I never saw my own transcript. I’d never seen anybody’s transcript. And now I had to write one. So, I figured I’d get to it…tomorrow.
Who knew 4 years would fly by so fast? Now I needed the transcript to enroll my son as a full time student at the college! Oh my, why hadn’t I listened to myself 4 years ago? I still didn’t know what a transcript looked like! Ultimately, I ended up using transcript software, typing in the classes and grades. The software formatted a beautiful transcript, complete with GPA. I proudly carried it in to the college, where my precious transcript was filed, never to see the light of day again.
The moral of this story is that we obsess over our transcripts, and usually we don’t need to. If your child’s transcript is part of an admissions application to the university he has wanted to attend since he saw his first football game at the age of 5; then you want your transcript to make a good impression. If your transcript is merely to show that your high schooler is doing high school level work, then format may not matter.
What does matter is that it states that it is the “official transcript”, has a list of the classes taken, and the grades. It also should have SAT/ACT scores listed as well as any volunteer work.
If you’ve never seen a transcript and have one to prepare, I suggest you search online for examples. There are even templates that you can download*.
Oh, and learn from my mistake. Start working on your child’s transcript when they’re doing 9th grade work, and update it frequently. Then when you need it you can just press “print”!
*Visit the “Free Downloads” page of the www.FPEA.com website for free high school credit tracking and high school transcript form.
by Linda Wooldridge, FPEA Relationship Ambassador. Linda has been homeschooling since 1998. She facilitates orientations for new homeschoolers in Pinellas County as well as coordinating high school activities for her support group.
Great advice! It makes it so much easier if you log everything every year, and work toward the final transcript. Then you don’t have to worry about leaving something out. No matter who puts the transcript together, you, the parent, are the one to gather all of the information. No one else can do that for you. Great article.
Do all colleges accept a transcript from you, the parent? My older son’s transcripts had to be sealed from the institution holding them. And if I took more college courses my transcripts would have to come from the college where I graduated directly to the college I am hoping to attend. Would colleges like Embry Riddle accept transcripts from parents?