Summer classes can be hard, but applying for them can be even harder.

When regular classes are out, thousands of University students attend community colleges and two-year schools as transient students, temporarily taking classes at another institution to fulfill core class requirements at a lower tuition rate. 

Many students go to other University System of Georgia institutions during the summer.

Though students already going to school in the University System have sent in needed information —  such as immunization forms and proof of U.S. citizenship — they must give in these same papers again when applying as transient students.

This means a student from the University applying to another public college in Georgia must submit more forms — the same ones they used to attend the University in the first place.

John Vanchella, director of strategic communications for the Board of Regents, explained why students need to resubmit immunization forms to institutions.

“My understanding is they have to have a recent copy,” Vanchella said.

He said a measles outbreak on the University campus a few years ago, which caused quarantined classes, led other University System institutions to require current immunization forms.

One of the colleges requiring updated immunization forms is the two-year school Georgia Perimeter College — the third-largest in the state after the University and Georgia State University. 

With six campuses spread across metro Atlanta, the college receives a heavy influx of transient students during the summer.

The University registrar’s office has processed more than 1,000 transient letters for Perimeter since Jan. 1, 2010.

Vanchella compared the information database of Perimeter with the University’s.

“Each school has their own records and admissions system,” he said. “It doesn’t allow Perimeter to tap into UGA’s admission system.”

Rodney Parks, associate registrar at the University, said though Perimeter is one of the largest transient schools for University students, it can be difficult to apply because transient students’ submissions are “last in line” after permanent students.

“Getting the paperwork in becomes more of a headache,” Parks said.

And when students do send in the proper forms, Perimeter may have trouble processing them, Parks said.

“I received more complaints this summer than since 2004,” he said. “We were sending the letters, and the institution said they didn’t receive it.”

Parks said this may stem from the large amount of applications Perimeter accepts at their main Clarkston branch.

“It boils down to volume,” he said. “You have a lot of extraneous campuses sending stuff to them.”

Richard Beaubien, director of recruitment and admissions at Perimeter, said the number of applications and students is growing.

“Because of the economy, we’re getting more and more transient students,” Beaubien said.

He also said the Board of Regents requires Perimeter — and all other Georgia institutions — to gather the immunization forms of every one of those students.

“We’re not terribly happy about keeping track of immunizations, but we have to,” Beaubien said. “We wish we could do something about it.”

But the University does take part in a system called GRITS, which keeps track of immunization forms between Georgia physicians.

“If a student from Georgia doesn’t have their information for some reason, we can pull it up,” said Melanie Gibson, manager of registration and health information at the University Health Center.

GRITS is the system most similar to a common immunization database between schools in existence, Gibson said.

“If you’re going to another college, they don’t have our records,” she said. “Our systems don’t talk to each other.”

Ben Wineski, a junior from Decatur, found this out firsthand when he applied as a transient student to Georgia State in summer 2009.

“I had a lot of trouble getting my medical records to them,” Wineski said, saying it took a month to sort everything out. “I literally had to drive to Atlanta to give it to them.”

He pointed out immunization forms couldn’t be sent online, creating a lot of hassle in an otherwise simple application procedure.

“They could have had a better system to send medical records,” Wineski said.

Gibson said though it has never been developed, a shared information system between schools would be valuable.

“It would be more efficient. It would be great,” she said. “It would save a hassle for the students.”

When asked why no common database exists for forms every University System of Georgia school requires, Vanchella said he is at a loss.

“That’s a good question. There isn’t, and I don’t have the answer for that,” he said.

Vanchella said perhaps incompatible software across campuses prevents a common database. He also said creating one would entail expenses in the midst of extreme budget cuts.

“Initially, it would add costs,” he said. “It would be a combination of costs and benefits associated with it.”

Rebecca Macon, the University registrar, said students’ data is available to colleges on a “need-to-know” basis, so a system where multiple institutions could retrieve students’ information may raise concerns.

“I think I would have a lot of questions about the security access,” she said.

MACON

Beaubien said he thinks a shared information system would be good for Perimeter.

“It would be ideal to move toward a common database,” he said, saying such a device is in the future. “It’s slowly moving in that direction.”

But there are hurdles to overcome in order to create such a system.

“I get a headache just thinking about how much work it would be,” Beaubien said. “The taxpayers would probably scream. It would be very expensive.”

The University is already discussing a communal electronic database involving online PDF transcripts with vendors and the Board of Regents. Transcripts could be sent not just to schools, but also after graduation to places such as work.

“It would save a tremendous amount of time and money on everyone’s part,” Parks said. “It’s the wave of the future.”