momofkhm Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Specific to UNC-CH: I had heard that they require homeschoolers to take SAT Subject tests. No. If it will help the students application, yes, but not required. In the general session, he said to send in the subject scores of they were 3 or 4 but if they were 1 or 2, keep them home. I heard they wanted course descriptions. Yes. They don't need it for "Algebra 2" and such but for others. I took in samples. I use TOG. For year 2: 'History between Ancient and Modern', description "History of the world was covered between the years of AD 250 and 1800. US history was emphasized once the American colonies were formed." (Not my best work. But it was brief and quick to write.) He said they wanted more. I showed him a listing of the titles of the weeks, he hemmed and hawed. I showed him the scope and sequence from the Loom and his eyes lit up. "That's what we want!" Now am I going to send in the Loom sheet or write my own from the Loom? I'm not sure yet. Leaning towards my own. In order of importance, they want 5 things. (1) transcript - which classes you took and what grade you got. Did you take the most rigorous classes you could? (2) essays - this is a one sided interview. Be real! Each essay is read at least twice. (3) extra curricular - no one activity is more important than others. They want to see impact and passion - were you filling a seat or were you doing? A president of a club could be filling a seat, a member could be out there doing everything. (4) letter of recommendation - must be a high school teacher. Choose a teacher who really knows you. (5) test scores - they know most high school students don't want to do this at 8 am on a Saturday. They superscore your scores. DD has said twice now that if she gets into UNC, she will go there. I can live with Carolina blue even though we've been half NC State fans for a while now. :tongue_smilie: Oh! One thing for which I was impressed. They have something called the Carolina Covenant. They "promise a debt-free education to any elegible student whose family income falls at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines (or $44,100 for a family of four)." Through grants, scholarships, and a reasonable amount of Federal Work Study. The debt free part was what hooked me. I've heard colleges say they will meet 100% of need. but their thinking of 100% and mine may be different. And meeting the need may be through student loans. Anyway, wanted to share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Specific to UNC-CH: I had heard that they require homeschoolers to take SAT Subject tests. No. If it will help the students application, yes, but not required. In the general session, he said to send in the subject scores of they were 3 or 4 but if they were 1 or 2, keep them home. Clarification needed on one point! Aren't SAT Subjects scored from 200 to 800? Have things changed? Or was he referring to AP tests? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Thanks for posting these. It's always good to hear what a college wants/expects. However, I think you got the SAT II and AP mixed up a little bit. AP scores go from 1 - 5. SAT II scores are out of 800. I don't really know if you can pick and choose which AP scores to send. When my guy took his senior test (just one) scores from his junior year were automatically included on the report. I'll be rooting for you with UNC. They are one of the few state schools with superb need-based aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Jane, obviously you and I are online together. ;) A little off track, but I hope all is well with your college guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Clarification needed on one point! Aren't SAT Subjects scored from 200 to 800? Have things changed? Or was he referring to AP tests? Thanks for posting these. It's always good to hear what a college wants/expects. However, I think you got the SAT II and AP mixed up a little bit. AP scores go from 1 - 5. SAT II scores are out of 800. I don't really know if you can pick and choose which AP scores to send. When my guy took his senior test (just one) scores from his junior year were automatically included on the report. I'll be rooting for you with UNC. They are one of the few state schools with superb need-based aid. I may have these numbers confused! He may have said them backwards as well. My dd hasn't taken any subject tests or AP tests yet so it's not in my realm of experience yet. I think his point was not to report them if they don't make you look good. Likewise, I don't know how you would report some and not others. (For a communications major, he said "um/ah" a LOT.) I also didn't write these things down yesterday and so they were from memory. He started late and so at the end when he was covering this stuff, there wasn't time for questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 In order of importance, they want 5 things. (1) transcript - which classes you took and what grade you got. Did you take the most rigorous classes you could? (2) essays - this is a one sided interview. Be real! Each essay is read at least twice. (3) extra curricular - no one activity is more important than others. They want to see impact and passion - were you filling a seat or were you doing? A president of a club could be filling a seat, a member could be out there doing everything. (4) letter of recommendation - must be a high school teacher. Choose a teacher who really knows you. (5) test scores - they know most high school students don't want to do this at 8 am on a Saturday. They superscore your scores. It sounds like you had a great visit! I have to say though, I really don't believe for a minute that they weigh essays, extracurriculars or recommendations more heavily than test scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I really don't believe for a minute that they weigh essays, extracurriculars or recommendations more heavily than test scores. I think they weigh them more heavily AFTER test scores (once applicants have reached a standard they are looking for). It's not necessarily the highest scores who get in, but the best students who have attained minimum scores (and minimum scores can vary based upon what "type" of student they have - in state, athlete, tuba player, whatever). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Thanks for sharing this info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 So what would this description from the Loom look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I will tell you that the only kid I knew who got into UNC-CH did so with a nonstandard transcript (no credits and grades listing) that the kid wrote up (they didn't tell UNC that either). He got in early admission and I have heard that his SAT was pretty high. He also had a weird dead language has his foreign language (not Latin or Greek). So they have some flexibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I have heard that his SAT was pretty high. He also had a weird dead language has his foreign language (not Latin or Greek). So they have some flexibility. This is pretty much a description of what I meant. This chap had a high (enough) SAT score to pass the bar (so to speak). Then they look holistically. His having a weird dead language probably helped him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Interesting... thanks for posting! I've been telling my 17 yr old for quite awhile now that I think schools are looking for someone unique. Lots of kids have high test scores, great AP scores, wonderful GPA. All of those are good, and will get a foot in the door during the admissions process--- but the activities and essays are where your kid can really shine and stand out. So, I've encouraged him to really follow his passions. And it has paid off! He's already been accepted to his top choice univ. which is good :001_smile: He's waiting to hear from the other two he's applied to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Scope and Sequence: http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year2/ScopeAndSequence2.pdf (Just change the numbers to match your year plan.) Credits and Course Descriptions are here: http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/loom/year-all/drhelps.php Peace, Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Thank you Janice. That's what I get for going with an old used print edition. (Well and ignoring everything but the schedules.) These will be a nice start for writing up my descriptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in nj Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I would not have even thought for moment that Chapel Hill would want course descriptions as it directly contradicts the "flexibility" in evaluating homeschoolers reflected on their website. Thanks to your post, I called last Friday to make sure, spent all weekend updating my course descriptions (from end of 10th through 12th) and got my portion of the common app filed yesterday. It would have been very, very bad if I hadn't included them! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing that information! Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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