Day: April 19, 2016

Lost in the Appalachians

Julia Wolf

Florida Bound

Julia standing on the beach

Me, standing on the beach.


It seems like the most memorable parts of family vacations are those that do not go as planned.

When I was 11, my mom took my brother and me on a vacation down to Florida. My dad was not able to come because we had dairy cows and he could not find anybody who was willing to milk and feed them while we were gone.

It was the first major vacation my brother and I had ever gone on. Prior to the trip, we had not even left the state of Wisconsin more than a handful of times.

Since my dad was not going, and I was the older of the two kids, I was designated the official navigator of the trip. My dad gave me a run-through of how the US highway system works. Basically all he told me was that odd numbered interstates run North-South, even numbered run East-West, and that those named with three digits are bypasses.
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From Homeschooler to College Student

Julia Wolf


The number of homeschooled students in the United States has grown in recent years, according to the US Department of Education.

As more and more people are homeschooled, the number of homeschoolers who want a college education will undoubtedly grow. The college application and selection process can be intimidating for any student, but it can be even worse for those who are homeschooled.

My Story

I was homeschooled from fifth grade all the way through high school. I can attest to the struggle of the college application process felt by homeschoolers and other students who did some other form of non-traditional schooling.

To begin with, I did not have an official GPA or high school transcript. My class rank was meaningless, since I was the only student in my grade. I really had no way to prove that I would be able to handle college-level education, to college admissions officers or to myself.
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