Application For Admission - Houghton College: Fill & Download for Free

It is ironic that most people now think of standardized testing as a whole and especially the SAT as something that was created to keep “undesirables” out. Exactly the opposite is true.At the beginning of the 20th Century Harvard instituted the use of The College Entrance Exam to widen the applicant pool. It is that test which dramatically increased the number of Jewish and public school students. In fact, it was so successful at doing this that Harvard ended up with “too many” Jewish students. Harvard then came up with the holistic admission process in order to cut out Jewish students (much as they are doing with Asians students today).There is a wonderful book about all this called The Chosen. It shows how Harvard had to figure out a way to lower the percentage of Jewish students who were getting in because of a standardized test score.Here is summary of the book from the New Yorker:"In 1905, Harvard College adopted the College Entrance Examination Board tests as the principal basis for admission, which meant that virtually any academically gifted high-school senior who could afford a private college had a straightforward shot at attending. By 1908, the freshman class was seven per cent Jewish, nine per cent Catholic, and forty-five per cent from public schools, an astonishing transformation for a school that historically had been the preserve of the New England boarding-school complex known in the admissions world as St. Grottlesex.As the sociologist Jerome Karabel writes in “The Chosen” (Houghton Mifflin; $28), his remarkable history of the admissions process at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, that meritocratic spirit soon led to a crisis. The enrollment of Jews began to rise http://dramatically.By 1922, they made up more than a fifth of Harvard’s freshman class. The administration and alumni were up in arms. Jews were thought to be sickly and grasping, grade-grubbing and insular. They displaced the sons of wealthy Wasp alumni, which did not bode well for fund-raising. A. Lawrence Lowell, Harvard’s president in the nineteen-twenties, stated flatly that too many Jews would destroy the school: “The summer hotel that is ruined by admitting Jews meets its fate . . . because they drive away the Gentiles, and then after the Gentiles have left, they leave also.”The difficult part, however, was coming up with a way of keeping Jews out, because as a group they were academically superior to everyone else. Lowell’s first idea—a quota limiting Jews to fifteen per cent of the student body—was roundly criticized. Lowell tried restricting the number of scholarships given to Jewish students, and made an effort to bring in students from public schools in the West, where there were fewer Jews. Neither strategy worked. Finally, Lowell—and his counterparts at Yale and Princeton—realized that if a definition of merit based on academic prowess was leading to the wrong kind of student, the solution was to change the definition of merit. Karabel argues that it was at this moment that the history and nature of the Ivy League took a significant turn.The admissions office at Harvard became much more interested in the details of an applicant’s personal life.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/10/getting-i

You don’t need a traditional transcript. Colleges accept them because schools run as factories and that’s the best schools can do. Homeschoolers have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. They can show what they’re capable of, what they’ve accomplished and what they’re passionate about.What colleges really care about is, Are you prepared with the knowledge you’ll need to use? Are you capable of the type of work done in their college? And, are you a good fit?If homeschooled students don’t create a traditional transcript, they can be seen by admissions more like adult applicants. An adult applicant may have a high school transcript that’s too old (more than five years) to be relevant. And yet they can get into college through what they’ve been doing.If you’re doing some form of school at home, your parents can write up a transcript similar to the one schools do.Include a narrative description of what you worked on in the standard subject areas. It’s not recommended that grades be added. There’s no accrediting agency overseeing parents, so grades given out by parents are basically meaningless. Some admissions offices may see grades that are essentially made up as a strike against an applicant.If you’re an eclectic or unschooler, in your transcript focus on the areas you’ve been exploring and want to further study in college — for instance, everything related to fashion, Japanese culture, or bioscience. Also include how you’ve been building knowledge in skills like math, writing, and anything outside your areas of interest, including community service.It can also be helpful to take some community college courses in your areas of interest. That will not only show your interest in what you want to study in college, but show a college you’re capable of college work. In most states, you can dual enroll in community college as a junior and senior. In some states it’s free, even for homeschoolers, since it’s considered part of a free public school education.Many community colleges will require placement tests to test knowledge of math, reading and writing. (Placement Assessments has a good description and links to practice tests.) The college will require completion of courses that bring a student up to college level in those areas. (The courses can be taken concurrently with other courses.) Note: these assessments are in place because schooled students are arriving at college without the necessary skills. A homeschooled student shouldn’t see not being up to college level as a negative. If a homeschooled student can get up to speed in a semester or two without having spent 12 years in formal study, that’s a bonus in saved time!Here’s an example of a grade 11 narrative transcript provided by Houghton College in New York. “Texts” doesn’t need to be textbooks. For unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers, they generally won’t be textbooks.http://www.houghton.edu/am-site/...Grade 11 (non-graded)English/American LiteratureTexts:* The Beginnings of American Literature (Property Books, 1991)* Anthology of American Literature (University Press, 1992)* The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne* The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald* Selected Short Series (University Press, 1988)* The Sound and the Fury, John Steinback* The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore CooperEnrichment Activities:Attended performances of Harvey, Carousel, and A Streetcar Named Desire; wrote classic book column for Central Michigan Home Schoolers quarterly newsletterMathematicsTexts:* Algebra 2 and Trigonometry (Academic Press, 1994)HistoryTexts:* Development of American Government, 1750-1950 (College Books, 1991)* Michigan State History (Michigan Collegium Press, 1982)Enrichment Activities:Two-week summer tour of Michigan historical sites, attended lectures “Footnote Characters in MI History” and “The Future of Michigan-Canadian Relations” at Mid Michigan CollegePhysical ScienceTexts:* Basic Physics (Science Academy Press, 1995)* God in the Physical World (Providence Books, 1992)Enrichment Activities:Completed 10 physics experiments under supervision of a physicist who attends our churchGermanTexts:* Intermediate German/German 3 (Modern Language Press, 1990)* German History and the Holocaust (Academy Press, 1996)* Modern Germany (Academy Press, 1994)Enrichment Activities:Visited Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C., established pen pal connection with teen in Bonn, GermanyBible/ReligionTexts:* Preparing Christians for the Next Century (Spirit Books, 1997)* Church History: 1900-1970 (Christian University Books, 1993)Enrichment Activities:Attended two day-long seminars on youth leadership, Christ Community ChurchMiscellaneous activities, awards & involvementsMusic and Art* Sang Handel’s Messiah with community chorus* Voice lessons with Mary Smith (Michigan Chorale)* Toured Detroit and Anne Arbor art museumsComputer Skills* Familiar with Internet use and various software, including Claris Works, Quicken, WordPerfect,Quattro Pro and PageMakerSports and Recreation* Played on homeschool basketball team in Central Michigan YMCA league, November-March,weekly* Rock climbing expeditions, Christian Climbers ClubSpeech* Recited “The Raven” and “Casey at the Bat” at Michigan homeschool conventionCommunity Service* Volunteer (awarded medal for 60 hours) at Parkside Nursing Home* Letter to the editor, published (3) The Daily Standard* Assistant coach, Central Michigan t-ballChurch* Member, First Community Church* Attend worship and youth services weekly* Counselor at church’s summer children’s camp* Participated in missions trip to Appalachia (work project)

You don’t get high school credits.You also don’t need a traditional transcript.I answered the question of transcripts at Joyce Fetteroll's answer to How can a homeschooler create a transcript for high school?Colleges accept high school transcripts because schools run as factories and that’s the best schools can do. Homeschoolers have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. They can show what they’re capable of, what they’ve accomplished and what they’re passionate about.What colleges really care about is, Are you prepared with the knowledge you’ll need to use? Are you capable of the type of work done in their college? And, are you a good fit?If homeschooled students don’t create a traditional transcript, they can be seen by admissions more like adult applicants. An adult applicant may have a high school transcript that’s too old (more than five years) to be relevant. And yet they can get into college through what they’ve been doing.If you’re doing some form of school at home, your parents can write up a transcript similar to the one schools do.Include a narrative description of what you worked on in the standard subject areas. It’s not recommended that grades be added. There’s no accrediting agency overseeing parents, so grades given out by parents are basically meaningless. Some admissions offices may see grades that are essentially made up as a strike against an applicant.If you’re an eclectic or unschooler, in your transcript focus on the areas you’ve been exploring and want to further study in college — for instance, everything related to fashion, Japanese culture, or bioscience. Also include how you’ve been building knowledge in skills like math, writing, and anything outside your areas of interest, including community service.It can also be helpful to take some community college courses in your areas of interest. That will not only show your interest in what you want to study in college, but show a college you’re capable of college work. In most states, you can dual enroll in community college as a junior and senior. In some states it’s free, even for homeschoolers, since it’s considered part of a free public school education.Many community colleges will require placement tests to test knowledge of math, reading and writing. (Placement Assessments has a good description and links to practice tests.) The college will require completion of courses that bring a student up to college level in those areas. (The courses can be taken concurrently with other courses.) Note: these assessments are in place because schooled students are arriving at college without the necessary skills. A homeschooled student shouldn’t see not being up to college level as a negative. If a homeschooled student can get up to speed in a semester or two without having spent 12 years in formal study, that’s a bonus in saved time!Here’s an example of a grade 11 narrative transcript provided by Houghton College in New York. “Texts” doesn’t need to be textbooks. For unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers, they generally won’t be textbooks.http://www.houghton.edu/am-site/...Grade 11 (non-graded)English/American LiteratureTexts:* The Beginnings of American Literature (Property Books, 1991)* Anthology of American Literature (University Press, 1992)* The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne* The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald* Selected Short Series (University Press, 1988)* The Sound and the Fury, John Steinback* The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore CooperEnrichment Activities:Attended performances of Harvey, Carousel, and A Streetcar Named Desire; wrote classic book column for Central Michigan Home Schoolers quarterly newsletterMathematicsTexts:* Algebra 2 and Trigonometry (Academic Press, 1994)HistoryTexts:* Development of American Government, 1750-1950 (College Books, 1991)* Michigan State History (Michigan Collegium Press, 1982)Enrichment Activities:Two-week summer tour of Michigan historical sites, attended lectures “Footnote Characters in MI History” and “The Future of Michigan-Canadian Relations” at Mid Michigan CollegePhysical ScienceTexts:* Basic Physics (Science Academy Press, 1995)* God in the Physical World (Providence Books, 1992)Enrichment Activities:Completed 10 physics experiments under supervision of a physicist who attends our churchGermanTexts:* Intermediate German/German 3 (Modern Language Press, 1990)* German History and the Holocaust (Academy Press, 1996)* Modern Germany (Academy Press, 1994)Enrichment Activities:Visited Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C., established pen pal connection with teen in Bonn, GermanyBible/ReligionTexts:* Preparing Christians for the Next Century (Spirit Books, 1997)* Church History: 1900-1970 (Christian University Books, 1993)Enrichment Activities:Attended two day-long seminars on youth leadership, Christ Community ChurchMiscellaneous activities, awards & involvementsMusic and Art* Sang Handel’s Messiah with community chorus* Voice lessons with Mary Smith (Michigan Chorale)* Toured Detroit and Anne Arbor art museumsComputer Skills* Familiar with Internet use and various software, including Claris Works, Quicken, WordPerfect,Quattro Pro and PageMakerSports and Recreation* Played on homeschool basketball team in Central Michigan YMCA league, November-March,weekly* Rock climbing expeditions, Christian Climbers ClubSpeech* Recited “The Raven” and “Casey at the Bat” at Michigan homeschool conventionCommunity Service* Volunteer (awarded medal for 60 hours) at Parkside Nursing Home* Letter to the editor, published (3) The Daily Standard* Assistant coach, Central Michigan t-ballChurch* Member, First Community Church* Attend worship and youth services weekly* Counselor at church’s summer children’s camp* Participated in missions trip to Appalachia (work project)