I was accepted to a university that I want to attend, but it is far away and right now I am dealing with mental health issues. Specifically, I have something called seperation anxiety. Taking a gap year will not be helpful for me unless I can use it to practice living and learning on a college campus (but close by so that if there are issues I can come home). Right now, my best bet is to do my freshman year at a school in-state.
School 1: school i want to go to
School 2: in state school
Could I defer admission to school 1, citing mental health issues that need resolution, do freshman year at school 2, drop out of school 2 at the end of the school year, and then enter the freshman class of school 1 (class of 2021)
I really don’t want to let go of my dream school, but is that my only option?
No.
You can transfer, but not repeat your freshman year elsewhere.
Why don’t you take a gap year? Notify the school you want to go to that you’re experiencing health issues. And that you want to devote the next year to getting better.
It’s OK. People do it all the time. Don’t rush school: delaying college one (or even two or three) years won’t make a difference in the course of your life. But NOT getting the help you need will.
Also, what would be the point? You’re paying for a whole year of school for which you’re not getting credit, possibly requiring you to repeat some intro classes, depending on requirements at the two schools.
I’m all for education for education’s sake, but i don’t know that this is a good approach. @katliamom (why didn’t that work?) has the right idea.
People talk about that clearing house-I just have never heard of it outside of this site. I also think it comes close to being a FERPA issue. But, regardless, I think you should talk to the school that admitted you about your concerns. I would not rule out being able to do what you mention-but in a more straight forward way-by talking to both schools. No school wants a student to attend if the student feels they are not ready to attend and have to deal with mental health issues closer to his/her support system.
Yes, there is a clearinghouse and it’s not just known within CC. I remember seeing on my kids’ college portal the results of the clearinghouse indicating that they had not attended any other college (which was true.)
I think it’s some sort of access system that colleges pay into in order to run student’s info in to see if they’ve enrolled elsewhere at any time.
Why don’t you call admissions at school 1 and talk about how to deal with the situation? Perhaps you can arrange to defer your admissions while you get the help you need (and see if you could take a few classes at a local college).
The clearinghouse showed up on my son’s portal too. My husband works for the state, and in order to keep our son on our dental insurance after he graduated from high school we had to show he’s a full-time college student. The link his college provided for us to obtain the proof was to the clearinghouse. We printed the documentation and the state accepted it, so the site is used and the information on it is apparently considered reliable. I’ve attended 5 different colleges (a mix of state schools and private colleges) simply because I like to learn. I’m enrolling in a 6th this fall, so I used the clearinghouse to see what was on my record. Every college I attended, whether or not I earned a degree there, is listed. Lay people may not know the clearinghouse exists, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously by those who do.
ebecker1, you want your college experience to be enjoyable. Contact your college and request a gap year. Get your mental health straightened out, then start college. You’re fortunate that you know now, before school starts, that you need a break. Some students don’t realize they need help until after they start college. You don’t want to be in the position of having to leave school and figure out how to repair your record. Good luck.
I agree that you should explain to your current college why you need a gap year, then get a job and your own apartment for that one year. That way you will still be close to home while learning to live out of the house. Maybe even after a month or two make a rule that you will only see your parents every other weekend for a few months, and then towards the end once a month. That will simulate college better, anyway. And just like college you can talk on the phone as needed.