Editorial: Improving our transcripts

There are two main formatting issues with the current display of transcripts. First, the internal transcripts compiled by the University — which are frequently utilized in applying to internship and employment organizations rather than official transcripts — cut off course titles in a manner that takes away from the value of the course. For example, ANT 351: Tolerance and Governance in the Mediterranean is awkwardly presented on a transcript as “Tolerance and Governance in th,” a title that appears both unprofessional and fails to adequately convey to potential employers the material examined in the course.

Second, the distribution requirement designations are not abbreviated and are displayed in full. The issue with not abbreviating these designations is that they take space away from the course titles, which are far more descriptive than distribution requirement designations. Furthermore, certain courses blur the lines between these arguably artificial compartmentalizations: Is MOL 205: Genes, Health and Society more properly an SA or an STN? To so prominently feature these categories is to inflate their importance and to fail to recognize the interdisciplinary nature of many Princeton courses.

The solution is simple. One, the column providing course titles should be widened so that course titles can be presented in full. Two, the distribution requirement designations should be abbreviated as they are in the registrar’s list of course offerings. Additionally, they should be relocated alongside the course number. This move would allot more space to course titles, and it would more accurately reflect the relevance of such ambiguous categories as “Quantitative Reasoning” and “Social Analysis.” These changes merely involve a reprogramming of the technology that generates these internal transcripts. Any associated cost is likely to be minimal and far outweighs the benefit of providing a complete transcript. While we cannot ensure that employers adequately review the substance of courses, featuring fuller course descriptions would at least promote a review of the material studied. GPAs are important, but their context provides an equally expressive image of a student’s time at Princeton.

Although these changes may seem minimal, taken together they rightfully ensure that employers do not only focus on grades when examining our transcripts. Obviously, grades are the most important element of the transcript, but they are not the only important indicator of our academic careers at Princeton. The subject matter of courses is also relevant to our candidacy for internships, fellowships and jobs.

Princeton ultimately has an obligation both to its students and their potential employers to provide an accurate and complete assessment of the academic work performed here. In providing for fuller course descriptions, the University would be taking a small, but meaningful, step toward better meeting that obligation.