FlyingScotsman

I have a question I hope some of you may be able to answer.

I finished High School (Edinburgh) back in 1998 after completing both my Standard Grades and Higher grades. After obtaining my Bachelors degree in Glasgow, I am now living in the US and about to go back to school. The school I am planning to attend requires a copy of what is known here as a 'High School Diploma' or 'equivalent GED'.

I mailed a copy of my SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) certificates for both my Standard Grades and Highers, explaining where I obtained my marks. The school replied stating that they need some kind of 'evidence' that I did indeed complete High school (Actual date, location etc.). I am told that on completing high school here in the US, a student actually receives a diploma to this effect.

We don't (or didn't) have any kind of 'graduation' in Scotland. We get our marks in the mail during the summer holiday, then it's off to the big bad world.

My SQA certificates do state the year of completion, my marks and the school attended, but not technically anything which says I 'graduated' from high school.
What can i show to the school here that i DID 'graduate' ???

Anyone run into this before?

FS

Tracym

Frequently, if you have a college degree, noone cares about your high school anymore. Have you shown them your Bachelors degree?

The only other thing I could suggest would be to find some description of the Scottish school system on the net from some official-sounding source, and print it off for them. Or, would someone from the high school write a letter for you?

Perhaps someone else will have actually gone through this and be more help than I.

FlyingScotsman

I offered to send a copy of my Degree certificate, but strangely they only want high school stuff!
Even though you must have had to go through high school to get a degree, but "whatever".

Tracym

Sigh.

Well here, it can be technically possible to get a degree without a high school diploma or GED. Not common though.

Very odd of that college, I'm not sure what else to suggest. Perhaps a letter from your high school would suffice, if you could aquire one.

Just another thought - have you spoken to the manager of the admissions department, or whoever you're dealing with? This sounds like some dogmatic lower lever person perhaps - maybe try going up the ladder and seeing if you can get someone with more sense?

Elvira

Is the 'school' you are planning to attend a university? In which case they should have an international scholars department/office - they may be able to help.

Ray

make up you own diploma ....

Bob

ask them if they want you to use one of those degree certifying places, which are rubbish anyway, like WES....or speak to someone else, a degree should be enough?

Tarkak9

I would co-ordinate directly with the admissions department. You are just a number and a file to them I had to explain numerous times that we never "graduate" HS in the same manner as they do here; instead our benchmarks are national exams which prove attendance and qualification proficiency.

I would see if there is someone there who is in charge of international student applications because that is the person who would be more clued in to your situation and what is acceptable/meets the admission requirements etc. So talk to them. The approach I took was to establishing a rapport with one particular person and dealing with that person as much as possible. I do recall that I had to have a certified letter etc directly and sealed from my UK schools and not from me which verified my attendance etc. Definitely provide the contact info and persons to the Uni so that they can obtain what they want. I also submitted my A's and GCSE's for "consideration" - they do "translate" them with regards to education standards and adapt them into the application. Every little bit helps... sometimes you have to educate the educators.

Hope this helps and good luck