Blog

It's fall of senior year and you and your child are sitting down to submit college applications. Of course, your job will be much easier if the homeschool transcript is done. Even if your transcript looks great on paper, it can be confusing to figure out what to include on a homeschool transcript when you are filling out college applications. Let me give you a few quick tips.

What to include on homeschool transcripts senior year

The college admission process can be a long and grueling process, filled with strange forms and processes that you haven't heard of before. All this can feel pretty overwhelming. I'm here to help you figure out everything you need to know about getting your homeschool transcript ready to send to colleges.

Classes
Include all the classes your child is currently doing (or going to do their senior year) on the transcript. Are you beginning Chemistry or Calculus this fall? Put that on the high school transcript. If your child intends to take certain classes in community college, include the names of those classes, also. Colleges expect this, and assume it is just an "estimate" of what the child will be taking.

Grades
Don't include final grades for classes you haven't completed yet. Instead, indicate grades are in progress (IP) or have yet to be determined (TBD.) You can indicate how many credits they will be earning, but don't put on a grade for a class until the grade is done.

Transcripts
When you are submitting a transcript in the fall, it's just a "transcript." You may need to send in a transcript after first semester, an "interim transcript" that includes grades earned through December. Finally, when school is over for the year, you will be asked to submit a "final transcript" that include all grades for all classes, and indicated the date the student officially graduated.

Later in the year, you will again be asked for even more information to finalize and update the application.

• Send thank you note to interviewer
• Send a transcript with midyear grades in January
• Formally reply to each college with "Yes" or "No"
• Send the deposit required to attend
• Send the final transcript in June, indicating the graduation date

You can find more information about making a homeschool transcript in my article, How to Make a Homeschool Transcript. 

What to include on homeschool transcripts with dual enrollment  

Dual enrollment classes on the transcript

Use an acronym before the class title to clearly show which classes were taken at the community college. Colleges know that senior year classes are harder than last year and it's a good trend to show. Just like we talked about with classes that your senior is currently taking, for the dual enrollment classes your student is currently enrolled in, replace the grade with IP to indicate those classes that have been started at a community college, or use R if registered but classed haven't started. That way they can see what your child has done so far, and what they can expect to see in the future. 

When you apply to college, you must send your homeschool transcript, that includes both homeschool classes and community college classes. A transcript must also be sent from the community college directly to the university where your child is applying (there is usually a small fee for that, perhaps $5 each.) List it on the activity list too, something like this: Dual Enrollment Student at Tennessee Community College.

Dual enrollment classes on the comprehensive records

For the dual enrollment classes your child is taking, copy and paste the course description from the community college online catalog. Paste it into Notepad first, if possible, to remove any funky formatting, then paste it into your own comprehensive record document. You don't have to be as detailed with community college classes, but you can tweak them as you need to, especially if you've done supplemental work at home with various resources. Some parents choose to leave out anything other than the online course description. I prefer to have people list at least the community college textbook for those classes.

Dual enrollment applications to the university

You are applying as a high school senior, as if your classes were taken at a high school, not at the community college. You are applying as a freshman UNLESS you have taken a community college classes after high school graduation. Even one college credit after graduation can change your status from "freshman" to "transfer student" and eliminate your chances of some college scholarships. When you are applying as a freshman, that means you can get freshman scholarships and freshman housing - a very big deal. You probably don't want your children living with college seniors, but would rather they live with students their own age. But at the same time, dual enrollment classes will allow your child to be more advanced academically, and take appropriate classes the following year. My son, for example, applied as a freshman but was a college junior academically, so he was allowed to get freshman student housing but also take junior level college courses when he registered.

When your child has taken dual enrollment classes, you may find it confusing to note the number of credit hours. They are not 1 to 1 like you might expect.

6 college hours = 1 high school credit
5 college hours = 1 high school credit
4 college hours = 1 high school credit
3 college hours = either way, 1 or 1/2 credit, your preference
2 college hours = 0.5 high school credit
1 college hour = 0.5 high school credit

College classes are not measured the same as high school classes, and the content goes 2-3 times faster than a high school class, so their number values are completely different. It's like measuring in feet and meters - they both use numbers, but the numbers aren't measured the same.

If your child is taking dual enrollment classes, be sure to talk to them every day about what is going on. If possible, take classes with another homeschooler (preferably of the same gender) so your child isn't going into classes alone. More tips on that here: Community College Success.

Homeschool transcripts and college admission processes can be confusing, at times. If you need help with your transcript, I'll be glad to work with you! If you haven't started your transcript yet, or if you don't like the transcript you are working with, then I suggest getting the Total Transcript Solution. If you have finished your transcript, and you merely want some support and guidance, then The Gold Care Club will give you the personal help you need!