Homeschool Transcripts: I

College Admissions

Homeschool transcripts and other "official" documents are facts of life for high school students. Whether you are independent or enrolled in an accredited homeschool program, become familiar with post high school requirements.

For whatever path your child follows after high school, these little pieces of paper are usually necessary. It is in everyone's best interest to be reconciled to this and prepare for them throughout the teen years. Planning and preparing ahead of final semester of senior year prevents last minute panic and missed opportunities.

The requirements are reasonable and not difficult. If you look closely, you'll see that a homeschooler in accredited program is not asked for any more information than a public or private school student (assuming the college is homeschool-friendly)

If you are an independent, more information is required. Please do not be offended.

One of the reasons for this is the unfortunate deceptiveness of others. A few homeschoolers took advantage of goodwill and tried to hoodwink the admission committees. The situation with which I am familiar is of a family which stated that their daughter had four years of an East European language. The college was impressed and wanted to know more. They discovered that the student didn't know one word of the language.

On a happier note..the homeschool admission counselor (herself a homeschooler) at the University of Dallas states, "In order to give full credit for all the work done by homeschool students and parents the admission committee needs to see it on paper. Homeschool students win some of the largest scholarships due to this information which details their curriculum." Little pain, lots of gain.

Generally, for the college admission process includes homeschool transcripts and several other items/steps. Be sure to check with your college choices for their specific requirements.

• Prepare the Official transcript. (accredited homeschool programs usually provide this)

• Write the Narrative Course Description. (usually for independent homeschoolers only)

  Prepare this on a separate sheet. Include
  

  Class Title: (for example, Earth Science)
  Key Topics Covered: (Constellations, Earth's Motions, etc.)
  Books Used: (Earth Science for Christian Schools, Darwin's Black Box)

  If it is an honors or AP course, explain why. If more information is needed, the admission committee will ask for it.

• Complete the FAFSA . (if you want federal financial aid)

• Have the official SAT and ACT scores sent by the organizations to colleges of your choice.

• Sign the Certification Form. (independent homeschoolers only) This is a simple, one-page sheet, provided by the college, in which the parent just certifies that what he says about the child's education is true.

Homeschool transcripts and other papers are critical components of home education. It's time to let all of those years of hard work shine.

Transcripts II

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