Oh yay! One more year. I'm done and miss it so much. Enjoy every minute!

They grow up so fast. You're almost done homeschooling, yes?

Oh Ruth! I remember this thread (and the wonderful hive members of that time) so fondly. Seems like just yesterday, yet so long ago.

Congratulations! My daughter is a freshman at Beloit!

Misty-eyed here! Congrats to all of you and your kids! My favorite thread of the year. 🙂

Moravian, Lebanon Valley, Delaware Valley University, Elizabethtown, Lycoming, Rosemont, Cabrini, Arcadia. Goucher in MD.

Waving hi to Lisa!!!! I miss you and all of those great conversations. Glad all is well!

Oh, believe me, I get it! My kids thought the entire process was bs at one point or another. And it is difficult when LACs all tout the same thing and your kid isn't sure which is the best fit. On the other hand, that's awesome because it's better than a kid only having dreams about one school...and not getting in or not being able to pay for it! Two of my kids got into Oberlin. Both wrote very personal essays that showed they were familiar with the people and the campus and the culture. One actually based her essay on two Obies who greatly influenced her life in many ways (I wasn't sure if it was a wise idea). I don't think it's a problem for your son to write about his father at all!

koktog, For selective schools, those Why Essays can be super important. If they have visited and researched, then they should have no problem with explaining why. Rather than formulaic, I see those essays as a super opportunity to explain why they are a perfect fit for a particular school. Re: Oberlin. It is fine to mention his father. Oberlin, in particular, wants to know that an applicant has a deep understanding of its unique culture. Oberlin wants to feel the love, as they say. If he visited, he should mention Tappan Square or Soul Train or contact improv (or whatever floated his boat). If he interviewed, he can mention something that resonated with him. Obies are a unique bunch. The more your son can express his understanding of that, the better! Best of luck! Such a stressful time.

Yup - double degree. Your son doesn't surprise me! I'm crossing my fingers for him! He sounds like a strong candidate. Please keep us updated!

Hey all. Two of my own kids were accepted at Oberlin (one attended and loved it btw). In both cases, they didn't graduate as a homeschooler but homeschooled for a year or two of high school. On the website, it says that Brittnei is the homeschool rep. Maybe that's who you're assigned to? https://www.oberlin.edu/brittnei-sherrod I think your homeschooler would be fine without a paper if scores etc are on the top end. But here is what Oberlin really wants from any applicant: they want to know that they understand and love Oberlin's culture. It's a unique school with a unique community. Visit and experience it firsthand so that your dc can truly absorb that. Hang out on the benches. Talk to students. Know Tappan Square. Know Soul Train and Agave. Sit in on classes. Know Oberlin's history. Weave that into their Why essay. Know that Obies love people and learning and want to change the world. And they have a hard time focusing on one interest because life is fabulous and every bit is a joy to experience. I wish your kids the best. Oberlin is a special, special place!!

I've done this, but my son handed in each assignment and took each exam with grades given by the professor. A letter of rec was also written by this professor. The course name and grade were listed on the transcript. The course description (with professor's name) included a link to Penn's website which listed the course. I explained that he audited classes (some undergrad and some graduate) in the School Profile.

She's in her second year. I've said it before, but he changed everything for her!

Roy Speed's Romeo and Juliet and, of course, WTMA's Creative Writing with Hummel.

No reason to put providers on a single-page transcript, but if they add value, surely put them in the school profile or course descriptions. Re: middle school credits on high school transcript. You will get all kinds of answers. No right or wrong. I usually don't because there is plenty of rigor enough with 4 high school credits in each subject. It is assumed those classes have been taken. Colleges want to see the student they are getting; not the one from 5-6 years before. Unless required by certain states or you need to show an extra year of a particular subject, I leave them off. Languages might be an exception in my book. Do what feels right. ?

I agree with Sebastian. Most selective colleges love to see course descriptions. Do they read them thoroughly? Doubt it. But it's certainly a way to show that you took your homeschooler's education seriously. I'm not sure if many public universities are interested in seeing course descriptions unless your homeschooler is applying to an honors program or more selective program. I usually put the school profile under the counselor's School Profile section. Since admissions counselors expect to see them there, I upload it there. In the appropriate homeschooling box, you can just write "see school profile." In the other two boxes, you can put, "see course descriptions." Yes, you would upload the course descriptions as an additional transcript. There are four slots to use. Some homeschoolers use the other slots for reading lists or resumes or independent project descriptions. Best of luck!

Okay. The first question(s) asks about rating your student in relation to academic achievement. The second asks about rating your student in relation to demand of curriculum. I know - it all seems strange as a homeschooler. Unless you have a basis to compare your homeschooler to others, I usually recommend what you did - answering No to that first question. I would either answer the second question as "prefer not to respond" or "most demanding" if you're comfortable with that.

Sample essays are a must around here. The PrepScholar link that Jackie shared (which has the JHU essays that worked) is awesome. Essay Hell, for sure, but I also add some things from Mighty Writing.

I chose C.

Yup, you sign up as a parent or other adult. Maybe this post will help? It hasn't been updated since last year, but... https://medium.com/@lisa_davis_21488/how-to-navigate-the-common-app-as-a-homeschool-parent-6bcb809da016

DD LOVED Thomas Hummel's Creative Writing course through WTMA. No fantasy writing, however. And he uses a workshop format. She also liked Bravewriter, but that was for essay writing. Hummel's class inspired her so much that she is just finishing up three weeks at Bard's Writers Workshop.

I took it orally. Great idea to ask for a shot! Thanks!

Poison ivy loves me. Ever since I was a kid. I love to garden and constantly run inside to wash the oils off. Sometimes, I miss some. My eyes are currently half swollen shut and I know it's only going to get worse. Two years ago, I was on prednisone for the same thing and I promised my family I wouldn't go on that stuff for another ten years!!! ? The side effects were awful. Before I call the doctor, is there anything I can try for another day that might help? I'm afraid that my eyes will be completely shut by tomorrow, so time is of the essence. I cannot tell you how bummed I am about this. Sigh.

Can you start in the summer?

I've been wanting to respond to this thread. One of my daughters trained privately with her Russian ballet instructor for 30-35 hours a week during high school. Because of an injury, surgery, and declining mental health, she ended up going back to PS and will be graduating tonight! Every class she did was homegrown until she tried an online charter school. She could not cope with either. But in full disclosure, she couldn't handle the workload of PS when she had no EC's. Make sure you understand the refund policy for each provider. Know she will be tired. Very tired. Find the time of day that works best for her to do school work. 18-20 hours a week is not different from PS kids who do travel sports. It's doable if the time commitment doesn't increase. Will there be times of year dedicated to competition, rehearsals, and performances? Make sure her schedule and the provider are accommodating. My daughter was obsessed with Russian History and classical music. Through ballet, she was learning tons about nutrition & anatomy and physiology. We added some books and Great Courses to turn those into electives. Wait to see how things turn out re: calling them courses or ECs. And know that colleges won't be familiar with any of those online providers or their rigor. That will be displayed in your course descriptions and any additional testing. DD applied to colleges shortly after returning to PS. She had extremely average SAT scores. But she got into some well-regarded LACs, including Oberlin. What she did have was a story. Her essays were phenomenal and her interviews were engaging. Best of luck to your daughter! Ballet is a beautiful yet insular world. You're giving your daughter a gift, whether she makes it professionally or not. Many, many life lessons are headed her way! ETA: Take advantage of summers! DD used Ray Leven in the summer to cover an entire year of Spanish. Think about which subject might be done as a crash course during summer. ETA: Ballet was not on our dd's transcript. It was an EC.