2008 Woodie Awards
Students encounter transfer credit difficulty
Britt Braudo
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
When junior film major John McCarthy transferred to Emerson from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass, during his sophomore year, he presumed there would be no problem getting his credits transferred.
He soon found out how wrong he was.
McCarthy had completed an impressive 36 credits by the end of his freshman year, the equivalent of 12 classes at Assumption.
Instead of being on par with others in his year at Emerson, McCarthy was forced to take summer classes and entry-level courses just to ensure his Spring 2008 graduation date.
Assumption typically grants only three credits per class, while Emerson grants four, leaving McCarthy without sophomore status until he caught up with the rest of the Class of 2008.
McCarthy is one of the many transfer students at Emerson who have had trouble balancing their schedules, fulfilling general education requirements and transferring credits from their institutions. A number of students said the guidelines and procedures concerning transfers at Emerson have been unclear at best, causing them to look to Emerson's administration for help, often to no avail.
"Students don't necessarily complain," said Dr. William DeWolf, registrar. "They may question the credit conversion process, but once it has been explained that solves their concern."
Students transferring to Emerson are only allowed to bring 96 credits with them, which is equal to three full years of coursework here, and only 64 credits may be transferred from a junior or community college.
Credit is granted for "comparable" course work at accredited institutions with a C grade or better in the course. Course work is deemed "comparable" by the specific academic department under which this course work would general fall. DeWolf said each class is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Also, an official transcript must be sent directly to the Registrar's office from the student's previous institution.
Junior film major Kat Frumin transferred to Emerson from Boston University (BU) and had to pay her university to send an official transcript to Emerson. She said Emerson lost the first copy she had sent.
He soon found out how wrong he was.
McCarthy had completed an impressive 36 credits by the end of his freshman year, the equivalent of 12 classes at Assumption.
Instead of being on par with others in his year at Emerson, McCarthy was forced to take summer classes and entry-level courses just to ensure his Spring 2008 graduation date.
Assumption typically grants only three credits per class, while Emerson grants four, leaving McCarthy without sophomore status until he caught up with the rest of the Class of 2008.
McCarthy is one of the many transfer students at Emerson who have had trouble balancing their schedules, fulfilling general education requirements and transferring credits from their institutions. A number of students said the guidelines and procedures concerning transfers at Emerson have been unclear at best, causing them to look to Emerson's administration for help, often to no avail.
"Students don't necessarily complain," said Dr. William DeWolf, registrar. "They may question the credit conversion process, but once it has been explained that solves their concern."
Students transferring to Emerson are only allowed to bring 96 credits with them, which is equal to three full years of coursework here, and only 64 credits may be transferred from a junior or community college.
Credit is granted for "comparable" course work at accredited institutions with a C grade or better in the course. Course work is deemed "comparable" by the specific academic department under which this course work would general fall. DeWolf said each class is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Also, an official transcript must be sent directly to the Registrar's office from the student's previous institution.
Junior film major Kat Frumin transferred to Emerson from Boston University (BU) and had to pay her university to send an official transcript to Emerson. She said Emerson lost the first copy she had sent.
Be the first to comment on this story