<p>Thanks to my transfer status, I will be caught in a ridiculous technicality at my university when I graduate:</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 so far, and mostly likely will when I graduate. I will by all means be qualified to earn the Summa Cume Laude (or perhaps Magna Cume Laude) title. However, since I will not have completed 60 hours in residence (I transferred after three years at another university), I might not be eligible for this title upon graduation. I will be able to graduate with Honors, as in I will write an Honors thesis and that title will go on my diploma, but I might not be able to graduate with Honors as in having the Latin title on my transcript.</p>
<p>My question is: if my petition(s) do not succeed in swaying the administrative forces at my university, will the lack of the Latin title be detrimental to my grad school applications? I will still have the extremely high GPA...</p>
<p>60 hours in residence isn't a "ridiculous technicality", it's actually "mandatory for graduation" at most schools. I'd be thankful they're letting you graduate instead of complaining about the fact that you're not getting an award for 1-2 years of good grades when most everybody else had to put in 4 years of good grades, especially given the fact that the introductory courses you never took at the school you're graduating from are often harder to do well in.</p>
<p>Your petition will fail, but on the plus side, I don't think many people care about the title anyways.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, although I think it is somewhat harsh. I want to be clear that I have not taken "easier" classes elsewhere and that I have maintained a 4.0 throughout the entirety of my college career. I did not choose to transfer to my current university simply because I wanted a change of scenery; it was a necessary move about which I could do nothing. In my individual case, I have worked extremely hard and very much deserve the grades that I earn, and accordingly, the honors that come along with those grades. And to clear up another possible misunderstanding: I have contributed and will be contributing very much to my current university. As far as I can tell, I work harder than many students who have been there for years (though of course, I would not make this argument in my petition). Maybe I should rephrase myself in that I understand the reasoning behind the 60-hour requirement, but I can most certainly prove myself worthy of receiving the title and that I am not merely trying to "get over" on my current university by asking them to make exceptions for me. Let me stress that the only thing keeping me from being eligible for the Latin title would be 8-10 hours, not even a full-time semester, for which I would be paying tens of thousands of dollars. In this <em>very</em> particular case, I do believe it could be described as a "ridiculous technicality," perhaps with more reference to its impact on my records than to the school's requirements themselves.</p>
<p>I thought the title was mainly for 4 full year graduates. It's not fair to be able to compare someone who went to a CC with a 4.0 for 2 years, and someone who's been taking weeder classes freshman and sophmore year and also earned a 4.0 and assign them the same weight in terms of summa cum laude.</p>
<p>Altough in graduate school applications, I don't think there's a box that asks you to put that title, as far as I can remember. It just asks for your GPA bro.</p>
<p>I suppose you can put that in your "awards and achievement" section though. But the difference between magna cum laude and summa cum laude isn't something you should sweat over.....</p>
<p>In my opinion, it is retarded to care about a title like "summa cum laude." All it means is that your GPA was >x and you took a certain number of course credits. These are accomplishments that anyone could see by looking at your transcript anyway...why would you need to add this title to your CV? It's redundant information.</p>
<p>If you are dead desperate, have your research advisor to nominate you for summa cum laude status. Administrators bend like twigs under the will of professors. In fact, it would have been foolish to submit a petition without professor recommendation(s) attached.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the insight. I agree that it seems redundant and unnecessary, but somebody made the point to me that top schools do indeed care about the title, especially within very competitive programs (Ph.D. for Romance Studies/Languages). I am content to leave my records as they are, unless the small, seemingly unimportant detail will keep me from getting into an otherwise excellent Ph.D. program that will have a great impact on my career, for better or worse. </p>
<p>Just for the record, I do not fit into either of the descriptions laid out by jmilton90, but I appreciate the advice all the same. I agree that it is not fair to compare students who fall into those categories, and accordingly, like I have said, they do not describe me, nor my academic record. </p>
<p>Thanks again and best wishes to all,</p>
<p>lylek </p>
<p>(fyi, not that it's extremely important, but I don't fit into the "bro" category either)</p>
<p>If you apply for graduate school in your senior year, the school you're applying to (and yourself as well) will not know if you are summa cum laude. The question you're asking will only apply if you take a year or more off before applying to grad programs. Therefore, if you plan on applying soon and not waiting, then the Latin honors is only something you will see on your diploma and be proud of, and nothing more.</p>