A typical high school morning for fourth-year College student Erin Avery began like any average teenager's. Wake up at 8 a.m., get dressed, eat breakfast, start school. The difference, however, was that Avery's classroom was the same as her home. She began home-schooling at age 7, a choice her parents made to have greater voice in their daughter's education.
"My parent weren't trying to shelter me through home school but were able to push me harder academically, and I had more flexibility with my studies," Avery said.
Like other home-schooled students, Avery designed her own personal academic schedule. She read lessons on her own and taught herself material at a pace that allowed her to allot time for interests and extracurricular activities, such as dance and swim team.
Avery said her education was always a very positive experience, that "there was nothing I didn't like about it."
Fourth-year College student Katie Yoder shares similar sentiments about home-schooling, noting that the experienced helped prepare her for rigorous academics college entails.
For example, as a result of the independence and discipline required in home-schooling, she was already accustomed to being self-reliant in her studies when she arrived at the University - a transition with which some traditional high school students often struggle.
But the self-direction and motivation home-school requires is not necessarily the best option for every individual, said graduate student Tyler Carbone, who was home-schooled through primary and secondary school.
"One of the great things about [being home-schooled] is it's very individualized. For some, it's wonderful; for some, it's not. I think it would have been a mistake for me to go to school, where it could be a mistake for someone else to be home-schooled," Carbone said.
He described it as working in a sort of vacuum - with no real pressure to perform or competition with peers, it could be tough for some individuals to stay motivated.
Avery also said home-schooling was her best option. When given a choice between transferring to a public high school or continuing at home, Avery chose home-schooling because of flexibility it offered.
Although there are clear benefits to both types of education, there also are drawbacks that may later affect one's college experience. Yoder said there were some aspects of college life she found much harder to adapt to because of her educational background.
The University is home to a small number of home-schooled students, according to Office of Undergraduate Admissions records. For the academic year 2010-11, 94 first-time first-year applicants were home-schooled, 34 received offers of admission and 20 accepted offers and are currently enrolled. There is no substantial gender preference between these applicants, but 14 are native Virginians while only six are out-of-state students.
Although many students find themselves at college with unprecedented levels of independence, for Yoder, the change may have been more drastic because she was accustomed to spending most of her time with her parents.
She explained that most teenagers spend their time at school and are used to being away from their parents during the day, but because of her personal experiences, her parents' complete absence seemed very sudden.
"A big difference [between college and home-schooling] is having complete freedom because my parents were very protective of me," Yoder said.
Even little things, such as not knowing celebrity names or never being taught by a professor in a classroom, were completely new experiences for Yoder when she got to the University.
Regardless, Yoder said she benefited more by having to catch up on these nuances because it allowed her to meet new people.
"A lot of people don't think home-schoolers are very socialized, but I made a lot of friends and met a lot of people [while being home schooled]," she said.
Avery also described herself as very outgoing and said home-schooling did not detract from her social skills, adding that she quickly became involved in the University community.
"I was willing to put myself out there, and I joined a lot of organizations because I wanted to feel part of U.Va., and not just sit on the sidelines," Avery said.
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