Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with diploma

The High-School drop-out would like some respect.

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:45:37 -0800

How bad is the high school drop-out stigma among the general public? I dropped out of High School before completing even one year, or month. It was dumb, I shouldn't have done it, you aren't my lawyer, etc.

Usually I don't mind admitting this because I've received my GED. Lately though it seems it is hurting my reputation unless I get a college diploma.

I'm not an idiot, but I'm not particularly intelligent. I don't have any really redeeming qualities in any kind of art to make up for the lack of education. I do some high-tech work and people seem to respect that. I'm just not really in tune with what they think about me.

Is the public stigma attached to this issue really bad, should I just never discuss it?

I need serious diplomas, people.

Baby_Balrog — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:08:10 -0800

How do I order some fancy certificates / diplomas? I have a group of young people completing a week long intensive leadership program. The idiots organizing this program are not issuing certificates. I managed to get nine kids through this program and I want to award them with certificates when I get home, but the only "diploma" / "award" / "certificates" google comes up with are these completely worthless print-at-home jobs. OR it's an ad for a diploma-mill.

I want to order something serious on thick paper that's made from seriously fancy trees. I need some SERIOUS diplomas, here. I'm willing to pay up to $15 per certificate of achievement.

I mean, how the hell did my graduate school get the fancy papers they handed us when we walked?

Why did they bother pulping in the first place?

mhz — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:54:07 -0800

How can I get an awesome engraved diploma? Where can I go locally (Brooklyn, NY) for an engraved diploma?

I'm talking about the images that show up here. I get the feeling that this is the kind of thing that would be cheaper to do locally than over the internet, and I'm looking for recommendations, etc, on a place to do it.

I want to be able to walk into a place with a file with all of the text and artwork I want; I want to choose a plaque, and have it laser cut. Ideally, this won't cost me too much. Turnaround time isn't that big a deal. If it's necessary (or better) to get the parts and work separately, I'm all for it.

So if you've had this done (or you do it!), please tell me where to start – what type of wood is best? Is this practical at all? What type of computer file do I need? Anything else I've missed?

Thanks!

Iz I stooopid?

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:15:59 -0800

Do I really need to have graduated from a 4 year university to get a job in Germany? I have been working for a company for several years - and a while ago took a job in a country where I was unable to get a work permit because I hadn't graduated from college (I went for 4.5 years, and due to blah blah blah...didn't graduate). I've been doing my (art field related) job for over 10 years now, have risen through the ranks and now am holding one of the top positions in my field.

I'm being transfered to Germany, and now have to apply for a work permit again in another country, and even though everyone in my company knows that I didn't graduate, and could care less, I'm thinking about getting a fake diploma, or making one myself, just to ease this process. Should I do it? Should I suck it up and just provide the things again that I provided for my first foreign assignment (HS diploma, college transcripts, cv) and see where the chips fall?

I'm currently in a non-EU country, so I'm hoping that Germany is more sane with the whole experience vs education thing, but on the other hand, I REALLY want this to work out.

What do you think of when you hear the term "for-profit university?"

eleeri — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:13:53 -0800

What do you think of when you hear the term "for-profit university"? I'm writing a survey for my masters thesis, and need some help validating a question. My goal is to identify the different gut-instinct reactions to that term. Answers that are ten words or less would be much more useful than long paragraphs.

What do you do in an advanced degree?

divabat — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:27:31 -0800

Those of you doing [post]graduate degrees...what exactly are you doing? I've been looking into various advanced degree programs (Grad Cert, Grad Dip, Masters, etc) but I'm finding it difficult to imagine what sort of work one does in an advanced degree.

My family comes from a science background: my sister did biotech research for her Ph.D and my dad did coursework in engineering for his Masters. Apparently my aunt did a Masters in Sociology but I don't know what this entailed for her. I'm getting a degree in the Creative Industries, and have been looking into advanced degrees in non-profit management, arts, or education.

What DO you do in your degree? Do you do a lot of reading? Is yours more practical? Do you get to do a project?
How academic is your degree? Do you have to do a lot of writing in a certain style?
How much opportunity do you get to travel, or do experiential learning? How about conferences?

I figure this would differ wildly between programs and schools, but my only concepts of advanced degrees are either sit in a library then write a long densely academic thesis, or do research in a lab and write a long densely academic thesis (research is fun, but writing long densely academic theses is my definition of hell).

How to work with no diploma?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:15:05 -0800

How do the uneducated make a living? What jobs are available to those who don't have degrees, but can easily fool you into thinking they do? Without getting into the circumstances, I'm at a standstill in my life. I'm 21, have zero (0) formal education, thus no college degree, high school degree, or even GED. I'm not a dropout, and assuming any sort of generalized job, I would be on par with a college graduate.

What would be a good place to start to set myself up for the job market?

While I have no formal education, I'm reasonably confident that I could get a GED with ease. I have amateur skills in design, but that's about it… I'm not unintelligent, I'm reasonably well-informed about most things, even educated pretty well, but not formally, i.e. little that I can put on a resume.

Oh, and what's a good fallback? I know someone who was in a similar situation and got a dream job at the age of 20 without any of the above… but things changed, ten years later he was out of a job, and then he was back at square one. So even if I get a job that works for me without any degree-requirements, what's a good degree to just have?

Basically, I'm starting from a blank slate, but a lot later than I should. Where to start?

Two notes:
I'm not altogether against starting from scratch (getting a GED and working towards a meaningful degree), but as part of my whole not-being-educated thing, I have not clue what a useful degree is, or what I'm interested in doing. I'm not concerned about starting something now, although I'm aware that ideally I'd have started years ago.
I'm in NYC.

Throwaway address: diplomas21@gmail.com

College sans high school?

trokair — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:42:57 -0800

Is it possible to go to college without a high school diploma or GED? The thought just came to me the other day, and I was curious. I know you can get into most community colleges without those credentials, but is it possible to get into a four-year college sans diploma or equivalent?

Framing my Diploma

debit — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:21:31 -0800

Should I have my diploma from my university put into a custom frame, or should I just buy one of the pre-made frames available at the college bookstore and do it myself? I'm also in a graduate program. If I were to get a custom frame, I would like to at least have the frames match.

Thank you for your help glorious hive mind!

How to flatten old diplomas?

thinman — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:33:32 -0800

How do I safely flatten old diplomas? I have two diplomas from 1927 and 1931 that I'd like to frame. They were rolled up in a box with other items for many decades. They are a little squished (but not creased), and they want to retain their rolled up squishedness. Both are printed on a heavyish material with a plasticy feel and a slight sheen; I don't know if it is imitation vellum, or actual animal skin. The documents are from the Mary Institute at Washington University at St. Louis (1927) and Mt. Holyoke (1931) if that helps.

Please translate this Latin diploma from Howard University!

Faint of Butt — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 07:19:31 -0800

Please translate this Howard University diploma from Latin to English for me. The secretary's office at Howard University is... less than helpful. They print their diplomas in Latin, and won't give you a translation unless the graduate fills out a form. My boss and I don't need an authorized, sealed translated diploma; we just need something in English so Immigration doesn't get mad, and we need it ASAP. Help me out here, Latin-speaking MeFites? Thanks a million.

Universitas Howardiana Washingtonii
in Regione Columbiana sita
omnibus ad quos hae litterae peruerint salutem.

Praeses Curatoresque Universitatis Howardianae praeceptoribus academicis nominantibus ac probantibus
[NAME]
ad gradum Medicinae Doctoris admiserunt eique dederunt et concesserunt omnia insignia et iura quae ad hunc gradum pertinent. In cuius rei testimonium Praeses et Ordinis Curatorum Scriba et Decanus auctoritate rite commissa die XII mensis Maii
anno Salutis Humanae MMI Universitatisque Howardianae CXXXIII litteris hisce Universitatis sigillo munitis nomina subscripserunt
[SIGNATURES]

Which diploma goes on top?

Saucy Intruder — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:28:54 -0800

[My-copy-of-Emily-Post-is-in-the-shop-Filter:] I have two diplomas, a JD and a BA, and I want to hang them in my office, one above the other. Which one goes on top?

Diplomacy: Framing a diploma

furtive — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 07:22:49 -0800

As a gift to my girlfriend I'd like to get her university diploma framed. What should I take into consideration beforehand? It dawned on me that she might need copies as proof if she changes employers, and that might be a bit of a pain in a frame. Should I be getting "certified" copies, and if so by whom? Is there anything else to take into consideration?