Your transcript shows every class you've taken and your grades. Colleges review it closely—here's what admissions officers actually look for.
Your High School Transcript plays a crucial role when you are applying for universities and scholarships. In this article, let us see What is High school Transcript, what it contains, where and why is it used.
A High School Transcript is an authoritative record your School maintains, listing your High School attainments and scholastic performance. Essentially, It contains all your scores starting from the first term as a fresher of your High School till you Graduate.
It comprises all essential details like the core course and grades. Better your Transcript, higher is the probability to select your application, as it provides a good impression on you.
Types of Transcripts
Transcripts are generally 2 types:
Official Transcript
Unofficial Transcript
Even though, Both the Transcripts are content-wise similar they have pretty good differences too.
An Official Transcript is always sent and received in a sealed enclosure and is stamped. This means no one can make a physical change to the copy and makes this highly reliable due to its 100% correctness and accuracy. Official transcripts are more formal and professional. This is sent straight from your High School to the college.
On the other hand, Unofficial Transcript is the one you can take a print out at your home. They are not sealed or verified manually under an administrator. It may be a genuine one or a forged one, So this is not considered as an official document.
What Does High School Transcript Contain?
It contains all your Academic details and performances in them like:
Complete list of courses you opted
Credits of each Course
Year of Graduation
Cumulative Grade obtained (Both weighted and unweighted)
Class rank
Transfer credits from another school
Attendance record
Awards and Honors
Other than Academic details, It also includes personal details such as:
Name
Date of Birth
Name of the school/college
Address
Students behavior and Disciplinary terms
College Essays
Extracurriculars
Why Do You Need a High School Transcript?
To apply for a College
After the High School Graduation, an obvious step is to apply for your Dream College, Where they ask you an application that includes your High School Transcript. As the Transcript contains all primary details about your Academic growth and performance, Colleges prefer them the most. Usually, Colleges ask for an Official High School Transcript, which is sent straight to them by your college Administration.
To shift to a new High School
Generally, When you want to move from one school to another, they ask for your previous High School Transcript, as they act as your last Report Card. They may even consider giving you Transfer credits depending upon the performance you delivered in your previous High School. So before transferring to a new school ensure that your old School provides you with a Transcript containing required details.
To apply for an Internship or Job
When you are a fresher, without much work experience, Companies can select you based on your academic attainments mentioned in your High School Transcripts.
How Do Colleges Look at Your Transcripts
Scoring a straight 'A's do not guarantee you an Admission. Colleges don't just skim your Transcript, They analyze them very deeply. They look at the course you took, their difficulty and your grades in them.
Apart from these Scholastic parts, they also check your Disciplinary actions, Behaviour and other life skills mentioned in your Transcript. So Academic outshine without proper behavior can also lead to the rejection of your application.
Finally to sum up things
Your High School Transcripts plays a key role during the selection process of your Admission. Keep your grades up and keep your behavior record sound, it makes you have the best High School Transcripts.