Submitting ALL Transcripts

[irregularcoffee]

On any application, the school ask for all transcripts. The thing is I had a bit of an embarrassing streak in my life where I didn't exactly know what to do with my life after my undergrad and took some concurrent enrollment extension courses which I proceeded to blow up into smithereens.

Suppose if I were to forget mentioning my extension courses in my CV and transcript, would it matter? Would they know? I know that this isn't the best thing to do, but it happened while I'm completely abandoning my undergrad studies into something completely new, or rather in the process of finding out this new thing. Attempted suicide and ensuing hospitalization of a family member didn't help me focus on my studies either during those days... But I'd rather just completely bury those few months from my life and from my CV/transcript/grad-school-apps.

Please help me if you have any insight into how grad-school applications process (verification process I guess) works. Thanks

[johnnycomelately]

If you used any of the courses for credit at your BA granting institution, the name of the school will very likely appear on that school's transcript (I took courses at a variety of community colleges while in the military and moving around a lot, and because I used those credits at my undergrad school as transfer credits each of those schools appears on my BA transcript). Even if they do not in your case, I would caution you to be upfront and include all transcripts-you can show growth and improvement over time, and explain those extenuating circumstances in brief in your SOP-dishonesty has a way of catching up with one eventually, and the consequences could prove disastrous. Academic dishonesty, which is how omitting those attempts at coursework could be classified, could end up costing you your place in a program or worse depending on the school's policy and how much of an offense they consider such actions to be. 

Did you take the extension courses at your undergrad institution? Were any of the credits counted towards your degree? Did you take out loans for those courses? A yes to any of those, and the program you apply to could find out about them. 

On another level, and do not think I am passing judgement as your actions do not in any way impact upon my life, but do you think you would feel good about yourself knowing you made that type of a decision? 

Edited April 26, 2016 by johnnycomelately
Clarity

[irregularcoffee]

@johnnycomelately

johnnycomelately

Thanks for your reply. No, my extension courses happened after I graduated from my undergrad. Although the extension was done at the same institution, the undergrad and extension are separate entities at my institution. Separate billing, separate transcript, etc.

Hmm, that would fall under academic dishonesty? That's a pill I wouldn't be happy to swallow at all.

[johnnycomelately]

It 'could,' but might not. There really is no way of saying with any certainty whether or not the school would find out about those courses either.