by Tracey Allen
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications 

Are you a home school student? If so, chances are, you have probably heard of the Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) and their annual Home Educators’ Convention.

In fact, maybe you even attended this year on March 24-25! (If you did, give a shout in the comments!)

This year’s event, which was its 32nd year, was held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, just a few minutes northeast of Ivy Tech’s downtown Indianapolis campus.

Turnout on opening day had several families there bright and early, eager to check out the exhibit hall, guest speakers, workshops and so much more.

Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann speaking at the IAHE Home Educators’ Convention

To kick off the event, Ivy Tech President Dr. Sue Ellspermann was invited to say a few words as the College was sponsoring the event.

During her speech, she wanted to be sure to make parents and children know just how vast Ivy Tech’s reach is, but the small personal touch the College has. This helps to make college an easy transition for homeschool students interested in pursuing their degree.

So, if you are a homeschool student, finding the Ivy Tech campus closest to you (and there are 32 of  them, plus classes taught in 75 communities) will help make the transition to a four-year university MUCH easier.

“As a homeschool student, going to college intimidated me,” said Rachel Pope, Ivy Tech student and marketing intern. “Ivy Tech made college a possibility for me, and gave me so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Rachel Pope speaking at the IAHE Home Educators’ Convention

Rachel attends the downtown Indianapolis campus, which is the largest campus in the state. Even then, the class sizes are still small, with an average size of 22.

The smaller class sizes and personal one-on-one interaction students have with their peers and professors helps ease the overall shock from going from being a homeschool student to one on a college campus.

While this might seem like a nice plug, it’s about so much more. Just from talking to Rachel, I’ve come to realize how intimidating it can be jumping in to a large institution.

I myself always went to small schools growing up and making the transition from high school to college can be scary. That’s the nice thing about Ivy Tech–it makes the transition easier.

So, if you are a homeschool student curious about going to college, don’t let that leap scare you. After all, you have to take risks.

Whether you would just like a certificate or two-year associate degree, Ivy Tech will help you make the move. Then if you would like to pursue your bachelor’s degree, the College offers more than 100 transfer programs to schools in and out of the state of Indiana.

But for a true first-hand take, read Rachel’s blog “Why a Homeschooled Student Should Choose Ivy Tech.”

Ready to learn more? Check out the homeschool page. What do you have to lose?