How many transcripts did you need?

[waddle]

Hi all,

I'm finishing up my undergraduate degree, and I'm wondering how many transcripts I should request to have sent to me before heading off to grad school. It's cheaper if I buy in bulk, and it'll also be easier logistically if I need undergrad transcripts in the middle of grad school (e.g., for fellowship applications) if they were in my possession (rather than having to order them each time).

So, how many sets of undergraduate transcripts did you/would you need in graduate school (or beyond? )?

Thanks,

waddle

[robot_hamster]

What do you mean by in your possession? Some places won't allow you to handle your own transcripts. They need to be sent from your school directly to them. One time, I had requested transcripts and they were accidentally sent to my house instead of where they were supposed to go. Anyway, I tried to deliver the transcripts to where they were being requested and they refused them. I guess it has something to do with legitimacy. Like they don't want there to be any chance that you could have fraudulently changed your transcripts or something.

[michpc]

Really hard to say. The only advice I have if you must order them now, rather than when you actually decide how many schools you're applying to, is to get them all sealed in individual envelopes. Most of my schools asked for that. and I'd like to take this time to thanks Syracuse University for having their transcripts be FREE!

[wtncffts]

Since you're just finishing your degree, I'd just caution you to make sure that when you order the transcripts, they actually show completion and conferral of the degree. I know, obvious, but important. I just finished my MA, and the school sent an e-mail which informed me directly that my transcript now would show that the degree had been earned. Double-check.

[waddle]

Really hard to say. The only advice I have if you must order them now, rather than when you actually decide how many schools you're applying to, is to get them all sealed in individual envelopes. Most of my schools asked for that. and I'd like to take this time to thanks Syracuse University for having their transcripts be FREE!

I guess I wasn't clear enough; I've already been accepted to a Ph.D. program, so I won't need transcripts for applications for grad school. My question pertains to needing undergraduate transcripts during graduate school (for fellowships, the job search, etc.); I figured I might as well order them now instead of having to fly back to my undergraduate institution once I'm in grad school to order transcripts every time they're needed.

They'd be in sealed envelopes anyways (they're official, after all). I haven't seen anything about transcripts needing to be sent directly from my undergraduate institution, but maybe that's because academic misrepresentation is basically nonexistent in my field.

Nonetheless, thanks everyone for your replies!

Edited March 18, 2011 by waddle

[rising_star]

I've probably used about 30 undergrad transcripts while in my MA and PhD programs. I've used them for PhD applications, fellowship applications, and random other things. That said, I still have some that I haven't used, but that's because I couldn't find them once when I moved and had to order more. (I have a bunch because my undergrad charged a one-time fee during freshman year to cover all transcript requests for life. They also don't charge for mailing them, which is really nice.) I don't recommend losing the folder of them if you decide to go this route, btw. I've used way fewer transcripts from my MA program, but that's probably because I've been applying for more and more things that just let you scan and upload your transcripts. Whether or not I would order in bulk really depends on how the school deals with them. And, as someone else said, often you have to have things sent directly from the university to whomever wants the transcript, so having a folder of them at your house wouldn't really help.

[michpc]

I would double check to see that you can't order them via mail or web. I live 300 miles from my undergrad alma mater and for the grad classes I took in my current city, I still never set foot on campus to get copies, in fact it was cheaper to order them over the web than walk-in at the registrar.

[waddle]

I would double check to see that you can't order them via mail or web. I live 300 miles from my undergrad alma mater and for the grad classes I took in my current city, I still never set foot on campus to get copies, in fact it was cheaper to order them over the web than walk-in at the registrar.

My university lives in the 1980s, so we don't do the web thing--everything must be on paper and in ink. The administration's so bad that if I tried ordering transcripts via mail or fax, I'd maybe get them delivered in a few years.

[neuropsychosocial]

My university lives in the 1980s, so we don't do the web thing--everything must be on paper and in ink.

You can't mail in a register form with a check? My university requires a paper signature, but I've had no trouble printing a form off their website, filling it in, and sending it with a check. Well, I've had no trouble with my university's part of that: I've occasionally had trouble remembering to SIGN the form.