s/o Homelife Academy

[Just Jane]

We are not in TN and are just using Homelife Academy because I thought it would be easier when he applies for colleges and for someone else to do most of the work. He plans to go straight to a 4 year University but he may take a couple CC classes through duel enrollment. He has taken an AP class and did well and is taking one now and will take more. I think that verifies that he's doing well. He will not be going to Public school.

 

Anyways, Am I wasting my money? Will Homelifes Transcript get him into a University without much from me? :bigear:

[Ellie]

We are not in TN and are just using Homelife Academy because I thought it would be easier when he applies for colleges and for someone else to do most of the work. He plans to go straight to a 4 year University but he may take a couple CC classes through duel enrollment. He has taken an AP class and did well and is taking one now and will take more. I think that verifies that he's doing well. He will not be going to Public school.

 

Anyways, Am I wasting my money? Will Homelifes Transcript get him into a University without much from me? :bigear:

Maybe. Maybe not. You need to be on the ball and not depend on HLA, though. Remember that thousands of homeschooled grads have gone on to college with transcrpts prepared by their own parents.:)

[Pegasus]

Am I wasting my money? Will Homelifes Transcript get him into a University without much from me? :bigear:

 

The HomeLife Academy transcript will be accepted without question by any university that is accepting of homeschoolers. These days, that is most of them. I do not think it is accepted MORE than a homemade transcript, however.

 

Is it worth it to you for HLA to keep the records, send out transcripts, and issue a diploma? Only you can answer that question.

[8filltheheart]

We are not in TN and are just using Homelife Academy because I thought it would be easier when he applies for colleges and for someone else to do most of the work. He plans to go straight to a 4 year University but he may take a couple CC classes through duel enrollment. He has taken an AP class and did well and is taking one now and will take more. I think that verifies that he's doing well. He will not be going to Public school.

 

Anyways, Am I wasting my money? Will Homelifes Transcript get him into a University without much from me? :bigear:

 

In my opinion, yes, you are wasting your $$. I was in TN when our oldest ds graduated and used HLA as our umbrella. The transcript is as simple as using Excel and formatting it. I had to tell them what to include. We went back and forth until I was satisfied w/it. I would personally prefer to do it w/o a middle man and just format it on my own to begin with. In TN, it is really the easiest option and therefore worth the $$, but in any other circumstance, I wouldn't go that route. HLA's transcript is not "more accepted" than one printed at home unless used to comply w/a homeschooling law.

 

HTH

[Barbara H]

I was interested to see if HLA is regionally accredited and they are not. Most homeschoolers do not need an accredited diploma, however, if you are looking for an accredited diploma regional accreditation is the standard to consider. Looking for this answer on the HLA website I was concerned to run across this passage.

 

"Colleges/and universities are more interested in ACT/SAT scores, plus the official transcript and portfolio, than the actual name on the diploma. If a student scores a 21 or higher on the ACT most colleges/universities are happy to accept because it raises the status of the college. They use ACT/SAT scores as the primary measuring stick for acceptance and for marketing. Accreditation is usually not a factor when ACT scores are this high. Click here for more on ACT/SAT."

 

Perhaps people read this differently but it seems like this could be really confusing to parents because it seems to suggest that an ACT score of 21 is high and colleges will be happy because this raises their status. An ACT score of 21 would in fact put a student in the bottom 10% of accepted students at University of Tennessee and probably the bottom 2 or 3% at Sewanee.

 

If you feel like they are providing you with good support it may be worth spending the money, but you should understand the transcript will not carry more weight coming from an unaccredited transcript service.

[cbollin]

Perhaps people read this differently

 

I read it differently. But I do understand why you read it like you did. I read that is about the act college readiness minimum benchmarks, and not about actual status increase with higher numbers. and maybe they meant something about the whole thing with the state requirement on Hope Scholarship minimum ACT score. But that could be because I've heard HLA people talk about it in person in this state..... I understand why you read it like you did.

 

what's really weird to me and has nothing to do HLA question... Sewanee no longer requires ACT or SAT? interesting... They still accept them, but not required.

 

anyway.. original poster.....

I live in TN. I use HLA because it is a way to legally homeschool without reporting to the local public school. It's a state approved Cat IV "church related school". It means our applications at state colleges are seen as private school instead of "homeschool". and apparently in TN that makes a difference. ?

 

I doubt it is worth money for those from other states to use any such school whether it is HLA or any of the other approved cover schools that isn't about meeting your state requirements.

 

If I hadn't had to move to TN from Indiana, I would not have felt the need to have a cover school issue transcript in order for college admissions. I've known plenty of real life and cyber friends whose children homeschooled all in high school and it all worked out.

 

Here is a link to hslda's transcript how to information to take out the hard part of parent issued documents.

 

http://www.hslda.org/highschool/academics.asp#transcripts

 

if I weren't in TN, I'd be making my own.

 

-crystal

[Ellie]

If you feel like they are providing you with good support it may be worth spending the money, but you should understand the transcript will not carry more weight coming from an unaccredited transcript service.

Most homeschoolers have not found this to be true.

 

Besides, HLA is not a "transcript service."

[Dmmetler]

What the Category 4 umbrella schools are is simply a way to handle the paperwork required of homeschooling easily and avoid interference, such as standardized testing that basically mandates what order subjects need to be taken in, putting the control back in the parents' hands. Home Life doesn't provide an academic program-rather, they give the parent the freedom to create what they want.

 

I don't know that they'd be worth it in any other state-but in TN, I'd MUCH rather have my DD's records in the hands of HLA than in those of the district homeschooling office. I used to work for that district, and I wouldn't trust them to keep my daughter's snake from dying of starvation-and that's talking an animal who can go weeks without eating with no obvious ill effect. But I know good and well that, ultimately, it's up to ME to make sure my DD is college ready and that she has the documentation to prove it, just as it would be if we were homeschooling without an umbrella school.

[Barbara H]

 

 

what's really weird to me and has nothing to do HLA question... Sewanee no longer requires ACT or SAT? interesting... They still accept them, but not required.

 

Sewanee is "test optional" but this policy does not extend to homeschoolers, transfers, or international student applicants. It is pretty common for test optional schools to exclude homeschoolers from these policies. http://homeschoolsuccess.com/test-optional-policies-may-exclude-homeschoolers/

 

I live in TN. I use HLA because it is a way to legally homeschool without reporting to the local public school. It's a state approved Cat IV "church related school". It means our applications at state colleges are seen as private school instead of "homeschool". and apparently in TN that makes a difference. ?

 

I agree in some states it is easier to use a cover or umbrella school. It can make it easier to meet reporting requirements or to qualify for state scholarships. It is important to understand though that when it comes to state scholarships, the accreditation of the transcripting school may be a key consideration.

 

Bottom line - the vast majority of homeschoolers are applying successfully to college with parent issued transcripts. There are students every year who are successful being accepted even at the most highly selective schools in this country with parent issued transcripts. If it makes your life easier to work with a transcripting/cover/umbrella school they by all means go for it, but I would not advise people to do it because otherwise they are convinced colleges won't take their transcript seriously.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Barbara H

[Lolly]

We are not in TN and are just using Homelife Academy because I thought it would be easier when he applies for colleges and for someone else to do most of the work. He plans to go straight to a 4 year University but he may take a couple CC classes through duel enrollment. He has taken an AP class and did well and is taking one now and will take more. I think that verifies that he's doing well. He will not be going to Public school.

 

Anyways, Am I wasting my money? Will Homelifes Transcript get him into a University without much from me? :bigear:

 

A HomeLife transcript will be looked at by colleges the same way they look at a homeschool transcript. In TN, it is simply a legal way to homeschool. (Legally, it tosses us into the unaccredited private school arena; but everyone knows it is a formality around the homeschool laws.) The colleges just look at the ACT/SAT scores. I haven't found the universities to require much from me, though. Submit transcript (I have HLA send it), submit ACT scores, send in essay and recommendation letters if required. Then, they accept or not. Since my kids only are applying to schools they would qualify for based on scores, it hasn't been a problem.

[The Girls' Mom]

If you are not in TN, or if you tend to stay put (i.e. not move around a lot) I think it wouldn't be worth your $$.

 

That said, we've used HomeLife for over 4 years now and it HAS been worth it for us. But, we moved from TN to TX and back. I kept it up for my high schooler in TX because there was the chance of moving back into TN, and it just made things much easier for me. I did not keep it up for my younger two while in TX.

 

In TN it is the tool I use to homeschool legally. That is really the only reason I use them.

[Candid]

In my opinion, yes, you are wasting your $$. I was in TN when our oldest ds graduated and used HLA as our umbrella. The transcript is as simple as using Excel and formatting it. I had to tell them what to include. We went back and forth until I was satisfied w/it. I would personally prefer to do it w/o a middle man and just format it on my own to begin with. In TN, it is really the easiest option and therefore worth the $$, but in any other circumstance, I wouldn't go that route. HLA's transcript is not "more accepted" than one printed at home unless used to comply w/a homeschooling law.

 

HTH

 

:iagree:

 

At most you are saving yourself an hour or two of work. I have strong doubts as to whether this will be more advantageous than what you can do.

 

And personally, I think the great thing that being home school has to offer is not having a standard fit in the box transcript which is what you'll get if you go this route. The transcript is your chance to shine the light on your son and his studies in a way no brick and mortar school can because you only have one student.