Dealing with an old, ugly college transcript

June 1, 2009 1:38 PM

An old problem that I figured was more-or-less permanently in my past has reared its head. Even though I graduated from college a decade ago and have since gone to law school, a prospective employer is demanding my college transcript. I did poorly in college - I got three Fs and had to take a year off at my school's insistence. My question is, when I send along my transcript, should I include any kind of explanatory note, or just leave things be? (A few more details inside.)

As I mentioned, after getting three Fs, I had to take a year off from school. When I came back for my senior year, I did a lot better academically. A few years later, I applied to law school and got into a top school, where I also did well academically (Dean's List two of three years). I got a job with a top law firm, which I held until recession-induced mass layoffs a few months ago.

In other words, I figured I had managed to put my ugly college transcript behind me. So this request was rather a surprise. (I was also surprised to be asked for my law school transcript, as no other prospective employers have sought that either, but that one doesn't really matter.)

When I was applying to law schools, pretty much every application had a section where you had to explain any prolonged absences or "disciplinary" actions taken during college. I had a short mini-essay where I described my experience, and how I bounced back from it. My subsequent success is, to me, even further proof of how distantly in the past my poor college grades are.

So, do I bother pointing all this out to these people? Or would that bring unnecessary attention to my college grades? It's not like they won't see them - they're obviously going to look at the transcript. But perhaps it's just better to let my post-college record (ie, law school & law firm job) do the talking. Thanks for your thoughts.

posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to work & money (15 comments total)

Yeah, just let the record do the talking. You have nothing to explain/apologize for, and I think doing so would only make things worse. You know, "protesteth too much".
posted by Penelope at 1:55 PM on June 1

I have a rule not to apply for jobs which want to see college transcripts (or SAT scores). Perhaps this is something you could consider.
posted by dfriedman at 2:00 PM on June 1 [1 favorite]

My guess is this is just a way to verify your credentials. Probably required by a risk manager or liability insurer.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just provide it, they'll check it off the list and that will be that.
posted by Jandasmo at 2:04 PM on June 1

I'm sure your subsequent success should be enough of a testament to your ability, don't sweat it. It is strange that they would want to see it though . . .
posted by Think_Long at 2:04 PM on June 1

I think that if your law school transcript and your work references don't convince them that your poor academic performance is irrelevant, then a note certainly won't.

Either they requested the transcript because it's policy, and they won't be bound by it (ie the subsequent law school transcript will influence them to not penalise you) OR the transcript will prevent you from getting the job because they have strict metrics they need to adhere to. Either way, a note probably won't make a difference.

(Also: yeesh. If the transcript does lose you the job, would you really want to work for a company that uses so little common sense, anyway?
posted by Kololo at 2:15 PM on June 1

Probably just a routine requirement. Would it disappoint you if you found out that no one even looked at your transcript?
posted by telstar at 3:03 PM on June 1

Meh. Don't worry about it. The successes of your subsequent experiences will take care of any explaination or justification. Send in your transcripts and don't think about it again.
posted by dchrssyr at 3:35 PM on June 1

Supply the requested documents and don't worry about it. If they care you were a different person 10 years ago, you don't want to work for them anyway. It's also possible they are just verifying you actually have the degrees & education you claim and I can't fault them for that.
posted by chairface at 3:48 PM on June 1

Thanks to all for the answers. I agree that due diligence is the most likely reason they're asking for this information, and that Kololo and others are right - if they are of a mind to ding me because of my transcript, then no note from me is going to change that.

As for telstar's question, I'm not entirely sure I understand it. I'd be happier if no one looked at any of my transcripts, even the good (law school) one. Whenever I interviewed potential hires at my old firm, I made a point of not looking at transcripts before I met with someone - that's just how I prefer to do things.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:23 PM on June 1

I have no academics to point to - thrown out or flunked out. If asked you just say, "yes, I wasn't really focused in those days, but then I got my act together, as you can see from my CV/job references/law school grades/etc."
posted by Billegible at 4:40 PM on June 1

I was required to submit a transcript for my job. It's not all that uncommon. Instead of feeling bad about the poor grades, be proud of the fantastic recovery you made. The degree matters, not the long-ago undergrad troubles.
posted by theora55 at 5:40 PM on June 1

It is probably an innocent request. Transcripts are a surefire way to confirm your degrees. They may not even care about the grades. And fraudulent credentials are more common than you might think.
posted by B-squared at 6:00 PM on June 1 [2 favorites]

And fraudulent credentials are more common than you might think.

By asking you to provide a transcript they are putting on you the relatively trivial but often overlooked administrative burden.
posted by GPF at 7:13 AM on June 2

To follow up: One of the folks I met with did ask me about the "gaps" (there's only one, the year I took off) in my transcript, plus the few doozies, and I explained what happened - didn't do too well, took time off, came back and did a lot better, did well in law school, p.s. this was all a very long time ago. He seemed satisfied, and the firm has asked me back for a second round of interviews. Fingers crossed!

Thanks again to all who answered.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 10:01 PM on June 10

A happy final follow-up: The firm offered me what looks like a great job, and I plan on accepting. Clearly, the old college transcript didn't faze them, as many in this thread thought would be the case. Thanks again!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 1:45 PM on June 26