Am I Required to Submit My Poor Transcripts?

Home Health Columnist / Guide · May 3, 2007

:welcome:

If I only submit my HS transcript, would that be considered "falsification" by the schools I'm applying to?

One word: YES

Submit all info with letter of explanation, letters form doctors, counselors, employers etc.

Your not the first to stumble: you recognized a problem and took proper steps to remedy it. That should count in others eyes.

Best Wishes and keep in touch....sure others will be along with advice too.

:icon_hug:

bethin · May 3, 2007

When you sign the application, there is a clause in there that if you sign you have given them transcripts of ALL the schools you have attended.

I had average grades in high school (A's and B's mostly) went off to college and bombed. Got extremely sick, couldn't attend classes and basically flunked out. I went to a CC for 2 years where I rec'd a 3.5GPA, not because the work was easier but because I had grown up, matured, and had gotten my medical problems under control. I applied to a private liberal arts school and started in Jan(and was doing very well academically) but medical problems started again (due to stress) so I'm going back to the CC where it's much cheaper and I can be part time and not worry about financial aide.

When I applied to the 2 schools after flunking out, there was a question on the application about this. I stated that yes, I had failed but that I had matured and did very well at the cc and felt that I had paid my dues and was ready. Be upfront, people are kinder to those who are honest than those that are not. Before you even apply, you might try talking to someone in admissions about this and get their opinion.

morte, LPN, LVN · May 3, 2007

diploma schools are a totally different animal, or at least used to be....talk to the admissions person about this....when i went, in the 80's, they had made an arrangement with a local college so that the students could take the academics there and get credit.....if this school has a similar arrangement, perhaps those will be the only courses they will be interested in.....good luck

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 3, 2007

I flunked out of the college I went to fresh out of high school. Years later I started completely over at another school and made straight A's. When applying to nursing school I only submitted transcripts from the school I started over that had the A's.

I didn't feel this dishonest or falsification since I started from scratch at the new school. I might be wrong about that, but that's how I did it.

justme1972 · May 3, 2007

I flunked out of the college I went to fresh out of high school. Years later I started completely over at another school and made straight A's. When applying to nursing school I only submitted transcripts from the school I started over that had the A's.
I didn't feel this dishonest or falsification since I started from scratch at the new school. I might be wrong about that, but that's how I did it.

Tweety, I totally agree with you. TOTALLY agree.

I think it's terrible that students get penalized forever for a "bad start" at school. The problem is that the system is set up, that even if you return to the school where you flunked out...they NEVER remove the grades from your transcript, even if they disregard your old grades for re-admission purposes...so even if they admitted you to a nursing program, respiratory therapy, whatever..and let's say, down the road you want to attend graduate school somewhere else...you STILL have those old grades on your transcript and they will most-likely re-calculate your GPA where you are applying to grad school.

My husband did the same thing you did, and has no regrets about it. He got a full scholarship to a college when he got out of high school, and was asked not to come back b/c of his grades his second semester....at home he was extremely sheltered and didn't really know what to do with his new freedom.

He moved to another state for a job, then decided to go back, and started all over with English 101, History 101, etc. He graduated with a 3.8 GPA and went on to get his MBA.

It's a shame that our educational system isn't more forgiving. Heck, even a convicted felon gets pardons.

lizmatt · May 3, 2007

I also did not supply my transcripts from my post-high school bad go at school - I did not feel this was dishonest, I started retaking courses with A's at a community college and was not going to get any transfer credits from my first go at school. If I had tried to go back to my first school enough time had lapsed that they would have granted me academic bankrtuptcy. My life had changed so much and my previous academic experience had nothing to do with my current. And thus far I have been nothing but successful in school. I did not lie to my current school - I told them I had attended another school, they never pressed the issue.

Esther2007 · May 3, 2007

Honesty is huge in nursing...........it is better to tell the truth up front than have to defend yourself later.

justme1972 · May 3, 2007

The thing is, unless you receive financial aid, there is no way to track it. The only acception is that some schools and school systems are linked. Like all of the community colleges in my state are linked...so that would be an impossibility here.

catzy5 · May 3, 2007

I flunked out of the college I went to fresh out of high school. Years later I started completely over at another school and made straight A's. When applying to nursing school I only submitted transcripts from the school I started over that had the A's.
I didn't feel this dishonest or falsification since I started from scratch at the new school. I might be wrong about that, but that's how I did it.

Also many programs only look at your pre reqs as well.

But I did want to say one thing,I was applying a month or so to a new school and when I put in my SS# it pulled up all my transcripts from all my schools, they still wanted "official" scripts but in this case there was no getting around it. Its the first time I have seen this happening however I guess its something they would do in admissions anyway.

MikeyJ, RN · May 3, 2007

I know of instances where a student was kicked out of Medical School after they researched and found he had not reported all of his transcripts.

It is really upto you whether or not you want to submit your poor transcripts. I would personally report them in the unlikely case of your school/program finding out later on. But it is ultimately up to you. :)

justme1972 · May 3, 2007

Oh, there is no question that if a place had found out, it's not a good thing. When someone "researches" you...financial aid is how they do it.

One of the previous posters said that when she put in her SS#, her other transcripts pulled up...that is because some schools have went to online applications (and they still do paper-apps) or her school is part of a network, but in my school, you couldn't do it with the CC, but you could easily do it with the University System..they are not linked in this state.

If colleges were a forgiving environment, I think students would feel differently.