Variety of outsourced classes on transcript

[Michelle in AL]

Does is matter to colleges if your student takes a variety of outsourced classes?

 

Dd will have credits for AP classes from various online schools.

She wants to clep math.

She wants to take courses through Alabama early college which gives you credit from the University of Alabama (these will transfer since she plans to go in-state).

She could take community college classes also.

 

All these sources appear to be a little messy looking.

 

Would they rather see consistency, such as all AP classes only?

 

I'm mostly concerned about scholarships, which want to see rigor in their course content.

[Halftime Hope]

Does is matter to colleges if your student takes a variety of outsourced classes?

 

Would they rather see consistency, such as all AP classes only?

 

I'm mostly concerned about scholarships, which want to see rigor in their course content.

 

Hi Michelle,

 

In our experience, applying to both a state uni and to private LACs, it doesn't matter at all, and it certainly didn't hurt! Re. scholarships, dd received offers of full tuition and 60% tuition at two LACs (both competitive interview situations, in which her paperwork was viewed carefully before they issued invitations), in addition to receiving the highest level of standard merit aid at most of her picks. At the state uni, she received a full ride+ offer under similar competitive circumstances. The only thing there that might have given her "a leg up" was that she already had dual credit from that same institution, but on the con side, she did not have high school campus leadership or community leadership credentials that other candidates might have had, so I'd say it all evened out.

 

What I did was to make sure that her outsourced credentials were noted on the transcript with a footnote-style marker which led to a key showing where the course was taken. It sounds clumsy, but really was not. Her outsourced courses grouped pretty nicely into two broad areas of interest, so her transcript spoke pretty clearly to her passions. I think that helped. Even at the uni, the interview committee connected with her passion for service and found that to be an attractive quality, as experiential learning/service learning is one of the areas they are newly opening up for the senior year thesis/project requirement.

 

I digress, but I think the ability to succeed in a variety of learning venues can speak well of your student.

 

PM me if you want to see what the transcript style was like--it's pretty basic.

[Brenda in MA]

Does is matter to colleges if your student takes a variety of outsourced classes?

 

Dd will have credits for AP classes from various online schools.

She wants to clep math.

She wants to take courses through Alabama early college which gives you credit from the University of Alabama (these will transfer since she plans to go in-state).

She could take community college classes also.

 

All these sources appear to be a little messy looking.

 

Would they rather see consistency, such as all AP classes only?

 

I'm mostly concerned about scholarships, which want to see rigor in their course content.

Michelle,

 

I would think it wouldn't matter if she had courses from a variety of sources vs. only AP courses. I like Valerie's approach of using notes on the transcript to show where each course was taken. My son had on-line & CC courses. I just put them on the transcript and then in the course descriptions said where each course was taken. The Common App hs supplement specifically asks about outside assessment, so I also mentioned the outside courses on that form.

 

Since your child is planning on going in-state, I think you should discuss your questions with the admissions office of the schools she's interested in. Not all colleges accept CLEP credits, so before investing the time, you might want to check if they are accepted at the target colleges.

 

HTH,

Brenda

[Kareni]

I believe the fact that your child will have had a rigorous education is more important than the fact that that education will have been obtained through a variety of resources.

 

My daughter had:

 

classes taken at home

classes taken at the local community college

AP classes (on line and at a local resource center)

additional classes taken at the local resource center

 

On her transcript, I used a different typeface (i.e., bold, italics, plain) to indicate where each class had been taken. In the notes section, I mentioned the significance of each typeface. It did not appear messy at all. I'd be happy to send you a copy of her transcript if you send me a personal message with your email address.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Janet in WA]

Does is matter to colleges if your student takes a variety of outsourced classes?

Many of the colleges to which our sons applied stated that academic validation outside of the home (AP scores, cc classes, etc.) improved the homeschooled applicant's standing for admission. But these additional academic challenges are also beneficial for traditionally schooled applicants, so colleges see these things on transcripts all the time.

 

 

All these sources appear to be a little messy looking.

 

Would they rather see consistency, such as all AP classes only?

 

 

No. What they want is clarity. I listed all our sons high school credits, no matter what the source, in one simply organized list. Then I used footnotes to indicate how each of the outsourced credits was earned. I can send you a sample if you PM me with your e-mail address. Edited April 10, 2010 by Janet in WA