Hi all, I graduated with the CHSPE at 16 and completely failed my first year of community college due to depression and financial reasons. I didn’t try my best and still failed, I simply didn’t go to finals all 3 semesters so it was automatic. The reason was I had no friends, had severe depression and suicidal thoughts, and my family income was under 20,000 a year so I had to work in retail and factory jobs full time simultaneously to help them.
I got accepted into the Berkeley TAP program at a new college after going back to school this winter but I didn’t tell them that I failed my first year yet and am wondering if I need to give them my transcripts for my failed college even though I got no transferrable credits from it.
Although I am finishing with a 3.8gpa I am scared to death that all the work and the 80% TAP acceptance rate will be for nothing since I messed up my first year.
Did anybody else transfer to Berkeley after failing a lot of courses? I obviously have a suitable reason (depression, graduating high school early due to bullying, family was near poverty) and showed my academic change through my gpa, but I am worried to tell my TAP representative.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!
First off, you can’t hide this from Cal or any other college. They ALL require you to report every college attended and list the grades. And for those tempted to “forget” there is a national student database the college chosen to enroll at will query and then they’ll demand the missing transcript(s) or just rescind on the spot for not honestly filling out the application.
Since all colleges are going to find out, why not work with your TAP rep to see the impact and what might be done? There are various rules and policies covering failing grades such as replacement if you retook the class, academic renewal which removes the grades, etc. Your TAP rep should be trained in these.
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@mikemac is right. You need to discuss this right away with a TAP advisor, or an academic advisor at the community college you attended. He or she might be able to help mitigate the situation.
I would be wary of blaming this all on mental health issues. I would instead prioritize that the main issue was having to work to support the family and not having enough time for studies. Make clear that you weren’t aware of your options to withdraw or whatever. Are you first generation? I’d mention that too. You didn’t realize that there were resources available. I would not mention that you had no friends, had severe depression and were suicidal. That information is not to going to reassure them. If you say anything about that, you could mention mental health struggles that you now have under control. But you really need an advocate, someone who can lend credibility to what you’ve told us here.
If you don’t address this now, it’s going to come back and bite you big time. It’s not an issue you can hide indefinitely. Be proactive, own the mistakes, and put your best foot forward. Your current grades are a testament to the fact that you can succeed.
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I had to look up TAP Transfer Alliance Project (TAP) | Center for Educational Partnerships (berkeley.edu)
I am surprised noone told you that you are required to submit all transcripts. So you only submitted a transcript from this year, not the first year you failed? I believe there can be trouble if you knowingly hide that year, so I agree with others, take care of this immediately and make sure they know that you thought that since there were no transferable credits, you did not have to submit. How did you get the community college to submit only one semester and leave out the others?
If you were depressed, you could have gotten documentation from a professional and registered with the Office of Disabilities and received accommodations like extensions or extra time. Did you talk to an advisor or anyone at the school, or did you just not show up for finals? You could also have withdrawn from classes for a W, or obtained a medical withdrawal, which would have wiped the grades/transcript clean.
Please make sure that you secure protection for yourself in the future by getting an MD, psychiatrist, or therapist to help you register with the Office for Disabilities.
I think it is okay to mention both work and depression but don’t go into too much detail. The MAIN thing is to tell Berkeley TAP ASAP about that other semester or you could get rescinded I believe (not sure, but I do know this is urgent).
Please let us know what happens! You have had a lot on your plate and clearly your current GPA shows your ability. They will see that too. The situation is much different with that 3.8 recently received.
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