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Sebastian (a lady)

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Everything posted by Sebastian (a lady)

  1. Makes sense. I have a key in the footer of the transcript. There isn't a single perfect profile format. They vary a lot across schools too. And the purpose is slightly different between homeschool and traditional schools. In a traditional school setting the profile helps contextualize the individual student's rigor against what was available to them. So if their school restricts AP to only 11-12 grade, admissions knows there is a limit to how many AP they'll have. But if the school offers many AP and honors and the student took college prep, that tells a different story. A homeschool school profile probably isn't describing a slate of courses that year's senior didn't take. But it can describe a lot of other context. I advise focusing on being effective and efficient. Explain what will help the reader understand the student's educational setting. Be as readable as possible. Don't clutter the profile with stuff like the student's test scores (which are reported elsewhere). Don't be so creative with graphics that it's hard to follow.
  2. The percentage of students who take the SAT during the school day at their home high school has gone way up. Those schools or districts may reduce participation as weekend test sites. Also the August test is popular, because it's one of the last chances for seniors to get scores to use in early applications. This year the fall SAT registration opened in May, which was much earlier than usual.
  3. The way I use the Educational Partners section is to give a brief description of that outside provider. My transcript just has names. The profile and course description are where I might share tutor credentials or the characteristics of the course source. For example one of mine did courses through Virginia Space Grant Consortium that were granted college credit through a community college he never set foot on. I wanted to include more details about what Virginia Space Grant Consortium was, because it's not intuitive. On the other hand, most of that could have gone into course descriptions instead.
  4. This is the best practices guide to schools from NACAC the National Association for College Admission Counseling. It's what they suggest schools include. It would give you a sense of what admissions readers find helpful from a school. Some of it doesn't translate to homeschools well. I included info about our personal academic background because it was helpful. But descriptions of educational partners or curriculum choices might be just as useful. https://www.nacacnet.org/best-practices-for-developing-a-school-profile/ Something else colleges often want to see is a grading scale, and the basis for grade weighting if used. If you have a policy for how you adopt DE credits or other outside grades, explain that.
  5. I would approach it from the perspective of considering what admissions readers are trying to understand from various documents. Counselor letter is about the student. Their personal characteristics, achievements, and challenges. Transcript is a brief overview of course names and grades. Even subject organized transcripts benefit from including when a course was completed. Course descriptions are a brief description of the content of each course. School profile provides the context of curriculum available and community resources. My profile did change slightly from kid to kid. I only included educational partners that were relevant to that student. If everything was done inside the family, explain that. If you used online language tutors but not DE or AP, describe what you used. If local laws prohibit partial enrollment or public school based sports that might be useful context. I didn't bother describing local public school graduation requirements or the local community, because my kids lived in 2-3 states during high school. I did list everywhere we'd lived during their school years, including the 2-4 month transition periods during which my kids did school on the road and in hotel rooms. That was important context. I often have admissions reps say they want to know why a family chose to homeschool and what their homeschool philosophy was. We included something akin to a purpose statement, but I'm honestly of mixed minds about needing to explain why homeschooling was chosen.
  6. 1.5 pages. It's ok to have a mix of narrative and bullet points.
  7. I think the insertion of incorrect and fictitious information is a huge problem. I've played around with ChatGPT on some topics I know well. It produces writing that is well written and authoritative sounding, but is simply wrong. At on point, I asked it to write a bio for me. It was organized like a bio for my industry, but none of the content was correct. There was no caveat that it couldn't find info about me, but wrote a sample biography for my industry instead.
  8. The only thing I'd quibble with is the distinction between scholarships and grants. I understand the distinction you're making, but many colleges use scholarship as the name for many discounts that aren't need based, even if they aren't closely tied to a student's academic stats. In other words scholarship has become a marketing tool in many cases. I tend to talk about need-based and non need-based aid. And then that aid comes in the form of grants, work study, and loans. (Loans can be a tool, just as a mortgage can be. It can also be an albatross around your future like a high rate loan for an unreliable car.)
  9. As a broad statement, the biggest reduction in cost is institutional aid, in the form of tuition discounts. The best sources of this are colleges with big endowments that meet a high percentage of need or colleges that routinely discount tuition costs to increase enrollment. Another affordable option may be public colleges where you qualify for in state tuition. But general statements about public vs private don't capture any of the nuances between schools.
  10. The law was passed in 2020. It was the first big change to FAFSA in many years and was something the sponsor had been trying to get through for several terms. The main point of the legislation was simplifying the FAFSA questionnaire and expanding Pell Grant eligibility, which hasn't kept up with income or tuition changes. The new form was originally supposed to be available in October 2022, then Congress granted an additional delay to allow more time to develop the online program. The December delay is an attempt to comply with the requirement to have it available this calendar year. Some provisions of the law are already in effect, like not counting grandparent 529s as parent or student assets. But that didn't require coding or integrating DOE and IRS systems to accomplish.
  11. There is so much uncertainty about how colleges will handle their institutional aid after these changes go into effect. FAFSA is the application for Federal student aid. It's also used by many institutions to allocate their need based financial aid and by many states to qualify students for state grants. The questions about how many people are in the family and how many are college students was on the draft FAFSA form I saw a couple months ago. The number of students in college will not be used to calculate FAFSA or eligibility for Federal aid, but may still be available for colleges to use in their financial aid distribution. Will colleges continue to consider the number of students in college? Depends on the school and right now few have been clear about their intentions. This would be a good question to ask on college tours and meetings with college reps. Put them on the spot with many families interested in the answer. I would at least ask pointed questions about the currency and accuracy of their Net Price Calculators. Ask of they do a financial aid pre-read. Ask how they handle outside scholarships. But also realize that colleges are run on business principles. They have a budget for financial aid, are often dependent on tuition for operating expenses, and are facing a demographic decline affecting their base of prospective customers. As @8filltheheart mentioned, the colleges that meet full need already tend to require CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Some colleges will offer higher discounts, because that's what they need to do to fill their incoming class. In the past, the EFC from a FAFSA was generally lower than one from CSS Profile (though not always on the low end of incomes). This could be difficult now that FAFSA isn't considering the number of students in college. On the other hand colleges use CSS Profile and their own institutional methodology to award aid. So they might in fact follow the FAFSA practice. Institutional methodologies are proprietary, not clearly articulated, and vary from college to college. The questions asked on CSS Profile can change depending on which colleges you're submitting to. I think the principles remain the same. Determine your family budget for college, including savings, income, and willingness and ability to take out loans. Use the tools available to determine what colleges your kid is interested in are likely to cost. Focus on those that are within your budget and that your kid has a chance of admission at. Don't go in blindly, hoping for a miracle to make it all work out.
  12. Argh. I wrote the opposite of what I was trying to say. Colleges do not have to meet the difference between cost and the EFC. In other words, the EFC or SAI is the minimum a college would usually expect a family to pay. I fixed my post above. Thank you.
  13. Something to remember about the EFC (now Student Aid Index or SAI) is that it's not intended to be an amount that families can afford just out of their current income. It is supposed to reflect what financial resources they have from past, present, and future income (or savings/assets, income, and loans). Of course there are all kinds of reasons why a family may not want to or be able to liquidate assets, spend down savings, or take out big loans. But FAFSA is a relatively blunt instrument to distinguish between families with resources and those who have far fewer. There is no shame in setting a budget for college and being clear with your kids that paying more isn't an option. For those who are just starting to investigate financial aid, a college does not have to meet all of the costs above the EFC/SAI. This is what's referred to as gapping, when there is a gap between the demonstrated need (which still might be more than a family can afford easily) and the actual costs after aid and discounts. One other factor is that many colleges will reduce institutional aid in response to private outside scholarships (scholarship displacement). A few states have outlawed this for public colleges in their state, but it's still a widespread practice. (Essentially, the private scholarships reduce what the college offers, not what the family is expected to be able to pay.) Families should also consider if they should file a financial aid appeal and ask for professional judgement. This may not be successful if it's just a negotiating tactic, but if the family has financial costs that aren't well represented in the FAFSA or CSS, or if their income varies greatly from year to year, professional judgement can help. I really wish that the FAFSA produced a number similar to a credit score rather than a dollar figure.
  14. Yes, DOE has said FAFSA will be available in December 2023 for financial aid for the 2024-25 academic year. They are implementing the FAFSA Simplification, which uses fewer questions to determine financial need and eligibility for federal financial aid. The biggest effect will probably be for students who apply ED and usually get a financial aid offer around the time of an offer of admission. But many of these schools already require CSS profile, so it might not affect institutional aid that much. This is not a permanent timing change. FAFSA is supposed to be available in October 2024 for the 2025-26 academic year. Some other changes. EFC/SAI not divided between kids in college at the same time. The draft questions still have a question for the number of students in the family in college. So colleges would have that info if they want to consider it for institutional aid. But it won't be a factor in the federal number which will now be called the Student Aid Index (SAI). This wasn't an oversight, but an intentional decision by the bill's sponsor, who thought the spacing of children shouldn't determine federal aid. (IE, two families each have 2 kids. One family pays less for college because the kids overlap in their years at school. ) Grandparent and other extended family member contributions no longer count as assets. So a grandparent 529 would not figure in federal aid determinations. Small businesses and farms will now be considered, when before they had to be a certain size before being included. There is a lot of discussion about this, especially by Representatives from states with many family farms (where value isn't necessarily liquid). But no indication that it would change for this FAFSA cycle.
  15. He should think about when he wants his app to be complete and plan for a couple weeks earlier for the CFA. Specifics would depend on the availability of a proctor and weather where you are. I'd suggest by Sep-Oct unless he's actively training to pass a section. There are many candidates who delay, then have issues with weather, proctor scheduling, illness, etc and don't have time to reschedule.
  16. You can explain the prerequisite sequencing in your counselor letter. I totally agree that Calculus 1 is a higher priority. Sounds like he's on task for the rest. My only other suggestion is to practice the full CFA as a timed event. Students tend to underestimate the drain of the previous events on the final run. Don't leave the CFA test for the last minute. It's easy to get in a bind with scheduling.
  17. Is this a new process with AP exams? I haven't had a kid do AP in a couple years, but always had to pay the school directly.
  18. It sounds like the best possible option isn't available to you (doing both Calculus and Calc based Physics first semester). It's great that he'll get Calculus in. Depending on how he did math last year, he may want to ask the calculus instructor if they are willing to write a letter of recommendation after the class. (To possibly submit as an additional recommendation. ) How did he do the earlier physics class? I understand it was algebra based and so is the general physics class. But would that give him access to labs or content that wasn't fully explored before (in a classroom setting with a grade from a non-family member)? What about taking college Chemistry intended for STEM majors? USAFA recommends a Computer Science course. Has he taken that? Any course taken in spring of senior year won't have grades available for college admissions review. Having Engineering Physics scheduled for spring means it won't really be a factor in admissions. ETA: I'm not saying that he needs more than 4 science credits to graduate. But academies can be quite selective and can be skeptical of home based grades. Preparation relative to your local area matters a lot for nominations. And the Naval Academy in particular has a heavy emphasis on STEM. They want to graduate lots of ensigns who are able to go the nuclear power school and serve on submarines and carriers. Even English majors take a lot of math and science and graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree. In my opinion, the spring physics class won't weigh heavily in his favor because he won't have a grade yet. But he can't control course availability. He'll want to be able to explain his plan without it sounding like a complaint or excuse. An A in calculus would be a strong signal of readiness. And obviously, he'll want strong experience in leadership and athletics.
  19. It might be worth seeking a big Friends of the Library sale or strong used bookstore to look for things like Great Courses or Modern Scholars lecture sets, books, and instructor guides. For example, I was able to find an instructor manual for a Norton anthology of literature, instructor and student texts for Perrine's Structure Sound and Sense, and many Great Courses sets. Used book sites like abebooks.com is another good resource. Independent learning will depend on the subject and the student. I found that mine would happily do independent study of subjects they liked and cared about. But topics like math were easy to get behind in. My most successful math student was the kid with whom I did every math assignment side by side from pre-algebra through algebra 2 and geometry. We had two text books and worked through each problem separately, then checked our answers, compared approaches, and moved to the next problem. We set a timer and did one hour of math a day Mon-Fri in this way. I did outsource once we hit pre-calculus, but would have continued in this manner if we'd had to do it at home. For topics you don't know well, you might look for relevant podcasts. For example, one of my kids learned a lot of literary analysis listening to The Tolkien Professor podcasts. The host has been doing the podcast for about 15 years now, and the earlier episodes might be more useful. I'm thinking this is something you could download when you have access to solid internet and then play as desired. We did a lot of science at home, including basic labs. We did them together and did lab reports. Since a lot of labs in curriculum are more demonstrating a concept, I tried to leave time for what if type explorations. For example, we did a pretty standard osmosis lab with an egg, soaked first in vinegar then in corn syrup. Then we put it in diet cola to see what would happen.
  20. Kid 1 - Insects and Society, Beekeeping, Indoor Plants Kid 2 - Screenwriting (quite outside his major), Social Dance was hugely popular at his school but covid kept it off the schedule for several terms. Kid 3 - There is a machine shop class intended for Design students. When not enough people signed up, they threw it open. Lots of using lathes and milling machines. I've seen jewelry making (think solder and casting, not elastic bracelets) and glass blowing classes at some schools.
  21. It is completely appropriate for you to contact colleges in your role as a counselor to ask about admissions requirements and required or preferred documentation for homeschoolers. Look at the admissions staff directory for the person who either handles homeschool apps or is the regional rep for your area. If the person you reach out to can't answer, they should know who can. Also if answers from colleges seem off, ask follow up questions. I had a nonsensical exchange with one rep, until he finally said that he didn't read homeschool apps, was incorrect in his previous 2-3 emails, and would refer me to the rep who read homeschool applications.
  22. I'm not sure about the autofill capability. I do know there is a big industry full of education software solutions, enrollment marketing, and data management companies interested in selling to schools and colleges. Scoir is now associated with the Coalition Application (which is no longer a stand alone application) https://www.scoir.com/high-schools/apply-with-scoir While printed transcripts still exist, I'm not sure that's how colleges are getting all of their info from high schools. Similarly, I doubt most registrars are designing transcripts. Their school or district buys software and transcripts are a tool within the grade management programs.
  23. Given how little time readers are able to spend on each application, using a format that within norms helps them see what they are looking for more rapidly. For highly selective colleges, they are often looking for 4 credits of core subjects, not just the minimum required credits. But this does beg the question of how credits are input into their system. Within Common App there is a courses and grades section that is self-reported. Some colleges require students to submit this. The UC App also has a grade section. Others use the SRAR (Self Reported Academic Record) as an additional application requirement. Some high schools use software like Naviance or Scoir that may digitally transmit grades in a way that autopopulates the college's application database. But others may still hand review transcripts. This would be an interesting question for college visits. Fwiw, I have seen public and private school transcripts from many places now. Some are quite hard to follow.
  24. Even were that true, it's not a good reason for me to recommend a company I think is shady. There have been some articles about admissions offices using AI to review applications. Assessing the quality, publication source, and coauthors of papers is something that might be a good use of AI systems.
  25. It is easier for admissions reps to quickly understand a chronological syllabus, and they also like to see how much a student took on each year. You could include a couple lines about her longstanding interest in art and design and how her pursuit in that area has been both deep and wide within the counselor recommendation letter.
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