Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
Of interest to folks, particularily recent graduates:

Your original degree..is a legal document.
This is the response I received when contacting my alma mater. They only issue a copy/photocopy.

And I did hear of a case where a woman was denied a job offer because she claimed she graduated with her MA...when actually she was about to be given it in about 3 months. Of course, release of transcript only happens parallel with granting of degree, as we graduates know already.

The electronic revolution will never replace this..plus birth certificate, passport, etc.

Any interested employer can do a search and find references of my involvement via professional associations where I've been a member, and references to articles I've written for the Internet. If you can pick me out from other folks with same name.

Um, every college I have ever attended would HAPPILY send out official transcripts of work completed to date even before the degree was awarded. They now of course send out official, final, transcripts for me as a graduate.

A diploma may be a legal document like a birth certificate or a social security card, but I can get official, legal copies of both of those documents that work just as good as the originals if necessary (it's annoying and expensive, but it can be done.) I cannot imagine a diploma is any different. Crap happens, these documents get lost in fires, floods, etc, people aren't told they are SOL forever because of it either.