Pay to see my own offical transcripts?!

[deleted1044561]

Are you all paying to see your official transcripts for entry into AMCAS/AACOMAS?

I was using the unofficial but they don't show AP credit and likely deviate with the official on course naming which I read can make the app undeliverable. It's ridiculous we have to pay to see our own 'official' grades. Has anyone found a free roundabout to this? I'd prefer not to support this system.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted889094]

Are you all paying to see your official transcripts for entry into AMCAS/AACOMAS?

I was using the unofficial but they don't show AP credit and likely deviate with the official on course naming which I heard can make the app undeliverable. It's ridiculous we have to pay to see our own 'official' grades. Has anyone found a free roundabout to this? I'd prefer not to support this system.

Order a transcript from your school. Cost me like $3 IIRC

 

[deleted688779]

My school offered three copies for free, see if that is an option. Otherwise, definitely pay for it.

 

[deleted1044561]

Order a transcript from your school. Cost me like $3 IIRC

I have to do it through the national clearing house so it's 4 times that

 

[deleted1044561]

Would you prefer not to support the system or would rather not have issues or delays with a medical school application

I'm going to concede and pay but it's crazy how the system squeezes us like ripe lemons for all we're worth.

 

[NITRAS]

The squeeze here is drops in the bucket compared to the sweat, time and money that medical school proper will do to you.

Wait till you spend thousands of dollars on tests that are completely unnecessary, or that your board decides to add largely bogus, expensive requirements to maintain certification, yet is letting the old farts,. . . who actually probably need to be updated, be "grandfathered" in.

If spending $10 or $40 bucks annoys you, you really should find another profession.

 

[deleted1044561]

Wait till you spend thousands of dollars on tests that are completely unnecessary, or that your board decides to add largely bogus, expensive requirements to maintain certification, yet is letting the old farts,. . . who actually probably need to be updated, be "grandfathered" in.

If spending $10 or $40 bucks annoys you, you really should find another profession.

Yes, I understand the cost associated with the Step exams but at least they're providing you with a tangible service: a 'standardized' testing center with a proctor and a test.

I just don't care for these electronic fees where a cheap pre-written code is taking my hard earned money. Unfortunately, this is not unique to the medical profession so I highly doubt simply finding another profession would make a lick of difference. This is an ingrained systemic issue that the subdued masses have allowed to occur. Without getting into politics and my opinion of the government, I'll end this thread here.

 

[KnightDoc]

Yes, I understand the cost associated with the Step exams but at least they're providing you with a tangible service: a 'standardized' testing center with a proctor and a test.

I just don't care for these electronic fees where a cheap pre-written code is taking my hard earned money. Unfortunately, this is not unique to the medical profession so I highly doubt simply finding another profession would make a lick of difference. This is an ingrained systemic issue that the subdued masses have allowed to occur. Without getting into politics and my opinion of the government, I'll end this thread here.

You're right and you're wrong. The incremental cost of fulfilling your request, is, as you have observed, close to zero. On the other hand, there are huge fixed costs in technology, infrastructure, personnel, etc. that are recaptured through these fees. Without all of this, it would take weeks or months to manually fulfill our requests, and there would be associated costs with that as well. You are absolutely correct -- people and institutions make investments in infrastructure and expect to receive a return on that investment. It's not unique to higher education.

Yes, everything should be free for everyone, apps, transcripts, tuition, etc. On the other hand, not too many of us want to work for free, so something has to give. If only this were the only annoying expense you would be expected to incur in the next year. Welcome to the med school cycle!!

 

[KnightDoc]

Are you saying there is no such thing as a free lunch?

I guess I am!!

 

[mmchick]

Lol nothing in life is free. I’d rather not pay for my coffee that is just a cup out of the cafe’s full tank or just a beer from a massive keg, but that is life... not some “systemic” issue.

 

[deleted1044561]

Lol nothing in life is free. I’d rather not pay for my coffee that is just a cup out of the cafe’s full tank or just a beer from a massive keg, but that is life... not some “systemic” issue.

I think you and others above missed the point entirely; these are MY grades that I EARNED. Why can't I view MY OWN official grades without forking over 12 dollars?! I understand paying to send them to application services but the fact that I paid 50k+ in tuition while working my arse off and not being able to view my own 'official' grades is hogwash.

My goal is to one day start my own practice where I can't be flopped around by bureaucrats and be told what I can and cannot do. I don't care if I can barely break even so long as I can put food on the table and help my patients not get stiffed by the system.

 

[mmchick]

I think you and others above missed the point entirely; these are MY grades that I EARNED. Why can't I view MY OWN official grades without forking over 12 dollars?! I understand paying to send them to application services but the fact that I paid 50k+ in tuition while working my arse off and not being able to view my own 'official' grades is hogwash.

My goal is to one day start my own practice where I can't be flopped around by bureaucrats and be told what I can and cannot do. I don't care if I can barely break even so long as I can put food on the table and help my patients not get stiffed by the system.

You can view your grades for free, it's called unofficial transcripts. Everyone pays for official transcripts. It's because someone has to print them out using paper and printer the office paid for, stick them in a sealed envelope, likely with signatures and handling from office staff (which need to make some salary doing this job), and send them via postal mail (which stamps cost money and so do the salaries of the postmen). It's upfront cost. It's also a likely deterring method to prevent people from making mistakes or requesting an exorbitant amount of official transcripts that all have to go through this process. People have a way of being extra good at double-checking when things cost money.

We can all agree tuition rates are too high, but again, nothing in life is free and someone somewhere is doing the legwork to get you your desired service that needs to be paid for.

 

[deleted1044561]

You can view your grades for free, it's called unofficial transcripts. Everyone pays for official transcripts. It's because someone has to print them out using paper and printer the office paid for, stick them in a sealed envelope, likely with signatures and handling from office staff (which need to make some salary doing this job), and send them via postal mail (which stamps cost money and so do the salaries of the postmen). It's upfront cost. It's also a likely deterring method to prevent people from making mistakes or requesting an exorbitant amount of official transcripts that all have to go through this process. People have a way of being extra good at double-checking when things cost money.

We can all agree tuition rates are too high, but again, nothing in life is free and someone somewhere is doing the legwork to get you your desired service that needs to be paid for.

Thanks for trying but this is incorrect. The official transcripts I requested are electronic pdfs. Written transcripts are not currently available. To make matters worse, the administration sets an arbitrary 30-day expiration date so you cannot even view them after that point. The unofficial transcripts are unreliable for filling out AMCAS/AACOMAS as there are often discrepancies with course naming that could make your app undeliverable.

Furthermore, judging by the time that transcripts were sent out (odd hours of the night), I highly doubt this is anything other than a purely automated process.

I understand nothing in life in life is free which is why I am happy to pay to send transcripts to application services through a confidential manner, but I feel that a student should be able to see their official transcript no questions asked.

 

[mmchick]

I understand nothing in life in life is free which is why I am happy to pay to send transcripts to application services through a confidential manner, but I feel that a student should be able to see their official transcript no questions asked.

Glad you understand that things in life are not free. That pretty much sums it all up.

 

[Isoval]

I personally just used my unofficial transcript.

I later ended up paying for a copy of the official transcript out of curiosity, which was exactly identical to my unofficial, just that it arrived in a stamp-sealed envelope.

 

[deleted1044561]

I personally just used my unofficial transcript.

I later ended up paying for a copy of the official transcript out of curiosity, which was exactly identical to my unofficial, just that it arrived in a stamp-sealed envelope.

The official is what you should absolutely go off of. I was close to list a class that wasn't on my official but was on other documents