Isn't there a "pretreat it and leave it until you get to it" stain stick of some kind that would be useful to my messy guy? Obsessing over minutiae so I don't think about how the three of us will be rattling around in our house after first son leaves for college. -Maura

This was one of the toughest parts of the application. I looked at every homeschoolers' examples anyone was willing to share, wrote about a thousand rough drafts, and finally came up with something. Other folks' letters didn't really give me any content ideas, but from them, I found the approach I wanted. I wrote about character strengths that weren't necessarily apparent from his transcript, activities/service page, etc. (passion for meaningful discussion, sense of humor and enthusiasm in conveying his opinion, excitement in making connections, love of public speaking, that kind of stuff.) I tried to give an overarching view of why I think he's awesome in a way that, for the most part, could have been written by a counselor who knew him well for the four years of high school. At the same time, I felt I had to address the "you want a counselor letter, but I'm his mom" issue, so I included a paragraph that read: Obviously, as his parent, it is impossible for me to give an unbiased evaluation of Connor's abilities and potential. I feel certain, however, that if you had the opportunity to sit down with this young man for half an hour, you would quickly discover why we are so proud of him, what a joy he is to be around, and why we believe he will be an asset to whichever school attends. Lots of bragging - no time for modesty. But other than that paragraph, no "me" or "I" or "we" -- making the language as objective as I could. If you want to see our whole letter, pm me. HTH, Maura

I'm a Folger fan for individual plays. For an all-in-one edition, I like the Bevington -- and a forklift.

This is how I look at it, as well. My son applied to a wide variety of colleges, and was accepted at several highly selective schools. On the Common App, you -- as the "school" -- are asked about the highest level classes offered in each subject. I just listed what my son did as being the highest level available. In addition, on the Grading section of the Homeschool Statement, I included this paragraph: As the honors designation is used primarily as a way of tiering classes, it is not applicable in our homeschool setting. While no classes are designated as "Honors", the choice of materials and the quantity of reading required for most courses would merit the label in many schools (see Course Descriptions and Reading List). The Common App asks if you weight your GPA, so they know if they are comparing apples to oranges. All but the smallest colleges are used to comparing students from a variety of school settings, from very academic prep academies to poor performing urban or rural schools. Most of the advisers we talked to made it clear that they don't just throw every one into a hat and pick the highest numbers off the top. They know "Biology" isn't the same everywhere. That's why Course Descriptions matter, and why you should take advantage of every part of the application process that gives you the opportunity to talk about your homeschooling philosophy and methods. Rather than create an application package that looked just like the ps kids', we choose to emphasize the academic freedom provided by homeschooling instead. He had 2 APs on his transcript (from PA Homeschoolers), and one CC class. Everything else, regardless of how rigorous it was, was just listed as a regular subject. He did take 3 SAT IIs, because they were required by his first choice school. It's really tough to figure out how to walk this narrow road between following their interests, and wanting them to be "acceptable" to their schools of choice. It think it's one of the hardest parts of high school. MHO, Maura

I put my name as Facilitator / Instructor, beneath ds's name and address info. I ended up submitting the following, both when we used the Common Application, and when submitting by mail: 1 page transcript (included course list, units & grades, with GPA; test scores -- not CATs, but SATs, ACT, AP; grading scale, and annotation about what classes were outsourced) 1 page extracurriculars and awards 2 page reading list 8 page course descriptions 1 page homeschool profile 1 page counselor letter Ugh - It makes me tired, just thinking about it. It was very stressful for me, trying to figure out the right approach to take with each document, figuring out how to present my son in an honest and yet flattering light! Wearing the parent hat, the teacher hat, the counselor hat and the school hat. I received so many suggestions and great ideas from the Hive -- I couldn't have done it without you ladies!

No text or reference type books on the reading list. Ds ended up with a two page list, two columns per page. I titled it "Representative Reading List", with subheadings for Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Short Works. In the heading to his Course Description document (another 8 pages), I included the sentence: "Please see the Representative Reading List for books read in conjunction with this coursework." I listed many, but not all, of the texts and reference books used in the course descriptions themselves.

I would make a homemade transcript in a way that accurately reflects our homeschooling and shows my child's education to the best advantage. For us, that turned out to be by subject. Most colleges don't want to see course work before 9th grade, even if it is at the high school level. For example, Algebra I is often a high school course, but many kids take it in 8th grade. If a college requires 3 math courses, they may or may not count a class taken in 8th grade -- depends on the school. Assuming a traditional track (4 years of high school), the GPA on the transcript really ought to be a 4 year GPA, and should not include 7th and 8th grade. Whether or not to put the Regents scores on the transcript probably depends on what schools your son is applying to. Only NY public schools (SUNYs and CUNYs) will care about the Regents scores, and the scores won't actually need to be on the transcript itself. (The 5 Regents exams have to do with being eligible for a degree, not eligibility for acceptance. I know several kids who've been accepted to SUNYs without any Regents, including my son.) I would just provide the separate school generated document with the Regents scores to any SUNY/CUNY. Personally, we go the "letter from the superintendent" route, rather than the Regents, because it's so much easier than teaching to the Regents, and allows us to focus on SAT IIs and APs were required by the colleges. JMHO, Maura

I read as many guide book and online reviews as I could, but after a while I learned to read between the lines on sites like http://www.studentreviews.com and Unigo.com. I read them, but took them with a grain of salt. You know, there is a maxim in customer service that people are 7 times more likely to share a negative experience than a positive one. Looking at the school my son will be attending in the fall on studentreviews.com, it shows that only 75% would choose it again. Yet 98% return after their freshman year, and over 90% graduate in 4 years. So the people who choose to seek out the site are disproportionately those who are unhappy.) Kids who are miserable where they are often complain about things that they would have known about before hand if they'd done any research of their own! (I remember reading a review about another school my son looked at. The reviewer ranted on and on about the religious atmosphere of Providence College -- Okay, the name doesn't sound like a Catholic school, but it's run by Dominican Friars and one look at the website or any brochure should clue you in.) Many of the negative reviews seem to be from kids in a "bad fit" situation, who are having a hard time fitting in, and it colors everything about their experience. Best of luck in your search!

if you have a cooperative district, is the letter from the superintendent. It helps to point out the verbiage from the regs that shows they aren't actually attesting to the quality of your child's education, just to the fact that you have completed all the paperwork as required by the state. Our second choice would have been the 24 credits option, had we needed it. By the way, this requirement only applies to public schools in NY, and some of the SUNYs and CUNYs are more open-minded than others. My son was accepted to SUNY Geneseo, and his financial aid package was packed with federal loans -- and no-one had questioned his obviously homemade transcript, with all but 3 "mommy grades", or asked us how we were going to prove his "ability to benefit." It never got to that point because he chose an out of state school, but given my on-going communication with the school, I don't think there would have been any problem. Peace, Maura

We used LabPaq CK-S the last time around -- Full Year College or High School Honors -- It's $299 now. We split it among 3 families. It went alright, but I wouldn't say it was fantastic. The explanations and write-ups were a bit weak. I had purchased the Prentice-Hall Small Scale Lab book someone else mentioned, since we were using the corresponding textbook. But when I looked at it, the chemicals were discussed in class-size portions, with many things having to be premixed by the teacher in big batches. I tried pricing up what we would need to do 20 different labs, and it very expensive, plus we'd still need the glassware, etc. I know that in addition to what came with the LabPaq, we purchased a better scale, and a ring stand with a better burner. Next time around, I will probably try the Illustrated Guide. There are some lab kits to go with it here: http://www.elementalscientific.net/store/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=17 Maura

from a kid who really doesn't care for math. Carole does an awesome job. My son was taking 2 classes from PA homeschoolers, and the difference between the classes was dramatic. The other was a subject my son loves, and he scored a 5 on that test, too, but I'm pretty sure he could have done it on his own. Not so with statistics. Why Blue Hen's class rocks: A teacher who is easy to reach by email, Facebook, or IM -- and who responds quickly to student's questions. Assignments that are graded and returned in a timely manner. This really matters! Useful teaching feedback on returned assignments, not just grades. Daily Messages. New material or new ways of looking at the material presented in the textbook. Everyday, Monday through Friday. Like a mini-lecture, in a personal tone. Better explanations, real-world applications, etc. Ample test prep, right up until to the AP exam. A well-organized syllabus. The PA AP classes can be confusing, with all the online and offline elements and assignments, so this was important. An active and on-topic message board, because the teacher is an active participant in the discussions. Accountability, with flexibility. No late work without previous arrangement with parents, but multiple-day windows for work to be done online/submitted. Fun hands-on activities with M&Ms and Oreos! A student who was confident in his preparation going into the exam. By the way, Stats is a great senior year math for kids who want a full complement of math on their transcripts, but aren't calculus material. Thanks, Carole! You'll still be teaching this in 4 years when ds #2 is ready, won't you? Maura

We found this site helpful in comparing colleges, making customized charts: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

We walked the middle line here, and I think that unless your student is aiming for a specific school, it's a reasonable route. I think you do need to show objective proof of your student's abilities if you are applying to a "highly" or "very" competitive school. Schools that are "test optional" may not feel that way when it comes to a homeschooled student. This is more true for schools that draw the majority of their applicants from their own state. They know the high school programs -- which ones are tough and which ones are lame, and can use the course load and GPA to make a good assessment. But I also think that it's important not to lose sight of the unique opportunities of homeschooling. If you pursue the AP/CC path to the exclusion of passion-driven learning, your student's transcript will look like every honors student from the local ps. For some colleges that might be a good thing. For others, you're better off playing the "unique" card. FWIW, as a single data point, middle of the road for us was SAT and ACT, SAT IIs in Biology , US History, Spanish, 1 CC class, and 2 APs taken senior year (so the grades & test scores were not available at application time). Ds was accepted at 9 out of 11 schools, rejected from an Ivy, and wait-listed at the 11th. The schools he was accepted to ran the gamut from "competitive" to "most competitive". The key word here is AVAILABLE. How do you want to define available? I defined it as the classes my son took, whether it was CC, AP, or home-brewed. I noted in the Common Ap that we choose not to pile on the CC and AP classes partly because of expense and partly because homeschooling is about pursuing intellectual passions, not jumping through hoops. Well-rounded counts, folks. We heard repeatedly from the colleges that because it's easy for guidance counselors and students to see what numbers you need to get accepted, people tend to self-select for schools where they stand a good chance of getting in. So, in terms of test scores and GPAs, the applicant pool can be pretty homogeneous. If the student has the SAT and/or ACT scores, plus a small handful of other outside classes/tests to show the academic ability, another half-dozen AP scores aren't going to be the thing that makes a student stand out. Most of my son's acceptance letters mentioned his "extracurricular" activities, which aren't anything world-shaking, just solid; they show commitment, leadership, passion, service, etc. One thing that helps me when I start thinking I need to beef up the transcript to get into school XYZ because they like to see such and such, is whether or not that philosophy matches with our overall educational philosophy. In other words, If the college values the numbers over the learning experience, then it probably isn't the kind of school he'd be happy at anyway. And I totally get that if your child has a particular career goal for which a particular college or type of college is the goal, you have to make choices accordingly. Of course, in the end, the best advice is to end the speculation by calling any colleges your child might be interested in, explain how you homeschool, and ask what they would need in order for your student to be a competitive applicant. They are happy to tell you.

It sounds like a good way for us to go. Peace, Maura

My 8th grader has been learning Spanish, but all along he's been saying he'd rather learn German. But I don't know German... Meanwhile -- in my search for an "outside" class for the accountability factor, I keep seeing how popular OSU's German program is. It occurred to me that this might be a win-win. Can you review your experience with this program? In your view, and your student's, what are the pros and cons? Which levels did you use, and if your child took the SAT II or AP, how did he/she do? Is there any way for a rising 9th grader to get all the way through the AP level? It isn't clear to me if he could start the Level 1 right now, and work at a slightly accelerated pace to fit it all in, or if the classes are on a fall/spring academic schedule, in which case you'd need to have started in 7th grade to make it through to the AP Level. I see there are several teachers -- Can you request one, and if so, who would you recommend? I also see that there are "special rates" for homeschoolers -- I hope special means lower? Thanks for any input. Peace, Maura

A couple of pointers for recommendation letters in general -- (gleaned from our experiences this year) Since you will have more than one letter by the time your student applies, every letter doesn't have to cover everything. Depending on how he knew the different "recommenders", my son asked them to focus on his leadership skills, academic ability, personal characteristics, etc. Two or three specific examples of how your child has impressed the writer make for a stronger letter than a long list of glowing adjectives without anything concrete. Your student may be asking people who haven't done this before, or want to know more about his/her schooling, so in some cases it might be helpful to share a copy of your child's transcript, activities list, etc., so that they have a bigger picture.

It's great to know we have so much company, as we jump into high school again! In August, we'll be sending the first pancake off to college, and starting high school all over again with our wild child. He's a completely different animal :D, so in some ways, I'll be starting from scratch.

Where did you get stuck? Sometimes when fractions get thrown into the mix people get mind freeze and don't know where to start. You could start this problem by multiplying both sides by x, giving you: 5 - x +3/4x = 7 Combine the x terms on the left and subtract 5 from both sides: -1/4x = 2 Multiply both sides by -4 to get your answer: x = -8 Hope that helps! Peace†, Maura

I found it in the AP Coordinators' Manual on the College Board site. It's 993399.

I love the early grades. But -- I'm a grammar geek, but I found the content of 9/10 crazy overkill. For what it's worth (although I'm not sure that's very much), my kids consistently score in the 99 NPR of the language sections of CAT5s, (and the older one on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT). Who can say how much of that is due to using R&S through 8th for ds1, and 6th for ds2, followed by EZ Grammar Plus?

Regulations: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/10010.html Q&A from the state education website: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/nonpub/homeinstruction/homeschoolingqanda.html I'm in NY, and just finishing high school with my oldest, looking toward 9th grade with my 2nd, so all of this stuff is on the top layer of mental detritus.:tongue_smilie: I'm not clear exactly what you are asking about. Do you want a list of accredited homeschooling programs? Or wanting to know about NYs requirements for high school? Are you asking what NY colleges/universities require? I'm not sure what Lisa Q is saying, but I know from our experience that a student does NOT need an accredited diploma to be accepted to SUNY Geneseo. There are five ways to meet the NY requirements for homeschoolers, (accredited diploma program, 5 specific regents exams, 24 specific college credits -- which can be taken after you matriculate, GED or letter from superintendent of your district stating your student has received a substantially equivalent education). If you have any one of these, they need to accept it. Of course, that doesn't guarantee acceptance TO the school. In terms of what accredited diplomas are acceptable, the State Ed site, says: When a student has completed a high school program through correspondence study, the correspondence school must be recognized, authorized, or approved by the state educational entity where the correspondence school is located. Additional validation of the high school program in the form of regional accreditation adds to the acceptability of such credentials. (The regional accrediting agencies include: the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; the New England Association of Colleges and Schools; the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges; the Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities; the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.) From our experience, they don't ask how you are going to meet this requirement when you apply. My son ended up deciding to go elsewhere, but Geneseo was happy with our "homemade" transcript. I assume at some point the question would have come up if he'd enrolled. He will have the letter from the superintendent in his file, in case he ever needs it. Hope this gets you started. Peace†, Maura

That's what we've experienced, except in between #2 and #3, they eliminate Campus Work Study.

Are you asking about relics in general, or why they are presented at Beatification? By the way, it's important to understand that when Catholics use the word "veneration", it does not mean "worship", but respect. Think "revere". This link might help you: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12734a.htm

On my son's transcript, I put a letter to 4.0 scale conversion (A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, etc.), since the transcript shows his GPA based on a 4.0. On the Homeschooling Statement for the Common App, there is a section headed "Grading Scale", and subheaded "Explain your grading scale, or other methods of evaluation." Here, I explained what working towards mastery means in our homeschool, in terms of grading (essentially, nothing below a B, because we don't move on until the student demonstrates understanding of the material). I didn't actually provide a scale here, but discussed the fact that sometimes we used objective testing materials, but sometimes grades were assigned in a more "holistic" fashion. I think this honesty about "mommy grades" worked in for us, because my son took few outside classes, but has the test scores (SAT IIs, etc.) to back up his high GPA.

Yes - you choose that day. My son isn't sure (it was almost 4 years ago), but as he remembers it, both sections were in the test booklet, and he just picked the one he wanted to do.