Homeschool Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Homeschoolers have a great amount of flexibility available to them in their studies. Tell us, Inge, how do parents include things like community service and extracurricular activities on a transcript, and how important are they?

Inge Cannon:
Well, Michael, we are finding out today that if you leave out of your transcript any list of extracurricular activities, you will not get into most colleges around this country. And, in fact, you definitely will not get any scholarship help to attend higher education. You need to show that you are a well-rounded student with lots of activities that are outside the purview of your academic excellence. So it is very important that parents include these things.

However, you have to remember that the transcript is a two-page snapshot, front and back, on one piece of paper. And so your listing is going to be one-liners with just a little bit of time-designation in parentheses after. Parents get frustrated with that and say, “But my child has learned so many things! How do I show that?” Well, you make an addendum sheet; at the top of the title you put Extracurricular Activity Descriptions, and you just tell what those activities were all about.

Mike:
Thank you, Inge. This has been a very valuable week for homeschoolers. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.