TRANSCRIPTS - What are they and why should I care?

1. What is a transcript?
   
   A transcript is an official copy of a student's academic record. It records all courses successfully and unsuccessfully completed and all courses attempted ("withdrawals"). Midterm grades do not appear, only final grades. Transcripts show your official grade point average (GPA) and the number of credits you have earned.
   
2. How do I request a copy of my transcript?
   
   This link will take you to the three methods: web, mailed in request, or walk-in request. A fee of $5 is charged for each official transcript requested. www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions/Records/TranscriptRequests.htm
   
3. What are electronic transcripts?
   
   Montgomery College sends copies of transcripts electronically to most Maryland public schools. This system is very efficient - the information is sent somewhat like a fax, eliminating paper copies, and transcript information is downloaded right into a student's application file. You don't have to request an electronic transcript - if you ask MC to send a transcript to a Maryland public school, it will automatically go as an electronic, not a paper, copy.
   
4. Is it better to include a copy of my paper transcript with my application package, or have MC send it for me?
   
   Some programs will specifically instruct you to include an official copy of your transcript with your paper application (especially scholarship programs). If you don't see this specific request, then having MC send it for you is the best way to go.
   
5. What if I my transcript arrives before my application gets there?
   
   This is not a problem for either paper or electronic transcripts. Transfer institutions usually recognize that a student's application will soon follow - they typically hold onto transcripts for 6 months to wait for the rest to arrive.
   
6. What's the difference between an official and an unofficial transcript?
   
   An official transcript, in paper form, has been imprinted with MC's official stamp and it is sealed in an envelope. Opening the envelope means that it is no longer official. Electronic transcripts sent from MC to the transfer school are official. Get an unofficial transcript from your MyMC account - this is a printout of your courses and grades by semester. Even if you have sent an official transcript to your transfer school, it's always a good idea to print out your unofficial transcript from MyMC and bring it to any information sessions or orientation/advising sessions at other schools.
   
7. Aren't schools more impressed if I hand-carry a copy of my transcript to their admissions offices?
   
   Can you picture an overflowing "In Box" at a popular university? Paper copies take time for someone to open it up and enter the data in the system. Electronic is the way to go for a MD state school.
   
8. If I send an official copy of my transcript when I apply to a university, will MC also send my final transcript?
   
   MC doesn't have a way of knowing which school you will decide to attend - you must request a second copy of your final transcript at the end of a semester. For example, if you want to become a Frostburg Bobcat next Fall 2009 and you've sent one transcript in February of 2009, you'll need to request another copy at the end of the Spring semester so that those earned grades and credits can be reviewed and transferred to FSU.