<p>Ok I'm a college freshman who did TERRIBLE in high school. I've always been smart but I was incredibly lazy all four years and ended up with a 2.7 cumulative. My SAT was only about average. Because of that, I only got accepted in to one crappy school that I currently attend. I'm now doing very good in college because I'm actually working hard and I have a 3.7. I'm considering lying on my transfer essay and saying that I had depression because I just dont think me being lazy is good enough of an excuse. Not only was I lazy, but I didnt have any goals. I dont think they're gonna buy it though. Should I come clean or go for sympathy?</p>
<p>ps</p>
<p>Im applying to a few selective greater DC area schools</p>
<p>There was a pretty well-publicized case about a Yale transfer lying on his transcripts a few years ago. Basically it comes down to your conscience. Can you take yourself seriously after lying in such a big way, and could you live with being caught? This could ruin everything you’ve worked for since high school.</p>
<p>Lying shows that you have not grown since high school, which is something that transfer admissions look for! Just be honest. Some colleges don’t even look at your high school grades after you’ve completed a year at your first institution.</p>
<p>Honestly, this is a case where you could lie and get away with it pretty easily, although there is always a possibility that the ad coms may find out that you’re a fabulist. It’s not as if you’re forging a transcript or completely disavowing all knowledge of a previously attended school by failing to send a transcript in (there was a thread about that a couple of months ago where someone transferred to NYU Stern, but didn’t send in a transcript for the first CC he attended.) However, with that being said, why lie about this? There’s tons of people who have deplorable high school gpas, yet have managed to realize their mistakes and get into some of the world’s best universities. </p>
<p>I personally graduated from high school with a 3.071 gpa and have just been accepted into a top-20 school. I’ve been at my current school for two years, so I believe that my current 3.92 gpa speaks much more for my current studious work ethic than my laughable high school gpa and horrible SAT scores. The only time I spoke about my poor performance in high school was in a few sentences in my “why transfer” essay, which stated: "I am no longer the lazy high school student who once gazed upon life with no desire for greatness or passion for the future. Rather, I am now prepared to exceed the opportunities which I have been allotted and to realize my true capabilities. Thus, now that I have released myself from the mental prison in which I was formerly held captive, I now seek a more challenging institution which can foster my newly emancipated mind. " I didn’t need an excuse for my laziness; I just chose to reveal the truth and tell whoever read my application that I was unfocused and had no initiative for those four years of my life. Clearly, the work which I’ve done for the past two years has mitigated anything which I failed to do during my foolish high school years. If you want my advice, I’d say stay where you are for another year or so, and then apply. At that point, your high school grades will not matter nearly as much as they currently do. Furthermore, a strong upward trend shows discipline and a growth in the level of maturity in an applicant. In addition, a bout with depression will not guarantee you a “get into a university” free card. You’ll have to make the story convincing and show how the experience has strengthened your character, rather than just attempting to gain the ad com’s pity. Unless you’re an eloquent wordsmith, equipped with the lexicon and imagery necessary to craft a story which displays the former, I think you should just tell the truth.</p>
<p>If you need inspiration, refer to this thread:</p>
<p>hahaha east I am an eloquent wordsmith and I can write just like you do. but thanks alot for the advice. Im doing well here but I just dont see opportunities like my friends at Uchicago, UVirginia ect have … ill probly stay another year like you said and try to keep that gpa up… and thanks for the link. quite inspiring</p>