descriptions of classes on transcripts and other transcript questions

[ProudGrandma]

Where do you get the descriptions from? do you make them up, copy them from the programs website?

 

Do you describe things like PE, Art and Music...or is that sort of self descriptive?   And how many years of each of these is typically enough for most colleges, especially PE and art.

 

Do you put grades along with the description or on a separate page along side of the earned credits?  

 

How important is volunteer work on a transcript?  My daughter has tons of examples, but my son not so much...is that something we should work harder at having him do such things...or does it really not matter that much?

 

Do you include the actual program you used, or just the description?  What if you changed programs mid stream or used a variety of programs...do you list all of them?  How does that work?

 

thanks.

Edited June 13, 2017 by NEprairiemom

[SkateLeft]

The transcript is separate from the course description document. A transcript should be a single page (some people use two pages, but I prefer one) that includes course titles and grades. Volunteer work did not go on our transcript. Instead, it was listed on the applications under extra-curricular activities. 

 

Course descriptions are not required by all universities, but it's good to keep them in case your student does end up needing them. A course description document will include the description and materials used. I did not list "programs," but only core materials used. I wrote descriptions for the courses I created and copied course descriptions for all dual enrollment college courses. I did include course descriptions for PE, Art and Music because there are MANY different ways to create those courses. My younger child's music credits included classical voice studies, while my oldest has fine art credits in art history, drawing and painting. Oldest did sailboat racing for PE, while #2 was my short track speedskater. I did not award grades in PE, but only graded it as pass/fail.

 

Interestingly, none of the universities that my older two kids applied to required course descriptions. We submitted their high school transcript, their dual enrollment college transcript, ACT scores and their applications.

 

As far as how important volunteer work is, that depends on whether or not your son has other extra curriculars. It also depends on how selective his prospective colleges are. If he's applying to a state university with open enrollment, then volunteer work doesn't matter much at all. If he's applying to a highly selective university that expects extensive extra curriculars from their prospectives, then having volunteer work might be helpful. If he's got a list of other things though, again, it might not matter.

 

Edited June 13, 2017 by ghostwheel

[RootAnn]

SkateLeft did a great job answering these. I'll point you to the linked thread(s) at the top of the forum as there is a section on transcripts & one on course descriptions.

 

In the course description section, there are some threads where people shared some of their course descriptions for homemade classes, online classes, co-op classes, community college classes, etc. I haven't changed texts/programs mid-stream, so I don't know what to tell you on that. Really, seeing examples is very helpful when writing your own. They don't have to be long.

 

I won't have a PE class, I don't think. My two olders will have 0.5 credits (one semester) of Health/Nutrition. My oldest will have 1 credit of fine arts (1/2 credit of music appreciation & 1/2 credit of art appreciation). My second kid will have more because she's an art type of gal. How much is 'enough'? Depends on the college! You'll want to check some of the colleges that your kid might apply to & see. I think Lori D has said one credit is a typical number. (And that thread I linked right there was a good one to read.) 

 

I am not putting grades in the course description document, but I've seen a couple of samples where they are in there. The transcript - a separate document - has the grades & credits.

 

Volunteer work doesn't belong on a transcript. There are several threads on where volunteer & extra-curricular activity go. Here's just one of them. Extra curricular / volunteer work may be helpful in admission to selective universities and scholarship applications. I didn't find the original thread, but here is a spin-off on how many volunteer hours kids will graduate with.

 

I will echo SkateLeft & say that you might not need to write course descriptions at all. I am writing them "just in case" because I don't want to have to write them all at once at the last minute IF my kid needs them.

[daijobu]

I begin with any description from the course website, or maybe from the textbook description.  I edit for brevity and to match the style of my other descriptions.  My kids take voice lessons, and I didn't know how to describe those, so I looked online at another school's voice class and checked it with my kids and used a version of that. 

[Lori D.]

Skate Left and RootAnn covered all of your questions very well, but I'll just throw in my 2 cents worth on top. ;)

 

 

Where do you get the descriptions from? do you make them up, copy them from the programs website? ...

 

...Do you include the actual program you used, or just the description?  What if you changed programs mid stream or used a variety of programs...do you list all of them?  How does that work? ...

 

Websites are a great place to start to save time, but absolutely fine to write up your own from scratch. If you copy from a website, be sure to edit to just the high points -- no more than 1-3 sentences describing the scope and major focus of the class, and then another sentence listing the major resources used (no need to list absolutely everything!). Remember, admissions officers have to READ these, so be kind!

 

Usually, unless it was a specialty type of course and needs more room for description, you should be able to fit 4-6 short (1 paragraph) course descriptions on 1 side of 1 piece of paper.

 

For us: we ultimately did not need the course description document, as DSs went to the community college first, and then one left to do other things, and the other transferred to a 4-year university, so only the community college records were needed.

 

 

Do you describe things like PE, Art and Music...or is that sort of self descriptive?   And how many years of each of these is typically enough for most colleges, especially PE and art.

 

Usually 1 credit of Fine Arts is required by most colleges for admission, BUT check each college you're interested in, as each varies.

 

Fine Arts can be:

- studio arts (creation of art: drawing, painting, pottery, textiles, sculpture, jewelry making, woodworking, stained glass, etc.)

- visual arts (creation of art: photography, filmmaking, digital arts),

- performing arts (performance of art: dance, theater/drama, chorus, musical instrument, etc.)

- OR appreciation  (film appreciation, theater appreciation, art or music appreciation, etc.)

- OR something like Fundamentals of Art Design, Music Composition, Dance Choreography, Playwriting, etc.

 

While many public high schools require 1-2 credits of PE, and possibly 0.5-1.0 credit of Health, and 1 credit of Computer/Vocational-Tech for graduation, most colleges don't seem to have PE (or Health, or Computer or Vocational-Tech) requirements, but again -- always be safe and check the colleges you are interested in for their specific requirements.

 

And even if you don't have a requirement, contact the admissions office and ask about exceptions or substitutions/alternatives. :) For the Fine Arts and Social Studies credits, colleges are often quite flexible.

 

 

Do you put grades along with the description or on a separate page along side of the earned credits?  

 

You'll want to create 2 separate documents:

 

1. transcript

Contains the title of each course, with the grade and amount of credit earned. Be sure to include the words "official" and "high school transcript" in the title at the top of this document. After your student graduates from high school, also include the word "Final" (so: "Final Official High School Transcript"). In the top section of the transcript, include student name, date of birth, and gender (NO SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!). Also include: school name (or "homeschooled") and contact information. In the bottom section of the transcript, include the cumulative (total) GPA, total credits earned, the grading scale you used, and your name and signature as the administrator. Optional things you can add include in this bottom section include: AP/SAT/ACT test scores, or any needed notes of explanation (example: your footnote of the name of course providers for any outsourced classes).

 

2. course description

Contains the title of each course, where completed/name of instructor (if an outsourced course), and then a short paragraph explaining the focus of the course and the major resources used.

 

 

How important is volunteer work on a transcript?  My daughter has tons of examples, but my son not so much...is that something we should work harder at having him do such things...or does it really not matter that much?

 

Volunteering, and any other extracurricular activities, go on a separate "Extracurriculars/Volunteering" document --think of it as a sort of resume. In fact, you can include any paid work that the student did, too. It's nice to include this document when possible along with the transcript, but mostly this is a record used by you and/or the student for drawing on things to discuss in an essay for admissions or for applying for a scholarship. Or to talk about in a college interview, to show the student's varied interests and development of character.

 

For us, extracurriculars and volunteering were not needed for admissions, but they did help in landing some partial scholarships, as the activities of DSs' helped them to "stand out". Sending in the extracurriculars/volunteering "resume", along with a copy of the transcript, helped to give DSs a "boost".

 

 

Good luck in wearing the administrative hat of homeschooling high school! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited June 13, 2017 by Lori D.

[regentrude]

Where do you get the descriptions from? do you make them up, copy them from the programs website?

 

Do you describe things like PE, Art and Music...or is that sort of self descriptive?   And how many years of each of these is typically enough for most colleges, especially PE and art.

 

Do you put grades along with the description or on a separate page along side of the earned credits?  

 

How important is volunteer work on a transcript? 

 

Do you include the actual program you used, or just the description?  What if you changed programs mid stream or used a variety of programs...do you list all of them?  How does that work?

 

I write my own descriptions becaue I design my own courses. For outside providers, you would use their description.

I have descriptions for all classes. 

Grades go on the transcript. Course descriptions are a separate document.

Volunteer work goes on the application, not the transcript. The transcript has course names, credits, and grades, and (optional) a summary of test scores.

If you use a packaged program, include that in te course description. If you use multiple programs, write a course description that best describes what you did.

[birchbark]

Here are a couple resources we found helpful:

 

https://www.annieandeverything.com/course-descriptions-homeschool/

 

https://app.webinarjam.net/register/22630/d7420c274a