My son’s school sent info to create Parchment account for him. The transcripts would be available in Parchment from now on. Is Parchment a common thing that most hight schools use?
While creating the account, we came across a few things that I need help with. Not sure how the other parents have found the below info to have material impact on kids admission process.
Should I allow to share my info to colleges through Parchment?
Should I allow the colleges to see my transcript through Parchment?
Should I waive my FERPA privacy rights to see the recommendations or school report?
Yes to all of the above questions. Many schools use Parchment to upload transcripts, scores, and LoRs.
Waiving your FERPA rights is suggested as it signals to colleges that your recommenders can be more honest if they aren’t worried about you reading them.
If you have specific questions, talk to your guidance counselor.
To be clear on this, it’s pretty much “required” to waive FERPA privacy. I can’t imagine many teachers will write honest recs for a student who doesn’t do this. It’s not really an option, in my opinion. Teacher recs are very important.
Parchment is the system your school uses, so yes to all.
Your son will have the transcript, the teacher recs, and the info that will be sent to colleges, so yes, the account should be for him. I’m sure there is an option to make an account for yourself too. I don’t know if the school automatically uploads information to a parent account though. Ask your guidance office.
I am a huge fan of Parchment - I actually implemented it at the college where I last worked. It makes life easier for students and for schools. Get a student account, which will come in handy down the road if the college also uses Parchment. Yes to questions 1 & 2. For question #3, it is legally required that students have the option to see recommendations if they do choose … but I would recommend that you do not select the option that allows you to see the information.
I had no idea that now schools use Parchment. In our case, we already sent out so many transcripts between 3 kids via all different colleges, that I lost count. Parchment probably are millionaires .
Personal email is fine, as long as there isn’t anything from the school requiring the use of the school email. I can’t imagine that they would require it, though. The way Parchment works is that the student will be sent an access link, as well as a password - this is how the transcript is “sent” securely.
I don’t remember (I retired in 2019). I think it’s username, though. That makes the most sense, since young people change their email addresses relatively often during & after college.
That works for some stuff but not others. Use the “forever” email address for the FSA ID, because it will be used to manage loan repayment information down the road. I suggest using it for Parchment, as well, because many colleges use Parchment - they may need to order a transcript in 10-20 years. It’s REALLY hard to change email address for FSA ID - not sure if Parchment might allow email updates more easily, though.
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