Should I include transcripts from an unacredited school?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>Before I began attending a CC (again) I attended a trade school (Musicians Institute). The school is NOT regionally accredited but is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The credits won't transfer to UC schools or USC so does it even make sense to include those transcripts and to mention it on my application? I did pretty well there. I took a 6 month music business program and earned a certificate. Got a 3.7 GPA but then the reality of the music industry hit me. Anyway, should these transcripts be included?</p>

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<p>Hey, I went to MI also! 6 months of BIT, and completed Music business, also! You kinda sound like me, I could have written this post. :)</p>

<p>Anyway, I just applied to UCSC and UCSD for winter, and I listed all my MI classes on there. You shouldn’t leave a single thing out. They want your complete educational history. And, I’m assuming you took out student loans (can be pretty expensive), they can find see that you have student loans for a school you didn’t list on your application.</p>

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<p>That’s so kool man!</p>

<p>Yeah I’ll be sure to include the transcripts then. =]</p>

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<p>im not including mine. I went there too. The dumbest decision I ever made even though I learned alot. Im not including them on my transcripts because they are a freaking music school. Not a single credit would transfer over unless your a music major so why include it? You really think they are going to spend the money and hire someone to dig into your trade school past? Just because you have loans does not mean they have the right to know who holds the lien on those loans. Its private information that has nothing to do with schools. It has to do with the banks that lent you the money through financial aid. Can schools find out who owns the pink slip of your car? Can they find out who owns the lien on your house? NO. So how can they find out which institution for which you got the student loans? For all they know it was for community college.</p>

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<p>vintij-I totally agree with you. It was a total waste of time for me. Especially a waste of money. I dropped 10,000 dollars on something that would of cost me 40 bucks to read in two books (Good Will Hunting anyone?) I wish I never went but at the time I didn’t exactly know what I wanted. </p>

<p>Can anyone verify the claims that Vintij has made? That they don’t even look at transcripts from trade schools?</p>

<p>Not that I don’t believe you man, but just looking for other sources. =]</p>

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<p>oh they look at all transcripts that you submit. I can guarantee to you that if you do not submit a transcript, they will not go on a wild goose chase to find out. If that was the case then they would give all students a background check to verify all transcripts. They go by what you submit. How can they do otherwise? Ofcourse getting in trouble at your new school will raise suspicion. If you do something stupid at the university level and your put on academic or any type of probation then this is a red flag and they MAY look into your past. But they dont have the resources to do this for every incoming student. Ofcourse if you just want to be safe there is no harm in just submitting the transcripts. Its not really a big deal. In my case though I cant do that because I basically walked away from the program halfway through because I could not afford to pay rent and drive to hollywood everyday.</p>

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<p>Look, if you did well (as it sounds like, with your 3.7), why NOT include it? They go on a wild goose chase for information on about 10% of applications, IIRC (at least in the UC system). Even a relatively harmless discrepancy can invalidate your application and you’ll be denied admission. There was even an article in the LA Times about this very topic recently. I’ve talked to the counselors and financial aid offices at my school, among other people (such as admissions), and you’re fooling yourself if you think they won’t find out about the loans. Vinitij, student loans are different than regular loans. Other schools can find out about those loans through the national student loan clearinghouse.</p>

<p>Bottom line, if you don’t include your transcripts from MI, you’re risking denial of admission for pretty much no reason whatsoever. I don’t see what you stand to gain from leaving it off. Also, it says right there in the UC application to list all previous schools, including those that include non-transferrable credits, and that if you don’t it is grounds for denial of admission. So just include it, trust me.</p>

<p>[edit] Dude, who takes out an $8000 loan for 6 months of CC? These are people going over your applications, not machines.</p>

<p>[edit2] Look what it says on the national student loan clearing house website under “Financial Aid Administrators”:</p>

<p>“You can log onto the secure Clearinghouse Web site to access LoanLocator (click the StudentTracker tab). In addition to displaying a student’s FFELP, direct and private loan lenders, our expanded LoanLocator service also provides you with real-time student loan information, including origination date, award amount, and servicing and repayment information.”</p>

<p>Even if they don’t show the school, which I’m pretty sure they do, I doubt larinaga was attending CC while attending MI, which (if that is the case) will show that he took out the loan while not in CC, and probably not at any school judging by whatever dates he has for his attendance. The dates won’t match, and that will look pretty fishy. </p>

<p>Just tell them about MI, and include something short about it in your personal statement or something if you’d like to explain it. If you’re an older/re-entry/non-traditional student, it’ll add depth. I am, and I did, and I feel pretty confident about my chances (even though I had a lower GPA from MI) because it showed a change in my attitude towards my studies, because I’m doing great now at CC.</p>

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<p>empirescrumble-thanks so much for your input. You make a great deal of sense. Thank you so much. =]</p>

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<p>Why would you not take out 8000 loan at CC? Have you heard of off campus housing? I got 2 thousand dollars cash in financial aid this semester, so obsiously they take into account things other than tuition and books. In fact if you look at my student aid report it says that the total cost of attendence at CC is 17,000 dollars. Why would a student loan look phishy? I am telling you straight up that I am not going to include any trade school or any other transcript from any other school and I guarantee I will get into a UC with no trouble. If they ask questions I can easily say that it was identity theft. Im not saying omit your transcripts infact you should submit them 100%, im just saying that I am not and it wont affect me at all becase I know that schools dont look deep into every single applicant because they really dont have the resources. If they did then they would.</p>

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<p>You’re welcome, larinaga</p>

<p>Well, good luck to you vintij, because you obviously haven’t thought this through enough. You’re still risking denial of admission for no reason at all. Plus, if you’re part of the at least 10% of students who do get checked, you’re screwed. You’ll be denied, and then you’ll have to appeal the decision and say it was identity theft, and I don’t think they’re gonna believe you. Why would somebody take out a student loan for a school, and attend that school, in someone else’s name? Because, they will check to see if a student attended MI with your name. Their certificate will have someone else’s name on it. Plus, it’s a lot more difficult to take a student loan under someone else’s name than it is to take out a credit card. </p>

<p>I hope I’m wrong and that you get in. It just doesn’t make a single bit of sense why you would leave the transcript off, when the directions explicitly say “list all schools you have attended since high school, regardless of the transferability of courses. If you leave any schools off, your application will be denied”. I mean, no offense, but to read that and say “I’m gonna leave a school off” is just a dumb move, especially since your only line of reasoning is that “it’s a music school and the credits won’t transfer”, even in the face of what it says in the application. </p>

<p>[edit] Also, if you tell them you were attending a CC, and the loan was for that, they’ll see you didn’t include any transcript for the CC you “attended”. So, either way you’re screwed if you’re part of that 10%. Why make it more difficult for yourself? You’re really leaving it all up to chance. There’s no reason to leave the transcript off.</p>

<p>Oh well, I tried. It doesn’t matter to me: it’s your future.</p>

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<p>I know, I understand but the problem is that I walked away remember. Those idiots at MI probably gave me all F’s for that. I had no choice. If I include those transcripts, think about how bad that makes me look? I would look like an absolute quiter. I didnt finish a single semester there and the loans are almost paid off. If I include those distastrous transcripts I will look like an idiot. As far as I am concerned, I never went there and it never happend.</p>

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<p>Well, how long ago did you attend MI? I had a one really bad semester there, but in the context of my personal statement, it made me look good, believe it or not. That’s because I’m an awesome student now with a great GPA, and the Fs just gave them something to compare and contrast, since they were from years back.</p>

<p>I understand where you’re coming from, but this could totally screw you. In a sense, you would be better off including the transcript, especially if your grades at CC since then have shown decent improvement (which they probably have). I still think you should include the transcript and explain it away (without excuses, be honest) in the personal statement. I think that’s your best option, personally.</p>

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<p>Vintij, how are THEY the idiots if YOU walked away? I am confused.</p>

<p>And if you don’t include the transcripts, and they find out, they can kick you out of school at ANY time. They can even take away your degree after you graduate for academic dishonesty. </p>

<p>Some food for thought.</p>

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<p>^ I wouldn’t take my chances with those consequences on the table.</p>

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<p>They are idiots because they dont help you with job placement. They give you hope and lure you in, then on the first day of class they say “there is a very small chance that any of you will work in the entertainment industry.” Obviously this is a true statement but they didnt say that when I signed up for the gig. In a way I am the bigger idiot for thinking I could be some big time record producer.</p>

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<p>Listen people…PUT ALL YOUR TRANSCRIPTS ON THE APPLICATION. if any thing it will tell the admission staff what you were doing those years you werent in traditional school. Hell…use it in your personal statement. I get the drift that admissions want to see real people who have learned from their choices. If you didnt like the trade school…maybe it helped you realize what you really want to do with your life. May sound cheesy but sometimes…life is cheesy.</p>

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<p>@vintij: Glad you said before me. Only an idiot goes to music school. With the exception of a few schools. You still believed it in the beginning and got ***pwnd though, lol.</p>

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<p>I definitely feel like an idiot after going to MI. I did well there but I guess I wasn’t mature enough to understand the significance of a real college education. Luckily I have a pretty good shot of attending some UC schools and maybe USC. =]</p>

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<p>Yes I WAS an idiot. Now im applying in November to UCB, UCLA, UCSD…etc. We all move on. As Kurt Vonnegut woud say, “so it goes.”</p>