Problem with My College and My Degree......

Here is some quick back story for you. I am a senior at U of A and this is my last semester. I have completed 121 credit hours (including this semester) out of the 120 I need for my degree. Within these 121 credit hours, I have completed more then the required credit hours for my major, my minor and my upper division credits.

So I go in this past Monday to have my final graduation check and the adviser tells me that 6 of my 121 credits are in an overlapping category, thus not showing up as unique credits (even thought they are entirely different classes then the ones in the same category). Throughout all my advising appoints in the past two years once I started my major, not a single adviser has told me that these classes might not count. All they told me was that since I had my major and minor done, I just needed credits to complete the degree. They never said anything about unique credits, just that I needed more classes to get the proper number of credits.

I asked the degree adviser if this will affect me getting my degree this May and her answer:

"I don't think so" she says with a shrug of the shoulder and a non-caring glance.

Ummm, shouldn't you KNOW if this will be a problem? It is your job after all. So she tells me that I must go to my minor and major advisers and have them confirm I have met all requirements for my major and my minor.

I was able to see my minor adviser right away and he signed off on it. Then I went to go see my major adviser and they told me I would have to drop off the paper work and pick it up on Thursday or Friday. Typically this would not seem like a big deal, but the problem comes from the fact that after I have my major "check" done, I need to make an appointment with the head of my major department so he or she can sign off and give final approval for my degree. This is the MOST IMPORTANT person I had to see because it is up to them if my over lapping credits will be good enough for my degree.

So I have been waiting since Monday to hear back from the department about picking up my degree check so I make the appointment with the head of my major.

Of course it is the most important, everything hangs in the balance, thing that I have to wait on the longest for. Everyone who I have talked to says that the classes are different enough that there is no reason for them not to count. I agree, but I don't exactly have the most unbiased opinion. I want to believe that the head of my major will be reasonable, look at the classes and listen to me talk before making the choice to dick me over.

If worst comes to worst and they deny me my degree, the credits I need are ones I can easily take back home at community college or online, but I REALLY REALLY want to be done with school as you can imagine.

So....has anyone else here had a similar problem? Does it sound like something I should not be worrying about?

I am supposed to graduate this Sunday after working (on top of my full time job) over the last six years to earn my master's degree. There were three 1.5 unit courses for which I was eligible to petition for advanced standing, and I got an e-mail yesterday telling me that it turns out that they only waived two of the three courses and that I was actually 1.5 units short of the graduation requirements. I have been going back and forth this week trying to get the situation resolved so that I can participate in the commencement as planned.

When things like this come up unexpectedly at the last minute, you think your brain is going to explode from the stress!!!

according to the college, it's up to the student to know their requirements as well as recent changes to what is needed to earn the credits to acheive their degree. advisors are there just to advise whether they know their job or not. all the protesting and griping doesn't change anything in the eyes of the college or their employees. people simply don't care about an individual's situation when they feel their policies are forged in stone. they even hide behind those policies more often than naught. hope for the best and expect the worse. what's that saying, we plan and god laughs? best of luck to you in this misjustice.

@ LOTRSWfan:
I've experienced a very similar problem this semester. I, too, am a senior at York College of PA and this is supposed to be my last semester. So last month, I went for a final graduation check list to my advisor and he told me I couldn't graduate. I was shocked because out of the 124 credit required for my major and my two minors, I had 135 credits. I was utterly shocked to hear this because I didn't know what was going. Just a couple of weeks before our appointment, my advisor had told me that my transcript and credit checked out fine and that I wouldn't have any problems graduating.

I had transferred to York from Penn State my sophmore year and most of my credits transferred as well. But it turns out that I still needed one credit, an introductory computer course. I was furious because according to my transcript, the credit for this course had been transferred from my previous school. But my advisor told me that I had to take this course at York and no where else in order for the credit to count.

I couldn't believe it and I went to the Dean of Academic Affairs and the President and none of them were even willing to listen to me. All I got was the typical "Sorry, this is York policy" Bull$#@$! And to make matters worse, for some reason, this introductory course is NOT offered over the summer, so now I have to come back next fall for one F#$%ing credit. I can't graduate or go to medical school because I won't have a BS. Because of this stupid incident, I now have to waste an entire year for one simple computer course just because "its the York policiy."

Anyhow, I hope it doesn't happen to you or anyone else. I wish you the best of luck and hope your department chair shows some compassion.

i heard a stupid rumor that the student that went on his murderous rampage at VT was supposed to graduate but somehow he was a couple of credits short. i do hope that was just a rumor but sometimes situations out of our control cause people to wig out. stress is a big factor. you have to wonder if this 'you can't graduate because you're a credit short' business is the college trying to milk the last drop out of the utter.

I know how you feel. I always felt I was being scammed talking to the advisors. There always seemed to be another class I needed to take. I never believed I actually was going to graduate until I got the diploma.

I had 2 friends that this happened to right when they were about to graduate, and I think one ended-up being 2 credits shy and another 1/2!?!

Its total crap, but the thing that happens is that even if you get advice from an advisor its still ulimately up to the student to make sure everything works out. And unfortunately it seems that most Universities follow that procedure and most students don't find that out until its too late.

I am 3 credits shy to graduate next Friday, but I am still walking with my class. I just have to take a summer class and then I'll receive my degree. :chew

I rememeber when graduating, the advisors and the whole process was HORRIBLE!.. I had very similar troubles..

It was what nightmares are made of.

I'm 1 class short of a Masters Degree.. Hope it goes smooth this time.

Aside from that.. < LOL!

im two semester from getting my B.A. but i talk to my advisor's every other week. im on vocational rehab so i have to keep my records up to date all the time and need to know exactly how many hours i will be taking every semester and how many semesters i need to take. hopefully this works out well for you and that i don't have this situation come next fall

Thanks for all the comments and support guys. Here is a brief update:

I went in this morning and picked up my grad check and proceeded to make an appointment for the final check. When I was making the appointment I brought up that there was something that might be a problem. The person helping me looked at it and told me all they had to do was move the credits out of the current category and into the elective area and I should be fine.

So I feel a little better now, but I will wait to celebrate until I am done with the appointment tomorrow.

Thanks guys!

College bureaucracies - for those too lazy to go into government and get into a real bureaucracy.

Darklord Dave said:

College bureaucracies - for those too lazy to go into government and get into a real bureaucracy.

Click to expand...

i did both...I must be nutz..