high school reading list for college applications

[Julie of KY]

For those of you that have kept track of everything read in high school, I have some questions.

 

Do you record everything – school and pleasure reading?

 

Do you include magazines such as my son completely reads the Creation Magazine?

 

Do you include short stories?

 

Do you list by date, grade or author?

 

What do I need to know as I start record-keeping. My oldest will have an impressive list of books as he is an avid reader – easily reads over 100 books per year. He reads a little of everything – fluff to the great books. I’m inclined to list everything by author. It would be easier to scan the list and see that he likes certain authors as well as find specific literature that you might be looking for. I’m also inclined NOT to include dates, though I’ll have my own list that is chronological by date.

[Jane in NC]

No, we did not keep track of everything. My son can eat science fiction/fantasy novels. No one needed to see his long list of summer trash reading!

 

I mentioned magazines if they were relevant. My son did a senior project in Archaeology. Reading Archaeology magazine made sense to note. But different magazines are read differently. Some articles in Make were read, others skimmed; in other cases, the projects given were created.

 

Since we followed TWTM, I listed Ancient books for 9th, Medieval for 10th, etc. For each year, I chose a couple of non-chronologically based books that were read to show the kinds of things we discussed or books that may have been related to outside activities.

 

If you feel that certain books, magazines or stories help to describe your teen, by all means list them!

[swimmermom3]

I keep a running list on my computer that is sorted by books (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, drama, short stories, and essays. I record dates, which class the book was used for, and a description if I deem it important. I typically stick with recording what is read on school time with the exception of summer read alouds and the remote possibility my son picks up something weighty like Paradise Lost of his own volition. :tongue_smilie:

[Ann.without.an.e]

We are just now entering high school so take anything I say with that in mind. No experience here! I am listing by grade and I am listing what my dd reads that looks good on a reading list. She has read everything Shakespeare has written, she reads it for pleasure, and she loves it. Her pleasure reading is often worthy of noting on a book list. Now, occasionally she likes to pick up a book just to breeze through super fast. For example, she started reading the 39 clues books when she was younger and she reads the new ones when they come out. I am not going to list those. I just don't see the benefit. Plus, if I list EVERYTHING she reads the list will be a million pages long and they probably wouldn't believe me, lol.

[Candid]

I'm in Jane's category. We don't track personal reading, there's way too much of it.

[mumto2]

I have been in the just pertinent category but an experienced friend with several already in college has her dc's record everything. With one of her sons she was able to put together a really interesting course because of this list which had never occurred to her. When she looked at his list she discovered a really obvious interest in running a small business. He is actually doing this now.

 

I don't think she sends the full list with applications.

[jhschool]

I list everything he reads for school (Odyssey, Macbeth, etc.).

I list the things he reads for fun if they are worthy (such as

Richard III, Hamlet). Not Hunger Games or Rick O'Riordan stuff.

 

No magazines. But he doesn't read magazines. If he read things

like History magazines I might.

 

Yes short stories. Yes graphic novels if they are real. (Like Maus.)

 

I have categories:

Graphic Novels

Novels/Epics

Plays

Short Stories

 

within the categories, I list in chronological order (the order that they were read!)

I put the date (or month) the book was completed with the year. I also write down whether

it was a real book or an audiobook.

[mamakelly]

I'm not homeschooling my 12th grader, but will be homeschooling my 9th grader this year. Why are you guys keeping lists of books read? Is that a homeschool thing that you need for college? I don't have a list of the books that my 12th grader read!?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm not homeschooling my 12th grader, but will be homeschooling my 9th grader this year. Why are you guys keeping lists of books read? Is that a homeschool thing that you need for college? I don't have a list of the books that my 12th grader read!?

 

One reason to keep track is because occasionally it will be of use in applying to colleges. Another reason is to include those works in course descriptions.

For homeschoolers who integrate history and literature or who study history chronologically rather than topically (US history, world history, European history) it can sometimes be a matter of doing lots of good work over a couple years and then sorting the work into the chunks that will appear on the transcript.

For us it is partly a momento of our school time and partly a tool for college apps. I know that one son has an interest in college sports which means I'll have to navigate NCAA eligibility too.

[Jane in NC]

I'm not homeschooling my 12th grader, but will be homeschooling my 9th grader this year. Why are you guys keeping lists of books read? Is that a homeschool thing that you need for college? I don't have a list of the books that my 12th grader read!?

 

I think this also depends upon the types of colleges to which your student is applying and whether your student is seeking merit aid or placement in an honors program.

 

Many students apply to college with nothing more than a transcript and test scores. So much depends upon the college and your financial position. We found that colleges like having more information from homeschooled students in order to learn about them. This is essentially marketing on the parent/counselor's part but it can yield a good financial outcome.

[Nan in Mass]

I sent a partial reading list and school profile, which stated our educational goals and how our school is structured, attached to the transcript even for schools that didn't want anything but transcript and test scores. When you put the transcript and the reading list together, you have a brief (four sides) but very good picture of what we did. The next step up was to add the course description/assessments, which was 17 pages long, and any recommendations they wanted. I only sent that to colleges that said they wanted it, My experience with keeping track of all the reading except some of the light summer scifi/adventure reading. They had instructions to tell me if they read anything that ought to go on the list. Like mumto2's friend, I discovered that my son had done enough work in a subject to give him another independent project on his transcript when I typing up the final reading list. I did not include magazines. I organized it by lit, hist, sci/math, and other, more or less, but without any labels. I just left a blank line when I switched. I used titles only and listed them in two columns with pretty small margins. I left out anything that made it go over two sides of a page and titled it Partial Reading List. Maus was on the list.

 

Nan

[Kareni]

I sent a reading list with my daughter's paperwork (i.e., transcript, counselor letter, profile and course descriptions). We sorted her list into categories such as:

 

Fiction

 

Non-fiction

 

Essays

 

Fantasy (a favorite genre of hers)

 

Latin works (This included authors such as Ovid and Catullus as well as books such as Virent Ova! Viret Perna! by Dr. Seuss, Ferdinandus Taurus by Munro Leaf, and Asterix Olympius by Rene de Goscinny. Since she was planning to major in Latin and/or the Classics, we thought this showed her interest.)

 

We included titles and author names but also shortened the list by having items such as: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy plus six sequels.

 

We did not include everything she had read for pleasure in high school -- for example, we did not include any manga (though she had read an abundance) nor did we include Calvin & Hobbes or Zits. We did include titles that had been assigned reading.

 

I also included a list of textbooks used since I did not include book titles in her course descriptions.

 

When my daughter looked over her reading list, there were a number of books whose contents she no longer remembered clearly. Many of these she had read in ninth grade. She elected to eliminate them so that she would not be put in an awkward position. We imagined an interviewer looking over the list and saying, "Oh, Vaguest, Dimmest Memories is a favorite title of mine. What did you like best about it?" And, yes, she was asked about some of her reading choices when she interviewed.

 

Regards,

Kareni