When I was in college, I quickly learned how important it was to keep records. You can’t rely on your university to keep track of everything correctly. Maybe they will, but just in case they make a mistake, you need to be prepared.
One habit I formed early on in college was to get a copy of my transcript each semester. One semester, there were an extra 15 hours of credits on the transcript for classes I had not taken. After doing some checking, it became clear that they had accidentally given me credit for someone else’s work. I explained it to the university and they straightened out the records. However, I imagine it was much easier to get something taken off than it would be to get something added. By keeping a copy of my transcript, I had a very simple way to prove what classes I had taken if my credits ever accidentally were given to someone else.
About eight years later, I was taking classes through Harvard‘s extension school toward a second Master’s degree. One day I was looking over the requirements and discovered that all of the work I had done wasn’t going to count. There was a requirement that you take your first 3 courses in a particular order and I hadn’t done that. Obviously, I was very concerned because I had already earned about 20 hours toward the degree.
I went to my file and found a dated print out of the same page that listed a different set of requirement–requirements that I had followed. I went to the office and showed them my printout and asked if the requirements had changed. They said that the requirements had changed, and I would only have to meet the old requirements for my program.
I could have probably gotten it straightened out without having my print out, but it was much easier to deal with since I had kept good records.
Mark:
I’ll be heading off to college in the fall, so thanks a bunch for the tip!
It’s nice nowadays that you can access your unofficial transcripts can be downloaded through an online system. Both my undergrad and grad schools provided this and it was very convenient. But I could see how a copy of your transcripts would be nice. However it can get a little pricey. I believe my undergrad institution charged 20 dollars per transcript. I remember because I was not happy getting 10 copies when applying for grad school!
I had similar experiences when in college! I agree that it is really important and helpful to keep some documentation. Even more important is having a system to be able to FIND what you are looking for when you need to reference it!
To your success!
Stephanie