Transcript Questions

[amlobo]

Ok, these feel like really dumb questions... but here goes!

1. Name on transcript. A lot of schools specifically state that the name on your transcript must readily identify the name under which you are applying to the program. I've gotten married since undergrad, so my name on the transcript is different. I contacted my registrar about this (whether I can provide a "now known as" name), but have received no response. I know there are some other married people on here, so what did you do?

2. Non-degree institutions. I attended two summer programs at other universities and got credit transferred to my degree-granting institution. The letter grades aren't on my transcript, but the course names and credits are, in addition to the names of the universities from which they were transferred. Am I going to need to get transcripts from those other universities too, even though I was never enrolled as a degree-seeking student?

Any advice is appreciated!

[fuzzylogician]

1. Watch out, this could be a problem! You should be very careful following up with schools on this issue, since it's been a problem for some people on this board in previous application cycles. Any discrepancy in information on documents that need to be matched with your application could lead to trouble, and the more such documents come from different sources, the greater the chance that something will get lost. If there is a place to specify "other names", "maiden name" or similar information on the application, be sure to do that. Even so, having a different name on a document than the one you are using now could lead to documents being misplaced or not matched with your application in time. You should stay on top of this. Follow up with schools; if documents are lost, you should be sure to tell them to look under a different name. And, of course, if this can be avoided by somehow having the same name on all documents - that will make your life easier. One way to reduce confusion is to send all the documents in yourself in one packet, instead of having them sent by the registrar and other sources (most, but not all, schools allow this). That way, you can write your full name on each document and add a list of documents that were sent, and thus decrease the chances of things getting misplaced.

2. It depends. Some schools want transcripts from every institution you attended and others are not going to care about these courses. Contact the schools you're applying to directly, and ask.

[3point14]

2. Non-degree institutions. I attended two summer programs at other universities and got credit transferred to my degree-granting institution. The letter grades aren't on my transcript, but the course names and credits are, in addition to the names of the universities from which they were transferred. Am I going to need to get transcripts from those other universities too, even though I was never enrolled as a degree-seeking student?

I had this same issue. I didn't get transcripts from my summer school university (would have had to pay $10/transcript, while it was free from my normal school) and had no problems. However, I might have just gotten lucky. Like fuzzylogician said, the smarter route is definitely to just contact the school and ask.

[TakeruK]

1. I am married but I didn't change my name upon marriage (I'm also a male so that's the norm I guess). But I did run into problems with names not matching because having two middle names that are also "anglicized" from a foreign language can cause confusion. Some schools thought my middle name(s) were part of my first name when they read the transcript so sometimes the transcripts did not get properly attached to my application. I usually waited until a week after the transcript should have arrived and then emailed the graduate secretary to check. In one case, because of the name mismatch, the online program continued to say that they have not received my transcript when in fact they did! So, in addition to what you already did, also follow up afterwards!

2. I also had one of my courses officially taken as a Visiting Graduate Student at a different University in the same city for credit towards my MSc school's degree. So my MSc transcript just shows a "credit transferred" while the other school's transcript actually shows the grade. I had to order this extra transcript for every application I made (extra $15 for one course! plus they don't have an online transcript application -- only fax or snail mail ) However, I noticed that some of the schools I applied to said something like "transcripts are only required for schools attended for more than 1 semester" OR "transcripts only required for degree granting programs" -- but they both came with an exception for International students like me, so I had to submit them all anyways. So, check the instructions carefully and confirm with the school if it's not clear.

Sometimes schools will accept unofficial transcripts for applications (and only require an official one after you are accepted) so another piece of advice is to order an extra copy for yourself, scan it as a PDF and then upload it to all the schools that don't require an official transcript! This will ensure your document gets attached to your application. For me, 4 out of 8 schools did not need official transcripts on application.

Similarly, if you are worried about the different names, and the application allows for you to upload "additional documents", you can also consider attaching unofficial scanned transcripts to these applications even if they also require official transcripts. That way, if your official papers are trapped in red tape at the Graduate School, at least the department/admissions committee can start making some decisions based on your scanned files while they wait for the official stuff to come in. And having a scanned transcript might help them track down the official one too (since they will see your "also known as" name).

[amlobo]

Well, it sounds like I'll be contacting each school to verify what they require. I am just crossing my fingers that I don't have to get all of those transcripts because I don't think that I get any of them for free. And, applying to 10+ programs makes that add up quickly! Thanks for all of the tips and advice!

[polyberry]

Dear All, please enlighten me.

I have BSc degree from a university (good GPA). After graduation I went to medical school for one year but I failed and I decided not to resit my first year. Now, I am contemplating on applying for graduate school in a field related to my BSc degree.

My questions are:

1. Is it okay if I will not declare in my application that I studied in medical school for one year? (it was not credited anyway because I failed)

2. Is it okay if I will only submit my transcript from the University which I earned my BSc degree?

Thank you so much.

[TakeruK]

Dear All, please enlighten me.

I have BSc degree from a university (good GPA). After graduation I went to medical school for one year but I failed and I decided not to resit my first year. Now, I am contemplating on applying for graduate school in a field related to my BSc degree.

My questions are:

1. Is it okay if I will not declare in my application that I studied in medical school for one year? (it was not credited anyway because I failed)

2. Is it okay if I will only submit my transcript from the University which I earned my BSc degree?

Thank you so much.

It depends on the grad school application. However, almost all of the schools asked me to list ALL schools I've attended, even if I didn't earn a degree from them (e.g. I took some courses at a nearby University as a visiting student, with credit granted towards the degree at my home university). With this common phrasing, this means the answer to your questions are:

1. You will have to declare that you attended Medical School for one year but did not finish.

2. You will probably have to submit transcripts for ALL programs attended. For some schools, while they asked me to declare ALL programs attended, for American students, they only wanted transcripts from schools where I've earned a degree from. However, since I am an international student, I had to submit all of them anyways.

[Notker the Stammerer]

What about if you transferred credit from one university to another? The course information from my previous school is on my current school's transcript, so it seems silly to go through the trouble of trying to get a transcript from a university I haven't had any contact with for 10 years.

[sareth]

What about if you transferred credit from one university to another? The course information from my previous school is on my current school's transcript, so it seems silly to go through the trouble of trying to get a transcript from a university I haven't had any contact with for 10 years.

I'd still check with the programs to which you're applying. Some of them are real sticklers - one program told me they wouldn't consider my application until they received my transcript containing freshman English, which I'd taken YEARS before as a summer class at a completely random university - EVEN THOUGH transfer credit for that class appeared on my other transcripts. You may get lucky, but why not just shoot the program coordinator an email and ask?

Edited October 26, 2012 by sareth

[staceyjo]

What about if you transferred credit from one university to another? The course information from my previous school is on my current school's transcript, so it seems silly to go through the trouble of trying to get a transcript from a university I haven't had any contact with for 10 years.

I actually took classes at a community college while in High School, and every school I've applied to have asked for those transcripts. It has also been more than 10 years for me, and all of the classes are on my transcripts from my degree granting university. It's ridiculous, at least this year the CC FINALLY added online ordering.