Tag: Transcript

Education and experiences: a new way to measure?

In the world of academic innovation, grades are not all that matter. A new importance is being place on the life lessons students learn at college through an experiences transcript.

Elon University in North Carolina first implemented their version, the Elon experiences Transcript, in 1994. It measures participation in five program areas, including leadership, community service, study abroad, internships and undergraduate research. Now, the idea that schools should be putting more than classes on the official record is gaining momentum.

In an online Q&A presentation on Elon’s distributor’s (Parchment Exchange) website, Elon registrar Rodney Parks said this version of the transcript “paints students in a different light.”

“Registrars have been pressured for years to try to add more details to the academic transcript,” Parks said.

The Elon experiences transcript is optional, and separate from the academic transcript, though requests for both go through the registrar’s office. Parks said, in response to surveys he sent out to recipients of the experiences transcripts, most employers viewed the experiences transcript favorably.

Parks acknowledged, “…if students don’t build robust co-curricular transcripts, [the transcripts] could be seen unfavorably by [recipients].”

The increased focus on experiential diversity, Parks said, is taking “advising to a whole new level,” with advisers giving life advice as well as academic advice. What goes onto an experiences transcript, Parks said, is determined individually by universities and their campus culture and values.

Ohio Wesleyan Registrar Shelly McMahon said the office listened to the presentation and discussed potential merits, but has no plans to implement the transcript at this time. McMahon said in an email that an OWU experiences transcript might include internships and volunteer work, but, ultimately, validation for content would be up to other departments.

McMahon also said she wouldn’t see an experiences transcript as adding pressure on OWU students to take on more; an experiences transcript might be a way “to document what is already happening.”

“Our students are already involved in multiple activities and many want things on their transcript that are non-academic,” McMahon said. “We don’t have a way to do that now.”

Junior Elizabeth Raphael said the idea of an experience-based transcript seems unnecessary.

“If one of the organizations that I am a part of did something so incredible that it made the actual transcript (and I played some part in it), maybe I would send it to grad schools,” Raphael said. “But even then it’s kind of questionable. All clubs and organizations are doing things on campus, but they don’t need to be acknowledged constantly – that’s just not how the world works.”

Junior Joe Wagner said he also believes an additional transcript is unnecessary.

“Transcripts are just supposed to focus on school,” Wagner said. “If something is that important, why not just put it in your resume?”

Only a few other schools currently offer co-curricular transcripts, including Georgia College and State University and University of North Florida. Parks said co-curricular transcripts make up about 22 percent of Elon’s transcript orders.

Whether the co-curricular transcript catches on remains to be seen, as it remains a fairly new concept.

Old face, new position

tran

 

I cannot believe I’m old enough to be the editor-in-chief of The Transcript. I know it sounds silly, but I still think I’m 15 years old and in high school, not a 21-year-old junior in college. My high school paper consisted of three of us, which ultimately resulted in its demise upon our graduation.

I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was in fourth grade when I first really watched the nightly news. I wanted to be the person who gave the news. I also wanted to be a veterinarian, but that is besides the point.

Ever since I found out it was possible to be a journalist, I tried to become one. I’ve written for every publication I could get my hands on. And when looking at colleges, I made sure there was a journalism program available, which is one of the reasons why I ended up at Ohio Wesleyan University.

I cannot believe I’m at the helm of a publication that has shaped my college career for the better. Without The Transcript, I would wander aimlessly through campus without any direction whatsoever.

The Transcript has been a part of my life even before I enrolled at OWU. When I visited potential colleges, I would read each of their newspapers. And through The Transcript, I found out one of my camp friends was the daughter of one of my dad’s work friends.

I realized it was such a small world, all through this publication. All the other schools I looked at had publications, but none were of the quality of the Transcript. Nor did they have that connection like the The Transcript did.

I joined The Transcript when I was a nervous and unsure freshman. The first meeting I went to, I was intimidated by the people who surrounded me in that computer lab.

They all seemed like such journalists and like they knew what they were doing, and they would see right through my charade. I wanted to be as involved as possible, and I wrote any chance I got.

Sure, I wasn’t an amazing writer, but slowly my writing improved and I became more self-confident. With the help of my fellow reporters, I knew what questions to ask when interviewing subjects.

And those people who intimidated me with their reporting skills became such an integral part of my life. I cannot imagine them not being in my life, and I’m grateful I spoke up in those meetings.

My predecessors are among my closest friends and confidants; they are the people who made my passion for journalism grow even stronger. They push me to be a better writer, editor and person. They encourage me to branch out and tackle stories that I would normally not take on. And without them, my love for writing would not be like it is now.

I want to encourage any scared freshman that wants to write to come to our meetings. I want them to have the amazing experience and meet people who will change their lives. Don’t be intimidated like I was; you’ll find your groove and become the writer you aspire to be.

To me, The Transcript is much more than a publication. It’s a way of life; it’s a passion. It’s what you stay up all night working on, what you stress out about, what makes you feel proud of yourself.

As cliché as this sounds, I cannot imagine my college career without The Transcript. I know I would not be the jaded yet optimistic person I am.