Transcript not arriving in SOPHAS: am I screwed?

November 30, 2012 1:49 PM

Grad school in public health filter: due to delays in my college sending them, my transcripts are steadfastly not registering as received in SOPHAS. My first application is due Monday. Is there any hope?

I'm applying to the Berkeley SPH. I was planning to submit the application this weekend (deadline is Monday at midnight), but my undergrad institution didn't send my transcripts until 11/26 despite me requesting them a few weeks ago. SOPHAS is not registering receipt of my transcripts, and it appears that Berkeley requires "all materials" by the deadline. Is there anything (overnight mailing, physically storming the castle) I can do aside from twiddle my thumbs and obsessively check SOPHAS? Additionally, if I can't make the deadline, is there a point to me submitting an application late?

I work full-time at a stressful job, volunteer part-time in a stressful environment, and am currently just a great ball of stress, so I can't tell if I'm catastrophizing or if I really am screwed. I've already called Berkeley multiple times (no answer; email says "we'll get back to you in 48 hours") and called SOPHAS, who referred me back to Berkeley. If the answer is "you're screwed, and you should have submitted a few months ago, not a few weeks ago," well... that's a hard lesson, but I guess so it goes. Just please be kind.

posted by anonymous to education (5 answers total)

Transcripts at the big processing centers like SOPHAS may have already been received, even if they haven't been checked in on your application tracker piece yet. At this point I wouldn't freak out. Call Berkely on Monday, I'm sure this is not the first transcript delay with SOPHAS they have seen this year. Assuming your undergrad was in the states as well, mail will still be sent tomorrow and Monday, there is every reason to believe that the transcript will arrive.
posted by Think_Long at 1:55 PM on November 30, 2012

Just so you know, I work in a registrar's office at a huge university and we have been getting calls all week about the Monday deadline for transcripts at SOPHAS, LCAS, AMCAS, and so on. You are not alone my friend.
posted by Think_Long at 1:56 PM on November 30, 2012

Hello, fellow Berekeley SPH applicant! Did your undergrad send your transcripts overnight? Mine were sent 11/26 because I didn't request them until then, and it was overnight mail. They just registered this morning. If yours were sent by regular mail, it may take a few days.

My understanding was that Berkeley cares about the SOPHAS e-submit date and will count that as your application date (as long as the Berkeley app is submitted as well). You can submit your SOPHAS app without the transcripts. It won't be sent to the school until your transcript is validated and two recs are in, though. (Mine, of course, isn't validated yet!)
posted by quadrilaterals at 1:58 PM on November 30, 2012

I've had a similar issue. When Icalled to ask, I was asked to email unofficial transcripts to the admissions coordinator; wasn't an issue at all.
posted by halogen at 2:05 PM on November 30, 2012

Berkeley SPH student here. I don't think you are screwed, SOPHAS's FAQ says "Transcripts can be received at SOPHAS regardless of the status of your application. You do not need to wait for all transcripts to be received before e-Submitting your application." Berkeley also doesn't see your official transcript that was sent to SOPHAS, just the unofficial pdf you submitted on your Berkeley app. You send the registrar an official transcript after your acceptance of admission.

The people at the admissions office aren't the type to throw out your application for something outside of your control like your school messing up on sending your transcripts, especially if you talk to them. Try contacting them again on Monday to ease your mind. I would still submit your application on time and not assume that it's going to be late.

Hopefully I'll see you and quadrilaterals on campus next year!
posted by wilky at 10:29 PM on November 30, 2012