seek colleges for fairs and the like. Hence, they need a homeschool specialist. It just takes a little more work to get in touch with homeschoolers.
The Admissions office is set to publish a web page featuring Bryan faculty and students who were homeschooled, as well as opportunities for homeschooled students, like dual enrollment. Hood plans on having the page up by Jan. 1.
As a formerly homeschooled student, I appreciate that Bryan is a place where homeschooled students can thrive. I appreciate that they think homeschoolers deserve a place in the student population. I appreciate that Bryan equips student to succeed. I wish that more admissions counselors would be trained to reach out to homeschoolers.
Bryan’s student body has, in the past decade, been divided into thirds from public, private and homeschool, respectively. Several years ago the homeschool population began to decline. Perhaps admissions counselors became less intentional about involvement in homeschool spheres. If that is the case, we cannot let that slide and simply create a new position. Admissions counselors should be trained to interact with students from all educational backgrounds.
A homeschool specialist’s primary function should be to train the rest of the Admission’s staff on how to approach homeschoolers. One person cannot carry this weight, nor should they have to. Until admissions counselors become adept at reaching all three groups, an unbalance is likely to continue.
When having diverse thirds becomes such a prominent goal, exceptional students can be overlooked simply because they do not fit the bill. Young men and women who are eager to become “servants of Christ to make a difference in today’s world” belong to all educational backgrounds.