Transcript, EC question

[lewber]

DS will be a freshman and will be in public school all through high school. So his transcripts will be provided by his high school. I have zero idea where he will want to go to college. I don't think he'll have any interest in Ivy level if that matters. But given past performance, his grades and test scores probably could make him Competitive if that matters. I understand this could all change:)

My question is - this kid is always into something and he learns a lot through self study. Right now he is into film editing. He will learn the software, all the techniques, the vocabulary etc. I'd say in the last month he's spent 150 hours filming, editing, learning. From past experience, I would say he'll do this for another 6-12 months and then he'll move on to another hobby where he'll be similarly immersed.

Is there any way to present this on a college app? Should I encourage him to take an online class to make it concrete? Will this just be personality and experience for his essay?

I realize this might be early, but then I hear, it's probably not.

If anyone knows how this would work for non home schoolers I'd appreciate the help. Thanks!

[regentrude]

On the college application, they will ask for info about extracurriculars. That's where these can go. They don't belong on a transcript.

Colleges don't want to see a bunch of activities the student dabbled in; they want to see some passion the student pursued over the years. So, for now I would recommend keeping a record of what he did, how much time he spent (the CA asks for per week, and which school year), whether he won any awards or prizes, and then in 12th grade decide how to package the extracurriculars and what to list. Not everything a student does needs to end up on the college application.

Edited April 3, 2017 by regentrude

[lewber]

I get that. And I see that advice a lot. And honestly it makes perfect sense. I just don't know that he's that kind of kid. He's just so interested in so many things- it's a family trait:) I don't know if anything will stick long term. But he makes productive use of his free time, it seems like there could be a better way to present it. Or encourage him to take classes that could be on his transcript? 150 hours is almost a full year class?

Edited April 3, 2017 by lewber

[regentrude]

I would not make him take classes in his fun pursuits - that can often be a way to kill the interest. Also, an elective credit at the bottom of the transcript won't stand out anyway.

Wait and see. My DD is interested in a variety of things, but over the years, there were a few things she pursued long term, and those went on the college app. Plenty of things she spent time on never got mentioned anywhere.

 

And if it turns out there is no overarching theme or long term pursuit, he can always list whatever he has done.

Again: not everything a kid does has to be written down somewhere in the college app. Some things one does just because.

Edited April 3, 2017 by regentrude

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What I would do at this point is have him write a resume. We found that it was hard to remember things from several years back when it was time to do applications.

 

We had moved a lot so there were many activities that only happened for a year or so. What we found was that there sometimes trends that could be bundled.

 

For example summers volunteering at a camp, monthly volunteer work with Friends of the Library, VBS, and an Eagle Scout Project collecting food for a food bank all related to his interest in serving others.

 

Or there might be a theme that something related to. For example ds's time living abroad, interest in foreign language and time doing Model UN fit together.

 

But I agree with Regentrude that not everything has to go on an app and definitely not everything has to go on a transcript.

Edited April 3, 2017 by Sebastian (a lady)