I am currently an Ivy League student who completed my first semester of junior year (meaning 2.5 years completed) and am ranked in the top 1% of my class. However, this past semester I dealt with severe trauma and abuse at my university, which is why I’m taking a break this semester and being on campus is unbearable for me.
When asked about why I’m transferring, should I bring this truth up? Or should I stick to academic/EC reasons… I’m worried that because I’ve done so well at my current university they’ll draw a red flag at my trying to transfer. I know I’d have to redo my fall semester if I transfer and would graduate a year later- that’s ok.
I am so sorry that you are dealing with this. Hugs to you!
Firstly, I think you need to make sure that you are physically and emotionally healthy. Take care of yourself. You have done well, but you really need to be productive and happy, no matter where you are. Are you seeing a counselor? Please do continue. It will help you to transition to the other school.
Was this abuse reported confidentially to your university? This is serious and is reportable. Please find out what the next steps are so that there isn’t another person who experiences what you have gone through.
I don’t think you should mention, initially, why you are transferring. If they do ask, then please ask if you can speak to someone confidentially re: you don’t feel that the current environment is safe.
I’m so sorry to hear you are going through so much. I hope you are getting counseling since strong health is more important than anything else. If you can really share with a compelling reason why you are transferring for academics that you can’t get at your current school would be preferable. Writing about a current trauma you are going through may be difficult for you as you are still processing and healing.
Figure out a plausible academic or social reason for the transfer, and don’t disclose the trauma, unless it’s already a public matter that they’d know about anyway.
Colleges are now very wary of taking anyone with any history of mental health issues, no matter the etiology, because their counseling services are overwhelmed with students suffering from anxiety and depression, and because they are afraid of liability should a student harm themselves or others.
Why do we assume mental health issues on the part of the victim? We don’t have enough information to respond to this question, in my view. It seems apparent that the trauma occurred on the campus of the current school.
My hope would be that this is resolvable where the OP is already studying but, again, we don’t have enough info to get into that. @transferee4betterday betterday please make sure you explore every resource for staying where you are and then, if the current school has been officially notified of the trauma, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t mention the trauma when applying to transfer.
The college is likely to assume that the applicant will be in need of mental health services if she relates that she needs to transfer because of a history of severe trauma. It’s not fair, it’s not right, but it’s reality. Better to apply with reasons to be going TO the new school, rather than AWAY from her current school.
We don’t know anything about the “trauma” and whether it was one incident involving another person. We don’t have enough information. One of my kids was stalked in a scary way but did not have any mental health issues. It really depends. I would not make assumptions either way.
Thanks for all of the responses. It’s given me a lot to think about. @aunt_bea I’m doing well emotionally and physically, but just don’t want to ever return to my current university again, but I appreciate you asking.
I’m currently in counseling and it’s definitely helped a lot, but I don’t really see myself as having any severe mental health issues (as @compmom alluded to), it’s more so that I just don’t want to return to an environment in which the person who SA’d me is in the same social circles. It’s been reported at my school but nothing has happened.
I’m really struggling to think of a plausible academic reason as I’m a top student at this school thus far and it’s an Ivy, meaning I already have all the opportunity in the world. Does anybody have any ideas for plausible social reasons I could mention?
It depends upon where you are trying to transfer. Your in-state public university will likely accept you with the rationale that you have decided to be close to home. Note that financial aid may not be available, nor counseling resources to the same extent.
Candidly, a top school is unlikely to accept you for the reason you have noted-from their perspective, you lack any good reason to transfer unless you disclose the incident, but disclosure makes you a higher risk transferee. Can you discuss it with your counselor? Is it important enough to you to attend your state school instead?
If you were sexually assaulted and the person is in your environment, I see no reason why you cannot mention that. I honestly do not understand this viewpoint. You can mention it as a matter of fact.
But a better approach would be to deal with it at your current school. Have you talked with the Office for Student Conduct or whatever department is appropriate? Your dean? Are you not believed? The assaulter should be leaving, not you. You could also get an order of no contact. One of my kids went through this with stalking.
I’m voting no on disclosing the trauma, and suggest doing a deep dive at every college you are interested in to find one specific program/interdisciplinary center/archive/museum/performing arts group (whatever your particular interest is) that is prominent at that college, and write about that.
No college duplicates the offerings of every other college… shouldn’t be too hard to find something to talk about. And then weave in geography (bigger city, more volunteer opportunities in an area of interest, want to work on a political campaign or voter registration drive in a particular state for a particular reason) and you should be good to go.
If this is a situation of sexual assault, that would seem to be a good reason to transfer. I really do not understand why the student is being encouraged to come up with another reason. Again, I would still hope the current school could respond to the situation in a way that allows the student to remain.
Perhaps it would be better merely phrased as"I was a victim of a crime and now wish to change venues". That would cover many situations, and doesnt necessarily imply mental health concerns the way “trauma” does.
There’s no right or wrong way to handle this. If you prefer to keep the private story private, that’s fine. If you want to share it, that’s fine too. It’s not weird for people with high grades to transfer. You might want a change of pace when it comes to location, social scene, academic focus, campus life, politics, religion – any number of good reasons.
You need to cite something that the school provides, that you’re transferring towards. Their excellent program in such and such. Their wonderful student groups in such and such. Their location, which allows easier access to such and such.
I re-read your original posting, and saw that you’ve taken this semester off, which you may be asked to explain. You may need to disclose to them, in a very matter of fact way, that you were SA’d at the prior school and while you have made the report, you prefer not to be there while the person is still there.