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[Save a Buck]

Another thread mentioned the use of official trancripts and I think this needs to be reviewed by applicants and committees alike.

That being said, this is more geared at committees than applicants.

A trancript from my Ph.D. institution costs $15.  My MA, the same and my undergrad institution charges 10.  If I sent "official trancripts", even for just my graduate work, that would cost me $30.00 per school, plus postage, paper and so on.  I am in the humanities but not in a "huge" field.  Still, I sent about 50 applications this past academic year.  My friends in more broadly defined fields regularly send 100-200 applications as part of a "shotgun approach."  At this rate a search could easily cost some people several hundreds just for transcripts.

Instead, of sending myself to the poorhouse I made copies of the trancripts in my file then had them placed in a credential file and sent along with my letters of reference.

I did not have a single school turn me down for lack of an "official transcript."  Instead, I got the customary "your file is complete" letter.  If I was rejected for this point alone, I think we've taken passive-aggresive to a whole new level.

I realize that transcripts play a part of the verification process and should be presented upon hiring or upon making  the cut to the "on campus " interview pool.  Still, I am extremely irritated to see notices -especially in the Chronicle- flippantly demanding "send three letters of recommendation, the naming rights for your firstborn child and (emphasis often added) OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS.--Woe betide ye who dare send photocopies as this will anger the great gods of academia.  --Give me a break.

One such school that did this then cancelled their search.  I got a bland letter informing me that the search was cancelled and apologizing "for the expenses that the applicants have incurred."  Come on!  How many thousands of dollars went into the coffers of registrars accross the country because of this blunder?

Search committee members:  Can we not devise a system where the ads state (or the accepted practice becomes) "copies ok for the first round/conference interview/phone interview, but official -followed by appropriate genuflection and reverence- transcripts required of campus visit people?

This thread is filled with the unkindnesses suffered by applicants at the hands of indifferent, uncivil, interviewers, [not that I'm saying all search committee members are this way- all praise the search committee members:) ]  Can we avoid adding expense to insult here?

[chica]

Right on, homie!

[schizo]

Amen.

[Not cheap, thrifty]

Usually I've only had "official" transcript requests from Community Colleges. They seem MUCH more anal retentive about stuff than colleges or universities. AND then there's the seven or eight page application form, some of which want SALARY histories.
Ridiculous!

[grrr]

I do what Save a Buck does.  I never had any problems until last week, when I received a checklist telling me my application was incomplete because it still lacked "official transcripts."  I can only wonder if other places where I've sent the copy eliminated me for that reason.

This is a forty-second-tier place, and the contact is a DMA who signs everything "Dr. Joe Schmoe, D.M.A."--to allude to another thread.  From my observation, the more well-regarded places tend to ask for only the letter and cv first, and if they're interested request more stuff (recommendations, publications, syllabi).  Makes the places that ask for transcripts look goofy by comparison.

[moose]

In my case, I was invited for the campus interview and in the same breath asked for an official transcript. To make a long story short, I forgot to do that. Just as I started to apologize profusely, they said "never mind, the only transcript we REALLY need is the one where it says that you finished your degree". Well, I'm ABD, so they are still waiting for that :-)
(BTW, that didn't stop them from extending me an offer)

As an aside, can anybody tell me WHY a Top-5 educational institution in computer technology takes 3 days to print out an unofficial transcript, and over two weeks for an official one? And why can't they email it to me as an encrypted PDF file and make me hike across campus to pick up a printout?

[dubliners099]

The few times I had to apply to a position that listed "official transcripts only," I contacted HR and asked if they would accept unofficials. Only one out of ten said, "No." I carefully weighed whether they were worth $15 and then went ahead and sent them officials. Of course I did NOT receive an offer to interview--so it was a calculated effort.

One thing I did that saved me some headache is order ten official copies of transcripts to my home address. All they did was shove ten individual #10 sealed envelopes (with all the signatures on the flaps and so on) and send them in an oversized envelope. I then kept them on hand and sent them directly (or hand carried them to interviews) so that I wouldn't be "minding the clock" waiting for them to send them on.

I don't know if this makes people nervous that I might mess with them and give myself an extra degree or whatnot, but no one has EVER complained. They're still sealed. In any case, at one college where I passed over my transcripts, the Dean of Academic Affairs OPENED them right there (with myself and the Chair of the department sitting there) and evaluated them! Now that was weird. And at another college when I was interviewing and realized I didn't want the job, I was really tempted to ask for them back before the seal was broken. I didn't. Sigh.

[%sig%]

[UC Transcripts]

I've had many requests for transcripts which I've filled by going on line and printing out an academic history which the University of California makes available to current and former students. It even displays the date of degree awarded.

If a school requests an official transcript I then send one through the proper channels. None of the schools that have requested an official transcipt have come through with an offer for even a phone interview. Pretty petty if you ask me.

[Another ABD]

I'm curious about something.  I have never seen (or if I have, it's so rare that I don't remember) an ad saying that official transcripts were required with an application.  Relatively few (maybe 15% - 20%) of the ads even ask for transcripts.  Those that do go on to say that unofficial transcripts or copies of an official transcript (which is, essentially the same thing) are fine for the application but that, if hired, one would then need to produce official transcripts.

It is clear, though, that the experience of being required to submit official transcripts with nearly every application is a common one.  So I'm wondering if  that is specific to certain disciplines?  I'm in computer science.  Or, more generally, science/technical/engineering.  I'd be interested in hearing what fields those of you who are regularly asked for transcripts are in. Also, if there are those who, like me, are being asked for transcripts, what field(s) are you in?

[Gloriously no longer ABD]

It really does generally follow the CC=transcripts, 4-year/Grad=no transcripts (at first, anyway).  If you never apply to CCs, you may never see that request in the initial job post.

My solution has always been to send photocopies of the official transcripts that I had sent to myself as I completed my degrees.  If you play with the density of the printing, you can sometimes even avoid the messy "void as official transcript" that registrar's offices encode to show up when the transcript is photocopied.

Then, I write on my cover letter "enclosed are my CV and photocopies of my official transcripts."  I only had to send sealed, original, official transcripts to the college that hired me.  I have yet to have any problems.  Although, technically I am sending them my "official transcripts."  I'm just not sending the original, sealed official transcripts.  

This raises the question; "Am I being eliminated without my knowledge by annoyed department chairs or human resources contacts?"  Well, I do not mean to toot my own horn, but on my first year on the job market, I had more success than most, especially being a Ph.D. in the humanities.  I sent out sixty-three applications and received five interviews and two job offers.  I might have received more if I had agreed to all the interviews, but two of them were extended after I had already accepted a position.  Thus, I do not believe that one needs to spend hundreds of dollars on transcipts just to get a position.

Yours,
Anonymous

P.S. Is there any more wonderful feeling than being able to say, to a department chair or human resources contact, a variation on the same tired rhetoric we read in rejection form-letters?  That is: "I regret to inform you that another institution has extended me an offer and I have accepted it.  However, I wish you the very best in finding the right faculty member for your fine institution."

[Save A Buck]

I also do what someone above noted.  Some schools offer a quantity discount for transcripts, so I did buy a sheaf of my BA and MA stuff a few years ago to have on hand for fellowships, etc.  I'll do the same when I get the ph.d. as well.

My letter also says "copies of transcripts."  I don't even try to hide the watermark "VOID VOID VOID"  that comes out in the copy.

What started me on this rant was seening a posting from another dept. at the school where I am currently a visitor.  This demmanded official transcripts.  I ran into the chair of that dept. at lunch and raised (in a very polite way) the points that I mentioned above.  He was absolutely flabbergasted to find out what those transcripts that he requested were costing people.  I mentioned that this requirement may limit his candidate pool (he was complaining that he'd only gotten a dozen or so applications for a T-T job).

He then retrenched to "Well, when they come for a campus visit, the provost wants the official trancript.  We can't even send her copies of our official trancript or let the candidate touch any of the paperwork regarding him/her. Nor can the candidate bring the sealed transcript to the interview."  

(It's actually kind of funny to watch this now that I know what's going on.  Candidate is slowly escorted to the administration building by a faculty member who points out every shrub, tree and squirrel along the way.  A student worker sprints from the dept. in question with the holy paperwork in hand to get it to the provost ahead of time.  This is repeated in the walk from the provost to the dean.)


After I pointed out to him that #1 I was hired as an adjunct, then visiting with a self provided, sealed MS transcript and copies of my ABD trancript- later made "official"  #2 the cost involved #3 the idea that I floated above of copies for the initial app and then the blessed sending of the holy trancript by the divine registered mail before the interview, he actually thought that this was a reasonable proposal.

So, a small blow was struck that day for making searches more reasonable.  I honestly believe that many of the people on these committees have just forgotten the expense and frustrations of these searches.  Believe me, as soon as I have tenure, I'll be repressing these memories as well.

[anon]

Sorry about the previous post.

I'm in a science field and only 2 schools requested transcripts.  None asked for official transcripts. One, school wanted undergrad and grad, so I sent both.  The other school didn’t specify, so I just sent graduate transcripts.  It must have been fine because I got an interview and an offer from them (school #2).  I assume the second school just wanted proof of degree.

[feydruss]

This is something I've never quite understood. Why would committees ask for transcripts? Does it really matter to them how you did in freshman statistics if you're applying for a TT English Lit job???

[Mahoo]

feydruss wrote:

> This is something I've never quite understood. Why would
> committees ask for transcripts? Does it really matter to them
> how you did in freshman statistics if you're applying for a TT
> English Lit job???

It is my understanding that the transcript is needed to be the proof that you have the degree required for the job. I think this purpose has been forgotten with the HR people running the show at CCs. In anycase, it does seem to be a smaller school phenomenon.

I have done two searches with maybe 150 applications. I remember needing the transcript maybe 3 or 4 times. I have never ever needed to provide my BA and MA transcript. Since the request was not very specific, I simply choose to infer it as only the Ph.D transcript. My ph.d. school also provides lifetime transcript needs for free.

I was requested to show my employer the transcript before I started my current job that I have the degree. Since I defended in July and did not get my degree until December. My graduate college provided a letter saying that i have finished all the work. And that was sufficient.

[econ anon]

We on the econ job market this year have had a sneaking suspicion that asking for official transcripts and personalized essays and other bizarre requests, things which primarily come from schools that are unattractive for some reason are using a form of "hurdle theory."

Basically, they only seem to want people who are really desperate for the job to apply... people who are willing to jump over the "hurdle."  And it did cut down on some of my sending out applications to places I probably wouldn't have gone to unless they were the only place offering.  However, I'm really not sure this is the best way to keep from getting frivolous applications, especially with something that costs so much.  Maybe it's a good idea to request an essay explaining why College X is a good fit if there's no reason that a person with other options would go to College X, but people with higher incomes or lower transcript fees have an advantage over the people who are more likely to be desperate for College X's job.  

And really, in an ideal world, we wouldn't apply to places we're not interested in and places should accept that at face value.

Of course, for some places it's probably just red tape.