Co-curricular Transcript: The Competitive Edge

Ever wonder how getting involved in activities outside the classroom could help your student get a job after graduation? What if there was a document that could help with a student’s first job search or an undergraduate’s application for scholarship funds, internship opportunities or even admission to graduate school?

PUC students will be able to reap the benefits of this new program – the “Co-Curricular Transcript” (or “CcT”) – beginning this summer.

A “CcT” provides a systematic method of documenting a student’s involvement in activities outside the classroom. It documents a student’s leadership experiences, honors and awards, organizational involvement and/or community service in one official document.

An employer or graduate school admissions officer can see at-a-glance the organizations and activities in which your student has been involved. They then will have an opportunity to engage your student in conversation about the skills they have developed as a result of their extracurricular experience. Conducting meetings, establishing agendas, developing budgets, planning special events, and responding to questions from the media are experiences that students may have outside the classroom. These are valuable skills that will serve students well throughout their lives!

When included with a student’s resume and academic transcript, the CcT verifies involvement, leadership and initiative – all qualities that hiring managers and selection committees are looking for in those they consider for employment, scholarships and admission.

Students may create their CcTs by completing a form on-line at the CcT website (below) or by completing a CcT form that is available in the Office of Student Activities in the Student Union Library (SUL), Room 104-B. Once created, students may request copies of their CcT in Student Activities or at the Enrollment Services Center in Lawshe, Room 130. The CcT will be ready in a few days of the request, so please encourage your student to plan ahead.

The student groups who served as the pilot – or test – group for the CcT last fall have given the CcT program high marks for its usefulness, user-friendliness and practicality. The Resident Advisors in University Village, New Student Orientation Leaders and Ronald McNair Scholars were the pilot project participants and will be able to utilize their CcTs this spring.

Please encourage your student to check out the CcT – it could improve her/his marketability in an increasingly competitive arena by providing the “Competitive Edge!”

Information about this new program for students will be made available throughout campus during the week of April 27 as a part of the Stress Free Week. More information is also available at www.calumet.purdue.edu/cct or by contacting the staff at the Office of Student Activities at (219) 989-2369

HAMMOND, Ind. – Academic transcripts may tell the story about a college student’s performance in the classroom. But for employers and graduate schools that want to know more about an applicant, Purdue University Calumet is introducing a co-curricular transcript this fall.

This transcript will be an official university document that lists all honors, awards and non-academic activities in which a student participates while enrolled at Purdue Calumet. Such involvement may include membership and offices held in student organizations, participation in intercollegiate athletics, selection to attend educational and leadership workshops and conferences, community and campus volunteerism, and campus employment.

“Purdue Calumet students have many opportunities to get involved on campus, and this co-curricular transcript is a great way for them to document and showcase their involvement,” Director of Campus Life Gloria Roldan-Schieb said.

For students who provide proper documentation, their non-academic activities will be tracked, recorded and validated on the transcript. The transcript then can be provided to employers and graduate schools to which students have applied.

The documentation process involves completing a one-page Co-curricular Transcript Entry Form along with a Validation Form for each activity listed. Supervisors, mentors and organizational advisors then must verify a student’s honors, awards and involvement in organizations or activities.

“The validation and verification process substantiates the transcript’s integrity,” Purdue Calumet Dean of Students Sarah Howard said. “Hiring employers, graduate school admission counselors and other professionals can rely on the accuracy of the information provided.”

Purdue Calumet Student Government Association President David Ober called the transcript “the perfect tool for students to highlight their hard work and accomplishments outside of the classroom.”