I’ve taken many courses for Math, Science, History, English, and Music. They’re online MOOCs from universities so I could put “1 credit” for each course, but I might end up with ~50+ credits.
I’m putting “A” for every course as the grade.
Can I just put “N/A” for the “Credits” column, or exclude the credits column altogether? Then put a little “*credits not applicable as student is homeschooled” at the bottom?
Do the credits count as part of the High School Course Requirement for colleges? Should I make sure I have the equivalent of “3 credits = 3 semesters” for each subject then?
E.g.:
Required: 8 Semesters of Math
so should I make sure I have 8 credits of Math courses on my transcript?
Check your state homeschool regulations to see how many hours you need for each credit. In NYS, it takes 125-150 hours to equal 1 credit. Generally, students earn 1 credit/year per subject. One year can be split into 4 quarters or 2 semesters. Eight semesters equals 4 years, so you need 4 credits of math. If you had a block schedule you could probably have completed 5 or 6 classes per semester (10-12/year), and possibly a few more if you study all year.
Whether or not the courses count as meeting high school requirements depends on your state homeschool regs. Colleges want to see high school equivalency (however your state defines it). In NYS, homeschoolers can get a Letter of Substantial Equivalency from their district, take the GED/TASC, pass certain Regents, or take 24 college credits. Find out what you need for your state.
Showing equivalency is different than meeting entrance requirements. Most colleges want to see 4 years/credits of Eng, 4 of math, 3 of history, 3 of lab science, and 2 of foreign language. I think, in general, they want to see typical subjects such as geometry, algebra, trig, biology, chemistry, physics, US history, world history, etc.
Are the MOOCs graded? I wouldn’t necessarily give yourself an “A” for each one unless those are the grades generated by the program. We work on concepts until we get them, but not everything is worthy of an “A.” Make sure you explain somewhere on your transcript how many hours equal 1 credit and how your grading system works.
@austinmshauri
Thanks for the reply!
I’m an international student from Japan, so the state laws don’t apply to me.
In another question of mine I asked “Should I put “Pass” or “A” for my grades?” the majority of responses was to put As on. I don’t think it particularly matters since colleges don’t put a lot of substance in homeschool grades.
My SATs:
SAT: 2210; 740 CR, 760 M, 710 W
SAT II: 670 Chem, 640 MathII, 600 Phys
So do the High School Equivalency Requirements still apply to a homeschooler? Should I simply ask the admissions office?
The MOOCs are graded, but self-paced, in that it’s easy to get an A just by learning all the material and getting good scores on the test. So I did get an “A” (or, 100%, in terms of the MOOC grading system) by learning all the material.
As for hours, should I just calculate the time I spent for each class? Some classes were easier than others and therefore I spent less time on them.
Should I just assign 1 credit to each class, as I got an ‘A’ and completed the course? And then explain on the transcript that 1 credit = 1 semester for the Equivalency Requirement?
In NYC the “Letter of Substantial equivalency” is required for NY State University or NY city CUNY colleges. I have not seen it required by other, esp private colleges.
You need to check the admissions requirements for the colleges you’re interested in. Are you using the Common App?
There’s quite a bit of stuff to get together if you are. Your counselor (usually a parent) should be working all this out with you.
You’ll need to check with the admission offices of the schools you’re interested. Their requirements for international students are probably different from what they expect from US citizens.
@raregroove
Yes, I’m using the Common App. The colleges I’m apply to require just a transcript and other things that I can easily procure on my own. It’s mostly just the transcript I’m having trouble with.
@austinmshauri
So I should contact the admissions office and ask them if completing the courses counts for the Equivalency Requirement?
Are you an American applying from Japan? I have no idea how non-American international homeschool students are treated. You should probably ask admission officers how to proceed.
In answering your multiple other posts in one place, you need to apply to some lower ranked schools. It is doubtful you will be accepted to several of the schools you listed b/c your subject test scores are low and schools like GA Tech and MIT are going to require them, especially for homeschoolers. Those schools are used to students with upper 700s. Your math2 score is very low for competitive schools.
In terms of grades, I would give a letter grade. Some schools convert non-letter grades to automatic Cs and incorporate that into their GPA calculation.
As far as transcripts, google is your friend: https://www.google.com/search?q=homeschool+sample+transcript&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=799&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwictrDHpbPJAhWBGT4KHSFwD2AQsAQIMQ&dpr=1
On the transcript provide a key for what constitutes a credit hr. For example, 1 cr = minimum of 150 hrs Provide a grading scale. The guidance counselor letter should provide how grades were generated. For example, grades based on MOOC grading system, or tests/essays/labs, etc (however the grade is derived).
@Mom2aphysicsgeek
I’ve added 5+ 80%+ acceptance rate schools to my list, thanks for your reply.
I’ll edit my transcript as well to show the evaluation of 1 credit.
How are grades & credit (or equivalent) given in your local schools? That’s what I would go by.
I based my son’s credits off of the local public school he attended briefly. A semester long class was 2.5 credits. A two semester long class was 5 credits.
If my son completed the work to my satisfaction & on a high school or higher level, he got a high grade. If he didn’t then he got marked lower. He learns very quickly in most subjects, & as every homeschooler knows, you don’t have a ton of class disruptions, non-learning things taking up class time, etc. It shouldn’t matter if you completed a course faster than another. My son’s worst subject is math. It takes him far longer to learn the material than say, English or law, which he flies through.
As long as you’re in compliance with your area’s laws (or hey, you might be a secret homeschooler. It wasn’t always legal here for awhile.) My state doesn’t require the counting of class time hours, so I didn’t. Others, as you’ve read above, do. My unschooling friend counts hours even though she doesn’t have to. It’s what works for you in your situation. 
In the guidance counselor part of the Conmon App, you or you parents will have to fill out a section that asks you how your grades, GPA, & credits were determined.
Good luck! Once the Common App is done, you’ll be so relieved. We celebrated. It took multiple drafts of the transcripts to get them to our satisfaction. We had to create multiple versions too as some schools want more detail than others. Then there’s first marking period, mid-year, & final grades that will need to be reported.