Interview with a Graduating Unschooler: Andi Enns Part 2

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

09 May 2008 07:18 AM

I was contacted recently by a young lady who had created a guide to unschooling for teens. I found her personal story quite interesting and new I had to interview here. Part 1 of this interview addressed her early homeschool years and her switch from homeschooling to unschooling. Here is part 2 of that interview.

How did you fulfill requirements for graduation and college admission?

Something I read in a book entitled "What Colleges Don't Tell You" by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross really summed up my college admissions process. She said that colleges don't necessarily want well-rounded students, but a well-rounded class of students.

Through I was well rounded enough through my independent study - from studying everything from web design to economics to fiber arts to religions of the world - I really focused on theatre during my high school years. I was accepted into an invitation-only local playwriting program, got selected to have my short comedies professionally produced through a theatre for young audiences, took acting classes, and did a college-level 300 hour internship as a production assistant and understudy.

Looking back at my high school years - I am about to graduate now - it seems like I lived at the theatre. So when I went to visit colleges, I was very knowledgeable about both the technical and creative aspects of theatre.

My portfolio that I submitted to colleges really reflected my passion for theatre - it is thick with copies of my plays, as well as pictures of my accomplishments. Personally, I think that a student who is very dedicated and passionate about a particular subject is going to influence a college more than a student with only a mild interest in many subjects. For example, I know another local student who really focused on horses - from riding them to training them to breeding them - and now is studying Equine Biology and Medicine at a local university. So while I think it is necessary and important to have a general knowledge of grammar, math, science, etc - I feel that you don't need to learn calculus if you want to be a photographer, and you don't need to know the Greek or Latin root of each word to become a chef.

How did you acquire scholarships?

The bulk of the scholarships that I was awarded came from my ACT test scores. I studied very hard for that test, because it is so important for college admissions. The others came from talent scholarships based on my theatre experience.

Bio: Andi Enns is a seventeen-year-old unschooler from Kansas City, Missouri. She was accepted into her top-choice college, and will be attending this fall for Nonprofit Leadership and Organizational Communications.

She has created a website at http://squidoo.com/unschoolingteen/ for her tips on unschooling high school.

Read more Homeschool Success stories here:

And this interview with a homeschooling mom: Biking from Alaska to Argentina: A Homeschooling Road Trip

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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