Help! I Need A High College Transcript. . .tomorrow!

Help! I Need a High College Transcript. By Janice Campbell Oh, no! My teenager just told me his college application deadline is tomorrow, and he has to hold a transcript! I have not even started. What can I do? I've received this email message, or some variation of it, barely a little times, and I can empathize together with the panic the writer is feeling. My first son did similar thing to me, and from that trial by fire, I learned multiple things. First was to hold better records for the other boys, and the 2nd was that it's likely to pull together a transcript overnight whether you absolutely must.

The key is in knowing 3 things: the purpose of a transcript, what absolutely should leave on it, and the easiest method to pull it all together. What Is the Purpose of a Transcript? The primary purpose of an above college transcript is to briefly summarize a student's knowledge and experience. This wants to be done in a method that allows a college admissions counselor to with no problems compare your student's credentials to other applicants' credentials. This means there exists sure formatting conventions you shall need to follow, as well as some standard details you should include. A secondary purpose for the transcript is to give like a marketing tool, just like a resum is a marketing tool for a job applicant.

Your goal is to make a transcript that shall spotlight your student and his achievements within the greatest likely way. Together with the transcript in hand, a counselor can look not only what your student has studied and how well he has done, but also whether there is a special academic or extracurricular interest that sets him apart from other applicants. An awareness of these 3 purposes shall begin you on the path to succesfully creating an effective transcript. What Should Be Included on a Transcript? There exists 3 primary sections within a transcript, and critical details goes into each section. First section regarding the transcript, usually placed at the top regarding the page, focuses onIdentity Information.

This is where the college admissions counselor shall look to discover out who your student is and where he went to school. This section shall contain 4 primary pieces of information. College Name and Address: You can name your homeschool anything you like, as long as the name does not belong to an old college school. For example, we used Stagg Creek High School, named subsequent to a nearby creek, but we should not legitimately use Patrick Henry High School, that is the name regarding the public college closest to us. You can not use the name of a curriculum provider as your college name e.

, Bob Jones Homeschool. Student Name and Address: Use the name and address that the student used when he or she was in high school. Many parents locate themselves possessing to make a transcript long subsequent to high college is over due to the fact that a student who did not originally need to attend college has changed his or her mind. The transcript records the student's details from his high college years, so even if the student has subsequently married, the transcript should reflect her maiden name only. The 2nd section is the Course Record section, which forms the body regarding the transcript.

It contains an overview regarding the student's course of study. Here is what usually goes in this section: Course Record: This is a list of all the classes your student has taken. Grades: You can use the traditional ABCDF grades, or whether you do not use grades, you can use Pass or Fail. It's very many faster to use P or F grades, but the disadvantage is that you can not make a grade spot average this way. Units Earned: A one-semester class usually earns.

six unit, while a two-semester class earns two unit. The third section regarding the transcript is the Simple Details section, and it contains details that shall help the college admissions counselor effectively interpret the transcript and compare your student to other applicants. Grading Scale: Confirm your state law to look if a grading scale is mandated. If not, you can establish a scale that corresponds with one used by others schools in your county. The grading scale is usually stated like a list in which A=X%-X% and so forth, or more rarely, A=Excellent, B=Above Average, and so on.

Key to Abbreviations: If your student earns credit through dual-credit courses at a regional college or by receiving a standardized test, you can use abbreviations next to relevant course names to indicate this. Define these abbreviations in this space e. , AP: Advanced Placement, and so forth. Unit Standard: Confirm your state law to look if a unit standard is mandated. If it isn't, you can use a simple standard for example two unit represents 120 hours of guided study.

Awards or Achievements: List things for example earning an Eagle Scout commendation or winning a robotics competition. You need only to with the name of each award or achievement and the year in which it was received. Certifying Signature: As the provider of your student's education, your signature shall certify that the details on the transcript is true and accurate to greatest of your ability. How to Make a Transcript Overnight Now that I've discussed the purpose regarding the transcript and what should leave on it, let us look at the simplest likely method you can make a transcript. I recommend that you begin with a simple vertical format, set up a table, and organize your student's classes by subject.

This shall hold you from possessing to do not forget exactly when he or she took a critical class and shall let the college admissions counselors to quickly scan the transcript and verify that all entrance requirements have been met. Remember: What counts is whether your student took the class, not when he or she took it. Reveal an unique document within the word-processing program on your computer. Insert a table with 7 columns and 50 rows. As you work, you can always sum or remove rows to make the table exactly fit your needs.

Select first 4 columns within the top row within the table and merge the cells. Kind within the name, address, and phone many your homeschool, plus the student's graduation date. Select the other 5 columns within the top row regarding the table and merge the cells. Kind within the student's name, date of birth, address, phone number, and cumulative grade spot average. Within the next row regarding the table, kind the following headers: Subject, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Units Earned, and Quality Points or Grade Points.

Within first column regarding the transcript, beginning directly below the Subject heading, list core high college requirements look sidebar, organized by subject. For example, first 4 lines of your transcript may have 4 English classes, the next 4 lines should list math classes, and so forth. Location a confirm mark within the column representing the year in which the student took the class. His first math class shall leave below Year 1, and so forth. When you own all the classes listed, leave to second-to-last row within the table.

Select first 4 columns within the row and merge the cells. Kind in your grading scale. Select the remaining column cells in this row and merge cells. Kind within the abbreviations key, unit standard, and the greatest important awards and achievements. Select the final row regarding the table and merge cells.

Kind Certified by in this cell. This is where you can sign the diploma when you print a final copy. Whether you sprint out of time at this point, you shall hold a very simple check-off transcript with no grades. Whether you own more time, you can improve it by adding grades and a GPA. Whether you did not record grades while teaching each class, you shall need to reconstruct them as honestly as you possibly can.

If there is enough time, use test scores and written work to determine the student's competence level, and use your grading scale to assign a grade. Whether you basically do not have time to do this, just use Pass or Fail or the check-off transcript. Use the free online GPA calculator at to calculate your semester averages and cumulative grade spot averages. If you would rather calculate the GPA by hand, assign each letter grade its numerical equivalent, e. , A=4, B=3, C=2, and so forth.

Sum together all the grade points and divide by the total many units earned. No reason how you figure the final grade spot average, you can be sure that most colleges shall refigure all the transcripts they receive to make sure that that each is calculated within similar way. Normally, if the student is receiving honors or college-level classes, the quality points assigned should be weighted, or have an extra 1/2 or whole grade spot added, such that A should equal 4. 5 quality points for an honors class or six quality points for an AP or college class. The online GPA calculator is drafted to with no problems calculate weighted grades, so you can be can do this within the time available.

Whether you own time left subsequent to you have added grades, you can need to do 3 more things. First, consequently your student has doubtless checked admission requirements prior to considering the college, double-check the requirements to verify that the classes on the student's transcript meet or exceed the college's minimum standards. You should be can locate these requirements, along together with the academic profile regarding the average student admitted, on the college's website. State graduation requirements are a starting point, but it's the college's expectations that your student should meet for admission. Second, leave return and make class namesmore descriptive.

Rather than listing just English III like a class name, decide a title that offers critical details about what the student studied. For example, whether you list English III: Survey of American Literature, this identifies the class as the student's third year of high college English and clearly states what he studied. Similarly, Calculus with Trigonometry is more descriptive than Math IV, and Western Civilization to 1608 is more critical than History. These more descriptive class names shall help the college counselor understand the content of each class, which can help him or her verify that your student has met admission requirements. Creating a transcript overnight is an actual challenge, but you can do itif necessary.

You can take steps to make record keeping and the creation of transcripts easier on you as well. It is helpful to hold simple records and to begin the transcript as soon as your student takes his first high college class. Doing it one semester at a time while everything is still new in your mind creates it many easier. Do not forget that while most record keeping and transcripts are important, the ultimate goal regarding the high college years is to help your teenager grow into a mature, well-grounded adult with a solid academic and spiritual foundation. Even if the transcript process is a challenge, your teen shall benefit from seeing you work through it.

Ultimately, I trust that you shall locate homeschooling through high college a time of encouragement and blessing for your entire family. Sidebars Core requirements for high college graduation usually include: English within literature 4. Math Algebra I and higher 4. History, Government, Geography also called Corporate Sciences 4. Lab Sciences Biology, Chemistry, Physics 34.

Arts Visual and or or Performing 1. Electives 13 These numbers reflect minimum requirements in many states. It's important to discover out what your student's prospective college requires, such that you can fulfill all its requirements prior to graduation. seven courses, two unit of each compulsory subject. View for pleasure as many as possible.

Learn Greek and Latin roots for vocabulary. Establish solid learn habits. Practice note-taking skills. Begin developing test-taking skills PSAT skill pamphlet should be useful. Ponder about personal aptitudes and view up on career options.

Similar to class balance as freshman year. Continue or develop extracurricular activities that fit interests. Schedule PSAT for the fall of junior year. Begin researching college, trade school, or apprenticeship options. Use test-prep books to obtain ready for the SAT or ACT.

Take CLEPs whenever ready. Eligible to begin receiving classes at a community college. This isn't true for all community colleges. Take the PSAT within the fall optional, but there exists benefits. Focus on time management and learn skills.

Narrow below college and career options. Spring: Take SAT or ACT and see colleges. Shall or June: Apply to 3 or more colleges. Scholarship look for or essays or application. Take SAT Subject Exams, AP, CLEP exams.

Retake SAT I or ACT if desired. Continue good learn habits and extracurricular activities. Originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Fall 2010. See them at all your homeschool curriculum wants see the Schoolhouse Store, where shipping is always free USA only!.