Help! University not processing transcript so son can't apply for Masters degree.

[rosiethehen]

Ds completed his degree this year and was awarded a First. He wishes to start a Masters this autumn, but his applications are stalled due to his university not forwarding a pdf of his transcript to prove he has actually graduated. One of his application deadlines is next week.

He has contacted his tutors and the department responsible, but nobody appears to be interested.

He is also planning on applying to the Civil Service this autumn and it may affect this process as well.

Please, does anybody have any advice on what to do?

And don’t you think accom staff are snowed under trying to sort the mess of who goes where and can’t use double rooms?

🙄

At one of the universities I worked at, registry staff doubled up and moved to admissions during a level processing.

Yes, exactly. These two weeks in August, even in normal times, are frantic and require significant staffing. Universities don’t pay people to twiddle their thumbs all year just so that they are available for that fortnight. Staff are taken from other departments during the A-level results period.

And many universities have been cutting staff for the last 18months - administrative as well as academic ...

But OP your DS should contact the place where he's doing his Masters and give them a copy of his results - at my place, students gave access to their module by module results very easily - and say that the official transcript will be arriving in 21 days. Same for the Civil Service.

I know we do this all the time: enrol someone provisionally and confirm on receipt of their official transcript.

Also he hasn’t definitely missed any deadlines. Just because it may take up to 21 days, doesn’t mean it can’t come through before that.

I've advised he takes a screenshot of his results table and forwards this on, but he tells me this isn't acceptable and he seems to be determined to follow the process, but it's obviously inadequate at the present time.

I understand universities are under pressure, but all it is is a pdf and should be automatic.

He wasn't initially going to apply for a Masters, but with the way things are at the moment, he made a decision to do one after all.

There isn't a transcript on his student portal from what I understand. Just a table of results which he says isn't adequate.

Leave him to it then.

If he won’t take the advice you’ve got him here from uni administrators and academics, then he won’t be going to do a masters. And that’s on him.

He should send in his applications anyway and add a note giving admissions permission to talk to his existing uni, they can then issue a conditional offer, the condition being the transcript in 21 days.

I’m sorry for sounding harsh but this is time for some tough love.

He’s an adult. He should be sorting this himself.

You’ve come here and got advice for him.

All the uni people have told you basically the same thing.

He’s determined to blame everybody else and not be proactive.

Tough love time.

If he can’t do this, in the absence of SN, you’re doing him no favours.

He has emailed the universities involved and explained the situation to them.

Everything seems very vague, that's what is concerning.

My dgtr struggled with this too.
It's frustrating.
I appreciate it's a difficult time now for uni staff, but her issue was last year.
Took them forever to provide that transcript.

I understand universities are under pressure, but all it is is a pdf and should be automatic.

You honestly don’t understand what it’s like at this time of year even in a normal year never mind this year. I’m so glad I’m not Involved with admissions this year.

I have a split role, nhs and uni. I have been flat out in my nhs job this year, and the uni WhatsApp have spend a lot of time gardening and baking . My uni office has been locked , only accessed with a security guard for 30 minutes to grab a computer, while I have been in my nhs office on the same campus almost every day, mask , socially distant but working hard.
None of the administrators in either university, her undergrad or prospective masters , since the degree results in mid July ( before a level or admissions issues) have show any flexibility about transcripts , in fact oxford have said due to the pandemic they won’t issue transcripts at all. The portal only allows you to request a paper copy, minimum 21 days .

@Carriemac - why the quotation marks re working from home? My DH is an academic and has worked incredibly hard from home, adapting teaching, delivering teaching, supporting students through the pandemic and changes they've had to manage, supervising phd students, managing online vivas etc etc. I doubt very much he is some super hero outlier in the academic field but doing his job

Also, masters applications isn’t like undergrad. If they want him, they can be flexible in a way they can’t with undergrad. Not the first time I’ve admitted someone on the first day of class - late application, told them just to turn up day 1 and we would sort it then.

@Noneformethanks

Leave him to it then.

If he won’t take the advice you’ve got him here from uni administrators and academics, then he won’t be going to do a masters. And that’s on him.

Yep.

@Carriemac

I have a split role, nhs and uni. I have been flat out in my nhs job this year, and the uni WhatsApp have spend a lot of time gardening and baking . My uni office has been locked , only accessed with a security guard for 30 minutes to grab a computer, while I have been in my nhs office on the same campus almost every day, mask , socially distant but working hard. None of the administrators in either university, her undergrad or prospective masters , since the degree results in mid July ( before a level or admissions issues) have show any flexibility about transcripts , in fact oxford have said due to the pandemic they won’t issue transcripts at all. The portal only allows you to request a paper copy, minimum 21 days .

My university has been locked too but that doesn't mean I've not been working hard at home ...... everyone I know who works for a university has been completely flat out and we're worried about burning out before term even starts.

@Noneformethanks

Also, masters applications isn’t like undergrad. If they want him, they can be flexible in a way they can’t with undergrad. Not the first time I’ve admitted someone on the first day of class - late application, told them just to turn up day 1 and we would sort it then.

Absolutely this!!

None’s law. (SN excluded)

The students you have to handhold and bend over backwards for from the application process, you’ll be doing it their entire way through. Better to get them to stand on their own two feet from the start saves a load of hassle in the long run.

No transcripts at all how is this acceptable?

And I mean hassle for them as much as the uni staff. It’s a life skill to teach them.

And if you bend over backwards and bend the rules, for one, it will always always come back and bite you in the arse.

He’s had all summer to get a transcript.

It's Oxford he attended

He received his results in July.

@Carriemac

No transcripts at all how is this acceptable?

They're offering an alternative - I don't see the issue?

You could show this to any university/employer along with what you can screenshot from the portal and they'd understand.

If they didn't then I wouldn't want to be working with them.

I don't know what you expect universities to do?

@Carriemac

No transcripts at all how is this acceptable?

Transcripts will be issued as soon as poss. My uni buildings are shut and I can’t get access to the special paper to print transcripts on.

Time for some round corner thinking. Screenshot module results. Follow up in due time.

But do double check the portal because honestly it’s usually available there.

I’m at my undergrad uni and I can still get into the portal and print off my own undergrad transcript through the portal. I just checked there now.