A Simple Sample Transcript

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Dear friends,

We live in North Carolina, about 40 minutes SE of Charlotte. My three eldest have all chosen to do their undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) because Charlotte is a beautiful city they know well, there is a solid ROTC program there, and it’s close to home.

Today, my son David, received his official admission notice. He was told by the admissions office that his “transcript looked great”, so I thought it might be helpful to share that transcript so homeschool parents can see how simple an approved transcript can be:

Note the following:

  1. David is our third child and the third to go to college after homeschooling.
  2. This transcript was produced in Google Docs. There is nothing fancy about it.
  3. This is not a “Classical Liberal Arts Academy” transcript, but a transcript presented in the name of our family homeschool.
  4. There is no homeschool “accreditation” required for college admission.
  5. There is no information about books studied, teaching methods employed, etc. It simply lists course names and grades.
  6. You can see that course names are general and simple.
  7. You can see that the courses listed are customized for David’s individual activities.
  8. The university asked no questions about any of his high school studies. This transcript was sufficient.
  9. Due to COVID, David was not required to take the SAT.

Despite this simplicity, David will be joining our two older children, Jonathan and Elizabeth, at UNC Charlotte. The elder two are already enrolled in the school’s ROTC program with their tuition fully paid. David will likely follow them in that path, as he, like them, is a member of the US Army Reserves. Both Jonathan and Elizabeth are Dean’s List and Honor Society students in college after being homeschooled.

Now, it’s worth adding to this that David, like our older children, chose to enter the Army Reserves after finishing this transcript and then spent a year at a community college near our home. Each of our kids have done this to transition responsibly into college studies while getting their military obligations, finances and transportation established as young adults. David is heading into UNC Charlotte with 20+ credits, as a sophomore.

David (above) is a Combat Engineer in the US Army Reserves, studying in college after homeschooling.

My wife and I have paid $0 for our children’s college studies after homeschooling them, and they have successfully pursued their desired paths into different military careers after homeschooling. Our children are completely different than Dania and me. While we pursued academic careers, our children are almost all interested in military careers: I believe we will end up with 8 of our 10 children in the military! We have taught them exclusively through the Classical Liberal Arts Academy to satisfy our own personal convictions and fulfill our duties as Catholic parents, and they have not only been admitted to their desired college, but have succeeded there. We have never had any trouble as a homeschooling family when it was time for our kids to move on.

“When they become adults, children have the right and duty to choose their profession and state of life. They should assume their new responsibilities within a trusting relationship with their parents, willingly asking and receiving their advice and counsel. Parents should be careful not to exert pressure on their children either in the choice of a profession or in that of a spouse.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2230

If anyone tells you homeschooling, college admission and career prep is more complicated than this, they are wrong. This is very simple and most people who make it out to be much more complicated are causing their own troubles.

God bless,
William C. Michael
Classical Liberal Arts Academy

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