From home schooling to college

Katy Munson (BCR photo/Jessica Gray)

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Going to college for the first time can be a difficult transition for some — moving away from home, from friends and family — but Katy Munson of Princeton found it to be pretty easy.

What makes Munson’s story a bit more unique than others is that she was homeschooled by her mom since she was in fourth grade. Munson, 18, said she attended the Princeton Christian Academy from preschool through third grade.

“I actually begged my mom. My best friend, at the time, was painfully shy, and she wanted to be homeschooled. I thought it sounded like fun,” she said.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be in school or didn’t want the social interaction, which my brother and I have gotten plenty of; I just thought it sounded like so much fun,” she added.

Munson said she and her mother agreed they would try out homeschooling for the first semester of her fourth-grade year.

“I went back to school the second semester and sat there for two to three weeks with nothing to do because I was that far ahead. So she said we could continue if I wanted to because clearly there was an advantage,” she said.

Munson said the homeschooling allowed for many other opportunities, including taking vacations to some of the places she and her brother were reading about in their school books, including Valley Forge, Pa., and a trip to California.

When she was in eighth grade, she entered an American history essay contest for the Daughters of the American Revolution and placed first in the state.

In high school, she was able to take German at Illinois Valley Community College and received college credit, relieving some of her load during her freshman year at college.

Munson graduated with a 3.9 GPA and scored a 25 on her ACT test. She maintained a 4.0 during her first semester at Concordia University in Seward, Neb.

“Some people have been surprised by that, and others, I don’t know. As with regular schooling, I think it just depends on the person, if they want to learn,” she said.

According to its Web site, Concordia University is a Christ-centered learning community for students preparing to be servant leaders in the church and world. The university has a population of more than 1,200 students, and is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

“I think my homeschooling helped me in college ... I did have to answer to myself and my mom, but in the end, I was responsible for getting things done. I didn’t have teachers saying, ‘OK, your paper is due Friday,’” she added.

Munson said she is a member of the speech and debate team and hopes to write for the school newspaper next semester. She is also considering studying a semester at Concordia University Chicago, which is a part of the Concordia University network, to work with inner-city youth.

She is studying theology with a certification as a director of Christian education with a minor in journalism. As a part of her schooling, Munson would serve a one-year internship as a director of Christian education at a church following graduation.

Munson said she most enjoys the atmosphere at college, both in and outside the classroom.

“I just like the aspect of how everything melds together. There were quite a few times I’d be studying one thing in one class, and then I’d go to my next class and find the same discussion in a different aspect,” she said.

“It’s the atmosphere, always being around people. There’s never really a dull moment,” she added.

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