Listing Science Courses on Transcript- Canada

[Kristie4]

I am writing up my son's transcript- I am right down to the wire. The one thing that I am having a hard time figuring out is how to list science courses. In Canada we have gr 9 and 10 general science and then biology, physics, and chem for both grades 11 and 12. I don't know how to translate how we have done things (in, for want of a better description, an "American manner") into a Canadian transcript.

 

Any Canadians who have blazed this path with some suggestions???

[Dicentra]

Hi Kristie,

 

I'm not there quite yet (dd is only 12) but it's something that I've been thinking about and researching for awhile - mostly because there seems to be much less info on homeschooled Canadians getting into university or college than there is for our American neighbours and I'm terrified that I'll miss something and ruin my dd's chances. :)

 

Are you in Ontario? I'll give my answers from an Ontario standpoint, since that's where I am and where I taught, but if you're in a different province things might be a bit different. From a chem standpoint (and probably for physics and bio as well), if your son did what Americans call "regular chemistry" (a solid reg chem - there are some that I call "basic reg chem" that I wouldn't say are quite there - see the Homeschool High School Chemistry thread to see what I mean), that's probably equivalent to Grade 11U Chem in Ontario (university-bound track). If he did one of the "basic reg chem" with very little math, that probably equivalent to Grade 12C Chem (college/trade school-bound track). If he did a good solid "honours chem", that's probably equivalent to Grade 12U Chem (again, university-bound track). The actual topics might differ slightly in both those cases but that's approximately how they'd line up. I would think bio and physics would line up the same way but I'm a former chem teacher, not bio or physics, so I don't have the same degree of knowledge about what topics or what level of difficulty make up a particular level of those subjects. :)

 

The Grade 9 and 10 courses are tougher to line up. Americans have what's called physical science for Grade 9 (which is probably what your son did?) but it doesn't contain any bio, which the Canadian 9 and 10 science courses do. The physical science course probably covered the chem and physics topics contained in both 9 and 10 Canadian science but not the bio or earth/space science topics. Hmmm... Tough call. Anyone else have ideas?

 

There is a wonderful website by Sarah Rainsberger on getting a homeschooled student into Canadian universities:

http://universityadmissions.ca/

 

Hope some of that helps!

[Kristie4]

Thank-you Connie. I have looked all over Sarah's site but am still having trouble with this one. No tomatoes, but we have used Apologia along with Khan, old college texts (now and then) and The Illustrated Guide to XX etc. for our courses so far. Hmmmm...

[Dicentra]

Is your son wanting to go into science or engineering at university? Does he have any particular universities in mind? I ask because it seems as though different universities in Canada require vastly different things from homeschoolers even if one is applying for the same thing. My dd seems to be engineering bound at this point so we've been looking at Waterloo. They are one of the few universities in Ontario that want nothing to do with AP credits. Not to say that they won't accept students with APs but they absolutely won't give university credit for them. They STRONGLY suggest (and I read that to mean "do this if you want to get in") that homeschooled students have 6 12U credits from an accredited school/agency (like ILC courses). It's kind of laughable, in a way - the 12U credits from the ILC are soooooooooo much easier than what I'll have my daughter do (I'm going to have her do APs for all the sciences and maths) that she's basically just going to have to do the busy work, get the 12U credits, and jump through Waterloo's hoops. :) All this to say that, depending on where your son is applying, a "mom" transcript may not matter as much as we think it might.

 

If he's used the regular Apologia courses (not the Advanced ones), that's probably equivalent to 11U credits in those courses. If he's wanting to apply to science or engineering at uni, he'll definitely need what the Americans call "honours" level courses. I would check out the university websites of the schools he's looking at, though, to see what they want.

[swellmomma]

Can't help too much, each province is so different from each other. I am in Alberta for example and there is no parent made transcripts at all, all courses to be on a transcript have to be approved by the gov;t and then when proof of course completion is submitted the gov't issues the credits and puts it on the transcript.

 

That said, In Alberta grade 9 is not on a high school transcript. We have science 10 which is a general science course, then chem, bio and physics 20 and 30 (grade 11 & 12)

 

We use Apologia too, so this year in grade 8 we are doing the physical science course, next year we are doing some ellen mchenry classes for cells, and doing elem apo Anatomy text. Once done those the kids can write the grade 10 science exam and have a course and score on their transcript for science 10 without doing the gov't program. Apologia physics and chem seem to contain all that is needed for them to write the 30 level diploma exams and skip grade 11 courses. The Bio you need to add an anatomy portion to so if you like apologia than the bio AP course basically. In order to meet the same requirements.

 

Because of how our transcripts are and how graduation guidelines are outlined. You do not have to have grade 11 oe 10 classes on your transcript to graduate nor to apply for university. They only check if you have the right number of credits and specific courses (english 30, social 30 etc), universities just look to see ifyou have the approp grade 12 classes that serve as pre-reqs for the uni classes. So having my kids skip classes and challenge exams works even with the tighter gov't control over what is on the transcript etc.

 

Anyway, all that to say if you are not in Alberta I can't help because our way is so different from other provinces.

[Kristie4]

That is helpful to hear. We are in MB, although we have hsed both in ON and BC. By the way, I have a friend whose son is in his second year at Waterloo who got in with a mommy made transcript and Apologia science courses and Saxon math. He had done all the regular Apologia and one or two advanced ones. He was accepted into engineering. That was two years ago.

 

In Manitoba we have a wierd tightening of the reigns at U of M with regards to science admissions for homeschoolers, which is a bummer. U of W is also giving us a bit of a hard time with the 'letter' from the homeschool liason officer. I wish they were a little more enlightened...

[Dicentra]

That is helpful to hear. We are in MB, although we have hsed both in ON and BC. By the way, I have a friend whose son is in his second year at Waterloo who got in with a mommy made transcript and Apologia science courses and Saxon math. He had done all the regular Apologia and one or two advanced ones. He was accepted into engineering. That was two years ago.

 

In Manitoba we have a wierd tightening of the reigns at U of M with regards to science admissions for homeschoolers, which is a bummer. U of W is also giving us a bit of a hard time with the 'letter' from the homeschool liason officer. I wish they were a little more enlightened...

 

 

That's encouraging about Waterloo! Do you know if your friend's son had the "recommended" 6 12U Ontario credits? I just keep thinking that it's such a waste of time for my dd to do the "busy work" that those credits would require when she's going to have more difficult courses under her belt anyway. Bleh. :(

 

I went to U of M! :) I'm in Northwestern Ontario so it was far closer than the universities in Southern ON. What do they require now for science admissions? U of M is another possibility for dd - plus it's my alma mater. :) They don't have chemical engineering, though - that's one of the paths she's looking at.

[Kristie4]

My friend's son is from MB so had no ON credits and actually did no outside classes. He did however do some type of contest at the U of Waterloo in the summer in highschool.

 

U of M is now giving homeschoolers a hard time at direct entry into science- they are requiring students to do University 1 and then transfer. They are looking at textooks and curricula that they can pre-approve but that is a ways away (I contacted them re this). My dd i hoping to volunteer in the chem lab next year, which should help, as it is the lack of lab experience that they are really going on about (but I am astounded how little lab experience kids are getting at school around here). That is great that U of M is your alma mater- I went to Queen's. My son, whose transcript I am writing up as we speak, is hoping on entering CMU at least for his first year. They heart homeschoolers there which is so great...

[Rosepetal]

What curriculum are strongly recommended for High school English,Maths,Science and Technology for getting guaranteed spot in University afterwards?Kids are interested in Medicine and Engineering field basically?(As there are many high school courses including ILC and VLC in Ontario,so have confusions)

 

Do home school students face difficulty in getting into University for professional fields?I am afraid and don't want to spoil my kids career.

 

Hope somebody will chime in and throw light in his/her kids experience......

[source of joy]

Is your son wanting to go into science or engineering at university? Does he have any particular universities in mind? I ask because it seems as though different universities in Canada require vastly different things from homeschoolers even if one is applying for the same thing. My dd seems to be engineering bound at this point so we've been looking at Waterloo. They are one of the few universities in Ontario that want nothing to do with AP credits. Not to say that they won't accept students with APs but they absolutely won't give university credit for them. They STRONGLY suggest (and I read that to mean "do this if you want to get in") that homeschooled students have 6 12U credits from an accredited school/agency (like ILC courses). It's kind of laughable, in a way - the 12U credits from the ILC are soooooooooo much easier than what I'll have my daughter do (I'm going to have her do APs for all the sciences and maths) that she's basically just going to have to do the busy work, get the 12U credits, and jump through Waterloo's hoops. All this to say that, depending on where your son is applying, a "mom" transcript may not matter as much as we think it might.

 

If he's used the regular Apologia courses (not the Advanced ones), that's probably equivalent to 11U credits in those courses. If he's wanting to apply to science or engineering at uni, he'll definitely need what the Americans call "honours" level courses. I would check out the university websites of the schools he's looking at, though, to see what they want.

I know that this is an old thread but I just wanted to add for other Canadians who may be interested that a friend's dd just started at one of the University of Waterloo's engineering program this past Fall and she was offered 3 credits for her AP courses...I know one of them was AP music, thus not related to engineering...maybe that's why they accepted that one?