Hi there. Congrats on submitting your app! Hopefully we hear good news soon
Transcripts are absolutely required, but the info for that was kinda buried in the "Instructions" page, which for someone like me who was anxiously stressing on other parts of the app (like the essay) it could be easy to miss. Here's the info from the Common App Materials requirements section on the "Instructions" page:
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended in sealed envelopes. Bachelor's degree must be from an accredited institution. For international transcripts, a certified translation into English with a course-by-course evaluation including GPA is required, and should be mailed directly from the pre-approved organization (refer to your specific program’s website).
Also, it says:
Any mailed materials should be sent to:
Meredith College Graduate Programs
Attn: [Name your program here]
3800 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27607
But they should be contacting you soon. Two days after I submitted my application I received an e-mail from them that said they had received my application but were "awaiting my official transcripts." So if I were you, I would go online and order them right now from your college's website, that way you can get a jump start and have them already in the mail on they way to Meredith before they contact you! Most colleges should have staff working in the transcripts/registrar/financial offices even during semester breaks. Also, there was another blurb that said:
- To be considered complete, all materials - both common and program-specific - must be submitted by the deadlines provided below.
Which in this case is March 15th. So if your undergrad college is local, you might be better off just picking up the sealed transcripts in person and hand delivering it to Meredith just to ensure it's delivered on time. Otherwise pay for the expedited shipping!
Lastly, like most things in life that are kinda gray area or unclear, it's best to just reach out to someone at graduate admissions. Who knows, they may be willing to work with you if your college truly can't get the transcripts sent in time. They are just people after all, and it doesn't hurt to seek clarification. Also, if your undergrad college offers an "e-transcript" option where they will e-mail official "sealed" electronic transcripts, reach out to Meredith and see if they will accept that.
For me, I submitted my app, received an e-mail 2 days later acknowledging receipt of app but missing transcripts (transcripts were already in the mail, as soon as I submitted app I went straight to my college's website and placed orders for my transcripts) then a day later received an e-mail from Meredith acknowledging receipt of my transcripts. All the categories said "received" with a green check mark on my app and I thought it was complete, but about 4 days after that they contacted me and said that they reviewed my transcripts and noticed I had transfer credit for which I hadn't submitted a transcript (I took 2 classes at a community college 8 years ago and totally forgot about them) so I needed to send that in too. They were super helpful through all of this, and finally, about a week after I submitted the original app I received a confirmation e-mail that my application "is now complete and will be forwarded to the Pre-Health committee."
So in short, communication is key. Reach out to them if you are having any questions or uncertainty about what is required on the app, and order those transcripts ASAP!!
