Talk me off the ledge!

[coyabean]

I hate my UG school.

Now that i have that out of the way. Even though I've been asking every time I was advised for the last THREE semesters if I'm on track to graduate today I got from my advisor this: "huh, that's odd. you need XYZ."

Odd? Odd as in I am thinking of killing you odd?

Basically I'm a readmit and there are questions about whether I graduate under my original requirements or the new ones. The new ones mean I need three more core classes - 9 hours.

Now, I've done the math and it appears that the worse case scenario is finishing in the second session of summer school. I've spent close to a thousand dollars applying to grad schools with a Fall 2010 start.

Anyone ever graduated in summer? What happens with your grad school? WTH!!!!!! When do i start slicing and dicing and burning like Sherman?!!!

Edited October 28, 2009 by coyabean

[fuzzylogician]

I feel your pain, that is unfair!

I don't have personal experience with this but from reading people's posts last year who were in a similar predicament, I think the common wisdom was that you had to have your degree finished before you could start grad school. It should be fine even if it's only in the summer, even though it's reaaaaly last minute so there's no wiggle room in case something goes wrong. It might be a good idea to contact the schools you're applying to directly and ask, but really I think as long as you can prove that you have your degree before the graduate program begins, you should still be OK. But seriously. Ugh.

[cheesethunder]

hmm

iwas thinking of taking a summer semester

i heard it doesnt matter as long as your done your undergrad by sept.

[rising_star]

It's really not a big deal as long as you earn the degree before beginning your graduate coursework. Seriously. I switched my MA graduation from May to August (to accept a TA position) and no one even blinked. They just said to make sure I had transcripts showing the date the degree was awarded sent ASAP (and yes, I got to register for fall semester without them).

[modernity]

My UG institution did this to me as well. Well, not so much the institution as my adviser who was the most absent minded person I have ever met in my life. I almost wrote a letter to the dean, but then I thought better of it because I try to go by the "everyone has bad days/weeks" mantra. I wasn't a readmit but I was a transfer - and they had let me transfer all but I think one or two of my classes over. This one particular class, my adviser kept mulling over - it was an intro to my major course. I had taken it, I had shown proof that the coursework was in league with what they offered at the new institution, and I offered to have the head of that department at the old school send her a hand written letter stating so. She just kept saying, no lets see I think it will be all right. Then she went out of her office for awhile, and when she came back - she told me I needed to take the class again. Well, at that point I was registered for my final quarter, and all of my financial aid was used. It was either graduate or quit..so needless to say I put up a fight over it, and it ended in her just entering the info into the computer... took all of three seconds. I lost sleep for weeks over it! Then when it came time to send my petition for graduation in, she told me I had to do it - so I did, and I get a letter from the department telling me I can't send in my own petition my adviser has to... my adviser's response? Oh... I didn't know that. But it turned out all right in the end, so hopefully it will for you as well... You can't double up your credits for a couple of quarters to finish before summer? I had to do that as well.

[coyabean]

My UG institution did this to me as well. Well, not so much the institution as my adviser who was the most absent minded person I have ever met in my life. I almost wrote a letter to the dean, but then I thought better of it because I try to go by the "everyone has bad days/weeks" mantra. I wasn't a readmit but I was a transfer - and they had let me transfer all but I think one or two of my classes over. This one particular class, my adviser kept mulling over - it was an intro to my major course. I had taken it, I had shown proof that the coursework was in league with what they offered at the new institution, and I offered to have the head of that department at the old school send her a hand written letter stating so. She just kept saying, no lets see I think it will be all right. Then she went out of her office for awhile, and when she came back - she told me I needed to take the class again. Well, at that point I was registered for my final quarter, and all of my financial aid was used. It was either graduate or quit..so needless to say I put up a fight over it, and it ended in her just entering the info into the computer... took all of three seconds. I lost sleep for weeks over it! Then when it came time to send my petition for graduation in, she told me I had to do it - so I did, and I get a letter from the department telling me I can't send in my own petition my adviser has to... my adviser's response? Oh... I didn't know that. But it turned out all right in the end, so hopefully it will for you as well... You can't double up your credits for a couple of quarters to finish before summer? I had to do that as well.

Thank you for this. I'm planning an ambush of the graduation adviser in my department tomorrow. I gave him 24 hours to respond to my email and voicemail message and nothing. So, it's a full court press. I'm going to totally fight to go in under my original general ed requirements. The worse case scenario looks like I'd have to overload next semester AGAIN -- did it this semester -- and then six hours in both sessions of summer school. I'll just squeak by. *sigh* I'm so tired of this.

[modernity]

Thank you for this. I'm planning an ambush of the graduation adviser in my department tomorrow. I gave him 24 hours to respond to my email and voicemail message and nothing. So, it's a full court press. I'm going to totally fight to go in under my original general ed requirements. The worse case scenario looks like I'd have to overload next semester AGAIN -- did it this semester -- and then six hours in both sessions of summer school. I'll just squeak by. *sigh* I'm so tired of this.

I would definitely press him/her to let you go under your old gen. ed. requirements, otherwise it would be like asking you to pay twice for courses. They should really be more understanding, because if nothing else its asking you to pay more money during a time when the economy is not so hot, and a time when you're already paying to apply to grad school! It seems to me, that a lot of these things can be circumvented... just a matter of making your case.

[coyabean]

I would definitely press him/her to let you go under your old gen. ed. requirements, otherwise it would be like asking you to pay twice for courses. They should really be more understanding, because if nothing else its asking you to pay more money during a time when the economy is not so hot, and a time when you're already paying to apply to grad school! It seems to me, that a lot of these things can be circumvented... just a matter of making your case.

Thanks to everybody! This really helped.

I thought I'd give an update in case, one, anyone cares and, two, anyone is ever in a similar situation.

First, I got all my ducks in a row. I found all my advising sheets from the past year and a half, tracked down emails, made my case with my adviser (who was totally on my side) and the dean of the dept (who is kind of scared of me but that works, too) and then I made an appointment with the graduate auditor guru. Apparently there is a person in your department with the authority to sub classes, certify you for graduation with the registrar and all around make your life worth living. Find this person. At my school it's a regular prof who also has this duty. Maybe at your school it's a coordinator or something.

I emailed him with my concerns and my school id so he could have time to read my file before we met -- I didn't want to ambush him. And it appears that my adviser and dean also chatted with him.

By the time I got there today he was pretty amicable. I made sure he knew how much time and money I've put into grad school apps and I was very, very, very nice. I'm talking "thank you Dr. So and So" and "it would really be great if you could possibly do such and such". I think nice cannot be overstated.

20 minutes later he subbed some old classes for new ones and signed off on a graduation plan for next semester!!!!!! He even said "I'll make sure you get out in time." So worse case is maybe an online course this summer for the hours if I can't get all 18 in next semester but it all will work out...I mean, if I get into grad school.

Now back to that grind!

[captiv8ed]

OMG, that is such awesome news!! It is always great when you can reach the people behind the bureaucracy

[modernity]

Glad it all worked out for you!! I think its just a matter of being the squeaky wheel in cases like these!