My parents posed with me when I received
my master's degree from North Texas in 1991.
Recently, I applied for a job that required me to submit copies of my college transcripts.
I didn't have copies of my transcripts on hand, but I mailed requests for them, received them about a week later and scanned them, then e-mailed them to the H.R. office. But I wasn't sure then — and I'm still not sure — why it was necessary.If you look at the right-hand side of this blog, you can see that I mention that I received my B.A. in 1982 and my M.A. in 1991. Both of these degrees were granted by accredited universities. I've never had to go through the procedure of confirming anyone's college degrees, but I wouldn't think that it would be difficult for anyone to verify that I graduated in those years.
And, if the schools need me to sign some sort of release form, I will be happy to do so.
In fact, the school where I got my B.A., the University of Arkansas, has a tradition called "Senior Walk," in which every member of every graduating class has his or her name chiseled in the school's sidewalks. It shouldn't be too hard to find my name on one of the sidewalks on campus. I'm not sure of the location — it's been a long time since I was on the U of A campus — but my advice would be simple. Just look for the class of '82.
The school where I got my master's, the University of North Texas, doesn't have a tradition like that. But, again, I imagine that the Registrar's Office could confirm that I graduated from that school in 1991.
And, if that employer needs further proof, I have the degrees themselves.
I'm not sure there is much to be gained from looking at the courses I took or the grades I received. And they can't tell you what I've learned since I graduated or how I've applied what I learned in college to my life and work.
Even after looking at the transcripts, I don't think I learned much about myself — except that I apparently took a few classes that left so little impression on me that I have completely forgotten taking them.
For example, apparently I took a botany course in the fall semester of my junior year. I was mostly a B student in college. I got some A's in my major — journalism — and I got a few C's in some of my general requirements courses.
I was never particularly strong in science, although I did receive reasonably good grades in an astronomy course I took one summer and a physical science course I took in the spring semester of my junior year.
But I got a D in that botany class. It is the only D I ever received as either an undergraduate or a graduate student. I can't justify the grade — but who can justify grades they got when they were 20? What I can say about that semester is that I took four other classes and received three B's and an A.
To this day, I can't remember anything specific about that botany course. I can't remember who the instructor was (the names of my professors are not mentioned on my transcripts) or what I studied. I vaguely remember studying cross sections of plant stems, and that is about it.
I'd like to think that my transcripts — and the degrees I received — demonstrate my commitment to achieving long-term goals. I knew several people in college who left school, for a variety of reasons, and never returned. But I stuck it out. I don't think I even dropped a class that I had enrolled in — if I was going to do that, I guess the botany course would have been a prime candidate!
Anyway, I have my transcripts now, and I'm going to keep the originals in a safe place. If another potential employer needs to see them, I will have them on hand.
But I still say, I have the degrees and that should be sufficient evidence of my personal dedication to long-term objectives.
No comments:
Post a Comment