concert and lecture attendance on college apps?

[Nicole M]

Do y'all list concert and lecture attendance in any part of your transcript / application materials?

 

I feel like such a dope. I was walking home from work tonight, where my boys and husband are attending a lecture by Max Brooks (the Zombie guy), when it hit me. My son has attended hundreds of concerts and lectures in his lifetime, and at least many dozen in the last three years of high school. And they are not all zombie guy lectures, either. Sherman Alexie, Suzan Lori Parks, Robert Pinsky, Terry Tempest Williams.... He also attends as many informal open forum / discussions as he has time for, at the college where I work. And he's attended dozens of concerts as well. I have not kept track of these.

 

I could reconstruct a list, since all that information is online. Is it worth the time? Is this a standard operating procedure, this type of list?

 

Thank you. And I do know that this has probably been discussed; I will get around to searching the boards for all this portfolio / application stuff, really.

[readwithem]

I've wondered the same thing, though we don't have ready access to a university like you do ;)

 

I would suggest including ones that add value to the courses you already have listed - e.g. Robert Pinsky for whatever English he did during the term when you heard him speak.

 

For the concerts, that would make a great FA credit - or 1/2 credit - particularly if you could add "listen to and discuss" the performances.

 

One other idea would be to include it in your counselor letter, just mentioning that you have done this over his high school years, what it meant to him, etc. There you could mention half a dozen or so specific concerts/lectures. :)

[Nicole M]

I've wondered the same thing, though we don't have ready access to a university like you do ;)

 

I would suggest including ones that add value to the courses you already have listed - e.g. Robert Pinsky for whatever English he did during the term when you heard him speak.

 

For the concerts, that would make a great FA credit - or 1/2 credit - particularly if you could add "listen to and discuss" the performances.

 

One other idea would be to include it in your counselor letter, just mentioning that you have done this over his high school years, what it meant to him, etc. There you could mention half a dozen or so specific concerts/lectures. :)

 

Thanks for the ideas! Since he has fine arts credits coming out of his ears, I don't think he really needs another, kwim? ;) But that sounds like a good plan, mentioning the specific meaningful events in the letter. It probably did not occur to me to keep a list because lectures and concerts are just part of our family culture, the air we breathe; these are not things we did specifically "for educational purposes" (said in a very proper tone of voice).

[readwithem]

Thanks for the ideas! Since he has fine arts credits coming out of his ears, I don't think he really needs another, kwim? ;) But that sounds like a good plan, mentioning the specific meaningful events in the letter. It probably did not occur to me to keep a list because lectures and concerts are just part of our family culture, the air we breathe; these are not things we did specifically "for educational purposes" (said in a very proper tone of voice).

 

HA - you sound like my dd "but Mom, that's not school, that's just what we do as a family!" ;)

 

If he's planning on a FA major, it will all add to letting them know who he is. If he's not, it will let them know he's a well-rounded student who would make a fine addition to any student body (do you think I've written too many gc letters?):tongue_smilie:

[Jane in NC]

Nicole,

 

We spend part of the summer in a community where renowned scientists converge. I mentioned in my son's counselor letter that we attend lectures given there on a regular basis.

 

You have given me food for thought. We too attend concerts and other events at the regional university as well as see films in two different film festivals. (Joining you in the proper tone to note that we too do this as a family.) Hmmm....Kareni will hopefully weigh in with some words of wisdom. I'll put a shout out to her.

 

Jane

[Nicole M]

Hmmm....Kareni will hopefully weigh in with some words of wisdom. I'll put a shout out to her.

 

Jane

 

(I was hoping Kareni would weigh in, too. She knows everything!)

[Kareni]

(I was hoping Kareni would weigh in, too. She knows everything!)

 

I only wish I knew everything!

 

I think adding these events in somewhere would be great. The counselor letter is certainly one possibility where you could mention this especially since it adds to the argument that education is so thoroughly intertwined with life. If your child is short of extra-curricular activities, I could also see this being a great addition (since you're talking about hundreds of hours throughout the high school years).

 

One of the colleges to which my daughter applied did ask a question about cultural activities she'd attended in the last ... month, six months, year (I forget the specifics). I'm pretty sure it's one of the colleges to which your son might be applying, Nicole.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Nicole M]

I only wish I knew everything!

 

I think adding these events in somewhere would be great. The counselor letter is certainly one possibility where you could mention this especially since it adds to the argument that education is so thoroughly intertwined with life. If your child is short of extra-curricular activities, I could also see this being a great addition (since you're talking about hundreds of hours throughout the high school years).

 

One of the colleges to which my daughter applied did ask a question about cultural activities she'd attended in the last ... month, six months, year (I forget the specifics). I'm pretty sure it's one of the colleges to which your son might be applying, Nicole.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thanks!

 

I guess this leads me to a more basic question. You might know that some colleges are moving to this (somewhat sketchy, in my book) dealy-o where you can apply online early, using a streamlined application, no fee, and you get your answer in three weeks! My son applied to a school last week, and I was not quite ready with all my materials. I thought I had until December to whip this stuff together. Silly me. So now I realize I am not prepared for this. I have the transcript which you graciously let me see, Kareni, and I have that application from a home-schooled student to the college where I work, but I haven't (gasp!) read any of those books people mention, about putting together the package.

 

This is a long apology for asking: what would be one book that you'd recommend about college applications for home-schooled students? I have just a few days to whip out materials for this first application (which is a fall-back school), but then the other applications aren't due for a while, and I will have time to be more thoughtful about it.

 

Thanks again!

[Jane in NC]

(I was hoping Kareni would weigh in, too. She knows everything!)

 

The amazing thing is that if Kareni does not know it, she has suggestions for where to find the answer.

 

Thanks for the timely thread, Nicole.

 

J

[Kareni]

The amazing thing is that if Kareni does not know it, she has suggestions for where to find the answer.

 

 

(Good grief, my head is going to become swollen!) I'd probably say, "Ask here!"

 

... what would be one book that you'd recommend about college applications for home-schooled students? I have just a few days to whip out materials for this first application (which is a fall-back school), but then the other applications aren't due for a while, and I will have time to be more thoughtful about it.

 

Hmm. One book I frequently recommend is Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis. (This is written from a Christian perspective.) I like the fact that it makes the application process seem doable. Another book I also recommend is How to Get Into the Top Colleges by Montauk and Klein. This book is not specifically directed at homeschoolers though there is a section that pertains to them. I like this book for its overall look at what is involved in getting into a top (or somewhat selective) college.

 

I don't know how much these books will help you now though at this stage; I suspect you might have picked up most of what they can tell you by spending a good amount of time here. (I really recommend these books to those who are just starting to homeschool high school.)

 

I suspect at this time the main things you need to do are:

 

generate a transcript

 

write course descriptions (if any of your son's colleges require them, I'd send them to all of the colleges)

 

write a counselor letter

 

produce a homeschool profile (not all colleges require one of these, but since some of my daughter's schools did, I sent it to all of them)

 

Other things you and your son might need to create are a reading list or even a portfolio. A couple of my daughter's colleges of interest did ask for or recommend a portfolio from homeschooled applicants. I recall that she sent the portfolio to at least two schools.

 

I'd be happy to send you (or anyone else) samples of my paperwork. Simply send me a personal message with your email address.

 

One thing that helped me with the counselor letter was to generate a list of character traits. I shared the list with my husband, and we both selected the characteristics we felt best described our daughter. I used those traits as the basis of my letter and looked for anecdotes that revealed them. I'd be happy to share that list of character traits as well. Then I also had to think about a negative trait (that still made her look good!) to show some balance.

 

This college guidance counselor hat is a heavy one! Good luck with the work.

 

Regards,

Kareni