I just had a sudden panic attack (ok, a minor one) that I was supposed to do something about getting my daughter’s current school to send her transcript to the schools she’s applying to. We used the Gateway online application, and I just sort of assumed that the “school report” recommendation was how the transcripts got submitted. But I just happened to look at a pdf of that form (in blank) and I don’t see where it tells the school administrator filling out the form to also submit the transcript or how to do it. Is it just obvious to them that this is what they’re supposed to do, or were we supposed to jump through some other hoop that I totally missed?
It says on the form to submit the transcripts. They got an email link to do so for the form so I am sure they submitted the transcripts the same way as the form since it tells them to do so.
I keep checking too - panicked I somehow forgot to do something.
I believe that there is an “upload” transcript part in the “school report” recommendation and that’s how the transcript was submitted in Gateway application.
In our case, the school counselor submitted the “school report” with fall mid term grade transcript in mid December. Since fall final grades are out now, I asked the school registrar to send the final transcript to the schools by emailing the admissions office at admission@school.org etc. It’s great that all the schools receive materials by email saving trees and stamps.
In our case, the counselor sent me an email saying she submitted the form, but that I would need to contact the registrar to have the transcripts sent. The registrar wanted me to fill out a (non-existent) form “on the private school’s letterhead” that private day schools in the area provide.
After some back and forth, they provided me with a sample of the form they were expecting, and I ginned one up, signed it, and sent it in. It was titled “Transcript Release Waiver.”
They mailed out the transcripts in addressed, stamped envelopes that I provided. Plenty of work and excess trees & stamps in our case.
Note, though, that the counselor may not have completed the process for your child’s transcript with the registrar- it is worth a phone call. Also, our fall grades come out on January 27th, and the schools are fine with receiving the transcripts by the end of January (though they may have put a note in the file that I called).
That was exactly what happened to us too with quite less headache.
Two years ago the counselor handled everything and it was simple and easy.
Now this year, the same counselor told me that she can submit an “unofficial” transcript but the “official” transcript can only be submitted by the registrar. The SAO form and one school did have “official” transcript language thus the counselor did not upload the transcript. The Gateway form did not have “official” language so she uploaded form there. I asked AOs and some schools were fine with “unofficial” transcript which the counselor sent and others wanted “official” one.
I expected a similar bureaucratic hassle with non existing form when I grudgingly went to see the registrar. When I asked if she could email the “official” transcript to the schools, I was surprised to hear Yes and she did not ask me to sign any waivers! Thus the “official” part turned out to be really easy.
Don’t we all love bureaucracy, it creates jobs by requiring unnecessary positions.
On the other hand, my favorite saying is It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than (it is to get) permission.