Have any of you decided NOT to play the transcript game? Feeling frustrated!

[Tardis Girl]

Over the summer I have thought a LOT about college transcripts and what will "look good" on a college transcript for my rising junior DDs, and I've felt rather confused and frustrated. I realized this week that for the first time in homeschooling I am trying to figure out how to best "teach to the test" for these girls, and I don't like it. We've always tried to facilitate a high quality education, rooted in classic literature and the truth. We have strong feelings about the original intent of the "founding fathers" and the Constitution and are very often not politically correct.

 

Now I find myself trying to figure out how to help get them prepared for AP exams and prepare a transcript that looks "just right." One of the schools one DD is strongly considering is one that states that "extra consideration will be given to students who enroll in AP courses and take AP exams" and I figured that would be even more true for homeschoolers so that was a driving force for me, too.

 

But as I suggested to my DDs that they could take the world history AP exam (we already have an "approved" textbook because I was sick of so-called world history books being predominantly Euro-world history), they felt like while the textbook is fine and they use it, they really weren't comfortable with the APWH option because they don't want to have to focus so much on "their" (AP test writers) interpretation of history. And I realized that they are right. I don't want that either.

 

My dh suggested that maybe we need to have more faith that all will work out one way or another. We have felt very strongly about pursuing the educational path that we have for past years; why should we forsake that now for the final two years? Isn't it more important to focus on teaching correct principles, etc., and trust that it will all work out?

 

And maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this. It just seems like to really present strongly in a typical, traditional high school sense, we'd need to conform to all of that. <sigh>

Edited August 3, 2010 by StaceyZ

[stephanier.1765]

I too have been tempted. So far with my older two boys, I played the game, followed the rules and had all my ducks in a row. However, I know of at least one unschooling mom who totally bucked the the system and was still able to get her girls in college with NO transcript. None, whatsoever. She simply wrote a letter stating that her child had met all the requirements she had set for homeschooling and sent it to the school. Why can't I be that bold or that easy going? Just the thought scares me to death.

[swimmermom3]

I too have been tempted. So far with my older two boys, I played the game, followed the rules and had all my ducks in a row. However, I know of at least one unschooling mom who totally bucked the the system and was still able to get her girls in college with NO transcript. None, whatsoever. She simply wrote a letter stating that her child had met all the requirements she had set for homeschooling and sent it to the school. Why can't I be that bold or that easy going? Just the thought scares me to death.

 

:tongue_smilie: My sentiments exactly.

[J-rap]

***

Edited March 1, 2023 by J-rap

[swimmermom3]

We don't. We do only what is minimally required, but work hard at it. Most of my children have only physical science, bio, and chem, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry, and typical english, history, etc. One had an AP English and another had an AP Art. That's it for AP. They are all very smart and motivated, but we encouraged them to put their motivation into their passions rather than a lot of advanced classes. Of the three who have graduated from high school thus far, all three have gotten into good colleges of their choice, and even had presidential scholarships which paid for half of their tuition.

None of them chose to go to college immediately after high school, but spent a year pursuing a passion. They have done rather unique things, biking through Europe, becoming fluent in French while living in the French Alps, etc. Maybe those experiences helped make up for their rather average looking course list.

 

Thank you for posting this today of all days. Would you mind elaborating on this more? What did their basic transcript look like? Did you go through an accrediting umbrella school for their diploma or is it one from you? Did the schools have any questions about the gap year? What activities were your children involved with outside of school? I have one coming home for her senior year. She has 3 years of science, history, foreign language, and language and comp behind her. This year, we are going to focus on the math, writing, and literature almost exclusively. Hopefully, this will leave time to reignite a passion for learning. Thanks so much.

[Guest ME-Mommy]

Our situation might be a little different as our oldest dd wants to go to the local community college -- NOT a 4-year college.

 

I taught "not to the test", "not to what the PS does"...I totally bucked the system and taught what I thought my children needed to know. We have always homeschooled classically with the exception of formal Latin...I taught Latin & Greek roots.

 

I was meticulous with recording everything -- and used Homeschool Tracker to boot...

 

I spent HOURS typing up her transcript -- formatting and reformatting, trying different fonts, etc. -- WAIT....WAIT...WAIT...

 

**The Dean didn't even LOOK at the transcript or course descriptions!!!! How in the world do they admit a student to a "higher institution of learning" without even LOOKING at the transcript??**

 

So, there you have it...if I misunderstood what you were saying, I apologize...it's been a long day.

[Dana]

Our situation might be a little different as our oldest dd wants to go to the local community college -- NOT a 4-year college.

 

...

 

**The Dean didn't even LOOK at the transcript or course descriptions!!!! How in the world do they admit a student to a "higher institution of learning" without even LOOKING at the transcript??**

 

 

Most community colleges don't look at transcripts unless a student is trying to transfer credits to them. I know at ours, you don't even need a high school diploma or GED to take classes - just register, take the placement test and get advised.

[J-rap]

***

Edited February 18, 2023 by J-rap

[swimmermom3]

Sorry I am slow in responding. I am in the hospital with my husband most days, and some days I don't have a chance to go online.

My children were heavily involved in the arts: choirs, theatre, etc, as well as some sports.

In general, their transcripts included 3 years of math, 3 years of science, 4 years of English, 4 years of social studies, 4 years of a foreign language, 1 year of gym, and half year of computer. Plus, several arts thrown in there: choir, band, drawing & painting, etc. Math was always algebra I, algebra II, and geometry. Science was physical science, bio, and chemistry. Social studies included US history, world history, Econ, American govt. If a child had a particular interest, we might throw in another science for example (one child did physics) or a second year of US history, or a semester of trig.

Colleges did not look negatively on their gap year at all, perhaps because they were doing interesting things that showed self-motivation.

The one great advantage that we have however is that the high school in our small town accepted home schoolers no questions asked. My kids would sometimes take choir or band at the high school, as well as other classes here and there. The principal allows us to transfer all of our homeschool courses over to the high school during the last semester of their senior year -- even if they were only taking choir there -- and then graduate with the class there if we choose, and get a degree from the school.

I know it is a very unusual situation! We are quite fortunate. So when applying to colleges, we are able to show a degree from the public school, but we always explain that most classes were homeschool courses.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions. Your situation with the high school is unusual. I had to get special permission from our high school to have them accept two credits from Keystone National High School (both schools have the same accreditation).:tongue_smilie: I was less worried about not having an official diploma than how schools would respond to a gap year. Your experience has been reassuring. Sending warm thoughts your way for peace and health to your dh and your family. Take care.

[Guest ME-Mommy]

Most community colleges don't look at transcripts unless a student is trying to transfer credits to them. I know at ours, you don't even need a high school diploma or GED to take classes - just register, take the placement test and get advised.

 

OK -- but she hasn't been assigned to an advisor and she isn't required to take the placement test...isn't that a little strange?? :001_huh:

[dragons in the flower bed]

Why can't I be that bold or that easy going? Just the thought scares me to death.

 

Because it's possible that there will be great opportunities that do require a transcript, and you don't want to play roulette with your baby's dreams.

[Dana]

OK -- but she hasn't been assigned to an advisor and she isn't required to take the placement test...isn't that a little strange?? :001_huh:

 

Yeah, that'd be strange generally.

 

Here, many classes are already filled for fall, so if she hasn't registered already, she'll probably be wanting to follow up (couple of phone calls). It can be tricky getting in touch with the correct person on occasion as well. Hope it goes well.

 

I think our testing center gives the placement test as just a walk-in; that generally gets students placed correctly for math and English courses. If a student feels misplaced in class the first couple of days we give exemption tests so a student can move up if they were incorrectly placed.

[stephanier.1765]

Because it's possible that there will be great opportunities that do require a transcript, and you don't want to play roulette with your baby's dreams.

 

Thank you! I needed somebody to clarify the insanity that seems to reign in my brain.

[Spock]

OK -- but she hasn't been assigned to an advisor and she isn't required to take the placement test...isn't that a little strange?? :001_huh:

 

Did she send them SAT scores? My oldest is going to community college this year (because even with financial aid his college of choice cost $13,000 a year--not even remotely possible for us). He was exempt from placement testing in English because of his SAT score (over 500 means no placement test in that area, and he had 720).

 

I don't know if they looked at his transcript, but they did ask for a copy of the card our state sends to all registered homeschoolers, to be sure he was legally homeschooled.

[Kareni]

Have any of you decided NOT to play the transcript game?

 

Over the summer I have thought a LOT about college transcripts and what will "look good" on a college transcript for my rising junior DDs, and I've felt rather confused and frustrated. ...

 

Now I find myself trying to figure out how to help get them prepared for AP exams and prepare a transcript that looks "just right." One of the schools one DD is strongly considering is one that states that "extra consideration will be given to students who enroll in AP courses and take AP exams" and I figured that would be even more true for homeschoolers so that was a driving force for me, too. ...

 

 

Stacey,

 

You ask some good questions. I only wish I had some good answers!

 

I'll admit to being pretty conservative as far as transcripts go, and my daughter ended up taking more tests than she'd probably have preferred to over the course of her high school years. Still, other homeschoolers do take different approaches and are accepted into good colleges.

 

Do you happen to belong to the Yahoo group hs2coll · Homeschooling toward college? In the Files section there is an example of a narrative transcript that you might find of interest. You do need to be a group member in order to access it.

 

My daughter took four AP tests, three SAT subject tests and a variety of other tests (i.e., National Latin exam, PSAT, and SAT) and was accepted into eight of the ten colleges to which she applied. That said, there was one college to which she did not apply because it required an SAT subject test that she did not wish to take. Is it possible for your daughter to broaden her college search to include more schools that are less demanding of AP tests and the like? At least two of the colleges to which my daughter applied were happy to consider a portfolio of work. That might be another approach to consider if you'd rather avoid an abundance of test taking.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Moni]

.......community colleges don't look at transcripts........you don't even need a high school diploma or GED to take classes - just register.............

 

Community College as first-choice college here too.

We just checked the "high school diploma" box, and paid, and enrolled.

No transcript required.

 

:seeya:

[Oakblossoms]

You will still need a transcript if you apply to Uni after CC. I needed one and I was in my 30's!

[Brilliant]

I think what you mean by the transcript "game" is doing EVERYTHING that a traditional academically-inclined student would do. I don't think it's an either-or. You don't have to do EVERYTHING to get a decent traditional transcript.

 

We have chosen to homeschool through an accredited program so that my dc will have a "real" transcript. But the program is very flexible, so we've done *mostly* what we would have done anyway - just had to re-arrange some things to meet the school's requirements. For example, my dd has to take a 10-credit computer skills course before she can get a diploma - which simply means she has to demonstrate that she can use Microsoft office products, and pass some simple vocabulary tests. So in that sense I guess we are playing a "game".

 

As far as AP tests go - we decided they would be great for dd's college applications, as well as giving her possible college credit. We tried APUSH in 10th grade and it was a disaster for the reasons you mentioned re: the world history test; you have to teach to the AP's idea of history.

 

But in 11th grade dd did AP Art History. The material was much less subjective, and she did great on the exam. This year she'll be doing AP Human Geography. Again, from what I've seen of the test, I think it is somewhat less subjective than the history tests.

 

So if you are committed to doing AP tests, you just need to find the ones that work for your student.

[Mama Lynx]

Because it's possible that there will be great opportunities that do require a transcript, and you don't want to play roulette with your baby's dreams.

 

Unsurprisingly, I love this answer :)

[Moni]

You will still need a transcript if you apply to Uni after CC. I needed one and I was in my 30's!

 

Not always. Not in our case.

But hey, if someone wants a transcript later on, I'll type one up. No biggie.

 

English 9

English 10

English 11

English 12

 

Life Science

Physical Science

Biology

 

American History

World History

 

Latin 1

Latin 2

Spanish 1

Spanish 2

 

Algebra 1

Algebra 2

Geometry

Trig.

 

Dance

Music

Art

Photography

 

etc.

 

They don't always *need* to be complicated. Or detailed.

:seeya: