<p>Where should the line be drawn on how much information should be given? Course descriptions, reading logs, non-College Board testing, even specific organizations and facilities relevant to extracurriculars-- for a homeschooler, what's appropriate? Would it just be overkill to send a portfolio of writing samples, for example? Or is this more of a 'the more the merrier' situation?</p>
<p>It depends on the college. But in general they want to see:</p>
<p>SAT or ACT (very important; this is what they rely on most for home-schoolers)</p>
<p>SAT Subject Tests (lots of colleges require at least 2 of these)</p>
<p>Letters of Recommendation(need to see if they are interacting with adults other than parents)</p>
<p>Transcript(Most Important. This is the skeleton of your education, needs to very impressive. Can include local cc classes and ap exams)</p>
<p>Essays (this is where colleges find out about your personality)</p>
<p>Reading Logs (good to let them know you read a wide range of literature;from the classics to modern books)</p>
<p>List of EC’s, summer programs, and achievements(Also very important. This is where you put your bragging in, lol. Also important for home-schoolers, to let them know you are interacting and involved in the community.)</p>
<p>And other requirements that may vary major to major(Film majors may need to send in a short film, artists send in art portfolios, ect.)</p>
<p>This is the basis for most applications. Hope this helped!</p>
<p>I didn’t give writing samples (that’s what essays are for) but i sent in curriculum lists and reading lists to my top choices.</p>
<p>^Can I send them a whole packet of writing assignments I did? And I read about 400 books…so should I include all of the good ones?</p>
<p>Don’t send them a whole packet of writing assignments - they are very overworked and won’t have time to read everything. I agree with Jason that there’s no need for them at all; that’s what the essays are for. </p>
<p>Homeschoolers do need extra documentation, but only to show that they’ve actually been doing stuff academically and otherwise, and to show their accomplishments. The standard parts of an application, with perhaps the addition of a reading list (not 400 books!), a narrative transcript, and another letter of rec is all you need. Your recs and test scores (and possibly reading list) will show that you did what you claim you did on the transcript. Your narrative transcript, if included, will show the rigor of your transcript so the schools know that “biology” didn’t consist of watching 5 Magic School Bus videos (as wonderful as they are!).</p>
<p>Writing assignments? You realize the purpose of application essays is to show your writing. I did provide curriculum descriptions and lists of materials I had used, but nothing in big detail. I provided short reading lists, but who knows if they looked at them. It is a good idea to list the materials you used, ie textbooks for each subject. You can do this succinctly on a excel spread sheet, for all 4 years.</p>