<p>I've been lurking around for quite a while and have found the info here EXTREMELY helpful. I have a question that I am hoping you guys can help me with.</p>
<p>I am a graduating senior at a NY SUNY university. I have a 3.6 gpa, extensive human service work and volunteer experience and great recommendations. I am very interested in pursuing a MSW. Recently, I have really fallen in love with several programs in California (primarily USC and Cal State Long Beach). My problem is that I won't be ready to apply to either of them by the application deadlines. Does it make sense to apply to a school if you know that you won't meet the application deadline? Or should I sit out a year and wait until the next application period to apply for next year? I know that the common advice would be just apply to other schools with later deadlines or rolling admissions but I'm really not interested in any schools outside of the Southern California area and they all seem to have the same deadline. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!</p>
<p>In case you are wondering why I won't be ready by the app deadlines, I'm including this background information.
My school has a totally foolish bureaucratic policy in which our degree plan must be approved before our official transcripts are complete. It's like an audit where a committee makes sure that students have taken all of the required courses for the degree. I transferred to my current university and my official transcript won't show my transfer credits (which make up the bulk of my degree actually) until my degree plan is approved which probably won't happen until the end of April. Right now, my official transcript only shows the 30 credits that I have taken at my current school. I know that when people apply to grad schools all of their courses may not have been taken and thus are not reflected on the transcript, but sending a transcript from the university that I will be graduating from with only 30 credits on it seems insane. Even when I include my transcript from my previous institution it will look like my current school didn't accept any of my previous coursework. So I'm thinking that it would be best to wait until I have an approved degree plan and a transcript where all of my accepted transfer credits are reflected.</p>
<p>From my understanding, students who are graduating college seniors can still apply to MSW programs as long as they send PROOF (during the summer after degree audits are finals) directly to the MSW program they are matriculating. If USC or Cal State have final deadlines in June (I’m assuming here) and you can send in a complete application (minus official transcript) to the schools, I say go for it. Those schools will ask for your transcript later. Some programs have provisional acceptances that become permanent once they have your official transcript.</p>
<p>What do students do when they apply for internships or summer research opportunities during their undergraduate years? Those applications often require a copy of your transcript. Even car insurance companies require transcripts before they give good student discounts.</p>
<p>You don’t need a COMPLETED transcript to apply to graduate schools, just an ongoing one. If your transfer credits won’t show up, ask the registrar to include a letter with your transcripts explaining university policy.</p>
<p>One more thing: graduate schools require transcripts from all colleges attended. You need to send both your current one and the one from the college you attended previously. Contact the registrar’s office at both ASAP since processing can take a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>^
Not so much. I have two transcripts with one course each (one from HS–non-dual credit–and the other from a summer course taken at a local U). Out of the 20+ schools I’ve applied (including the 12 I’ve gotten interview invites at), only two have really cared. Of course, I’m admitted and enroll, I’ll send them, but for the admissions process in general, the programs really didn’t seem to care.</p>
<p>The OP is a transfer student with a significant number of credits taken at another school. He must get the transcripts from his other school as well.</p>
<p>I agree that transcripts are needed if the number of credits earned is significant; I was just pointing out that this is not necessarily the case in all situations.</p>