I have a daughter who may never be able to do well a “bubble” test, due to vision issues. (However, she is not legally blind.) What sort of a paper trail of her trips to vision specialists, etc. should I be keeping so she can get accommodations on her college admissions tests?
~ Janet on the blog
Dear Janet,
I’m not exactly sure about what to do about a paper trail, but I know where to find the answer. The College Board is used to dealing with students that have a variety of conditions that may require accommodation on the test. Do some research first, by reading this page on the College Board website, and following all the links until you become reasonably knowledgeable.
After reading that page, contact The College Board. Work the problem now, to start the process. I know that the process can take a while, so give yourself a LOT of time.
I hope that will help!
I have a new homeschool high school Twitter site. Get all the homeschool posts of parents homeschooling high school by joining my Twibe.
Sometimes transcript questions are very specific and complicated, but not really “Hard.” I love helping parents homeschool high school, and I would love to help you as well!
I’m going to ask a dumb question. I need to send the transcript to a college this week and this is my first time sending one. How do I list the classes which have not been completed and for which I’ve not yet calculated a grade? Some of them are required for admission but it’s too early for them to be officially recognized. Also, do I calculate the summary of credits and GPA according to what has already been accomplished? She graduates in May and hopes to start college this fall. We’re getting a late start with the admissions process. Our lives have been disrupted the last ten months with death and serious illness. The college which my daughter is interested in has been more than accommodating already, so I’m hesitant to ask them how they want to see the transcript.
~Melissa on Facebook
Hi Melissa,
You can put TBD – to be determined, or IP – in process, or something similar. In a public school they do list classes, but they do not give the final grade until the class is done. To calculate GPA, you calculate only the classes that are FINISHED. Some schools will also list “Credits attempted” to show how many more classes she has that aren’t done yet.
I hope that helps! Did you buy my book on transcripts? You can see examples on page 102 and 106.
____
Thank you so much!! Yes, I did buy your your book, printed it all out and slipped it into a notebook.* I call it my Transcript Bible.* It’s been very helpful–for confirming what I thought and “holding my hand” throughout the process. The one thing I didn’t expect after doing the transcript was that feeling of gratification. My daughter and I wish, now, that I had even done report cards during the elementary years that looked much like a transcript. Just one more thing to tell others coming up behind us.
~Melissa on Facebook
Read to what others are saying about The HomeScholar Gold Care Club!
I was reading through Proverbs, looking for some direct instruction about finances, and I stumbled upon something very interesting. Read these scripture verses, and see if you notice a theme:
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold. (Proverbs 3:13-14)
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold (Proverbs 8:10)
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! (Proverbs 16:16)
Now I might be a bit slower than your average bear, but it seems to me that the Lord is saying that wisdom is more important than gold or silver. Wisdom is worthy of searching for and pursuing. Wisdom and knowledge are worth the effort, and worth all the hard work. It’s more important than investing in gold – AND it will get you a better annual average rate of return!
For some families, these verses may help them as they consider the cost of college. College is worth the effort. College may be worth the investment. Nobody knows your family, your finances, and your child’s future income better than you. With all those factors in mind, it may be worth taking a college loan – particularly since it has better dividends then gold and silver (which are doing pretty well right now, what with the government printing money like crazy, LOL!)
I say this with some trepidation, however, because the Bible also has a LOT to say about debt (none of it good). This is DEFINITELY something you should pray about and consider carefully.
One of my Gold Care Club members was talking to me about college debt, and how much debt was OK. From a secular perspective, you want to look at some specific statistics. Look up the statistics for one college at a time. What percent of students graduate on time? What percent of students are employed within 6 months of graduating? What is the average income for graduates? What is the average income for students getting a specific degree? How much debt does the average student accumulate at that college? Then take all the information and put it all together. Can the average student get a job that will pay off the average debt in a reasonable amount of time?
The Lord appears to be a big fan of investing your money in wisdom. It’s worth it. How MUCH to invest can vary from family to family. It’s worth going over the numbers though. After all, it’s better to get wisdom than to pursue gold!
For example, read how UC Riverside actively recruits homeschool students:
“Among the homeschool community, we find large numbers of students who are smart, mature, creative, independent and well-socialized people,” said Frank Vahid, a professor of computer science who has three children who are homeschooled. “We want such excellent students in our classes. They have a lot to offer the university community.”
“Smart, mature, creative, independent and well-socialized people.”
Senior are beginning to hear back from colleges. I hope you hear wonderful news about acceptances and scholarships.
After the thrill of hearing about admission and scholarships, suddenly the reality of finances comes crashing down on parents. Even with a scholarship, how can you pay for college?
It’s important to remain calm, even though you have heard one an initial message about scholarships. Because the truth is that scholarships come in waves. The first wave of scholarships was based on his SAT scores. The next wave of scholarships will be based on the FAFSA on January 1, tied to your financial “need.” Sometimes there is also a third wave of scholarships. That wave will be based on additional factors other than scholastic achievement or financial need. It could be related to a specific talent (football) or interest (engineering major) or skill (piano.)
You want to be perfectly positioned to ride all three waves.
I’ve recently been connecting with friends on LinkedIn. I invite you to send me an invitation if you want to connect with my business.
Some kids don’t do well on standardized tests. Nobody knows that better than a homeschool parent with a child that doesn’t do well on tests. For college admission, though, it can really help to provide test scores from the SAT or ACT.
Colleges want test scores. It’s very uncommon (although not impossible) to get college admission and scholarships without taking one of these tests. A child doesn’t need to score higher than everyone else. They need to score higher than they would have scored if they either freaked out or didn’t study at all.
Colleges usually use tests to evaluate. When your child gets to college, they likely will face fill-in-the-bubble tests. Giving them practice with bubble tests can help them prepare for the tests they take in college.
I have heard some colleges complain that homeschoolers aren’t well prepared for standardized tests. While they don’t generally complain about the quality of homeschool academics, some have expressed concern that our children aren’t prepared for the tests that ACCOMPANY academics. Teaching your children to take a standardized test can help them be prepared.
I have said it so many times, it almost seems like a cliche, “College tuition is like buying a car – hardly anyone pays the sticker price.” I felt strangely satisfied to see almost those exact words from the University of Washington President in our Seattle Newspaper:
ANYONE who has ever gone car shopping knows that the price you see on the sticker is rarely the price you pay. The same can be said of college tuition. Recent headlines about “soaring” tuition and fees have no doubt left many with a bad case of sticker shock ["Tuition and fees soaring at colleges across nation," page one, Oct. 21]. The more surprising story might be, “tuition at public universities offered at deep discount.”
Of course, he is trying to convince people to attend HIS college, so he does talk a lot about public education. Toward the end of the article he mentions the funding crisis in our state, and the impact on public universities:
“So why increase the sticker price of tuition when it’s going to be sold at a discount price? One of the primary reasons is the withdrawal of state tax support from public universities. At the UW, we just lost 26 percent of our state general fund budget.”
I would like to remind parents that private education is not funded by state governments in crisis. Many of them have wonderful funding from endowments and donations. If college costs are a concern, try to find a college with lots of money to give away, and that’s a good fit, so they want to give YOUR child money.
I still see private universities providing wonderful scholarships! In fact, private colleges are becoming a better and better value. Look at what The Washington Post says:
Compared with the past school year, tuition and fees rose 6.5 percent at public four-year colleges and 4.4 percent at private, nonprofit, four-year institutions, according to the report. Those were steeper rates of increase than in previous years, after adjusting for inflation. Over the past decade, annual increases have averaged 4.9 percent at public colleges and 2.6 percent at private colleges. The good news for students is that most do not pay full price.
Don’t panic. Don’t limit your choices by only applying to public schools because of the sticker price. Apply to schools that are a good fit for your child. You may be pleasantly surprised!
I have said it so many times, it almost seems like a cliche, “College
tuition is like buying a car – hardly anyone pays the sticker price.” I
felt strangely satisfied to see almost those exact words from the University
of Washington President in our Seattle Newspaper
Home School Legal Defense (HSLDA) does a wonderful job of explaining what it means to be a homeschool friendly college. In general, a homeschool friendly college is one that treats a homeschool applicant the same as a public school applicant.
Your child would be requested to take the exact same tests as any other student – more tests are not required of a homeschool applicant. Some colleges say they are homeschool friendly, when in reality they have “hoops” that we have to jump through.
Home School Legal Defense (HSLDA) does a wonderful job of explaining what it
means to be a homeschool friendly college. In general, a homeschool
friendly college is one that treats a homeschool applicant the same as a
public school applicant. Your child would be requested to take the exact
same tests as any other student – more tests are not required of a
homeschool applicant. Some colleges say they are homeschool friendly, when
in reality they have “hoops” that we have to jump through.
Read the article
What is a Homeschool Friendly College?
Today, more colleges than ever are homeschool friendly, and homeschool friendly colleges do not require an accredited transcript. Even the military academies understand that a homeschool transcript will not be accredited. Usually a college will understand a transcript that a parent makes for their child and will often accept such non-accredited transcripts. If they don’t, colleges will often offer an alternative to an accredited transcript, like a GED or other testing. After all, some public high schools are not accredited either.
Even a college that says it will only accept accredited transcripts may still show some flexibility. In that situation, the best strategy is having a high quality college prep education with a clear demonstration of specialization. In other words, if your student really has their heart set on that ONE college that says they won’t accept a homeschool transcript –
DON’T DESPAIR — you may still get in!
*First,* document your student’s college preparation with outside sources, using CLEP, AP, SAT Subject Tests or dual enrollment credits.
*Second*, encourage specialization in the student’s area of passion, whether it is academics, sports, volunteering, or other specific area. Document that specialization on their college application.
If they want your student, they can review their application on a case-by-case basis. That’s where homeschoolers REALLY shine!
I have a new homeschool high school Twitter site. Get all the homeschool posts of parents homeschooling high school by joining my Twibe.
In this article you can see how a normal homeschooled teen can apply to college and shine link diamonds!
“Home-schooled college applicants rely on essays, interviews”
“Ary is home-schooled, so when she fills out her applications, she won’t have all the traditional transcripts or teacher recommendations that most universities require. Instead, she will rely heavily on essays and interviews to show college admissions officers that she’s a bright, highly motivated student who has a passion for music, sailing and animals.College admissions offices are increasingly adapting their policies to accommodate the growing number of home-schooled students like Ary, who don’t have typical applications.” - Ventura County Star
Now is no time to panic! Keep educating your kids, and they will be able to SHINE when it’s their turn to apply!
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