As a homeschool parent, what’s your biggest fear about sending your student to college? You might list common concerns like:

  • Getting into a well-ranked school
  • Paying for tuition, books, and room and board
  • Preparing your student academically for the rigors of college
  • Helping your young adult stay safe on campus

While all of these are legitimate concerns, I’d add another top fear to the list—worries about how to create a professional high-school transcript that’ll “wow” admissions departments. The process can sound so intimidating and confusing that some homeschool families don’t create a transcript at all, or create an inconsistent and unprofessional one.

I know the feeling. As a rising home-educated senior back in 2002, I knew that I wanted to go to college—I just didn’t know the steps to get there. I wasn’t even sure where to begin. Thankfully, there are quite a few more resources these days to help out (including Transcript Maker). With these kinds of tools, creating a professional transcript is quick and easy.

That doesn’t mean creating a great high-school transcript doesn’t take some effort, but it’s well worth it. Here are four reasons why you should (and can!) create a professional high-school transcript right now:

1. A great high-school transcript makes a homeschool student attractive to colleges

Most colleges really, really like homeschool students. Outright discrimination is rare in the world of higher education today. But the reality is that some schools will still frown on homeschoolers unless they are impressed by an amazing transcript and track record of academic achievement. In the end, a high-school transcript done right could make the difference in getting into your family’s first choice for a school.

2. A great high-school transcript lays the foundation for success in college

In today’s ultra-competitive environment, young people need all the help they can get to stand out from the crowd and ensure success in their pursuit of higher education. A transcript is the basic foundation that academic success in college rests on, so admissions departments take these documents very seriously. Consider what a transcript is: the entire record of a student’s tenure in high school. The best indication of how a student will perform in the future is how he or she performed in the past. So a transcript matters—a lot!

3. A great high-school transcript lays the foundation for success in career

Think about it: A high-school transcript is very similar to a resume. The process of planning what to put on a transcript, optimizing it for professionalism, and submitting it to schools is excellent preparation for job applications one day. Moreover, employers may also factor in a student’s high-school track record (especially GPA and extracurricular activities) when evaluating for a job posting, so having a high-school transcript prepared is helpful.

4. A great high-school transcript helps you plan ahead and get organized

Planning to build a transcript helps you think strategically about your student’s high-school education. This stretches beyond academics—you can also think about extracurricular activities, prepare for standardized tests, and other achievement metrics. In addition, you’ll tend to stay better organized knowing that you need to have all your materials together to report on the transcript.

The Ultimate Homeschool Guide to Creating a High School Transcript

Conclusion

Creating a transcript is an exciting—and surprisingly easy—journey. Transcript Maker takes the intimidation out of the process and helps you create a transcript that will impress admissions offices and set your student on the right course for success. Give it a test run for two weeks absolutely free!