Diplomas

[Melabella]

Is there a reason to purchase a diploma rather than make one yourself?

Edited April 27, 2017 by Melabella

[MerryAtHope]

I think it's just a matter of personal taste. You could make something fairly nice on the computer. I chose to purchase one because I liked the look of the seal and thought the printing looked better than what I might generate (though I have generated K and 8th grade diplomas in the past). I also liked the folder. (I'm assuming we're talking about the high school and not the college diploma, even though this ended up on the college board.)

 

 

Edited April 27, 2017 by MerryAtHope

[Nan in Mass]

I purchased diplomas for my children because I wanted the most official looking thing possible in case they had to show it for a job some day (especially a non-US job). The paperwork from our school system is their proof of a high school education, not their diplomas, but I wanted them to have diplomas just in case. And they were a fun marker of their achievement. Someone here helped us put our school motto into Latin, and I drew up a school seal. We have always had a school name, to simplify conversations where we didn't want to get into homeschooling. I had my father, who was heavily involved with their education, sign their diplomas.

 

Nan

[creekland]

We made our own and haven't had any problem.  We knew our kids were going on to college and that diploma was going to be the "valuable" one for work, etc.

 

TBH, I don't even know where my high school diploma is... but my college diploma is on my bedroom wall right next to hubby's.  High school diplomas are a minor formality in our lives.

[Julie of KY]

I got one at homeschooldiploma.com

I wanted a more official looking one for my kids. It's the only formality we do for graduation.

[G5052]

We bought one from homeschooldiploma.com as well.

 

Yes, I teach web design at the college level and teach Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as part of that.

 

But frankly their diplomas are beautiful and very high quality. It's better all-around to have them do it. When I consider my time and costs for high quality paper and a case, it's better to have them do it.

 

I plan to sit down with my daughter and figure out hers this weekend so I can get it ordered.

[regentrude]

Nope.

I have created beautiful professional looking diplomas with embossed certificate paper from Staples and my home printer. 

I prefer to be able to customize wording and layout.

[snowbeltmom]

We bought one from homeschooldiploma.com as well.

 

Yes, I teach web design at the college level and teach Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as part of that.

 

But frankly their diplomas are beautiful and very high quality. It's better all-around to have them do it. When I consider my time and costs for high quality paper and a case, it's better to have them do it.

 

I plan to sit down with my daughter and figure out hers this weekend so I can get it ordered.

 

:iagree: The diplomas are beautiful - my senior's should be arriving any day now. 

 

[creekland]

Nope.

I have created beautiful professional looking diplomas with embossed certificate paper from Staples and my home printer. 

I prefer to be able to customize wording and layout.

 

This is us too.  Today we were at a store and briefly thought about buying a college graduation card, but hubby mentioned he can easily make a better one - using pics, etc.  He's right.  We prefer customizing and he's extremely talented at it.  Buying one instead just isn't appealing.  That mindset also played into why we made our own diplomas.

[Sunshine State Sue]

No.  Ds's has been sitting in a box in my bedroom closet since I gave it to him.

[retiredHSmom]

As a side note, your child may actually need a high school diploma some day.  

 

My daughter graduates from college in 17 days with an BS in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited school.  She has a job with a major (huge) employer.

 

They wanted a copy of her high school diploma.  Her transcript wouldn't do.  No they needed a diploma.  Make one or buy one but make sure that you have one.

[Rebel Yell]

Is there a reason to purchase a diploma rather than make one yourself?

If your skills at making a beautiful document aren't great, or you don't have or wish to purchase nice document paper, if your printer is crummy and you don't have access to a nice quality printer...

 

But assuming you have the ability to design and print a nice document, and your state laws don't determine what your diploma looks like or how you aquire one, then I can't think of any reason not to make your own.

[FaithManor]

As a side note, your child may actually need a high school diploma some day.

 

My daughter graduates from college in 17 days with an BS in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited school. She has a job with a major (huge) employer.

 

They wanted a copy of her high school diploma. Her transcript wouldn't do. No they needed a diploma. Make one or buy one but make sure that you have one.

Oh yes. Dd had 113 college credits from U of MI, and her paramedic license from the state of Michigan plus national registry exam scores as well as clinical scores for her paramedic training and two years work experience with rave recommendations from her employer, but New Jersey demanded to see a high school diplomax in order to transfer her license. Not only that, they wanted her ACT score!!

 

Good grief.

[Gratia271]

:iagree: The diplomas are beautiful - my senior's should be arriving any day now. 

 

 

Ours too!  Can't wait to see it.

[katilac]

We bought a personalized diploma cover from homeschooldiplomas.com but printed the diploma itself at home.  I liked the look of the seals and so forth on theirs, but the styles we liked were too religious for dd's taste. Their diplomas are only very partially customizable, and we definitely preferred our own wording. 

[Mom22ns]

Nope.

I have created beautiful professional looking diplomas with embossed certificate paper from Staples and my home printer. 

I prefer to be able to customize wording and layout.

 

This. 

 

I also purchased padded covers. They were still cheaper than any of the ones I could order and I didn't like anyone else's wording. I looked at everyone else's wording, but I did my own. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

We bought a personalized diploma cover from homeschooldiplomas.com but printed the diploma itself at home. I liked the look of the seals and so forth on theirs, but the styles we liked were too religious for dd's taste. Their diplomas are only very partially customizable, and we definitely preferred our own wording.

I made one with them that was not religious at all. Their templates are customizable.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[katilac]

I made one with them that was not religious at all. Their templates are customizable.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

Yes, but the styles and seals that we personally liked had religious content. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Yes, but the styles and seals that we personally liked had religious content. 

Ah. Gotcha.

 

 

[elegantlion]

I also used homeschooldiplomas. We did not use any of their religious wording or seals. Frankly, it's beautiful and is almost better than my public school diploma. 

 

I did not have the time or patience to create one myself. Plus we had homeschooled on a shoe string budget for so long, I wanted him to have something that did not appear homemade. It sits in our living room next to mine, still in the cover, and I'm not sure he really cares, but it was important to me. 

 

Plus, he is considering international jobs and as pointed out above, sometimes employers want to see diplomas not just transcripts. I did do the transcript on my own. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by elegantlion

[Nan in Mass]

Oh yes. Dd had 113 college credits from U of MI, and her paramedic license from the state of Michigan plus national registry exam scores as well as clinical scores for her paramedic training and two years work experience with rave recommendations from her employer, but New Jersey demanded to see a high school diplomax in order to transfer her license. Not only that, they wanted her ACT score!!

 

Good grief.

I have heard enough diploma stories that that part doesn't surprise me, but ACT scores? Wow!

[Nan in Mass]

Yes, but the styles and seals that we personally liked had religious content.

We made our own seal and they used it. I particularly liked their non-religious wording. The wording was what made me choose them.

[*LC]

If a homeschool graduate needs a diploma at a later date for a job, it can be created at that time with the appropriate date of graduation.

[TammyS]

Ya'll have blown my mind.  My son actually is just home from his freshman year at college.  It never occurred to me to make a high school diploma, like an actual piece of paper.  We always figured his college diploma would make his high school achievements obvious (and just how worthwhile, we figured, could it be if I could print it on my 10 year old inkjet?).  I guess we always figured a high school education was a given and not much of an achievement, so we didn't really make a big thing of "graduation" (other than, "thank goodness that is over!"). Now I'm wondering if I have totally blown it.

[creekland]

Now I'm wondering if I have totally blown it.

 

Not at all.  If you need one later, make one later.  ;)  Even if a diploma gets burned in a fire and needs replacing, the work to earn it is already completed.

 

I've never needed my high school diploma... I have needed my college diploma.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Just another thought ... we never know what life has in store for us. I only had diplomas made for my older kids to have a nice tangible memento of the accomplishment because they didn't want to attend the graduation ceremonies of the local homeschool groups that they didn't feel particularly connected to. We we did this, we fully expected out kids to have college diplomas, making the high school one irrelevant. However, we never expected our brilliant and accomplished kid to become so debilitated by mental illness that we really don't hold out much hope of K graduating college, let alone, living independently ... at least not for a long while. K did apply for a job and they wanted to see the diploma.

 

You just don't know what life has in store for you.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[Lori D.]

On 5/22/2017 at 4:41 PM, TammyS said:

Ya'll have blown my mind.  My son actually is just home from his freshman year at college.  It never occurred to me to make a high school diploma, like an actual piece of paper.  We always figured his college diploma would make his high school achievements obvious (and just how worthwhile, we figured, could it be if I could print it on my 10 year old inkjet?).  I guess we always figured a high school education was a given and not much of an achievement, so we didn't really make a big thing of "graduation" (other than, "thank goodness that is over!"). Now I'm wondering if I have totally blown it.

Agreeing with creekland -- just go ahead and print one now and tuck it into your homeschool records.

It's important to have a physical high school diploma so that the student really can answer truthfully on job applications or other paperwork: "Do you have a high school diploma?" Because sometimes it IS worded that way, and not "Are you a high school graduate?", or, "Did you graduate from high school?"

Yes, any diploma IS "just a piece of paper". But it's a physical "certification" of a person having completed the requirements of high school. For a public high school, the diploma is only awarded when the student has completed the public high school's required course of study. For a homeschool student, the diploma is awarded when the student has completed the parents' required course of study. To not award your homeschool student the diploma (even if it is "just a piece of paper") is not fair to the student's efforts and work to complete those requirements. 🙂

And yes, public high schools just print their diplomas on plain pieces of paper with an inkjet (or whatever printer is in their office). It's not like they use magic paper or that the diplomas waft down from heaven on high. 😉   :tongue_smilie:  So if public high schools can do it, so can you! 🙂

Congratulations to your graduate who is now a year into his college journey! 🙂 Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Lori D.

[MerryAtHope]

It's not like they use magic paper or that the diplomas waft down from heaven on high. ;)   :tongue_smilie:  

 

:laugh:

[Rebel Yell]

Ya'll have blown my mind. My son actually is just home from his freshman year at college. It never occurred to me to make a high school diploma, like an actual piece of paper. We always figured his college diploma would make his high school achievements obvious (and just how worthwhile, we figured, could it be if I could print it on my 10 year old inkjet?). I guess we always figured a high school education was a given and not much of an achievement, so we didn't really make a big thing of "graduation" (other than, "thank goodness that is over!"). Now I'm wondering if I have totally blown it.

Diamond applied to college as a transfer student, after having earns an associate degree at community college. Official college transcripts had been sent, but the new school still needed to physically see the high school diploma. Not a copy, and we couldn't scan and attach to an email.

 

At the time, Diamond was working three jobs, seven days/week, two days she worked two jobs back to back, so she had zero time to drive her diploma an hour away, but fortunately, the transfer counselor was at the community college 5 mins from our house, so she just met her there in between jobs.

 

I'm just glad I knew where the diploma actually was... paperwork and filing is my nemesis

Edited May 25, 2017 by Rebel Yell

[prairiewindmomma]

Thank you for this thread!