What to include in student's college application packet?

[LynnG in Arizona]

I know the first and obvious answer is "Ask the college". Well, several of the colleges that I have contacted are surprisingly vague about the information they want from homeschooled students. All want a standard transcript and SAT scores - no problem. Several of them have seemed to indicate that anything else is at our discretion. But I'm wondering about:

 

1. A "cover" letter giving an overview of our homeschool and introduction to the student

 

2. A reading list

 

3. A list of courses in progress during the senior year

 

4. A picture (One homeschooling guide to college admissions recommends a nice head shot as a way to make the application more personal.)

 

5. Recommendation letters

 

6. Copies of transcripts from outside institutions (our daughter has taken one university class). I know an official transcript will eventually have to be sent directly from the university.

 

7. A personal statement from the student

 

Any thoughts? I would be especially grateful for input from those of you who have gone before. This is our first senior! ;)

 

With thanks,

 

Lynn

[Alyce]

Several of the colleges my dd wanted to attend didn't want much from us. They just wanted a transcript and SAT scores so that's what we sent. Be careful about sending too much information if you aren't asked for it. That can hurt too. If they are asking for more at your discretion. I think I'd send course descriptions, an essay from your dd about going to that school, and a letter of recommendation along with the transcript and SAT scores. I firmly believe that sometimes we give too much information because we're afraid of what people think about us as homeschoolers instead of just treating ourselves as a school with regular students. We don't need to justify ourselves unless someone is asking questions, then we need to answer the questions they've asked.

[Gwen in VA]

The colleges my kids applied to all said "the more the better" -- even UVA!

 

The biggie is the transcript, with ALL classes on it, including ones taken elsewhere and ones in progress or planned for 2nd semester senior year.

 

We included --

 

1) Transcript

2) Course descriptions (8 pages!)

3) School profile (1 page -- provided a broad overview of what the education "our school" provided was like

4) Counselor letter -- all the schools my kids applied to required LOR from the school counselor. Since I guess that falls under my jurisdiction, I wrote one!

5) Activity sheet (see Acing the College Application by Michele Hernandez for more info)

6) Personal (non-academic) reading list (just junior and senior year)

7) And of course the application with all the essays, personal statements, etc.

 

We also sent

1) Letters of recomendation (required by all schools my kids looked at)

2) SAT, SAT-II, and AP scores (Ap scores aren't required, but we felt they helped back up our kids' transcripts)

3) Transcripts from outside institutions, sent directly from the institutions themselves.

 

Do talk to the colleges, though. When some of my friends heard what we sent to colleges they just laughed -- their kids got into their top-choice schools with nothing more than one LOR and a transcript. So it depends on the college and also if you are trying to pursue merit aid.

[hsmamainva]

My daughter submitted the following a few weeks ago:

 

Application - she applied online and paid her fee

 

Personal Statement - in the essay, she talked a little bit about homeschooling, about taking classes at the community college last year and this year, about her outside activities - athletics, volunteering, employment, etc. - and a little bit about her family - she then cut and pasted it into the space provided in the online application

 

I sent the following in the mail:

 

Transcript - both my husband and I signed it and dated it

 

Curriculum Description List with a Cover Letter - in the cover letter, I described a little bit about our homeschool structure and a little bit about my daughter's academic strengths and weaknesses -- I attached this to a list of the curriculum we used for each subject in grades 9 through 12

 

I requested a Transcript from the community college where my daughter's enrolled and they'll send it directly to the college she's applying to

 

We had her SAT scores sent directly to the college

 

We requested a recommendation letter from her Tae Kwon Do instructor and he'll be sending it directly to the college within the next 3 weeks.

 

We'll have to submit a mid-year transcript, both from our homeschool as well as from the community college, at the end of the fall semester, but..for now that's everything!! That and filing for the FAFSA for financial aid, but that won't be available until January 1st.

 

So...for now, that's it!