I Don't Have Transcripts

Pre-College Issues Home Schooling and College
1

<p>I've been home schooled (unaccredited) since the seventh grade, I'm seventeen now and almost finished with my studies. But the trouble is, I'm mostly self taught, a sort of unschooling really and I don't have much proper transcripts which I just realised is necessary for college. I had originally thought that I could just get by with SAT and ACT scores.</p>

<p>So I'm not sure what to do, I don't have many reports of my schooling. Is a GED enough? Or should I take one of those Adult High School classes? Maybe even go back into high school? </p>

<p>What's supposed to be in a transcript? I don't really know that either. Can they just be grades? I haven't kept my projects and tests. </p>

<p>Are GPAs and transcripts absolutely necessary? Is there still an option where I can get away with taking some more tests?</p>

2

<p>Okay, I’m trying to make a transcript based on what I remember about the courses I took. But will colleges ask for more detail? Like what projects did you do, what essays did you write? Because I definitely do not have those. </p>

3

<p>It’s not much a problem.Colleges are used to this with HS Students.Just contact the colleges.It’s overaall grades in subjects,not projects or anything.Every college is different so talk to them.They might even except a written report of how well you did in each subject instead of letter grades. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Also is there some sort of diploma necessary? </p>

5

<p>I have a recently graduated son who was accepted into several colleges and a daughter who is getting ready to graduate, so here is my advice. Use a good transcript system and re-create what you did. It may take a little bit of work, but it is well worth it. You don’t need to present a diploma – that is just a piece of paper. What you do need is a description of what you did. For example, if you covered Algebra II or advanced Alg. do you remember what books/programs you used? Write that down. If you did not use a text, find a text that covers what you covered and use that scope/sequence or in other words, chapter topics.
My son also had a list of course descriptions and some samples of work. Only one college asked for the samples.
I used a site called my homeschool transcripts to enter in and generate the transcript. For the course descriptions, I just typed up all of his courses from 9th grade on. If you unschooled, you can still designate courses by giving yourself credit for what you covered. Let me know if you need any help and I can clarify anything you don’t understand. And again, this might take a few hours or even days to put together if you haven’t been keeping track.</p>

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<p>Also, I would not unless absolutely necessary do a GED or go back to school or take an adult high school thing. It muddies the waters. Either you know it or you don’t. If you score well enough on ACT or SAT, you obviously have done the work. Legally as well as logically, it isn’t necessary or required to get a ged or anything else. Homeschooling is just as legitimate as public school or private school. If they don’t have to get a ged, why should you?</p>

7

<p>Hi shellybean, thanks for your response. I’m calming down now, it sounds a lot less complicated than I thought.
Can you please elaborate about course descriptions? How detailed do they have to be?</p>

8

<p>Take a look at some colleges’ requirements for homeschool kids and the supplemental info they need. This is usually laid out on their admissions web sites. A lot of this will depend on the colleges you are interested in, how competitive and their programs. You have to do this digging.</p>

9

<p>I think I can answer most of your questions.</p>

<p>No, you don’t need a diploma, as long as you were being home schooled legally in whatever state you live in, then you’re fine for 99% of schools. (There are some schools that require an accredited diploma, but it’s not HPYS; it’s mostly schools that deal with the bottom quartile of students.)</p>

<p>Also, you have a ‘transcript’-- the record of classes you took while home schooled and your grades in those classes. This, of course, counts for jack, (no college is going to admit you on the basis of your stellar ‘home school’ GPA); but, you don’t need to injure yourself in trying to replicate the transcript of a traditional student.</p>

<p>Colleges – especially selective one – will asses you academically based on your test scores. So, take it seriously and take a lot of tests. The SAT and the ACT is enough testing to get you into most schools, (though not a lot of the crazy selective schools CC tends to be obsessive about-- you need to be a stand-out for that); however, if you’d like to demonstrate your academic fitness to a college, then take a few SAT subject tests.</p>

<p>But, to answer your question simply: Yes, you can ‘get away’ with just taking more tests, but if I were you, I wouldn’t go for a GED unless you absolutely need one to get into a particular school.</p>

<p>Also, just a personal anecdote:</p>

<p>When I went to my local community college to register for classes, I had the lady handling my admissions leaf through a packet of my work, some test scores, recommendations and a listing of all my courses and say – as if I was hiding something from her – “Where is your transcript?” I explained to her that the state doesn’t keep a transcript for me – as I’m homeschooled – and that the packet she was holding was my transcript.</p>

<p>To cut the story short: I ended up sitting for a placement test that day, got a very good score and found the faculty way more accommodating after that. So, OP, I can see how you’d get freaked out about your transcript but, seriously, don’t sweat it. Take a bunch of tests, get an idea for where your scores fall and apply to some schools. Happy college hunting. </p>