I’ve been getting lots of questions about what colleges like to see on homeschool transcripts. I can’t share the info better than I did in this classic post:
How do you make your homeschooler’s high school transcript college attractive?
What Colleges Like to See on Homeschool Transcripts
I have graduated 4 of my 5 kids so far. Each of those went on to college (2 of those already have graduate degrees). I have talked to college advisors when we go on college tours and by phone and fax and conferences on behalf of my homeschool senior advisees.
Here is what I have found:
The 4 Tillmans who graduated and have gone to college- so far
1) Solid GPA. We have the luxury of teaching for mastery, so my high schooler can spend 1 hour or 3 hours per day mastering algebra equations or chemical formulas if need be. He can stick with it until he has solid mastery. Then his test scores and papers look good.
2) Strong SAT or ACT Scores. Not all colleges require these, but those that do look for competitive scores. My high schooler is working on SAT vocabulary and reading challenging books- even over summer break. Next year he’ll do a prep course. (My kids’ favorite SAT prep is SATs for Dummies – take a look at their cool cheat sheet.)
3) Academic Challenge. Many colleges want to know that my student is challenging himself academically. Are most of his courses at College Prep level? Is he taking some Advanced, Honors, or AP classes?
Wondering about levels for a high school transcript? Click here to learn more.
4) Extra-curriculars. We still have to avoid the stereotype that homeschoolers are well-educated misfits who never left the basement for 12 years. Rich extra-curriculars are absolutely necessary to show that my student is community minded and has good social skills.
Learn more about the difference between electives and extracurriculars by clicking here.
5) Competitions. College is a competitive place. Competitions show drive and diligence in my son’s character. He doesn’t have to win, just enter.
6) Service. Service hours show the college that my homeschooler is involved in his community and lives a balance lifestyle. Research shows that people who are active and service-minded have lower levels of depression than the general population. So, besides showing that my student is a good kid who cares, service hours show some health on his part.
7) Development of a Specific Skill. Some colleges really like to see that a child has given special time and attention to a specific skill or interest. This is important in the arts where portfolio reviews and tryouts will occur, but it may also give an edge in some science and history majors (according to the college).
Click here to learn more about adding fine arts to your homeschool transcript.
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What are some things you have done in your homeschool to enrich your student’s transcript?
To read more about what colleges say they want to see on high school transcripts, click here.
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What Colleges Like to See on Homeschool Transcripts
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Too bad AP is aligned with common core; “desired” or not, my kids won’t go near anything like that. We’ll trust God that He’ll bless us for not compromising.
Each family must follow the paths God leads them individually. Trusting Him is the key!
In Iowa we have the ability to dual enroll through the high school so that the kids can enroll in tuition-paid college courses. My son took several courses and completed some CLEP and AP testing. We were able to list 17 hours of college credit at a 3.88 GPA as part of his transcript which was very helpful to demonstrate his level of academic achievement.
That’s great! For some homeschoolers college courses, CLEP and AP are good choices for enriching the transcript and proving they can do academic work at college level. Your son did a terrific job with a 3.88!
My daughter is entering 7th grade. she loves to play sports and also coaches several youth and kindergarten age exercise and sports movement classes. we are planning to do challenging academic study through grade 11 so that her 12th grade year she can do an intensive internship and develop student and youth exercise and sport programs at the YMCA.
Jackie, That is SO perfect. You’re building on her strengths and interests and capturing it on the transcript! Thanks for sharing the ideas! (I love the YMCA idea!)
My eldest is just entering grade 9 this coming September so I am really beginning to think about this stuff. Thanks for the great points.
I am looking forward to these next few years and excited to learn more about how to prepare my kids!
Welcome, Wendy!
High school years are the best years, in my opinion!
If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the enewsletter, you should do that. We periodically send out a (free) compilation of our blog posts on high school how-tos through that.
Have lots of fun working with a great kid on a great transcript with a great plan from God.
One of our 3 did a summer scholars program at Washington & Lee University. This gave him exposure to living on campus, handing in assignments on time to a professor, confidence that he could do college level work and most important for the transcript – letters of reference from an honest to goodness college professor to go along with College applications. Those service hours often become grant money in the way of leadership awards. Thanks Vicki & Marilyn for making sure my kids did lot’s of service hours.
Letters of recommendation: good point, Kate. Developing relationships with folks who can write those is SO important.
Sam worked on his writing skills, specifically script-writing, preparing for his career in film. He attended a weekend script-writing conference in Washington, DC, and made valuable connections there for follow-up training in his craft via recommended books and internet coaching. When he took his first script-writing classes in college, he was WAY ahead of the bulk of the class. That led his professor to work with him outside of class to mentor him further.
That reminds me, Sabrina, of the Cinematography Club that our homeschool high schoolers did- and all the drama camps. Good, rich experiences for them and their transcripts.
All my kids do some sort of competitions. Eldest daughter did choral and photography. Son has done even more choral competitions and played soccer. Youngest daughters compete in ice hockey.
Carlie is interested in being an equipment manager for a professional sports team and Kendall may also be interested in a sports-related career. We are looking into building an internship or career exploration module for them around that.
What is cool is that you allow them to compete in their interest areas. Good experiences and transcript builders!