Question:I am 17 years old. Have been home schooled for the past few years. My mother of course kept records of all my work. Which was workbooks from stores. But we had to evacuate for a hurricane,and when we came back saw that our back door had bursted open and completely ruined everything in our 'storage' room,including all of my records. So now i am wanting to get a diploma and apply for college,But i have no record that i was ever homeschooled. Is there anything at all i can do,or am i basically screwed? ANY info or advice is appreciated! Thanks!
Answers:
You should be able to enroll in community college without any proof. You may need to take a placement test or two, but they're probably easy. Once you get come CC credits, transferring to a university would be easy. You need to take the SAT or ACT tests, too.
yeah. Go get a job. That would most likely be the most helpful
NO most schools will understand what happened just explain the situation
the first thing to do wpould be to aply to colledge and see if they undserstand or not, if not you can enroll in a GED class it is almost as good as a high school diploma and after you can then go to colledge
If you have a record of having lived where the hurricane, then I'm sure the college would be understanding and have other measures in place. Although, you shouldn't actually need a diploma; your SAT's should be enough. I know that's the case here and have heard it is similar elsewhere. If it's really a problem that you have no school records, you could always get your GED
I would suggest that you and your mother put a new portfolio of sorts together: write down everything you can remember having done, according to subject. ANYTHING you can remember. Plus, make sure to do some writing NOW to add to it as proof of your abilities, read some typical senior-level literature, and document it.
No one will ask to see those workbooks. What they will want is a summary of your work, ie a transcript that has topics covered and your grades in those topics. If you are currently doing work, you will know what you've done to get there. For example, doing calculus you know that you've done algebra, trigonometry and geometry to get there, and probably precalc as well.
You don't need a diploma, no college asks for a copy of them anyway. You will need to take the ACT or SAT, and you don't need proof of homeschooling for that, go to their website and look for local test sites.
Your best bet is going to be to contact the admissions offices of any Colleges/Universities that you want to attend. You may not need a high school diploma at all.
Explain that you are a homeschooled student who is interested in attending their school. Your records were lost during a hurricane and you need to find out what information they will need in order to consider your application to their school.
If you were going to be getting a diploma, chances are you were enrolled in some kind of cover school. Were any kind of reports/records sent to them?
Don't worry, it's not the end of the world.
Did you homeschool through any organization like the county or state? They would be able to provide proof. Explain the sit. to the local community college, which usually does want proof, and once you have credits there you can transfer whereever.
I'm sure any school will let you take a test to get your deploma. Or you can contact the state. =)
Unless you live in one of the few states that don't require that you provide those stupid quarterly reports (and stick their noses where they don't belong) then the school district you live in should have your information because you would have had to provide them with quarterly reports.
Other than that, explain the situation to the college. They should understand and work with you on it unless they're against homeschoolers. You seem like an intelligent person so I'm sure they would.
Many colleges will take your word and let you take the PLACEMENT EXAMS
You have to PASS THEM!
You can also take the SAT or ACT
If you did Algebra 1-2, Geometry 1-2, Trig you are safe
If you did Algebra 3-4 and Calc or pre-cal you are cooking with gas
If you can write in APA or Chicago style and do a good essay you will make the grade in English. I did and I was a sluff off fool!
I can't believe they put me in English 1!
Of course I was a published author at 16, but that was minimalist.
Your mom should remember what sort of things you have done and could write down what she does remember. You have proof obviously that you lived in a home in the hurricane disaster zone so that shouldn't be a problem. You also should be able to take an SAT and an entrance exam to a community college with no problem! Good luck to you and I am very sorry for your loss!
Most colleges don't ask to see any written work. They always make you take the placement tests anyway to see where you stand and what classes are best suited for you. Just have your Mom make up a transcript of sorts stating the courses you have taken and she can even make up a diploma for you too. You don't need any proof of that. Sorry this happened to you, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world.
Have her make another transcript, her memory of the courses completed, and average % (GPA) should suffice.
You will also have to take, or retake the SAT/ACT.
Then make a note in the comment section stating that all original paperwork was lost during a natural disaster.
Find out from the local school board when/ where to take SAT and /or ACT . Also you could look into taking the GED classes at the local Adult Basic Ed centers and get your GED.
For some community colleges, you shouldn't have to do either, they should have placement tests for you to take .
Find out exactly what the schools you are interested in need from you for application. You or your parent can call or email the registrar's office for each school to get specifics. Some schools may not understand, or my just be very rigid. Ivy League schools have tended to be some of the most interested in home schooled students. You could always start there. (Harvard, Yale, etc. ) I wouldn't think other schools would have higher standards than they do for application.
You could put together a resume type document that lists all the stuf you've done. Include any cirriculums that you used,projects you've done or worked on with a group, as well as any community service, sports, or other activites you have done. If they ask for more info on your education, that is when you can tell them that your records were wiped out by a hurricane.
I hope you get into the school you want.
The bottom line is that upon completion of each home-schooled subject, you are tested for credit...right?
So, get on with the testing!
You may not be able to get into a university right away without records, but you are not completely screwed. You still have the option of taking the GED exam. That will prove your knowledge. Also, consider going to a community college. They will generally accept you without documentation based on placement testing. After you have "proven yourself" at community college, then you can transfer to a university to finish your education.
As far as I know, all states in the U.S. require that records be kept on homeschoolers. While these may be limited - that is, only document attendance - they can help. Records of any proficiency tests taken and their results are stored by the issuing company.
In addition, if you score well on the SAT or ACT, you won't have a problem at any college.
It would also be helpful if you obtained a notarized statement that you have been homeschooling. Preferably, this statement would be from a school or local government official, but your pastor or even your parent could write it, too.
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