In each of the past five years, fewer than 30 homeschooled students have applied to MSU. Each of those years, no more than 10 have enrolled, a surprisingly low number considering an average of about 1,500 students are homeschooled in Michigan each year, according to the state’s Department of Education.

The reasons for MSU’s low homeschool population are numerous, ranging from the school’s size to its public perception.

Evaluating enrollment

For those homeschooled students applying to MSU, the chance of admission typically is high.

Since fall 2005, 135 homeschooled students have started the admission process at MSU. Of those students, nearly 80 percent have been admitted, an admission rate slightly higher than the 70 to 75 percent of all students who are accepted.

In the same time frame, about 35 percent of admitted homeschooled students enrolled at MSU, a small drop from the 40 to 50 percent of all admitted students who enroll each year.

MSU Director of Admissions Jim Cotter said homeschooled students typically are reviewed using the same criteria as students from public and private high schools, often with extra emphasis on standardized test scores.

“We realize the homeschool experience is different from the average high school,” Cotter said.

“The requirements across the board are consistent. The information is then reviewed, but different emphasis can be placed on issues depending on the different environments from homeschool students.”

MSU’s admissions procedures mirror those of most schools, said Ian Slatter, director of media relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, a Virginia-based homeschool advocacy group.

“Most schools now have homeschool admissions policies or homeschool admissions officers,” Slatter said.

“You still need to have somebody look at the application with some knowledge of the background of homeschool students to make a determination of who is ready for the challenge of a four-year degree program.”

Low applications

When Holcomb returns home during breaks in the academic year, many of his homeschooled friends tell stories of small-college life.

“It kind of makes sense with the families I know back home,” said Holcomb, an elementary education junior who would have attended Southfield High School in suburban Detroit.

“A lot of the reason why some of those kids are going to community college is because perhaps some of those families are reluctant to send their kids off to a more secular institution.”

It’s a common theme that likely prevents more homeschooled students from applying to MSU. The vast campus, 40,000-plus students, active dorm life and secular background are a stark contrast from the individualized, tranquil educational experience of homeschooled students.

As a result, many homeschooled students study at a community college before advancing to small four-year institutions, said Michele Czupinski, founder of Adventurers, a homeschool organization based in Ypsilanti that serves about 50 families.

“For homeschoolers, the reasons may be varied,” Czupinski said. “One, it’s so much cheaper than four-year university tuition. Two, for some homeschoolers, having that school experience in a smaller setting than a four-year university is appealing.”

Adjusting to MSU

The transition to MSU has been relatively smooth for East Asian languages sophomore Grace Fisher, who was homeschooled in Berrien Center, located in Southwest Michigan.

“There are a lot of students, but you don’t see 40,000 people in one day, so it didn’t seem like a really big deal for me,” Fisher said.

Because of the stereotypes about homeschoolers that Fisher has encountered — that they are smart, not socially oriented and are even bad dressers, Fisher said — she typically is mum on her educational background.

“A lot of times when people find out that I was homeschooled, they’re surprised because they don’t see me as a ‘typical homeschooler,’” she said.

Although Fisher’s adjustment has been smooth, Czupinski said one of her sons struggled with loud and lewd students in his MSU freshman dorm. He subsequently transferred to a community college back home after one semester.

“For him, there was a culture shock of living in a dorm and he was not prepared for the social elements,” Czupinski said. “(My children) are well-socialized, but not well socialized for the hellhole that some dorms have become.”

Holcomb has, at times, been surprised by loud music and the uncleanliness of college living in his Evans Scholars house, which differs from his tranquil home life.

But Holcomb also uses his homeschool experience to his advantage.

In his personal statement for admission, Holcomb wrote about how his homeschooling would add diversity to the university. He also has brought up homeschooling for discussion in his education classes at MSU.

“I feel like it’s something I’ve had all my life,” Holcomb said of his homeschooling background. “Yeah, I’m a little weird, but I’m over it. It gives me perspective and it gives me a new look on things.”