<p>Hi, I am currently in my first quarter of college, but looking to transfer for the fall of 2012. When I came into college I was positive that I wanted to major in physical Therapy. I met with an adviser and found out the classes that I should start out with in order to get a jump start in the required courses. Going into my fall quarter I really didnt want to take a math class, because I have always struggled with math. It is by far my weakest subject. It was my lowest score on all standardized tests, as well as the only C I ever got in high school. I wanted to take some classes that I thought I could excel in during my first quarter, so I would be able to maintain good grades while figuring out the entire college scene. While talking to an adviser I was told that it would be the best idea to take math fall quarter so I did, and like I thought I would, I struggled a lot. Its completely my fault and I am embarrassed that I would let myself do so poorly in a class. Just to give a little background though, in high school I only got 1 C+ and it was in a math class, I kept my GPA at a 3.5 with honors and AP classes. The math class I was in was a large lecture class with about 80 students, which was another problem for me. I was too timid to ask questions, and the teachers only office hours were during another one of my classes. I spent a lot of time in the tutoring center, but still the material just didnt click with me. This is also the most failed class at my school. I thought about taking a W, but really wanted to try to work my way through the class and was too stubborn to give in.I ended up failing the class and now have a F on my transcripts for my first quarter. My problem is that I was looking to transfer for the fall of 2012. Is this pretty much impossible now for me? </p>
<p>Besides math I also took a sociology and psychology class during fall quarter. I got BS in both of those classes, and for winter quarter I am taking classes that I am comfortable with, which I think I have a good chance of acing. But am worried that I will be rejected from all schools I applied to as a transfer because of the failed math class.</p>
<p>The schools that I am applying to are: Michigan state university, American University, Depaul University, University of Washington and one more school that is still undecided.
I am hoping to double major in international relations and sociology with a minor in French.</p>
<p>So my question is did I completely screw myself over with this class? Or are there still a chance that I can get accepted?</p>
<p>Also my school has a policy where I can retake the class, and the retake grade will replace the current one, so I am giving this class another try in the spring, but I dont know if that will be too late.</p>
<p>Sorry this is so long, but thank you for any advice anyone can give me!</p>
<p>On the bright side the new majors you are going for probably aren’t very Math heavy. What math course was this exactly, was it a general education course or something else?</p>
<p>The course was introduction to Pre calculus. It does count towards a GUR but I don’t have to take that class, I could have taken ( preferably lower) level math classes to satisfy my math GUR. I only jumped into this class so fast because I thought i was positive on going physical therapy for my major.</p>
<p>One last question. Would it be good to include something like the explanation above on my transfer application under additional information? Or just leave it?</p>
<p>Frankly I think you’ll get rejected by those schools. They are at least moderately competitive. Can you even afford them (different public Us in different states mean you’d be OOS for at least one).</p>
<p>I ended up changing my list and taking off American University and adding Seattle University. That leaves me with one out of state public ( Michigan) two instate schools and one out of state private (Depaul). Would it help that i was accepted to all of these schools (except UW) as an in coming freshman during my senior year?</p>
<p>Honestly, I think you may need to lower your standards a bit in terms of transfer schools. All the ones you listed are quite competitive and will not like that you made an F in a core subject like math and B’s in the other classes you took. You would have been much, MUCH better off dropping the class before the term ended.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind saying, where do you go now and why do you want to transfer?</p>
<p>I go to a small liberal arts school in Washington. The reason I want to transfer is because my current situation is about 20 minutes away from home. I am in the same town as I grew up in, and frankly im just ready to leave. Last year as a senior, I applied to a lot of schools ( 13) all over the country ( Honestly I was all over the place). I got accepted into 11 out of the 13. My goals in college were to, try and get away from home, just for the new experience and ( as clich</p>
<p>I am in a similar situation (first year student at a school close to home looking to transfer somewhere further away, etc.) so I understand wanting to get further away from home.</p>
<p>Whether or not the schools will get to see your Winter Quarter grades depends on the application deadlines for each school. I suggest filling out the applications now (if you haven’t already done so) and having a transcript sent as soon as the quarter is over. I’m sure those grades (assuming you make A’s) will help your chances. However, I’m afraid that retaking the math class in the Spring may be too late for your transfer schools to take into consideration for your admission.</p>
<p>Basically, your situation is really complicated (as you know), but it can’t hurt to apply to those schools. If you’re lucky, you may get into the ones you listed, but I doubt they will be willing to give you a chance with your collegiate academic record, unfortunately. </p>
<p>If you are absolutely desperate to get away from where you are now for next fall, apply to some safeties in addition to the ones you mentioned just in case it doesn’t work out at MSU, Depaul, Washington, American, etc.
But whatever you do, DO NOT SETTLE for another college just because you want to get out of your hometown. If those colleges are the ones you really have your heart set on, stay focused at your current school and reapply when your GPA is back to where you want it.</p>
<p>“And do you think I should include an explanation for my F.”</p>
<p>What explanation could you give? Based on what you said here, there aren’t any extentuating circumstances like illness, a family crisis, etc… If you say nothing, the schools will probably assume the worst - that you partied too hard and didn’t have the maturity to recognize when you were over your head. It’s marginally better, I guess, to say that you were too shy to ask questions in class, didn’t seek an alternative time to meet with the prof when his or her office hours conflicted with your schedule, and didn’t recognize that you were in trouble soon enough to drop the class or take a W - but these are all indications to a school that you might not be a good risk as a transfer student.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound harsh here - you are not the first student to get in over your head in a class and get clobbered as a result. It’s a shame that because of the time you spent trying to salvage your math grade, your other grades also suffered. Unfortunately, until you have a semester or two with really good grades, I suspect very few schools will want to take a chance on you. Therefore, you best option is to really shine for the next two semesters and then apply to transfer.</p>
<p>Of course, this is just my opinion. You could try to set up an appointment with the admissions office (the area that handles transfers) for one of the schools you are interested in and talk to them about the sitution. Perhaps, if they agree to talk to you, they will see your situation differently - or provide a suggestion for what you can do that might demonstrate to them that you really are the kind of student they want.</p>