As the home-schooling movement edges toward the mainstream, its students are applying in greater numbers to colleges across the nation, with some colleges considering them an attractive niche market.

Vanderbilt does not actively target home-schooled students but views them as a crucial component of its institutional commitment to diversity.

"We want to understand each student, and in the broadest sense, home-schooled students bring a different experience," said Dean of Admissions Doug Christiansen. "That's what diversity is all about, whether it's ethnic, gender, geographic or some other type of diversity."

Sophomore Jonathan DeGracia, who was home-schooled from second grade through high school, agreed.

"College is about individuality," DeGracia said. "Everyone is coming here on a new foot and can reinvent themselves."

Though the numbers are hard to come by, the U.S. Department of Education estimates the home-schooled population numbers greater than 1 million, or about 2 percent of the school-age population.

The motivations for home schooling vary. DeGracia said his parents elected to home school him and his brother because they were not satisfied with the grades they were getting and wanted them to focus on academics.

"Every home-schooling family does things differently," DeGracia said. "Some hire tutors, others only home school up to middle school or high school. My family is very faith-based, so the whole idea was to focus on the home and prevent negative outside influences."

Whatever the reason, the number of home-schooled students is increasing.

"We are seeing more and more home-school files, but we don't track them in any special way," said Christiansen, who is also associate provost for enrollment. "Bright students come from many different backgrounds, so we take the context and build on that."

Thousands of home-schooled students are in college, and according to a 2004 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 85 percent of colleges have written policies to evaluate home-schooled candidates.

Vanderbilt uses a holistic admissions process and does not distinguish home-schooled students from other students but instead requires a home-school supplement to the common application in order to develop a high school profile and better understand the candidates.

"It's not an extra look at a student," Christiansen said. "Home-schoolers do very well just like all others applying here, but we want to make sure every student is looked at the same and that we understand the curriculum they received."

Home-schooled students go through the same application process. Each student, whether international, home-schooled, or from a public or private high school must submit a transcript, test scores, three recommendation letters, the general application, and essays and extracurricular and leadership involvement.

DeGracia worked with an academic advisor who wrote curriculum and helped with the college admissions process.

"My adviser was very influential and encouraged me to look at competitive schools outside my area," he said. "Vanderbilt did a good job of recruiting me because they treated me just as they treated everyone else."

Independent college consultants abound, and there are a host of home-schooling guides offering advice on compiling transcripts and highlighting the strengths of a home-school education.

For many, the main hurdle for college admissions centers around convincing the admissions office they have the social smarts to get along with their traditionally educated peers.

DeGracia said his primary regret about home schooling was the lack of socialization he received, but he does not believe he fits the stereotype of home-schooled students.

"Because the situation I was in allowed me to have classes with other students in high school, I had a lot of friends, but I didn't have the opportunity to deal with a lot of the social dynamics that would've made it easier here, though overall the transition did not affect me much."

Senior Jennifer Compton was able to expand her social experience by entering private school after being home-schooled from first through sixth grade.

"I started school at the right time," Compton said. "I think it puts you at an advantage socially."