Several times while writing reminiscences about Penn State courses that I took, I’ve had to rely on my memory as to when I took the course and how well I did. A couple days I ago I wondered if I might still be able to get a transcript of my Penn State record. So I did a web search.

It didn’t take long; if it had, I would have given up as I tend to get impatient. I ended up at a site named Parchment.

It seemed much too easy. Could I really get a pdf of my transcript from 50 years ago? Wasn’t there a time limit? I didn’t see any. In any case the cost was only five bucks, cheap enough, even if I was only wasting my time. 

I filled in the form, which was simple enough. It required a signature, which was a pain using the trackpad, but I managed. It did say that it might take several days. I figured that it would eventually tell me that they didn’t keep records from that far back.

And I went off to lunch.

When I came back there was email telling me that my transcript had arrived. It was sent only an hour after I had filled in the form. And it was my full transcript from 1967-70.

Well, full except there were two courses missing. For some reason the two calculus courses weren’t showing up. I remember quite clearly that I took differential calculus during my first term, and I did well in it. At least a “B” anyway. I think I took integral calculus sometime during the following year, but I’m not sure exactly when, perhaps it was later in that first year, but I do recall that I struggled mightily with it. It was the first math course that didn’t come relatively easily to me. I know I took those courses, and I kept the textbook for years afterwards. Why they don’t show up on the transcript is a mystery.

On the other hand, the transcript does confirm that I got a “B” in that playwriting course and a “B” in the poetry workshop, both courses that I’ve mentioned in this blog. No surprise that I got a “C” in that percussion course, but I was surprised that I only received a “C” in the New Testament course, as I was sure that I had done better in that one.

I’ll save the rest for another day.