# Where is your High School diploma? (plus bonus question) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811 "2015-02-04T16:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/41 "2015-02-05T01:22:59Z")
It’s in the fire safe along with passports, birth certs, etc. My high school yearbook is on one of the bookshelves. Why does anybody hang on to that stuff? I have no nostalgia for high school, nor for anybody I went to school with. Yet I’ve been carting it around the world for nearly 50 years for some reason. The yearbook did come in handy for the 40th reunion, as I copied photos out of it for use with name tags. ---
**Author:** ![littlespeedysuperbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@littlespeedysuperbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlespeedysuperbike)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/42 "2015-02-05T01:23:11Z")
HS diploma: Used to fix a hole in some plaster, painted over. Undergrad: Lost in the mail. Graduate: Has pride of place in its little maroon cardboard tube on top of my dresser. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/43 "2015-02-05T01:24:12Z")
In a box in a storage unit in TX. I should probably clear that out. I’ve never needed to show anyone any diploma. I’ve only used transcripts to apply to other schools. A while back I applied for a job in Germany just for fun. I started a thread about it, because apparently they care about your highschool standardized test scores when applying for a job. Even if you’re 30. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/44 "2015-02-05T01:31:31Z")
Funny you should ask; just before the holidays, for the first time in my life, I was asked to provide proof of education by an employer. I had to go online and have Pitt send me a copy of my complete transcript because my HS and College diplomas are in one of several attics and I just don’t feel like trying to find any of them. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/45 "2015-02-05T01:32:12Z")
Now, I have no reason to keep such things, I’m old and have no desire to return to school. That said, I was nearly rejected from college, when a month into starting, The registrar’s office called me and said They had to see proof that I even _went_ to high school, since they had “proof” that I dropped out of …wait for it… KINDERGARTEN! I had to show them both my paper diploma, and had my high school send them a transcript. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/46 "2015-02-05T06:23:14Z")
I recently found it, after not having seen it for more than 50 years. It’s right across the room from me, atop an old keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/47 "2015-02-05T12:25:25Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I was asked to provide proof of education by an employer You should have commenced to rattle off facts. “The area of a circle with radius R is given by the formula A=πr²” ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/48 "2015-02-05T15:36:45Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > QFT. My high school diploma is in a box along with some other quasi-important papers. In the 35 years since I graduated, I’ve never been called upon to to present it for any reason. I started a new job recently and was asked for my diploma, which I haven’t seen since they handed it to me over 40 years ago. It’s weird how grudgingly my new employer accepted my transcripts; they really seemed to think I should have had the diploma handy. Funny thing - I helped my sister bring home a new water heater and her HS diploma was in the back of her SUV with a bunch of other junk. Apparently it’s been in there about a a decade, transferred from the trunk of her previous car when she bought this one. It’s likely been in the trunk of every car she’s had since the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/49 "2015-02-05T15:49:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > You should have commenced to rattle off facts. > > “The area of a circle with radius R is given by the formula A=πr²” I tried “Did you know Fort DuQuesne was named for the French Royal Governor in the New World and that he died before learning of the tribute to his name” but it didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/50 "2015-02-05T16:00:09Z")
Pretty sure its in my “box of memory crap” at my parents house. I have my bachelor’s and my master’s with me in my apartment though. Both just sitting on a chair ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/51 "2015-02-05T16:55:08Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I tried “Did you know Fort DuQuesne was named for the French Royal Governor in the New World and that he died before learning of the tribute to his name” but it didn’t work. [Cheers!!](http://duquesnebeer.com/) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/52 "2015-02-05T17:18:19Z")
Couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/53 "2015-02-05T17:23:27Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > …A while back I applied for a job in Germany just for fun. I started a thread about it, because apparently they care about your highschool standardized test scores when applying for a job. Even if you’re 30. Interesting. That leads me to wonder. 1. Can you retake high school standardized tests later in life? In the US, your high school performance (e.g. GPA, test scores) becomes irrelevant more or less as soon as you get in to college or get your first job. After that, all that really matters is that you graduated from high school. 3.8 HS GPA, a BS, and ten years of work experience is basically the same thing to a hiring manager as a 2.7 HS GPA, a BS, and ten years of work experience. If HS scores continue to be relevant into adulthood, that leads me to believe that there might be a good reason to try to improve them later. 2. What do immigrants do? Do Frenchmen with master’s degrees or Finns with doctorates show up in Germany and have to sit German high school exams in order to get hired and/or do a German degree? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/54 "2015-02-06T17:53:52Z")
Full-size one is around here somewhere; laminated, wallet-size one is in a wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/55 "2015-02-06T18:21:53Z")
Full size went into the trash years ago. The little wallet sized laminate one is stuck at the bottom of cigar box somewhere in the attic. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/56 "2015-02-06T18:33:01Z")
Two of you have mentioned “wallet sized” diplomas. That’s interesting, I never heard of such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/57 "2015-02-06T18:49:48Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Two of you have mentioned “wallet sized” diplomas. That’s interesting, I never heard of such a thing. I have a plastic-laminated diploma, but only for my doctorate – never got one for high school or my other colleges. It actually came in useful once. It got me into the reading room at Harvard’s Widener Library (although not into the stacks). I still have it in my wallet, although no one’s wanted to see it for years. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/58 "2015-02-06T19:15:23Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Two of you have mentioned “wallet sized” diplomas. That’s interesting, I never heard of such a thing. I’ve got one of those, too, and keep it with the diploma. It’s an exact replica of the diploma, little larger than a business card and heavily laminated. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/59 "2015-02-13T00:06:29Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Mine is in the top drawer of my bureau, along with my AA, BS & Tech School diplomas. I am thinking about throwing the HS, AA & Tech School diplomas in the trash. Is there any legitimate reason to hang onto them? I wouldn’t throw out my BS diploma, because it seems the only one that represents any value in the bunch. How old are you? I applied for a job when I was in my mid-late 40s, and HR demanded my HS diploma. Didn’t have my BA yet, and here I was, middle-aged, and looking for a state job, after having worked for the state for 10 years at another job, and I had to dig around my childhood home, looking for something that I had never had to produce-ever. Can’t remember if I ever found it, and I found a better job in the meantime, but, it was instructive. Don’t throw any diplomas away! But, per the OP: I think my diploma is gone to diploma heaven. This is somewhat ironic, since I still have some of my 1-3rd grade report cards quite handy. ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811/60 "2015-02-13T17:04:58Z")
Not positive but I think it is either in our bank box or in a box of keepsakes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-high-school-diploma-plus-bonus-question/711811.md?page=4)