fitting a non-traditional course into a traditional transcript name

[razorbackmama]

When you have a student that takes a non-traditional course (like the Master Books Pre-Med course) that you're counting as a particular credit (like biology, in this case), how do you list it on the transcript? As plain old biology? "Advanced Pre-Med Studies"? Or a combo of both so it's obvious that while it's not a traditional biology course, it's counting as that?

[catz]

Human biology?

[razorbackmama]

OK so your vote is a combo? Would you do that for other non-traditional courses also? (I was just using that as an example.)

[Haiku]

College admissions officers want transcripts that are straightforward and don't require them to try to decipher what you did. I would give the course a biology designation such as "Human Biology" and use your curriculum list to round that description out more.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I agree with PP's make it fit something the admissions people can easily understand and then describe in a bit more detail in the course description/curriculum list.  I probably wouldn't call it plain Biology unless the Universities DC is applying to require plain Biology. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I have my transcript arranged by subject (with year and grade of completion after the course grade and credits earned.)  So all of my English classes are together and all of my social studies/history courses are together.

 

In some cases, I have a clearer short name title for the transcript and a longer more descriptive title for the course description.

 

For example:

 

Transcript:

English 10 

 

Course Description:

English 10: Roots of Steampunk Literature

 

or

 

Transcript

Classical Greek Lit

 

Course Description

Classical Greek Literature (The Lukeion Project, Muse On the Loose, Online Class)

 

In both cases, the course description goes on to give more details about the course including method of delivery, readings and assessments.

 

What I'd do with your example would be something like:

 

Transcript:

Human Biology

 

Course Description:

Human Biology  A one year course in high school anatomy and medical studies.  (Then I would go on to describe the course aims and list the books used.)

[razorbackmama]

I have my transcript arranged by subject (with year and grade of completion after the course grade and credits earned.)  So all of my English classes are together and all of my social studies/history courses are together.

 

In some cases, I have a clearer short name title for the transcript and a longer more descriptive title for the course description.

 

For example:

 

Transcript:

English 10 

 

Course Description:

English 10: Roots of Steampunk Literature

 

or

 

Transcript

Classical Greek Lit

 

Course Description

Classical Greek Literature (The Lukeion Project, Muse On the Loose, Online Class)

 

In both cases, the course description goes on to give more details about the course including method of delivery, readings and assessments.

 

What I'd do with your example would be something like:

 

Transcript:

Human Biology

 

Course Description:

Human Biology  A one year course in high school anatomy and medical studies.  (Then I would go on to describe the course aims and list the books used.)

 

We do subject-based transcripts too.

 

So you put the course description right there on the transcript?

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

We do subject-based transcripts too.

 

So you put the course description right there on the transcript?

 

 

 

No.

 

The transcript is one page.  The course descriptions run about 8 pages.  The descriptions are in pretty much the same order as the transcript.  I can get 2-5 descriptions per page, depending on the type of course.  Math is short and sweet, but English and history take more space because I list major texts used.

 

I also have a one page worksheet that lays out exactly how I came up with the weighted gpa.  Each course with extra weight has a comment explaining why that course was weighted.  

 

If I also include the 2 page school profile, then the whole thing is 12 pages long.  When I showed it to admissions reps, the feedback was that this answered the questions they would have, but wasn't unwieldy.  With the Common App, I used the four slots allowed for transcript to upload the transcript as one, the course description as another, and copies of outside CC transcripts for the third.  The School Profile went in via a different upload in the Counselor background info section (because a school profile applies to all students at the school, but each transcript is individual).

[razorbackmama]

Thanks!