University messed up and failed to inform me of lacking 4 credits to graduate

Hello, I am applying/have been accepted to a couple medical schools and found out that I did not technically graduate. I found out when I sent my Official transcript to medical schools. I am 4 biology credits away from graduating and am freaking out. I now need 4 credits of Bio finished by 9/26/2020 in order to keep my reserved seat in my top choice med school. Please help!!!

I have been researching accelerated science courses and do not know which is best/most likely to transfer the full credit amount over. I am in contact with my past university admissions office, registrars office, and my past advisor. They are slow to respond and I am worrying I might have to decline my acceptance.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

  1. It is your responsibility (not the college's) to be sure you have the credits needed to graduate. Most colleges have checklists, advisor meetings etc. to counsel you along the way but ultimately it is your responsibility to meet graduation requirements.
  2. Work with your college to find out if there are bio credits from a local college they will accept or go back to your college and take a summer class to get that last bio credit.

I know it comes down to me but I was told by my advisor that my schedule I picked out would meet every requirement to allow me to graduate in Spring 2019. If he had ever mentioned to me that I need one more class that is 4 credits I would have listened and taken any course that met that requirement.

@jabrah12: Did you not ask for a Grad check at least 1-2 semesters before graduation to make sure you were on target to graduate? Both my son’s did a Grad check at their universities and we given a list of classes still needed to fulfill their degree requirements. Regardless it is always still on you to make sure you fulfill the course requirements.

We did advisor meetings every semester to make sure we were on track to graduation. My advisor check before the spring 2019 semester I came with a schedule in mind that consisted of three classes and one internship. I was told that this schedule would work and get me graduated. The advisor never mentioned me needing more credits. Just okayed my selection and allowed me to add those courses to my schedule.

Overall there was mistakes on both sides. I am mainly in need of suggestions on how to get these credits by 9/26 if possible.

Is it that you are short of the credits needed to start med school, rather than you not having the credits to graduate? Can you clarify that?

Will the med school accept the credits from an accredited online university course? I would contact the med school too.

Sorry for the confusion, I have every course needed for medical school admission. I just need 4 credits towards my biology major to graduate undergrad. I have not contacted my medical school yet, thank you for the input.

The only way you are going to get a definitive answer is from your college. You thought you had graduated. You have not. Why not? What do you need to graduate? Where can you take the necessary courses to get that degree?

Is it necessary that you get a bio degree? Can sny 4 credits get your degree and preserve your spot in Med school?

No one can answer these question other than the schools involved.

YOU are ultimately responsible for getting requirements completed on time in most every situation. You cannot rely on anyone telling you these things. Going to the primary sources and assessing a situation is an essential skill. This is your fail.

Update: My university is changing the credit amount for my internship in order for me to graduate. Thank you all for your help and criticism.

So glad it worked out for you! Best of luck in med school!

What med school starts 9/26

Glad things worked out!

Congratulations!

For future reference please let your friends/family know: your “advisor” is your advisor, not the Registrar.
At our California public school, each senior is required to make an appointment with the Registrar before registering for graduation. He/she reviews your transcript with you and tells you if anything is missing.

Great news and best of luck.

I’m glad this is working out for you.

BUT, and it is a big BUT. You need to take concept of personal responsibility real serious. It was your responsibility to make sure you had enough credits to graduate. If I ever run into a doctor that won’t take personal responsibility for their actions, I’m finding another doctor ASAP. Be the best doctor you can be and take responsibility for your actions.

There is this book advocating for physicians to have checklists to follow when doing complex procedures, in order to avoid errors of omission: http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/

This is similar to college students doing a degree or requirements audit on their progress toward their degrees, including comparing their course work with a checklist of requirements for their degrees. Many colleges now have a degree or requirements audit in their student web portals where students can easily see what parts of their degree or requirements checklists they have not yet fulfilled.

It is great to have checklists. I will use them in my personal life and would also use them in my professional life. But, I didn’t whine about missing something and try to place the blame on someone else as the OP is doing.