<p>What do colleges generally want to see on a homeschooled student's high school transcript? For example, how much do they want in the way of grades, and how detailed do they expect descriptions of curriculums to be?</p>
<p>I'm fairly new to homeschooling and just starting this sort of research, so any and all help will be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Here's what I've gathered so far, from the colleges my dd is interested in (you can check with each college for specific info...some want more, some less)</p>
<p>1) A cover sheet, describing your homeschool structure and mission -- why you're homeschooling, when you started, what curriculum you used, what outside activities your student was involved in, etc. -- sort of like the cover of a resume would be </p>
<p>2) Extra curricular activity sheet -- I listed volunteer jobs, athletic teams my dd was a part of, etc., anything that she did outside of school, and how many hours she spent doing it (i.e., volunteered for XYZ, did the following tasks: A, B, C, etc., X number of hours per week / year -- however you want to list it) I also have copies of awards she's received, etc. (She received a volunteer plaque for her service last year and I photocopied it and placed it in her college file)</p>
<p>3) Lab science documentation sheet -- because my dd is doing science labs at home, I list each experiment, the date completed, how long she spent on the lab, what the purpose was, etc. -- this is important because many colleges want to see some form of documentation for lab science, either from you or from an outside source where they're taking the class</p>
<p>4) Curriculum description sheet -- I list each course she did for each grade, along with the textbook used, and then I list the table of contents or scope and sequence for each text, so they can know what was covered in "English 9" for example</p>
<p>5) Transcript -- an official transcript listing her name, address, phone number, birthdate, place of birth, and social security number at the top (I also include this on every piece of paper in the stack, so if anything gets misplaced, they know who it belongs to). I then list the grades (9th, 10th, 11th, etc.) How many credits she achieved, and her grade for each semester (or year, if you do it that way). At the bottom, I list the number of credits completed, anticipated date of graduation, and our grading scale. I then have a place at the bottom with my name and my husband's name, our address, and a place for both signatures -- you may choose to have it notarized, if you wish, just to make it seem more "official"</p>
<p>6) Letters of recommendation -- plan on sending at least one...some schools want to see more than one, but usually no more than 3. They can be from coaches, employers, volunteer directors, etc., as well as from any academic teachers your student may have had (including music instructors)</p>
<p>7) Academic samples -- only one college on my dd's list has asked for academic samples, which would be essays she's written, math exams, etc.</p>
<p>8) Test results -- you would have the SAT, ACT, AP exam, SAT-II Subject Test results sent directly from each testing agency (I also wrote them down on her transcript, beneath her course listings, just for easy reference). If your student submits annual standardized tests to your state, you can include copies of those results, too. Also, if your student took any classes at the community college, a public or private high school, etc., you'd have to have official transcripts sent for those, too.</p>
<p>I think that's it! I know it sounds like a lot -- and very confusing, but it's not really that difficult! It's just alot of typing on the computer and organization! </p>
<p>Kelly</p>
<p>Colleges vary. Some have special requirements for homeschoolers spelled out. Some have no special requirements and it isn't necessary to send anything more to get in (my daughter's safety school needed a transcript and a minimum ACT score -- that was it). Other places have no special requirements but recommend that homeschoolers send in whatever they can that can help them understand the homeschool program (be that test results, recommendations, work samples, course descriptions, or whatever).</p>
<p>The question of grades is somewhat controversial. Some say colleges want to see parent-generated grades; others (including my umbrella which refused to show them on the transcript) say that parent-generated grades are basically disregarded. I asked all potential schools. None of them said that grades were necessary and I didn't do any. (It ended up that the NCAA Clearinghouse DOES want grades, so we had to work something out with them so my daughter was eligible for intercollegiate athletics.) But having at least a few outside grades can help you get into a selective school. </p>
<p>I've heard of successful course descriptions from the very short to the very long. What I did was to have an overview section that talked about our basic approach (course selection, type of texts, etc.), how history and literature courses were handled, what I meant by "honors" on the transcript, what a credit meant, and the like. Then I listed a description of each course. For something self-evident, I would simply put down what we used. If a course wasn't self-explanatory, I might give the chapter titles of the text. I didn't do lab documentation -- just mentioned where we got the labs (for example, used thus-and-so lab book, did this set of virtual labs on the web, did the labs in the textbook, etc.). I was prepared if someone asked for the documentation, but no one did.</p>
<p>I also threw in a couple extra recommendations, a reading list, and a work sample or two in my daughter's planned field and evaluated by a professional. One page provided an explanation of her extracurricular activities. This might not be necessary if the EC's are not anything out of the ordinary, but a couple of my daughter's were different and so needed some more information.</p>
<p>I think that's a good list, hsmamainva. I think it would communicate the seriousness of the student's learning.
But I think there are several ways to go about this.
My son simply submitted a reading list, with the books arranged in school-like subject categories. There was no transcript and no grades, and he didn't take any teacher led "courses". That's it. My daughter plans to apply the same way this year.
I can only speak about some of the more competitive private schools. I understand that public colleges with bureaucratic admission rules may present more problems.
Good luck!</p>
<p>That's exactly what I've encountered, Danas!</p>
<p>My dd has one private college on her list. They want a transcript and SAT/ACT score. That's it! (Oh, and an interview!)</p>
<p>But the majority of her schools are state-supported public ones, both in our state and other states, and they seem to want more paper! :)</p>
<p>Kelly</p>
<p>As I understand it, state schools base their decisions more heavily on GPA, and standardized test scores, so you'll want to provide all the numbers you can. Private schools will be more likely to take the time to read detailed transcripts or portfolios. </p>
<p>Some schools want to see samples of work and detailed course descriptions listing all materials used. Others prefer something more concise. </p>
<p>Find out what format each school wants to see, and put your transcript in that format. Remember the reader will have an average of ten minutes or so with the application. Think about how you can best use that time, and be considerate of the reader.</p>
<p>Some (most?) schools also ask for a guidance counselor's report and a school description. These are opportunities to tell about your reasons and methods for homeschooling.</p>
<p>Also... hsmamainva, I don't know your daughter's reasons for preferring to apply to more state schools, but many applicants think private schools are out of reach because of cost. In reality, a private school with a good endowment, need-blind admissions, and commitment to low debt loads can turn out less expensive than state schools.</p>
<p>S applied to 5 colleges--3 private, 2 public state flagship U's. No one asked for anything other than standardized test scores, a transcript, and recommendation/s (only 1 of the 5). His transcript was one page and contained nothing but general course titles (English 9, Biology, American History, Algebra II, etc.) credits earned (1/2 for semester course, 1 for year long course), grades, GPA and class rank (1/1).
Check with the college before you do a lot of extra work. It could be easier than you think.</p>
<p>Nan....it all comes down to college football -- really! </p>
<p>She prefers the large university-type of school, where she can meet more people, have more activities and attend football games and the like.</p>
<p>She's visited a few private colleges and only ended up liking one of them.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>bob.the.squirrel, you're welcome.</p>
<p>Football, hsmamainva? Then she should take a good look at Northwestern. So what if they always lose? People still turn out for the games and have a grand old time. </p>
<p>But seriously, it might be worth looking into. It's not as big as a massive state school, but there is plenty going on all the time. My daughter loves it, and she loves being able to take the El into Chicago.</p>
<p>talk to the colleges about what they want.</p>
<p>There are also a lot of websites with blank transcripts forms and help on filling them out you should look at.</p>