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So, in May of this year, I thought I graduated with a Master of Science degree. I put it on my resume and started applying to hundred of places. I literally applied to about 300 places in about two weeks. I got some phone interviews and was accepted into an internship. At this time, they didn't ask for proof of my degree, and I honestly thought that I had it.
It wasn't until sometime in June when I realized I was not awarded my degree. The reason being the department head failed to tell me that I had to take a final oral exam to complete my degree requirements. He actually told me months before that I didn't have to take it. I didn't know what the heck to do. I couldn't schedule the oral because I had to attend the internship with very short notice.
I decided to go to the internship, because I did not want to cancel the only opportunity I got at a job just to take some test that someone I trusted told me I didn't have to take.
Fast forward about three months and I did good during the internship. The company that sponsored the internship wants to hire me and are now asking for proof of my degree.
I did not intentionally lie on my resume. I thought that I had the degree at the time I wrote it and sent it off. I completed everything but that one oral test. I am still trying to schedule that test for sometime next month. I even thought I could do it during the internship, but I was too busy.
I really want this job and I have to tell them that my degree certificate is not yet awarded until I take that oral exam, probably sometime next month.
Do you guys think I am totally screwed? Or, do you think it's not a huge deal? The job doesn't even require a master's degree. I am just worried about having said that I have it on my resume. I should have came clean during the internship, but nobody asked about it.
Personally I wouldnt hire you for being so careless and negligent. The company HR most likely wont hire you citing policies. But if they really liked your performance and you as a person, they can still waive off and hire you by giving some concessions. As a company they need good people than some piece of paper. ( But if they decide to lay you off at a later date, these points would still be on record and used against you )
I was in a similar situation where our graduating class was told repeatedly that we did NOT need a certain class to graduate THAT semester. Fast forward half-way through the semester and OOPSIE well, we did need the class -- affected a whole group of students. The dept scrambled to cobble together a 2-day a week class to get us the requirement as May rapidly approached ... but if you were on student loans? Well, they weren't available to pay for that 3-credit graduate level class.
Fun times.
Do what you need to get through it and forget about finger pointing. The school will not take any responsibility for the mistake. Just it done and get on with.
We all have different experiences. Even during my BS, I was never really assigned an advisor. The reason being was because I double majored and minored in three different subjects. I would just speak to a random professor from whatever department I was currently in and told them to take the advising hold off of my account. Then, I would choose my own classes and do my own thing. This was easier to do in undergrad, because there is a nice digital system you can access that automatically tells you what you need to do. That didn't exist in grad school and I similarly was never really assigned an advisor. I took classes from three or four different departments and kind of did my own thing. I followed what I found online. However, this time around I received faulty information when discussing my degree with someone who I considered as one of my advisors. I would talk to him occasionally about my degree and future plans. On paper, my true advisor is the dude that funded my RAship, but this guy was in a different department than the one my degree was being awarded. None of the meetings I had concerning my degree were lengthy or very thorough.
So far, I don't think they are going to rescind the job offer. I am going to take the oral test as soon as I can. My degree will be awarded in December, assuming I don't fail the test.
Last edited by gameboyclub; 09-07-2019 at 01:07 PM..
We all have different experiences. Even during my BS, I was never really assigned an advisor. The reason being was because I double majored and minored in three different subjects. I would just speak to a random professor from whatever department I was currently in and told them to take the advising hold off of my account. Then, I would choose my own classes and do my own thing. This was easier to do in undergrad, because there is a nice digital system you can access that automatically tells you what you need to do. That didn't exist in grad school and I similarly was never really assigned an advisor. I took classes from three or four different departments and kind of did my own thing. I followed what I found online. However, this time around I received faulty information when discussing my degree with someone who I considered as one of my advisors. I would talk to him occasionally about my degree and future plans. On paper, my true advisor is the dude that funded my RAship, but this guy was in a different department than the one my degree was being awarded. None of the meetings I had concerning my degree were lengthy or very thorough.
So far, I don't think they are going to rescind the job offer. I am going to take the oral test as soon as I can. My degree will be awarded in December, assuming I don't fail the test.
I would just refuse the job opportunity until you get your degree, or if you already started working for them then maybe they will just forget about it or you can just show them a copy of your transcript which shows all the classes you took and GPA.
Where I studied, if you passed in June and awarded in OCtober, that means you failed some courses. OP says he has some "oral" test but no one knows if he has to take to complete any other full course itself! I dont find his story convincing.
So they didn't notice their classmates attending graduation being handed a diploma and they couldn't walk on graduation and didn't get a diploma? Didn't notice all the parties being held for graduation? The signs in people's cars? Their family and friends didn't attend and asked about their graduation either? They are taking on huge debt for student loans and don't even bother to read the college bulletin which contains all these procedures. This must be some institute of higher learning this happens to a LOT of people as you claim.
So how many of your classmates applied for jobs and failed a background check because they didn't actually graduate from the college they thought they did?
You seem to have this weird idea that actually graduating and getting your degree is synonomous with signage, walking, parties, etc. That's not how it works.
First, you can walk knowing you have 1 or more classes left (many time walking is only in June and some people have one more semester, but want to walk). Second, parties and signs in cars doesn't mean you actually applied for your diploma (aka they check everything before they say yes, you finished, we'll send out a diploma). Third, you don't actually receive your diploma WHEN you walk (well, we didn't at least and IIRC, I didn't get mine for a few months).
Maybe nowadays kids are babied and hand-held with the amount of notifications, reminders, checklists, etc, etc, etc, but when I went to school, I recall one reminder during a class. I only knew about it because I had heard stories about it AND I like to be thorough.
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