After graduating, there is an inevitable panic about what on earth you’re going to do with your big pile of transcripts, letters, and certificates. Whilst most people choose to retain these items in a shoebox, that is a recipe for disaster: a shoebox will not survive a house fire or water damage, and can become easily lost in a cross-country move.
Organizing your educational records isn’t just about tidiness, but it’s about ensuring that your life’s hard work is at hand, ready for whenever you may need it to verify your qualifications or apply for a job promotion.
What you’ll need: Physical and digital storage
When you think about storage, your first thought almost always goes to a physical item, but in this day and age, it can also be prudent to keep your important documents saved digitally as well so that they are always available whenever you need them.
Most people recommend keeping all important documents in either a fireproof, waterproof document bag or, more commonly, a locked filing cabinet. Slot each document into a PVC-free, archival-grade sleeve to help prevent ink from fading or sticking to plastic.
As you put each document into a sleeve and into a folder within the filing cabinet, or document bag, you should take a photograph of it on your smartphone and invest in using a secure cloud service, like Google Drive or Dropbox, which uses two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your files. This way, you will be able to access any important information upon request, no matter where you are in the world. 2FA uses both a secure password and an authentication code, such as one sent via SMS to your phone, and is non-negotiable for sensitive data, such as documents like these.
Your step-by-step guide to academic organization
Below, you will find a simple four-step process that you can bookmark and refer to regularly to ensure that nothing important is ever truly lost again.
Step 1: The great roundup
First things first, go from room to room and gather every single document that you may need in the future. This could include transcripts, test scores, degree certificates, letters of recommendation, and financial aid records. Outside of academia, you should also collect and keep items like pay slips, investment portfolios, and tax contributions.
Once you have the pile collected, you need to sort it into three specific categories: keep physically, keep digitally, and shred. Any document that contains sensitive information that you no longer need should always be shredded, as this securely destroys the document and protects your personal data.
Step 2: Digitize and organize
For the items that need digitizing, you can either scan them on your desktop printer at a high resolution (at least 300 dots per inch, DPI) or take HD photographs of them using your smartphone. Once you have the images taken or documents scanned, you should transfer them to your computer ready for being kept in the cloud.
Consistently name each file, so you will easily be able to find what you need at a glance. For example, you could choose the format YYYY-MM-DD_DocumentName.jpg where all files are sorted by their date, but the name of the file allows you to identify what document you need without having to open each image individually every single time.
This simple step can turn a chaotic pile of paperwork into a searchable database, especially when located in the cloud on an app that your smartphone can scan through to find any relevant files when needed.
Step 3: Secure your originals
All high-priority original physical documents, such as diplomas, birth certificates, and academic transcripts, should be put into the fireproof safe. We advocate that these crucial documents are also kept digitally, as you never know when you will need them, so having them on hand anywhere in the world is a sensible move.
These documents are far too valuable and expensive to replace; do not just leave them lying around your house. Respect the prestige of the document by keeping the originals safe in the lockbox.
Step 4: Display your achievement, protect the original
We know many people love to show off their academic achievements by framing their degree. However, it is quite risky to frame an original diploma, as that exposes it to UV light and humidity, as well as leaving it at risk of fire or water damage in case of acts of god. Instead, getting your hands on a high-quality replica is the sensible way to display your success without risking the original.
Using a diploma maker service, like the one we offer here at Validgrad, allows you to give your details over to create a personalised replica certificate that can be hung on your office wall.
Pro tips for long-term record keeping
Three big tips to keep all your documents safe and sound are: an annual audit, the 3-2-1 backup rule, and a key contacts cheat sheet.
Mark on your calendar a specific day every single year to review and audit your digital document folder. Something easy to remember, like a birthday or the start of the year, helps build the habit quickly, too. You’re checking for file corruption, verifying that your cloud subscription remains active, and updating any new records you’ve gained over the last 12-month period. This is important because things change very quickly in the digital sphere; file formats change, cloud accounts expire, and passwords need to be changed. A quick annual check will prevent your documents falling into a digital graveyard.
You should also always ensure that you have three copies of your most important records, such as birth certificates, transcripts and degrees. Keep them on two different media types, such as your laptop hard drive and a physical USB flash drive, and then ensure one of the copies is kept off-site, such as in a secure and encrypted cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. Do this because laptops get stolen, hard drives fail, and USB sticks go missing; this digital system ensures that even if you suffer a total home loss due to fire or burglary, your academic records will remain intact.
Your final fail-safe is to maintain a simple physical or digital cheat sheet that lists the Registrar’s Office phone number, email address, and direct link to the transcript request portal for every institution you attended. If you need a transcript in a rush for a job application in five years’ time, you don’t want to be wasting hours searching through university websites. Having the direct line ready means you’re prepared for all eventualities.
Make organizing educational records a breeze
Organizing may feel like a bit of a chore, but it can be much easier to instead view it as an act of respect for your own achievements. Once you’ve digitized your records and locked away your originals, you will feel a weight lift off your shoulders.
Finish your office setup by getting a professional replica from a diploma maker that you can frame beautifully and hang on the wall behind your video call setup, letting you enjoy and share your success every single day without ever risking the original.
