The Curriculum That Put My Son Ahead in College
College kids are asking my homeschooler to teach THEM this skill!
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IEW Writing put my son Ahead in College!
I never thought I’d be writing this blog post. Not because I didn’t believe in our homeschool journey—but because the fruit of those choices is showing up in the most unexpected (and beautiful) ways now that my oldest is in college.
Let me tell you what happened.
During one of his college classes, my son realized something: most of the students around him were copying the professor’s slides word for word. Every. Single. Line. They were writing furiously, heads down, trying to get it all, but not really getting it. Meanwhile, my son was doing something completely different—he was processing the information as he listened, summarizing it, and writing notes that actually helped him retain what he was learning.
And it wasn’t long before his classmates noticed.
“How are you remembering all this?”
He started getting questions like that after nearly every class. Eventually, a few classmates even asked him to teach them his notetaking system.
So where did he learn this skill? It wasn’t from a college prep seminar. It wasn’t something I drilled into him with test prep workbooks or forced memorization. He learned it—naturally and over time—through the three language arts programs we used from IEW:
These programs didn’t just teach him how to write essays. They taught him how to listen, how to process, and how to communicate—skills that turned into the foundation for academic success far beyond our homeschool table.
How IEW Writing Gave My Son a Notetaking Advantage
You may already be familiar with IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing), but if you're not, let me just say—this is not your average writing curriculum. What makes IEW stand out is the way they integrate listening, thinking, and speaking skills into every part of their lessons.
We started IEW in grade 4 with both of our kids. Starting with Structure & Style level A, Year 1.
I had no idea how much it would change our kids’ writing skills AND prepare them for college. Now we’re seeing the fruit of all that labor.
Here’s how it worked in our homeschool, and how those habits translated into college success:
📚 Structure & Style for Students
This was where everything started. Structure & Style gave my kids a rock-solid framework for writing. But it also taught them how to pull key ideas from a source—not copy it word for word—and rewrite it in their own words. Sound familiar?
That’s notetaking!
Every week, my kids practiced identifying the most important information from a paragraph or story and summarizing it using “keyword outlines.” Over time, they developed the ability to sift through information quickly, pick out the most important parts, and write notes that actually made sense later.
And thanks to IEW’s streaming video lessons (taught by Andrew Pudewa himself), I didn’t have to do it all on my own. I got to be the coach, not the instructor.
🆓 Want to try it out? You can get a 3-week trial of Structure & Style here:
👉 Try Structure & Style
📝 University Ready Writing
This course was an absolute game-changer during high school. University Ready Writing builds on the foundation laid by Structure & Style and teaches students how to approach college-level writing—with confidence.
But it’s not just about writing longer papers or following MLA format (though that’s covered, too). What really stood out was how much critical thinking this course required. My son had to read a passage, extract the key arguments, and respond with logic and clarity.
Guess what he had to do every time before writing?
Take notes.
Andrew Pudewa teaches some great note taking skills in this course!
By the end of this course, he wasn’t just a better writer—he was a better thinker. And that’s the kind of preparation college professors notice.
🆓 Want to see what it’s like? Here’s a 2-week free trial:
👉 Try University Ready Writing
See inside University Ready Writing in this video
🎤 Introduction to Public Speaking
This is the one I think sealed the deal for him.
There’s something about having to speak your thoughts out loud that forces you to organize them. This course taught my son how to structure a speech, take brief, effective notes for delivery (hello, index cards!), and—most importantly—communicate clearly.
Now in his college presentations, he’s not nervously reading from slides. He’s speaking like someone who knows what he’s talking about. Because he does.
🆓 This one’s fun to try out—2 weeks free!
👉 Try Introduction to Public Speaking
Real-World Skills That Last Beyond Homeschool
You never know exactly what seeds you’re planting during those homeschool years—until you see them grow.
When I watched my son go from nervous 9th-grade writer to confident college student helping others learn how to take notes, I realized that IEW had done more than prepare him academically. It had given him real-world skills—ones that were practical, valuable, and rare.
And here’s the best part:
You can try all three of these programs without spending a dime upfront.
Whether you’re brand new to IEW or just curious about how to teach notetaking and communication skills more intentionally, these free trials are such a great place to start.
✨ 3 Weeks Free: Structure & Style
✨ 2 Weeks Free: University Ready Writing
✨ 2 Weeks Free: Public Speaking
See inside IEW’s Introduction to Public Speaking
One Last Encouragement…
If you’re in the thick of homeschooling and wondering if what you’re doing will really matter—let me encourage you. The skills we build slowly, intentionally, and with purpose don’t just stick… they shine later on.
You’re equipping your kids for life, and IEW can be one of the best tools in your toolbox.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Andrew Pudewa is a phenomenal teacher, and with IEW’s streaming lessons, you’ll have expert instruction right at your fingertips.
Let your kids try these free samples and see how much they enjoy learning the tools of communication.
And maybe, someday soon, it’ll be your child leading the way in a college classroom—just like mine.
You’ve got this, mama.
—Mandy
The Handmade Homeschooler
