About to blow my top with my D's university.....

[Anonymous]

^ I would add to the above that even if the school did tell her, that doesn't solve the problem that she didn't graduate but has a job with an employer who thinks she does. So what is the DD going to do about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

Maybe they don't hang them at work but they frame them and hang them at home. I'm surprised you've never seen that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

Maybe they don't hang them at work but they frame them and hang them at home. I'm surprised you've never seen that.

Most people don't unless it's at their office in a professional firm that requires a degree. Otherwise you look kind of insecure.

[Anonymous]

If i were going to pick on any one thing in this situation it would be that your daughter never even knew what grade she received in a class. That is the root of the problem. It’s not the Uni’s job to chase after someone for failing a class.

[Anonymous]

The grades were posted. So the University did communicate that she got a D. They did their part right there, she was informed. At some point she was informed that more than a D would be required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here would be my response as a professor (which I am, so this is what I actually say":

"Dear Larla,

This situation sounds very upsetting, and it is unfortunate that the "D" in ECON 356 kept you from graduating. I have reviewed your grades, however, and everything was graded according to the policies laid out in the Syllabus. [Here, i would include the bullets of what led to her "D," whether it was individual assignment grades, missed assignments, bombing the final, etc..].

According to our university's policy on Arbitrary and Capricious Grading (insert link here), every student in the class must be graded on the same basis. This means that if I impose late penalties on any students I must impose them on all students. I am also unable to "forgive" assignments or offer extra credit to a single student in the class without offering the same to everyone. This policy is meant to ensure fairness and to prevent both favoritism and retaliation.

However, I also understand that this a single course that would lead to a significant burden on your part to retake. If you feel that your circumstances should receive special consideration from the university, or that I applied grading or other policies unfairly, you can appeal your grade to [the department chair or dean depending on the school]. Her email address is [e-mail]. I can promise that she will take your concerns seriously and help you reach a solution."

And then if the dean comes back and says "let her retake the final," or whatever, I would do so, and no one else in the class could accuse me of unfairness under university policy.

It is also possible that something didn't get entered into the gradebook, so wasn't included in her final grade. This is why you must always check your grades! Humans make mistakes in data entry, too.

Great advice
Signed
Another Professor
I would add that I am shocked by some of the harsher posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

Maybe they don't hang them at work but they frame them and hang them at home. I'm surprised you've never seen that.

Most people don't unless it's at their office in a professional firm that requires a degree. Otherwise you look kind of insecure.

Again, I totally disagree. I've seen them hung in home offices, family rooms, great rooms, you name it. It's an accomplishment to get a college degree, something to be proud of.

[Anonymous]

Presumably, even Op's daughter knows that framed diplomas are meant to be hung.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

Maybe they don't hang them at work but they frame them and hang them at home. I'm surprised you've never seen that.

You think? I always cringe a little bit inside for people who do this.

Most people don't unless it's at their office in a professional firm that requires a degree. Otherwise you look kind of insecure.

Again, I totally disagree. I've seen them hung in home offices, family rooms, great rooms, you name it. It's an accomplishment to get a college degree, something to be proud of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your follow-up post seems to have backed down a bit. I posted previously about online grading, and I hope you realize that your daughter was playing you a bit here - she knew about her grade and almost certainly understood what it meant for her graduation status. And she used the 'decorating my apartment' thing as a ploy to let you discover the news and help her find a way out of it. She probably figured that you'd blame the university first and foremost, a not-altogether-surprising reaction given the fact that you probably paid $200-300k for that piece of paper she's still lacking.

If this was my kid, I'd want her to know that I knew exactly what was up. Because next time she gets into some deep trouble, you want her to do the adult thing and admit her responsibility. And yes, ask for help if she needs that too, directly rather than using some silly gambit to avoid her own culpability.

All it's going to take is one alumni from that college either coming to work at her place of employment or doing business with her company to find out that she is not listed in the alumni network.

Better to be honest about this sort of thing than it would be to found out.

I agree about being honest, but come on. Are people really doing the bolded? That seems ridiculous.

Sure. Why not? Most schools have alumni directories and such.

She probably won't get caught at her current employer. But the next employer will almost certainly call the university to confirm that she graduated and earned the claimed degree.

Of course she could start her own business and move on with her life and never look back.

As long as she's not claiming to have qualifications (a degree) that she does not actually have when she starts her own business....sure, who would know? Right?

Well, actually, I did not graduate from the college that I attended for 4 years. I have never proclaimed myself to be a graduate, either. People sometimes assume that I did graduate but I set the record straight. I'm not embarrassed by it, it is what it is.

Weird things can happen though. I never said I finished my Ph.D program, but an interviewer misunderstood. I was hired but then got a really nasty and threatening email that I had misrepresented myself. Luckily, I was able to prove that all the paperwork I submitted showed the same thing I actually stated in the interview. It was weird because a doctorate would have been grossly over qualified for the position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Presumably, even Op's daughter knows that framed diplomas are meant to be hung.

LOL. She should have bought the sweatshirt. At least she would have something to show for the money her parents spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bright side: you found out about it now, with plenty of time and options

My BIL listed his degree on his resume and for a big application. The HR department went to verify his degree and low and behold it was never finalized due. I believe he forgot to pay graduation fees. By the time he realized it, the graduation requirements changed and he would have to go back (to a different state) and take three more classes. He's never gone back. All that time and money, and no official degree.

Wow. Did he receive his college diploma? Most of the college grads that I know have their official college diplomas framed and hanging up.

Nope, he’s has nothing but credits.

Also most people do not hang their diplomas.

Maybe they don't hang them at work but they frame them and hang them at home. I'm surprised you've never seen that.

You think? I always cringe a little bit inside for people who do this.

Most people don't unless it's at their office in a professional firm that requires a degree. Otherwise you look kind of insecure.

Again, I totally disagree. I've seen them hung in home offices, family rooms, great rooms, you name it. It's an accomplishment to get a college degree, something to be proud of.

I cringe too. Save the degree for your resume, don't paper your walls with it.

[Anonymous]

I hung mine. It is hung in my bedroom closet. Not much traffic in there.

[Anonymous]

I've even seen people hang their graduation pictures on the wall - can you believe it?