College applications · Guide

Course descriptions, with examples you can adapt.

Colleges ask homeschoolers for course descriptions more than almost any other document. One short paragraph per course. Here is the format and three real-shaped examples.

The format

Every course description answers five questions in 3-4 sentences:

What did the course cover? Topics, not vibes.
What materials were used? The text, curriculum, or program, named.
How was it graded? Tests, papers, labs - with rough weights if you have them.
Who taught it? Parent, co-op teacher, college professor, online provider.
How long and how much credit? Full year / semester, credit value.

Example: home-taught

Algebra I (1 credit)

Full-year course covering linear equations, systems, polynomials, factoring, quadratics, and radicals. Text: Teaching Textbooks Algebra I with automated gradebook; supplemental problem sets graded by parent. Final grade based on chapter tests (70%) and problem sets (30%).

Example: co-op

Biology with Lab (1 credit)

Survey of cellular biology, genetics, ecology, and human anatomy with weekly 2-hour lab. Met 30 weeks at Riverside Homeschool Co-op; instruction and grading by co-op teacher (lab reports 40%, exams 40%, participation 20%). Text: Miller & Levine Biology.

Example: dual enrollment

English Composition I (1 credit / 3 college credits)

College freshman composition taken at Tidewater Community College, fall semester. Expository and argumentative writing, research methods, MLA documentation. Grade reported on TCC transcript (B+); college transcript available on request.

The rules that keep you honest

Label outside courses. If a co-op or college gave the grade, say so. Admissions readers respect it; hiding it is what gets applications questioned.
Only describe what happened. A description written before the course is a plan, not a record. Write final descriptions at year end.
Keep it boring. Plain, specific, consistent. The flash belongs in the student's essay, not your records.

We write these for you. The Records Office turns your course list into a full set of descriptions every year - home, co-op, hybrid and dual enrollment consolidated. Founding families: $99/year.

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