Which scenario would look better to college admissions?

[Matryoshka]

I posted part of this in the check-in class of 2016, but I didn't ask this question, so I was wondering what you all think...

 

Dd went to ps 9th/10th, then homeschooled again for 11th, with a mix of DE, online, and homegrown classes.  She decided late this year to ask the ps if she could do DE next year through them, rather than through homeschooling, as long as they accepted her 11th grade credits.  Shockingly, they seem to be considering the idea, but I'm not sure they'll accept all the work she did this year.  For the sake of argument, let's say they accept enough credits for her to graduate with them, but not all she did.  From a college admissions point of view, which do you think would be the better scenario?

 

With ps she'd have:

 

- Their diploma (it's a highly regarded, well-known school)

- Their transcript, likely with:

 

Algebra 2 (done online w/ WHA) - 1 credit

English/American Lit 2 (DE) - 1 credit

Cultural Anthropology (DE) - 1 credit

Intro to Criminal Justice (DE) - 1 credit

US History 2 (homegrown) - 1 credit

Adobe Lightroom - .5 credit

PE - .5 or 1 credit, depending on how many hours I can come up with and what they'd accept.  She needs 1.5 more to graduate with them; the other .5 or 1 credit would be done next year

 

For a total of 6 - 6.5 credits.

 

Then next year, she'd take probably 6 semester classes DE, and Math online with WHA again.  She does not need a fourth math credit to graduate with them.  They may or may not accept that credit; let's assume for the sake of argument they only take DE credits next year.  She would probably take a semester dance class at the CC for the PE credit.

 

With me/homeschooling:

 

- Mom/homeschool transcript additionally with:

 

Spanish 5 Honors (was with AP class 1/2 year, then tutor - their AP teacher!) - 1 credit, and AP exam score

Icelandic (with online tutor) - .5 credit

Maritime Archaeology (at State U this summer) - 1 credit

And possibly American Lit 1 (done fall semester at home; DE was 2nd semester) - .5 credit?  Ironically she read and wrote more with the home course than with the DE course.  DE course had great discussions, though.

 

And of course her Math (PreCalculus) would then definitely be on her transcript for senior year.

 

From the point of view of college admissions, which scenario do you think would be better?  The ps scenario would take me out of the role of Guidance Counselor - I think that would make dd very happy; I suspect one of the reasons she asked about this in the first place is that she was mortified that I'd be writing the Guidance Counselor letter for the Common App.  Our flagship State Uni also doesn't take a homeschool diploma; it requires homeschoolers to take the GED - although it's looking less and less likely that she'd go there anyway, but it's not off the table altogether.

 

BUT - would her transcript be a bit anemic if the ps didn't accept those courses?  It would look like she only had 2 years of consecutive foreign language (although those would be levels 3/4 with an AP test), and only 3 years of Math (she'll take PreCalculus no matter what; the question is only if they'd put it on their transcript).  I'm thinking there must be a place to put 'extra' courses taken on the Common App, but would they carry as much weight if they weren't on the transcript itself?

 

 

[scoutingmom]

Wouldn't it be possible to send both your transcript and the PS one? Just thinkinv that in Canada if you lived in more than one province, you would send both provinces transcripts.... not exactly the same, I know....

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[Tsuga]

It's very hard to tell because the last two years are pretty critical and those are the ones that are very vague in your post. It would be helpful if you posted anticipated 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. You are using quite a few indefinite pronouns in your post (I am often guilty of that) so sometimes it is hard to tell what you are referring to.

 

I couldn't say without seeing it all laid out.

[Matryoshka]

Wouldn't it be possible to send both your transcript and the PS one? Just thinkinv that in Canada if you lived in more than one province, you would send both provinces transcripts.... not exactly the same, I know....

 

I'm not sure - I mean, they'll accept or not accept whatever credits they do, and they'll give the 'final' transcript I'm assuming including whatever they took for 11th?  If I considered homeschooling, wouldn't I ask for their transcript but also make one summarizing 9th/10th on my final one?

 

I mean, if she'd been at two different B&M schools, would I also give two different transcripts?  Wouldn't I (or they?) already be including a second transcript from the CC for her DE classes?  But what would admissions think of an extra homemade transcript with homeschool classes the ps rejected?  And PreCalclulus class will be senior year, where technically she'd be their student, not mine, so if they don't accept it, it really will be an 'extra' class...

[lmrich]

The PS transcript just looks like it is missing stuff. I think the college admissions people would think that it is not complete or missing a page. 

[Matryoshka]

It's very hard to tell because the last two years are pretty critical and those are the ones that are very vague in your post. It would be helpful if you posted anticipated 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. You are using quite a few indefinite pronouns in your post (I am often guilty of that) so sometimes it is hard to tell what you are referring to.

 

I couldn't say without seeing it all laid out.

 

Okay:

 

9th (@ps)

 

English 9 Honors - 1 credit

World History Honors - 1 credit

Biology Honors - 1 credit

Algebra 1 Part B - 1 credit

Spanish 3 Honors - 1 credit

Orchestra - 1 credit

Health - .5 credit

Foundations of Art - .5 credit

 

10th (@ps)

 

English 10 Honors - 1 credit

US History 1 Honors - 1 credit

Chemistry Honors - 1 credit

Geometry Honors - 1 credit

Spanish 4 Honors - 1 credit

Orchestra - 1 credit

PE - .5 credit

Photography - .5 credit

 

11th (homeschooled - courses in orange are ones they might not accept)

 

American Literature 1 (fall semester @ home) - .5 credit?

American Literature 2 (spring semester @ CC) - 1 credit? (ps gives full year high school credit for any 3-credit semester CC class)

US History 2 (full year @ home) - 1 credit

Cultural Anthropology (fall semseter @ CC) - 1 credit

Intro to Criminal Justice (spring semester @ CC) - 1 credit

Algebra 2 @ WHA online - 1 credit

Spanish 5 Honors w/ AP test - score 4 (online & w/ tutor) - 1 credit

Icelandic (fall semester w/ tutor) - .5 credit

Maritime Archaeology (summer @ State U) - 1 credit

 

Then they need a PE and Tech credit for their graduation requirements, so I'm trying to log hours from dance classes, extra dances she went to and roller skating, and added the Adobe Lightroom class, which she's just starting.  Those were not originally part of her year's credits, and will add 1 - 1.5 credits to the above if she does the ps route.

 

She also took AP Bio this past year but ended with self-studying and I don't have a lot to 'show' the school, so I'm not even bothering to try to get them to accept it.  If she did well on the AP test, I'll include it as a test, if not, she'll have enough science with other classes. - okay, scores are in AP Bio was a 3.  Do I list it, or not?

 

12th (wherever she is, the classes probably won't change much, unless she decides not to continue w/ Physics &/or Arabic in the spring and takes something else.  The fall courses and WHA she's already enrolled for):

 

Physics 1 & 2 (fall & spring @ CC) - 2 credits

English 102 Honors (fall @ CC) - 1 credit

Arabic 1 & 2 (fall & spring @ CC) - 2 credits

1 more CC class TBD in spring (maybe honors seminar) - 1 credit

Precalculus (@ WHA online) - 1 credit

 

and if the ps thing works out -

PE - ?? Dance class @ CC? - she'll need .5 or 1 credit (depending how much I can scrape together for this year) for the ps graduation requirements

 

ETA: She might also do some kind of post-AP German Lit next year with the AP German teacher at the school.  Have no idea if they'd give her credit for it, but it was the plan before dd started this crazy ball rolling...  She got a 5 on the German AP last year.

 

 

[TechWife]

I have no idea what WHA is, so I can't comment too much on that. 

 

Is she meeting the graduation requirements for homeschooling in your state (if there are any)?

 

It's  hard to say what would look better without knowing the admission requirements for the schools she's considering attending.

 

Why does she want to "go back to school" if all of her classes are taken away from  the high school anyway? 

 

In the state where I live, no one would blink an eye at a year or two of homeschooling, but homeschooling is mainstream here. 

 

 

 

[Matryoshka]

I have no idea what WHA is, so I can't comment too much on that. 

 

Sorry, that's Wilson Hill Academy

 

Is she meeting the graduation requirements for homeschooling in your state (if there are any)?

 

It's  hard to say what would look better without knowing the admission requirements for the schools she's considering attending.

 

Well, yeah.  The high school has more requirements than homeschooling (specifically the PE and Tech classes)

 

Why does she want to "go back to school" if all of her classes are taken away from  the high school anyway? 

 

In the state where I live, no one would blink an eye at a year or two of homeschooling, but homeschooling is mainstream here. 

 

 

For one, she'll get their diploma.  Our flagship state U does not take homeschool diplomas, they are one of the very few dinosaurs that want a GED from homeschoolers.  On the other hand, it's looking like she really doesn't want to go there, but it's hard to rule it out as a backup.   She has also considered maybe living or going to grad school abroad, possibly in Germany, where a homeschool diploma could be looked at astray.  It would also get me out of the role as her Guidance Counselor.  Apparently the school's GC telling her the exact same things is way better.  And then she won't have Mommy writing her GC letter (apparently this is horrifying to her).  She has Zero interest in going back to the actual B&M ps - this seemed like the best of both worlds to her.

 

But lately she's leaning toward an even lower-hanging backup (I may post another thread on that :) ) which would be a Tier-2 State University.  Other colleges on her list are Smith, BU, NYU (the latter two are long-shots, imho).

[Matryoshka]

The PS transcript just looks like it is missing stuff. I think the college admissions people would think that it is not complete or missing a page. 

 

Yes, this is my biggest concern if they don't accept all her work...  she would meet their graduation requirements, but the transcript would suddenly lose its progression...

[madteaparty]

I have no clue bc my DS is 11 but, for one of the disputed courses you will have AP score. Is Icelandic a beginner course? If so I'd give up on that and perhaps mention it as an extracurricular. The one that would "hurt" me most to give up is precalculus, but frankly unless required for admission into a particular program, that would show on any placement tests, right? So I guess for me it would come to how much math the colleges she's interested in require.

I come from the bias that no way will I homeschool HS if given a choice.

[JeanM]

I'm following this with interest because ds is in a similar position. He officially homeschooled for 9th and 10th, but took three and four courses at the public school those years. His GC is pushing him to enroll as a full time student next year. She has said that there are monetary advantages as well as the fact that he'll have a ps transcript for applying to colleges. His high school is a small public school, but it has an incredibly active alumni association, and they give out many awards/scholarships every year. We've been going back and forth on the pros and cons. I'm have similar concerns about his transcript being "anemic" without the added information about his homeschool/outside classes.

 

I have to say, while your dd may not want you to write GC letter, I think you could probably write a stronger letter for her. It seems to me like that would be the place to explain her various school options, and you could put a positive spin on the whole thing. I could be wrong about this though, as I have not yet gotten that far with my dc.

[Julie of KY]

Provide transcripts for all courses taken no matter where taken. If she goes the public school route and gets a diploma through them, I'd provide another transcript showing any other classes done at home.

[Matryoshka]

Provide transcripts for all courses taken no matter where taken. If she goes the public school route and gets a diploma through them, I'd provide another transcript showing any other classes done at home.

 

Would you then do it for the whole 11th grade year (which would overlap with what would be on their transcript), or just the courses they didn't accept?  Do you think it might send up any red flags that the ps didn't consider the courses 'worthy"? (so ironic that the high schools seem to be so much pickier than even selective universities about homeschool credits...) 

 

And what about the senior year math?  (I feel like I should add that the reason we're sticking with Wilson Hill is that math is not her strongest subject and can cause her anxiety, and she had a fantastic year with the WH class and teacher last year.  Who knows who'd she'd get if she switched to CC - I'd rather she be confident in the material, y'know?)

 

 

[JanetC]

If she decides to do the PS option, I would write a supplementary letter (sort of like a second counselor letter) to each college she applies to, explaining that the high school diploma became important to her (to explain the flipping back-and-forth) and enclosing the transcript and course descriptions for the at-home courses, both the ones the high school accepted (because your course description will be more detailed) and the ones they didn't (because otherwise how will they know she took that class).

The transcript from the archaeology course can be submitted from the institution where she took the class, or can just be mentioned as a summer activity on her application.

 

The WH classes would go in the extra counselor letter you're sending separately, since they are not an accredited school they would count as a curriculum provider that you used at home.

 

ETA: If you establish a good relationship with the HS counselor, they may append your info to theirs.

[Matryoshka]

If she decides to do the PS option, I would write a supplementary letter (sort of like a second counselor letter) to each college she applies to, explaining that the high school diploma became important to her (to explain the flipping back-and-forth) and enclosing the transcript and course descriptions for the at-home courses, both the ones the high school accepted (because your course description will be more detailed) and the ones they didn't (because otherwise how will they know she took that class).

The transcript from the archaeology course can be submitted from the institution where she took the class, or can just be mentioned as a summer activity on her application.

 

The WH classes would go in the extra counselor letter you're sending separately, since they are not an accredited school they would count as a curriculum provider that you used at home.

 

ETA: If you establish a good relationship with the HS counselor, they may append your info to theirs.

 

This sounds like good info.  I do have a good relationship with the school.  Dd's twin is there and an honors student, and younger dd is starting there in the fall.  They're actually being much more open to this than I thought.  It's frustrating, though, that they got this ball rolling and went home for the summer with me in limbo!!

 

Also, AP scores are back.  She got 4 on Spanish, and 3 on Bio.  Do I report the Bio, or let it go?  She's looking to do some kind of Anthropology major, maybe.  I know 4 or 5 I'd definitely put on, 1 or 2 I'd not bother with - 3 is on the edge... does it look good, or bad?

 

She got a 5 on AP German last year.

[TechWife]

T

Also, AP scores are back.  She got 4 on Spanish, and 3 on Bio.  Do I report the Bio, or let it go?  She's looking to do some kind of Anthropology major, maybe.  I know 4 or 5 I'd definitely put on, 1 or 2 I'd not bother with - 3 is on the edge... does it look good, or bad?

 

She got a 5 on AP German last year.

 

I'd report the bio. A 3 is enough to justify her high school credit, just probably not college credit. 

[Mabelen]

I would report the 3. It might still have some value even in college. I would also find a way of including all the homeschool subjects, otherwise the transcript might look a little thin.

[Catherine]

I had a child who whose HS transcript was "mixed"-he was in PS for the first year, home\DE for 2 years, away for a year as an exchange student, then home\DE the last year.  He also had college courses from 3 different nearby institutions, plus CTY.  This was 4 years ago now, so things may have changed.  I do know that our umbrella school advisor, who did write his counselor letter, thought that his transcript looked "very unconventional" and thought that might hurt him in college admissions, mostly because he had taken courses at 3 different colleges. 

 

That said, I really think that some colleges are inclined to like home schoolers, and some are not.  If you spend some time on College Confidential, and ask around, you'll figure out who they are.  I do know that my ds's school seems to like home schoolers, and one of the admissions office people I spoke to confirmed that they had had several formerly home schooled students who'd been very happy and successful there. OTOH, some schools do not.  

 

So I think one part of your strategy should probably include an assessment of where she is likely to want to go, and their attitudes toward unconventional students.  I do think that a thin-looking transcript is probably going to hurt her at the larger schools where little time is going in to a careful read of the application.