Trying to write a transcript with our unusual gap year- and a update

[Just Another Jen]

My son will be released at the end of April. He had plenty of credits to have graduated from high school in june 2012. So he is planning on studying for the ACT in June, and maybe retake it if necessary. He will attend community college this Fall after he has completed the house arrest portion of 90 days. He will have some limited movement during the 90 days if it pre arranged etc. He really wanted to take British lit while he was homeschooling so now I'm wondering if I should make a undated transcript and let him add a few credits on before Fall? If I do that would I change the graduation date to 2013? Or just leave it as 2012- maybe adding a essay sharing how he spent most of 2013. Do you think that would be ok? Then he could start cc in the fall and transfer next year.

I am trying to help him make a fresh start but I don't want to be dishonest either. He will turn 20 in November.

 

What do you think?

[readwithem]

Honestly the cc's around here (Texas) wouldn't care about either a transcript OR an SAT score. Are you sure that you need either?

 

And I think April will be your favorite month of this year!! :hurray: :grouphug:

[Barbara H]

Glad he is doing well!

 

I've never heard of a community college that requires essays - a lot of state universities no longer even have the requirement becausde it is too staff intensive to read the ssays. Many, if not most, students entering community college do NOT do so the fall immediately following high school graduation. That's part of what community colleges are about. So, I would not worry about the dates at all. It is widely variable but the majority of community colleges do not require the SAT or ACT rather they use on campus testing such as the COMPASS. Often this is less for admissions purposes than to determine if students need remedial coursework.

[Chris in VA]

Glad to hear your update.

 

Are you getting a transcript in order for the purpose of later applying to a NON-community college?

 

Ours doesn't require anything but the COMPASS test, but if he's going on to noncom later, taking the ACT while most subjects are fresh in the mind is a good idea.

 

I will share that my ds' essay for college included details of his life he, in hindsight, should've left out. He did not have gap time to explain, as he continued in alternative school settings, but I think he may have gotten into college (noncom) if they hadn't read some of why he had to be in those alternative settings--they could do their own investigating on the names, if they'd wanted to.

His "stupid" Eng teacher just had her students write a college app essay to practice--she had no idea he'd want to actually apply (this was his Sr year, back at regular public school). I have to think she'd have encouraged him not to share as much as he did had she known. I still hold a bit of a grudge.

 

Anyway, I share that because sometimes, I find people are not as willing to give second chances or whatever. The colleges (again, NOT com colleges) seem to have a bit of a protective side--they don't want the parents to complain, and some probably would if they knew kids had come from jail or prison or been addicts or whatever. They want applicants that are lily pure. Com colleges can help tremendously in giving evidence of real change--tell your ds to make A's if he can, esp if he wants to apply to univ further down the road. I don't mean to be discouraging--just hoping with all my might for your son's success.

 

I hope April is a wonderful month for you and him!!!!

[Just Another Jen]

Chris, he will want to apply to a la college for the next year. So I'm confused by other posters saying he won't need a high school transcript. I don't know if I'm understanding correctly- if he goes to cc for 1 year- no one cares about his high school grades anymore?

[Cheryl B in VA]

If he will eventually go to a 4 year school then, yes, he needs a transcript. Also, you never know when a transcript will be requested later on for another reason. In VA, if a student attends CC and receives an associates degree, then the student does not need ACT scores. The student is also guaranteed enrollment into state schools after receiving an Associates. (The schools do have GPA and course requirements, though.) Check to see if your CC has a guaranteed enrollment policy for transferring into four year schools.

 

Because of your son's age, I would say any coursework done at this point should be work towards taking a CLEP. Because there is not a British Lit CLEP then I think this should be set aside.

 

Blessings,

Cheryl

[Barbara H]

If he wants to transfer yes he needs a high school transcript. It is up to you what graduation date you put down and whether you list the dates for every semester - either way is fine. If he's planning to transfer to a state school you may want to check now and see what the requirements will be. In some states once a student has a certain number of hours (can be as low as 12) they don't need ACT or SAT scores any more. At many other schools even with an associate's degree he would need scores. If he's thinking about a private college he will most likely need scores as well.

[asta]

I just wrote a four year transcript that had 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th on it. I didn't attach numerical years to them. The uni wants it this year, so I'm putting the graduation date as June, 2013.

 

We've had so many breaks he has probably had the equivalent of two gap years. Whatever. No one cares in the real world. All they cared about was that he had a fascinating application because he has been everywhere known to man (all of those breaks!).

 

 

A

[Just Another Jen]

Thanks Asta! That helps.

[Teachin'Mine]

Just because he had enough credits to graduate last June doesn't mean that he has to be graduated. I'd let him begin on British lit, and any other subjects of interest, and let him graduate this year. It's not at all unusual, especially for young men, to graduate high school at 19. If I remember correctly, his record will be clean once he's done. It also sounds like it was a one time thing he's not likely to repeat and he's learned from the experience. I don't think I'd encourage him to be the one to bring it up in essays and so forth. He'll need to be honest in answering application questions, but he doesn't need to volunteer additional information. I hope that he has a good summer adjusting and preparing for community college. I know that high school transcripts and SAT/ACT test results count less or not at all when a student has a couple of years at CC, but I would think they'd still matter when he'll be applying before he even finishes his first semester. To be on the safe side, I'd have him add in test prep and then have him test in Sept/Oct. But I'd recommend he talk with an advisor at the CC when he registers for his fall classes. I'd also have him consider taking just one course this summer as a way to become familiar with way everything works at the CC - the campus, following syllabus, note taking, preparing for tests, talking with professor, getting help when needed, etc.. That might make for an even easier transition next fall. So good to hear he'll soon be home!

 

On edit, just remembered that he might have to answer questions differently if he applies for summer courses, so if that's the case, I'd wait for fall.

[Just Another Jen]

Thanks for all the input. I think we'll just have him graduate in 2013. He can take a community college course this summer as well as complete Brit lit at home. Taking the act/ sat next fall gives him plenty of test prep time too. He can take a couple transferable classes in the fall and start the application process then as well.

 

 

[Melissa B]

Because of your son's age, I would say any coursework done at this point should be work towards taking a CLEP. Because there is not a British Lit CLEP then I think this should be set aside.

 

 

There is a CLEP exam for English Literature.