Worried about a potential transcript issue... Help?!

[TotallyOriginalUsername]

I am from a city which has multiple post-secondary schools. In high school, I took private music lessons with a music teacher, who had a studio at a local college (but was not part of their actual music school or faculty- this gets kind of confusing). When I started university, I continued to take music lessons with this instructor even though I was a student at the other school. At the beginning of the year, he asked me if I wanted credit for my lessons that would transfer directly to my university degree from the college. It was never my intention to study music at the post-secondary level, but I figured I didn't have anything to lose and said sure. I didn't do any research into this, because I trusted him and didn't think of how this could potentially be an issue (as an aside: I was 17 at the time and probably too young to have started university, I didn't make the best decisions back then). I was given a student ID number for this other college (which I have long since lost), but was told it didn't matter because I wasn't actually their student, I was a student of the teacher's. It was simply a formality. 

 

Over the course of a year, I took the equivalent of two courses from him (one a semester), and received two grades. When I emailed him to ask when they would be transferred, I was told that I would need to contact both the college's registrar and my university's registrar, and that the program that allowed me to take those courses for credit had ended. However, I read something soon after that my university does not allow you to take courses from other institutions without their prior permission. I panicked pretty hard thinking that I might be in serious trouble if I told them about it and decided not to have the courses transferred. After a while, I kind of just forgot about it and went on through the rest of my degree without any issue. I still don't know if this actually would have been an issue for them or not, but I never told my university about those lessons, nor have I had any contact from the college or my teacher.      

 

So, anyways, now it's years later and I am applying for grad schools. All of the schools I am applying to require me to send all transcripts of every institution I've ever attended, but only require me to state my degree-granting institution on the application itself. I'm pretty certain that I must have a transcript from this college, since I was given two grades and offered credit. But then again, maybe I don't, since this instructor wasn't actually part of the college. If I do, I have no idea how I would even request those transcripts. I'm worried about what the consequences of sending/ not sending would be. On one hand, not sending a transcript is obviously pretty bad, but on the other I'm worried about how this would appear to schools if I sent it. Would they be worried about the fact I have classes that weren't a part of my degree, and that I potentially wasn't allowed to even take? How would I explain this if they ask? One of the programs I'm applying to is at my undergrad school, so that's a concern as well. The music lessons/courses aren't in any way related to my undergrad degree or graduate program, and as I recall he gave me an A- both times, so it's not like I'm trying to hiding poor grades or an important class. 

 

What do you guys think? Should I send or not send these transcripts? (if they even exist). Will I have a problem either way, or am I way overthinking this? I feel like I've really messed up by not getting this entirely sorted out five years ago. I'd really appreciate any and all advice you can give.      

[fuzzylogician]

You didn't attend this school. The requirement is to submit transcripts from every school you attended, and this is not one of them. These are private lessons you got at age 17 from a private teacher, nothing more. I think you are overthinking this. 

[TotallyOriginalUsername]

Thanks! Can I ask how you would define attending a school? I ask because the schools I'm applying to don't really say, other than one saying that it includes study abroad and letter of permissions classes. 

 

I'm relieved that you think I am overthinking this. I'm not going to lie, I've been pretty freaked out about this for the last couple of days since it occurred to me. I really, really, really don't want to screw up my applications.  

[fuzzylogician]

Attended: applied there, enrolled, paid tuition and fees, was considered a student by the institution (as in, had a student ID, an advisor, account on the web system, access to student services, etc.). Just because you took a couple of classes with someone affiliated with a certain institution doesn't mean you attended it.

 

(unofficial definition, obviously not precise)

[Between Fields]

The only way it would be an issue is if you had transferred the credit as part of your undergraduate degree, then some institutions might want those transcripts. I had to send copies of my dual credit transcripts for several of my PhD applications. Otherwise, they'd have no way to no, and if pressed you would just explain that it's dual credit you took in high school that you didn't end up transferring, because that's what it was.

[VulpesZerda]

Attended: applied there, enrolled, paid tuition and fees, was considered a student by the institution (as in, had a student ID, an advisor, account on the web system, access to student services, etc.). Just because you took a couple of classes with someone affiliated with a certain institution doesn't mean you attended it.

 

I took one course at a community college one summer between freshman and sophomore year. I didn't have an advisor or student services, but completed the course for a transfer credit. I wish I didn't have to get those transcripts, because it's a royal pain. But I do. Do you think I should actually list this CC in my applications under "Schools attended" or will transcripts be enough?

Edited October 30, 2014 by VulpesZerda

[fuzzylogician]

I took one course at a community college one summer between freshman and sophomore year. I didn't have an advisor or student services, but completed the course for a transfer credit. I wish I didn't have to get those transcripts, because it's a royal pain. But I do. Do you think I should actually list this CC in my applications under "Schools attended" or will transcripts be enough?

 

You should ask the schools. Most won't care either way (and won't want to see transcripts) but I'm sure there are some that insist on every transcript from everywhere you've ever set foot. Same for the "schools attended" part. My guess is you should list every school you're getting a transcript for as a school attended, but this is based on nothing more than common sense and the school could have other ideas in mind.

 

But I still think it's different when you enroll at a class in a college as opposed to take private lessons with someone who happens to be affiliated with a college. It would have been different if the OP had transferred the credit, but as it stands it's just private lessons that are not related to the college and not officially through it, as far as I can tell from the details the OP gave. 

[TotallyOriginalUsername]

Thanks everyone!

 

So basically what I'm getting is if I didn't take it for credit as part of my degree, then it doesn't count. Which would put me in the clear!

 

I am a little fuzzy though as to what exactly my status was to this school. I did have an ID number, limited access to their online system (which I never once used), and there was a title for the "course" (music 150 or something like that). But I didn't apply to the college, didn't pay tuition to them (I wrote a cheque to the instructor in his name), and doubt I had any student services (I never tried to use any). I got my grades via a phone call from the teacher, not through any official channel.  So I don't know whether I was actually considered a student by them or not, but it sounds like this isn't going to be an issue for me regardless.  

[Meglet]

A lot of the transcript requirements I look at say something along the lines of 'every institution you attended full-time for a year or more, or where you earned 12 or more credits'.  Especially since the classes aren't related to your application, they're not going to know or care.

[Crucial BBQ]

I took one course at a community college one summer between freshman and sophomore year. I didn't have an advisor or student services, but completed the course for a transfer credit. I wish I didn't have to get those transcripts, because it's a royal pain. But I do. Do you think I should actually list this CC in my applications under "Schools attended" or will transcripts be enough?

I brought this up with the schools I am applying to as I have some community college credit for courses that have nothing to do with my degree or graduate school in general.  The responses I got, in no particular order of reverence, are:

 

1.  YES!!! Even if you took one course in pottery at a community college 50 years ago we want that transcript! 

2.  If the school is not listed as "having attended" on your application, the adcoms will not know to ask for it. 

3.  Only the transcripts from where you earned your degrees is what we want. 

4.  I don't know.   I'll have to run this by such-and-such.  *Crickets*

5.  Really, no, you do not have to.  But we would like to see them because it shows your interests and commitment to an education, even if those courses are in no way associated with your degree or future educational/career goals, and that could be a huge plus to the adcoms.  Of course if you list those schools as having been attended you will have to send them in anyways. 

 

I wish I knew this last year.  Could have saved a good amount of cash.  

 

Thanks everyone!

 

So basically what I'm getting is if I didn't take it for credit as part of my degree, then it doesn't count. Which would put me in the clear!

 

I am a little fuzzy though as to what exactly my status was to this school. I did have an ID number, limited access to their online system (which I never once used), and there was a title for the "course" (music 150 or something like that). But I didn't apply to the college, didn't pay tuition to them (I wrote a cheque to the instructor in his name), and doubt I had any student services (I never tried to use any). I got my grades via a phone call from the teacher, not through any official channel.  So I don't know whether I was actually considered a student by them or not, but it sounds like this isn't going to be an issue for me regardless.  

I wouldn't worry about it, and I would not mention it.  

[VulpesZerda]

I brought this up with the schools I am applying to as I have some community college credit for courses that have nothing to do with my degree or graduate school in general.  The responses I got, in no particular order of reverence, are...

 

Hm... Thank you for letting me know your experience, very helpful! But. My actual degree-granting university puts this course on my transcript, without the grade. (It was a stupid elective I needed and didn't want to take at my own school.) So it's not like they wouldn't know about it. Meh, I suppose I can just ask and see what my schools say. But I am hoping to get away with unofficial transcripts...

PS: Sorry for semi-hijacking the thread!

Edited November 1, 2014 by VulpesZerda

[Crucial BBQ]

Hm... Thank you for letting me know your experience, very helpful! But. My actual degree-granting university puts this course on my transcript, without the grade. (It was a stupid elective I needed and didn't want to take at my own school.) So it's not like they wouldn't know about it. Meh, I suppose I can just ask and see what my schools say. But I am hoping to get away with unofficial transcripts...

PS: Sorry for semi-hijacking the thread!

Yeah, my transcript has courses listed without grades...and so does the transcript before it...and the one before that...

 

I just reported the responses I got.  

 

I assumed the adcoms would see those courses on the transcript and then wonder where the original transcripts were.  Then again courses that transfer in would more-than-likely have a grade of at least a C, so perhaps it does not matter?  I also sometimes wonder if adcoms actually get the transcript or if someone in the "office" just gives them a transcribed list?  I mean, I have often heard that "grad schools" recalculate GPAs in many ways, only look at certain grades, and so on.  I really cannot imagine professors sitting around doing all of that, they are busy enough as it is.