Admissions Counselors DO Pay Attention

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Yesterday, DD was busy calling a couple colleges on her early action list to double check that they had received SAT scores t since she was affected by their recent reporting issue.  One counselor spoke with her for a few minutes and pulled up her admissions file (based on Common App submission) to check that all information had been received.  My daughter felt compelled to share with me that the admissions counselor had specifically commented on what a great transcript she had--meaning format, content, etc.  She actually said that it had better organization and clarity than many of the B&M schools submit.

 

Despite being super proud of this, the take away moment that I wanted to share wasn't about me but rather about the work we are all busy fretting over and submitting over the next few months in our role as counselor.  The schools (or at least some) are actually noticing what we do and appreciating the effort. It seems our hard work in trying to present our students and their homeschooling journeys and educational successes is paying off. I am taking this as good news not just for my dd but for homeschooling in general.  

[klmama]

Thanks for sharing this!  You realize, of course, that now we all want to know what your trancript's format looks like.  :001_smile:

[swimmermom3]

We got similar comments from Hillsdale College--they appreciated the reading list and rep lists, especially. Yes, they DO pay attention!

 

Rep lists?

[plansrme]

With the recent issues we've had with getting my daughter's B&M HS transcript corrected, I've spent a lot of time looking at her transcript.  It doesn't matter for her because she is applying to one school that is already familiar with her and transcripts from her school, but holy cow--the abbreviations for the courses make the transcript nearly indecipherable.  I know admissions reps are used to abbreviations, but this school has some unusual classes that also are far more advanced than one might find in a typical high school, and there's no way an admissions rep from a small school twelve states over is going to know what they are.  For example, a post-AP Chemistry class taught by two teachers who have  Ph.D.s in chemistry  is listed as "Mat Sc."  There is no indication that it is an advanced, much less post-AP, class, that it is awarded an extra quality point (all you see is the grade), really nothing to indicate how advanced it is.  I was really shocked at how unclear the transcript is about a lot of things.

 

 

[shawthorne44]

Mat Sc.    Was it called Material Science?  

[TKDmom]

Thanks for sharing this!  You realize, of course, that now we all want to know what your trancript's format looks like.  :001_smile:

:iagree:

[angela in ohio]

Mat Sc.    Was it called Material Science?  

 

I bet so. And Materials Science is a college-level engineering course, so they will definitely recognize it as advanced.

[creekland]

Both of my homeschooled guys had admissions counselors who commented on their apps.  They've noted ECs and books on their book lists as well as courses on their transcripts.  Many times admissions letters had a personal note on them too (or personalized in the typing).  Interviews definitely brought up topics from the app.

[daijobu]

I remember seeing my own public high school transcript and I cringed.  The course titles were riddled with weird abbreviations that obscured what the class was about.  The formatting was pretty lousy too.  Knowing what I know now (and based on the OP), I could have rewritten my official transcript in a more readable format with nice course descriptions.  Of course, I only had a typewriter back then, so maybe not.

[FaithManor]

Our local PS has an antiquated system and the transcripts are terrible. I don't know, but guess that many colleges probably appreciate straight forward, well formatted documentation.