I went to school years ago, I’m talking about decades. Since then I have rolled in an engineering science program at a community college and scored straight A’s in all courses, relevant and non (up to differential equations), a bout that costed me around 12,000$. I was recently denied admission to my desired program due to grades I acquired in the late 90s. I think this is total and utter ■■■■■■■■ to be frank. I have paid these previous schools their insane rates for an ultimately unfulfilling education, in order to free my transcripts to “start fresh”. However I was denied admission due to mistakes I’ve made over twenty years ago. To me this accentuates how profit centric our education system is in this country. I feel like as an an American citizen that has payed well on our bills, it is our right to be able to be able to only submit the transcripts that we feel represent us, who agrees?
It’s not always the transcripts. the college process is unpredictable. maybe they didn’t like your essays, or the admissions officer was in a bad mood when they read your application. College admissions are competitive and ruthless tbh. Majority of people go to school but colleges have the same number of spots they had back then. I feel most schools are usually forgiving about bad past grades. the only thing I can think of is maybe a disciplinary issue or bad luck. (unless im misunderstanding this post and they actually told you your transcript caused you to be rejected)
Did they tell you it was because of your previous transcript?
There’s a lot here that we don’t know. They could have denied you for other reasons. Did they specifically say that’s why? Most colleges will forgive long-passed grades if you get a second go at school.
Hell, my first year at CC had 2Fs, 1D, 2Ws, and my overall CC experience encompasses like 8 or 9 Ws. They were a few years ago and they’ve been basically ignored in my transfer apps from community.
Were you doing a pre-established transfer agreement into a state college? Or were you trying to get into a program which did not have a transfer agreement with the community college? Straight A’s at a community college, while certainly the best that one can get there, doesn’t necessarily compare in rigor to the first two years of undergrad at most colleges - and even among 4 yr colleges, there is a wide spectrum of difficulty and challenge.
But I do agree with you, if you had straight A’s in all the required courses at the community college, and had fulfilled the prerequisites to participate in an established transfer agreement with the public 4 yr institution, you should not be rejected on the basis of transcripts from before you went to community college.
Do you know it was your grades from the 1990’s that kept you out and not some other issue- like not fulfilling a pre-requisite? I’d be skeptical that your old transcripts kept you out and I’d bet that it’s a much more recent problem. Have you checked carefully to make sure your application was complete, that you took the right courses in the right sequence, and that it wasn’t some dumb administrative error (which happens frequently) like having transcripts listed with two different names?
Did you check in common data set line f1 of each university,how many applicants 25 years or older they received?
Does your community college have an articulation agreement with a four year college? Did you apply there?
My husband had terrible grades (actually was academically dismissed from a college). When he decided to go back, he started at our local community college where he DID have to provide transcripts. But the CC had an articulation agreement with a couple of four year colleges. The agreement basically said that if he completed his CC courses with good standing, the credits would transfer to the four year school and he was guaranteed admission. So that’s where he applied.
Did you work with the transfer advisor at your CC?
My grades essentially line up with yours, if not worse. However I have the reason to believe that’s what sifted me out of the program. In my state there are three public colleges that offer my major. I reached out to all thre ad. One of them responded with: “your application was denied due to academic concerns”. I had my application essay reviews by five peers, three of which have careers in secondary education, and two are published authors. On top of that my SAT scores surpassed the baseline requirement by eighty points. I understand that the program may be relatively competitive, but I believe it to be completely unfair that I have to disclose something that I have paid for, at a breathtaking rate let alone.
I don’t understand. Had you completed an associates degree at the community college, with all the requirements to transfer to a 4 yr state college with whom your community college had an articulated transfer agreement?
Or did you just apply to a 4 yr college with some classes with A’s from the community college, and your community college doesn’t have an articulated transfer agreement with that 4 yr state college?
To face humility in its face, my past the scripts are probably the worst you could ever imagine. One semester of a 2.4 gpa and two straight of a gpa of legislate zero. Though I took the ethical route, our my debts and submitted all transcripts as one should’ve. I just view it to be unfair that a college judges you on some letters form the distant path and 600 words. I wish there was some sort of face to face interview or something like that, to even the playing field. I will never be able to express what I was going through at the time in the word restriction of a personal statement and a college essay, and I don’t think that is right. That is simply ostracizing a bright mind that has grand potential. By saying that I’m not trying to boast myself and portray myself as the smarter person if the world, but as one that has realized there mistakes and have fully come around. I can bet I’m not the only one in this position and would love to see a change.
This actually helps a lot. I am in a very similar predicament to your husband, but the three schools I applied to were not I agreement. I could apply to others that have sublimate majors. It wouldn’t be my desired program but it’s better than the credits going to waste I guess.
Did you complete the associate’s degree at the community college? Did the community college have an articulated transfer agreement with the 4 yr college to which you applied, and had you fulfilled all the requirements for the articulated transfer?
Or was it a 4 yr state college that your community college did NOT have an agreement with?
The reality is that the level of classes at many community colleges is low - much lower than at 4 yr state colleges, and much, much lower than at flagship state U’s. So if you were applying to a competitive program at a school that the community college does not have an articulated agreement with, then you were applying out of your league, even if you had straight A’s at the community college, and had little chance of getting in, even without the bad transcript from years ago.
Honestly, applying from community college, only the 4 yr state college with an articulated agreement with the community college is a sure thing, and then only if you have taken the required classes and achieved the required grades.
“Academic concerns” doesn’t prove that it was your old transcripts that were the problem. Lots of us on CC have seen equally terrible HS students do a re-set at community college and successfully transition to 4 year colleges.
I suggest you go back to your CC and talk to your advisor about how to go forward, including:
- identifying possible problems in your application (based only on your posts, your writing skills may have let you down)
*making sure that the programs you applied to were good matches for you and
*seeing if there are programs that are still accepting applications and/or that might be on the May 1 release of colleges with open places
We have no idea how competitive these programs you applied to are. If they are competitive, they may well deny applicants who are above their minimum. You’re jumping to the assumption that it’s due to your past record from years ago when it may not be.
There are really good reasons for requiring past transcripts, including a record of cheating, harassment and other issues. (Clearly those issues are not relevant to you. )
I think it is unlikely that the transcripts from the past were the reason you were not admitted. I can say from personal/family experience that colleges tend to focus on the more recent improvements as evidence you can do the work, versus grades from 20 years ago.
I don’t know if you finished an associate’s degree but the recent rejections may provide guidance toward a path of doing more courses at community college and trying again. Your perseverance will be appreciated.
I feel like as an an American citizen that has payed well on our bills, it is our right to be able to be able to only submit the transcripts that we feel represent us, who agrees?
Colleges don’t, and they’re the ones who matter. They expect students to submit all their previous transcripts. Whether or not their previous bills were paid doesn’t matter to them. They want to give their limited spaces to students who are a fit. That involves more than academics.
I went to school years ago… Since then I have rolled in an engineering science program at a community college and scored straight A’s in all courses relevant and non (up to differential equations), a bout that costed me around 12,000$.
I began studying engineering science at a local community college, and have kept my grades immaculate at this new school (3.6), despite the difficulty of the classes. The time for me to transfer to a four year school is right around the corner
In my state there are three public colleges that offer my major. I reached out to all thre ad. One of them responded with: “your application was denied due to academic concerns”
What engineering major is only offered at 3 public colleges in your state? Is there a broader engineering major that will get you where you want to be?
Where did you apply? Engineering can be competitive, especially for transfers. Were any of the classes you took at the college where you majored in biology prereqs for engineering? If you underperformed in the sciences and math that might be a concern.
Academic record is permanent and follow you wherever you apply (even outer state). Omitting your past grades can result in admission cancellation, so it is important to always report your full academic history honestly.
Look into Academic Renewal or Academic Forgiveness programs in your state or past college. This may give you a way to start (relatively) fresh.
Example: (California’s Academic Renewal program at community college) If a student shows improved grade performance at the same or new community college, an Academic Renewal petition can be submitted. Once approved, D & F grades are replaced with ‘AR’ on the transcript such that these D/F grades no longer factor into your overall GPA. CSU (state schools) and UC (public university) will also honor these notations. This can significantly boost your overall GPA for applications. Note: Private colleges may not honor academic renewals, however.
I don’t know if four-year universities offer Academic Renewal programs, but community colleges may! Please look into it. You’re succeeding in your new engineering science program. Those grades may help with petitioning your past community college grades away, boosting your GPA for transfer applications.
Best of luck!