A question about transcripts - Do you have to supply transcripts for ALL institutions you have attended?

[cheesecake]

Hey everyone - I am in Canada and I just had a question about undergraduate transcripts and applying for MSW program. I am currently finishing up a BSW. Here's some background information: 

 

I enrolled in an online course (not for social work) thinking that I could transfer it to meet an elective. I didn't get a letter of permission because it was pre-approved and so I simply registered with the online university.

 

I found it very difficult to keep up with the course (on-line is just my way of learning) and it is past the drop deadline, meaning that if I withdraw, I would receive a fail. I am not sure if it's worth continuing as the deadline to submit the course work and complete exams is nearing and I am wondering, if failing by withdrawing from this course will hurt any future grad school endeavours? Thank you in advance for your help!

 

cheesecake

[emmm]

You would need to submit a transcript, since you were, in fact, enrolled in the class. Even if you had withdrawn from the class and received a "W," you would have needed to send a transcript.

[michigan girl]

I agree with emmm. You will have to submit transcripts from all colleges in which you enrolled in for-credit courses. 

[Optismistic]

I wouldn't include it nor worry about it. It seems irrelevant.

[TakeruK]

It depends on how this course transfer is going to work. In some cases, you get permission from your own school first, so that you will either received a "Credit" or "Fail" for this external course. This usually happens in the case where it is an "exchange" course -- that is, you pay fees for that course to your home school, not the external school. However, I think it might be more common for people to take the external course separately, and then apply for permission to transfer it to your home school for credit towards your BSW. If this is the case, then I guess if you fail, then you would not complete this step, and basically, it will be like as if you never took the course (other than the fact that you had to pay!)

 

In Canada at least, graduate schools cannot find out that you took this other course at the online university unless you tell them. So if the course doesn't appear on your BSW transcript and you don't tell the grad school, they will never find out that you even took this course. However, this might be lying on your application, and that is something that is extremely not recommended. 

 

That said, you should read the application instructions for your schools very carefully. Some schools ask for transcripts only when courses taken were used in credit for a degree. Some schools want transcripts from every single school in which you have ever been enrolled. I would highly recommend understanding the instructions fully, including asking questions to the Graduate School if necessary to find out if you will be required to submit this transcript, since specific rules vary. I would ask these questions to the Graduate School, not your department though, since these people are not really the ones who will make the important decisions.

 

In your shoes though, I would probably still try to do the best I can. I wouldn't submit the transcript unless it was required. However, I don't think it's worth lying about. The potential penalty of getting caught lying on the application is far worse than getting a F in one random online course, at another university, not in your field, and not credited towards your degree. 

[cheesecake]

Thanks all! I've read all of your responses and I really appreciate it. I have since decided to do my best and complete the course- though I could not find any information about it, I was worried that it would count as academic fraud which I'd like to avoid altogether. Hope things will work out