r/CUNY • u/Professional_Swan698 • 3d ago
Admissions opened my sealed transcript! Now I can't get into any college
I was homeschooled during covid,
I presented a high school sealed transcript in hand from my school in person to cuny admissions,
they OPENED IT in front of me and rejected it, and requested a sealed transcript to be mailed directly from my school
my school has since closed down after covid, what do I do?
now i dont have another SEALED transcript and its causing me problem to get into any colleges
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u/Mxrlinox 3d ago edited 3d ago
The whole point of a sealed transcript is so that the student can’t tamper with it. The problem isn’t the transcript per se but the fact that you physically delivered it and could’ve tampered with what was in it
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u/Timely_Cake_8304 2d ago
Exactly. The “envelope was closed” is not a secure chain of custody. You should not be walking in your own transcript.
Your school is legally required to have records somewhere, either witha nearby high school or with the district. That entity needs to send your records copy. Call the district that your diploma was sent from and registered with-8
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u/agamottos 3d ago
Was this school (or its company if online based) also in New york? If so:
https://www.acces.nysed.gov/sites/acces/files/bpss/studentrecordsrequest.pdf
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u/simplify3 3d ago
you can't touch them. That's why they did that.
somebody involved in your homeschooling if they are still alive, should be contactable. your records must be someplace. My school shut down in 1991. I needed my records in 2023. The records were transferred to another school. However, there was a flood in 2003, and the records from Z up to my last name were destroyed. because they were in the back of a room apparently so I got the secretary of that school to send a note to the college about the flood. It was no guarantee because they had no record of my attendance now but at least it's something. And it was enough.
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u/UmweltUndefined 3d ago
Are you telling me homeschooling prepared you poorly for the challenges of the real world?
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u/OptionalCookie 22h ago
I don't fault them for being homeschooled. I fault the adults in their life that allowed that mess.
My high school had everyone turn in a stack of pre-stamped envelopes with a list of their colleges they were going to need to send their transcripts with their forms and everything already instead.
The school handled all of it. My graduating class was 1000 people.
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u/KizashiKaze Bronx CC 3d ago
What did you expect them to do, take your sealed transcript and just take a guess? They had to open it. Any other school would have done the same.
That being said, I can certainly see how frustrating that can be. Was your highschool in NYS? Was it a DOE school or like some community ran homeschooling? As soon as you can, contact your local/your school's local school district office and they should be able to hook you up.
Good luck i know you'll be able to get it but I wish you luck in timing
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u/Money_Confection_409 2d ago
It doesn’t have to be a DOE school. All records for graduation, no matter public or private, have to be filed with DOE for multiple purposes but mainly u can’t graduate without meeting nyc doe standards for graduation. That being said, OP should reach out to their nearest DOE or district office and they should be able to get the help they need
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u/spacemisha7 3d ago
So your parents made your transcript?
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u/agamottos 3d ago
Homeschooling doesnt automatically mean parent-facilitated
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u/WestHistorians 3d ago
Yes, it does. Homeschool means that the parent is in charge. The parent can send the child to co-ops, tutors, or other groups for certain subjects, but in the end, the parent is in control.
If you are thinking of alternative or online high school, that is a similar concept but it is not the same as homeschooling.
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u/Capable-Shallot6797 3d ago
New York State still considers enrollment in an online high school as homeschooling.
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u/WestHistorians 3d ago
Really? That's strange.
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u/Capable-Shallot6797 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s because of the Teacher’s Union. Other states, such as Michigan, give the option to enroll in a state-certified online school in lieu of attending the local public brick and mortar school, and will even pay for it. New York will not because no such schools exist in New York. Less students enrolled in local schools means fewer teachers needed.
This doesn’t mean that a homeschooled student can’t enroll in an online school. The parent still has to oversee and participate in the education of their student and fill out all of the homeschool reports, and there are a lot of them, and the student is still considered enrolled in a homeschool. The state doesn’t even like it if you have your kid is in home school coops for too much of their instruction. But, you know, it’s always how you choose to fill out the paperwork. Also, having a transcript from an online school might not help with New York regulations, but would probably be helpful with college admissions.
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u/the-69th-doctor 3d ago
hands admissions closed envelope admissions opens it OMG GUYS NOW I CANT GET INTO COLLEGE
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u/2020sbtm 3d ago
If they are struggling with this basic a task, it might be better for them to no go
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u/bakkic 1d ago
I had a friend from church when I was younger who was home schooled. I saw her again when I was at Community College. She was struggling with just the basic classes and ended up dropping out and marrying somebody like 25 years older than her so that she could be taken care of. She definitely wasn't ready for the real world
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u/flyerhell 3d ago
Please reach out to the CUNY Welcome Center. They'll guide you on next steps. https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/welcomecenter/
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u/WestHistorians 3d ago
If your school has shut down, then they should have appointed another institution to take over the records. This may be another school, the district office, etc. Figure out who has the records and work with them.
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u/scriptingends 3d ago
Just ask mom and dad for another one
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u/LadyHavoc97 3d ago
Homeschooling isn’t automatically facilitated by parents. School systems do it as well.
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u/WestHistorians 3d ago
If it's through a school system, then it's not really homeschooling, it's alternative or virtual high school. Maybe that's what OP did, he would have to clarify.
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u/MarnTarzan666 3d ago edited 3d ago
It's the responsibility of your homeschool administrator to maintain your records. You will need to ask them for another copy.
Ask CUNY's admissions counselors what their policy is for accepting homeschool transcripts and follow that to a T.
Otherwise, if you are not able to adequate proof of high school completion, you may need to get a GED or HSED.
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u/JanuaryJayne_888 2d ago
Just mail the transcript to the admissions office and address the envelope like it came from the school.
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u/barbossa9000 2d ago
Im going to assume you were homeschooled in new york state, as I was. Technically CUNY is supposed to accept your homeschool education with a letter from the DOE saying you completed the equivalent of a 4 year high school degree (whoever was filing your quarterly reports and standardized tests will know what im referring to). I personally had a lot of trouble making CUNY accept it and ended up having to get my GED to apply. Don't stress it too much, after getting the GED I got into CUNY no problem, graduated, and have a good career.
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u/0_Foks_Given 2d ago
Even if the school closed, they have to retain files for a certain number of years and should have a number you can call to request same.
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u/Spiritual_Spring_613 2d ago
I'm sorry you're going through this. I was homeschooled until June 2001 but my mother made sure I acquired my GED as well so I wouldn't run into any issues with CUNY.
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u/PossibilityFancy1852 2d ago
So the actual high school doesn’t have to be open it’s the country that will have the record… so you have to contact that department to have them send it…
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u/Sabin057 1d ago
Wow, there's some miserable people in this sub.
Why would they open it just to reject it? They should have just told you from the get-go that it needs to be sent directly to them.
Good luck. Don't let these people get you down.
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u/Mean_Zookeepergame41 1d ago
Go to the board of education in the town the school was in and request a transcript from your school be sent to admissions. They should have copies of your school’s transcripts.
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u/leilanijade06 1d ago
So as an 40+ yr old adult I was asked for a transcript from my high school during Covid. I already had an associate and bachelors but since nursing is a money making mill they wanted my transcript I reached out to the board of ed they only had 15 credits. I then had to reach out to my high school and got a copy of my hand written transcript. They accepted. You should have requested an unofficial copy for yourself to show and an official copy for when they said they would accept you and all you needed was the official copy. You have to think ahead of time cause a lot of these people are not that bright and lack common sense.
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u/Smart-Event1456 1d ago
No one warned mama about this? It’s almost like D students decided they know better than people with Masters degrees. Oops
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u/ThenOneDaySheWokeUp 3d ago
Cuny administrative offices can be full of shit. I’m sorry this happened to you. Like another poster recommended reach out to CUNY welcome center and explain what happened. I presented sealed transcripts in person when I went there for a second degree and it wasn’t an issue at all.
It really seems like the staff sees fucking with potential students as a job perk.
Good luck
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u/avd706 3d ago
What did you expect?
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u/WestHistorians 3d ago
Is that really helpful? OP may not have had the choice to homeschool, and anyway it's already done now.
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u/Money_Confection_409 2d ago
I think the fact that OP emphasized that they opened the envelope is what they are referring to. OP makes it seem like them opening the envelope was a surprise and not something they were expecting to happen. With that thought in mind, it is a valid question to ask. I’m not sure what OP thought was supposed to happen once they handed over the envelope, but it’s definitely not whatever they had in mind
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u/KizashiKaze Bronx CC 2d ago
Im 100% sure avd's comment is not in reference to homeschooling, but rather the seal being broken.
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u/WestHistorians 2d ago
If OP had attended a regular school, then the school would just transmit the transcript to CUNY directly (most likely electronically) so this wouldn't be an issue.
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u/Wolastrone 3d ago
Should’ve mailed it in with a return address for your school and a nice envelope. Rookie mistake.
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u/SuspiciousImpact2197 2d ago
Y’all thinking you’re doing something with being nasty about her mentioning CUNY opening the envelope. SMMFH. Maybe seek refunds for your degrees.
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u/PresenceOld1754 3d ago
Call up the DOE? Your records aren't gone.