Jump to content

Necessary to send transcript for taking some "extra" courses at a different university?


rolltheeurydice

Recommended Posts

I'm not sure if this will end up being necessary, but I'm just curious if it would be expected that I send a transcript (from a different school than my undergrad institution) for a few courses that I might end up taking as prerequisites for a professional program to PhD programs (I might apply to both). I don't expect to do poorly in those classes (it will probably bring my GPA up, if anything), but sending this transcript: a.) might signal that I'm "hedging my bets" with a different program (which I would be, but I don't think that's their business, especially not at the pre-interview stage), b.) would mean I need to pay for another transcript for every program I'm applying to, which would add up.

 

What do you think? This seems to be a very different case than not sending a transcript where you had a poor academic record; I don't think a few grades in unrelated courses mean anything once you already have your degree.

Edited by rolltheeurydice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the reasons would be the potential for the committee to (in my opinion, unfairly) judge you for being less committed, the cost, and another thing you would need to explain in interviews if you make it that far. My reasoning is: if I actually get in to one of the programs, I won't need the prereqs anyways, but since that's not guaranteed it's good to have a contingency plan (in other words, I don't think it has anything to do with commitment but it might be perceived otherwise). Maybe I'm overestimating how negatively they would look at taking prereqs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see that as being a problem. In my experience, the adcom was happier to see I had explored other career paths and KNEW I wanted to pursue this one now. It's good to have evidence that you are well rounded. They won't judge. No school wants a student who walks in and says "gosh, I've just wanted to be ____ since I was a kid!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's kind of what I'm saying though, I think it signals the opposite of that (since you are simultaneously preparing for two different things, so it shows you haven't yet picked one with certainty). To me that's just practicality; what you choose is partially a function of where you actually get accepted, and I don't think it's bad, but admissions committees often exclude people for very arbitrary reasons (I don't want my contingency plan to be a self-fulfilling prophecy). In my case, the two things are definitely related but still different paths.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had to upload six transcripts (thanks military) to show my completion of my BS degree. In an interview, one of my interviewers commented that the amount of universities I attended proved I had tenacity and fortitude and was committed to completing my degree(s--I have an AS, BS, and complete my MS this may) regardless of my circumstances or changes.

So it's pretty obvious to me that attending multiple universities for whatever reason shows diversity and you can always use those unrelated classes to show you have diverse interests and angle it to indicate the diversity helped you grow in your current field. For example, I acted throughout high school and college in school plays--I highlighted this seemingly unrelated activity as a training situation to learn how to speak comfortably in front of large groups of people and explained how my public speaking for seminars was vastly improved due to my stage acting.

There's tons of ways you can angle something to show you're a better person/student because of it.

Don't worry! Plus if you don't include them, it would be fraudulent.

And as a side note--UGA told me that they only needed my MS official transcripts after using my unofficial to make an admissions decision.

Edited by BiochemMom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use