big problems...essentially a transfer question

Transfer Students
1

<p>I'd like to familiarize you with my situation. Please hear me out. I graduated high school in 2008 from a prestigious boarding and college preparatory school in the northeast. I graduated with respectable grades, several leadership positions and SAT scores in the 2000 ballpark. I gained acceptance to schools such as Dickinson, Sewanee, and Rhodes, but chose to attend Ole Miss as a journalism major for financial reasons. </p>

<p>Long story short, I'm just not happy at Mississippi. I developed problems early on in the Fall semester with students anonymously libeling my name on the internet without cause (the school has refused to take any steps to identify these people and take care of the problem accordingly). Since then, the libel has continued and in fact intensified making the atmosphere at Ole Miss almost unbearable for me. I ended up being brought down so much by the situation that I developed insomnia, leading to, as you may imagine, a very difficult first semester that I am by no means proud of. As it looks now, I plan on returning to Mississippi for Spring semester because it is currently too late in the game to do much else, but am not sure as of right now that I'd like to return in the Fall.</p>

<p>Thus, I've researched schools that I'd like to attend if and when I decide to leave Ole Miss. My thoughts right now are VCU (I'm in state here), UDel, Alabama, or Auburn (I was accepted as a high school senior). However, my Fall semester grades at Ole Miss - the result of a sleep disorder and extreme social anxiety - are less than stellar. In fact, they're at the lowest point they've ever been in my life. Think bad. Really bad. I'm pretty sure the only credits I have right now are the two APs I came in with.</p>

<p>I plan on doing as well as I can during my second semester at Ole Miss, and hope to bring up my grades despite the unhappy and difficult situation I have found myself in. As I'm sure you understand, it a challenge to find success in a personally oppressive environment. I understand that attending community college and then transferring is an option, but I'd rather have the chance to start over at a university as soon as I can.</p>

<p>I suppose the root of my question is, assuming I at least do somewhat better at Ole Miss for Spring, do admissions officers look at these special situations with any kindness? I have a high school transcript and the SAT scores to prove that these recent grades are really just the result of a bad environment, but having played the admissions game once before, I know that it's getting harder each year to get in, and it's less likely that any excuses for poor performance will be taken.</p>

<p>Any insight you have into my situation is beyond appreciated. </p>

<p>As somewhat of a side note, what are the best places to earn a degree in creative writing? (More specifically poetry)</p>

2

<p>bumping this shizz</p>

3

<p>i have no experience at all in transferring (unless it's for UCs, and then I could help you as my family has gone through that process) but for your sake Im bumping this thread. </p>

<p>Best of luck to you!</p>

4

<p>I would say you are fine just explain the situation in your app. Many students have problems adjusting to college so don't stress too much. Since you will be applying to as a soph. transfer, your high school grades will be taken in consideration.</p>

<p>What other schools were you accepted to in high school? Maybe you should contact the admission offices there since they already know you are qualified to attend.</p>

5

<p>thanks for the bump.</p>

<p>i've already emailed some admissions offices explaining my situation and how it might be dealt with at their particular school. here's hoping they give me a straight answer so i don't waste my time applying to a school that will see my most recent grades and not give me a second thought.</p>

<p>i'll give more info as i get further into this process. this is something that isn't dealt with often on these boards and would be a good reference for other kdis having the same issue.</p>

6

<p>I'm wondering why you just don't stay off the internet sites where this "libel" stuff is going on... either it is a bunch of immaturity on social networking sites or it is something you can take to court and sue some people. I am presuming it is the former, so just get OFF of all those social networks and ignore them.</p>

<p>As for spring classes, take classes in different departments than these moron friends of yours and lay low.</p>

<p>If you have problems transferring, you can always go to a community college for awhile instead. In fact, you can drop your spring semester classes at Ole Miss and probably get into a community college for spring. Voila - now you have removed yourself entirely from the toxic environment.</p>

<p>In any case, you will need to learn how to avoid, side step and "tune out" the toxic games people play. You haven't given us any details to know what level of seriousness this harassment has been, but most of this stuff can be side stepped. I'm not saying it is fair, but I am saying that you can prioritize your sanity by moving on and focusing on what is more important. </p>

<p>You may also want to reflect on what behaviors you may have done to attract this kind of attention so that it doesn't repeat at a different institute. I'm not trying to blame the victim, but in any situation like this, there are things to be learned to make yourself stronger and less vulnerable in the future. Even thought you don't know exactly who is doing all of this, you can probably make some educated guesses of what sector this is happening from.</p>

<p>Good luck,</p>

<p>Annika</p>

7

<p>i wasn't asking for life advice, i was asking for admissions advice. and in my post i suggested it was too late for me to do spring community college (classes have already started where i live - i have already inquired and i am indeed too late). what i experienced with libel was on a fairly intense level, and it was done anonymously so i can't really "avoid" the people who did it because i have no idea who they are. i do "stay off" the sites. i haven't been on the certain website to look in weeks because i refuse to read what is written, but that is neither here nor there because, no matter if i look at it or not, it is still there and it is still personally damaging.</p>

8

<p>Umm, Ole Miss has one of the best creative writing programs in the country. There's also Princeton (Tobias Wolff!) which, unfortunately, doesn't take transfers and Iowa State.</p>

9

<p>are we thinking of the same school? the ole miss that i go to doesn't even offer a creative writing minor, much less a major, and there are only four classes offered that are geared towards creative writing...</p>

10

<p>sigh. bumping.</p>

11

<p>No offense, but if I were in admissions, and you relayed the same story as above it would smell of immaturity. I would suggest scrapping that idea entirely, and story (whether true or not), and invent something about illness in your family coupled with adjusting to college life. If you thoroughly improve your performance during the spring semester I think you will be fine. </p>

<p>Just an opinion…</p>

12

<p>I suggest you take a year off and spend it doing something productive and/or meaningful to someone else’s life. A year spent well and spent assessing what you might do differently when you attend college again would strengthen your applications down the road, in spite of your grades while you were at Ole Miss. I think it will be very difficult for you to transfer to a school you are happy about with the college transcript you apparently have. I would not encourage you to lie about all that went on, but rather put some distance between you and the problems in the next year, hopefully gain some wisdom and greater maturity (we all grow and change in a year’s time, regardless of whether you think your own maturity was at issue this year at Ole Miss), and then communicate the benefits the year off has brought you when you next apply.</p>