What About High School Diplomas

high school diploma

Here is the simple answer – Your Own Diploma!   You can get a GED if you like, or you can use a cover school that offers diplomas, or – Create your own!  The important thing is not the diploma, it is the TRANSCRIPTS. Colleges are not so concerned with diplomas as they are with transcripts, SAT’s,and ACT’s.   Below is information you will find useful to create your own transcripts.

TRANSCRIPTS

What to include in a transcript. (You may use a form or type your own info. If using a form, fill in N/A in spaces you will not be using. Consider using your school letterhead if typing your own.

  • Student’s full legal name
  • identification info: Social Security Number (necessary for financial aid) Birthdate
  • Permanent Address & Phone
  • Any alternate names – adoption info, stepchildren, legal name changes.
  • Name of school (this gives identity to your school): If using a correspondence school or accredited program, you may want to use that name.
  • Academic History: List of subjects (Specify during which grade the course was taken, whether it was a semester or year-long course, grade or marks received, credits received. Letter grades are better than “pass!’ or “fail” type grades
  • Scores of any achievement tests (e.g., SAT and/or ACT), date test taken and the scores for each section and the cumulative score
  • Graduation date

You may want to add course descriptions to enable evaluator/admissions officer to understand your program. These can come from the course description in a catalog or the beginning of a textbook and describe content.)

Concerning unit studies: I know of three approaches. One is to give credit based on time spent on the coursework (120 hours on task or 45 minutes x 5 weekly classes for I year= one credit or Carnegie *unit. This works especially well with giving credit for nontraditional studies.

Other activities: Extra curricular activities, athletics, music, pottery, carpentry, etc. (Count EVERYTHING!) Non-academic subjects usually get 1/2 credit. You may add a related research project in order to give a full credit. (i.e. Your child teaches Sunday School regularly. Obtain a letter of recommendation from the superintendent and have the child write a research paper on an area of child development. 

  • In athletics, type out activities, length of time participated, records set, trophies or awards obtained, events participated in.
  • Letters of recommendation – coaches, employers, pastors, etc,
  • Community service projects
  • Volunteer work
  • Hobbies
  • Cottage Industries
  • Apprenticeships served
  • Awards (photocopy if you can), award – winning essays,
  • Outside classes or seminars attended
  • Report of achievement test scores, college entrance exam scores.
  • Grade Point Average, Class Rank, Class President – sometimes these mean extra “points” in a system that scores points for various things, then a computer spits out the top candidates. Explain how these were arrived at: “Jon is the oldest student in our school of five children. He serves as a leader to the other students and is Class President.”
  • List any previous schools attended, including dates, locations. Include transcripts from those schools if including any transferred credits from them.
  • School officials: Parents’ names and titles, signatures. Include any degree designations parents may have. Also list name of person to contact for further info, probably mom.

State a graduation date.

SEND ONLY COPIES OF THIS IF NECESSARY FOR OFFICIALS. RETAIN YOUR ORIGINAL!