Prospective psych major with ADHD and low GPA...

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>So I have an unusual situation...</p>

<ul>
<li>High school: Lots of APs and extracurriculars, but didn't know what I wanted to do after I graduated.</li>
<li>First year: Went to a so-so university that offered me a full scholarship. Was undeclared, dabbled in random intro classes, fell into depression and ended up dropping out in spring.</li>
<li>Second year: Attended community college, decided to pursue art (people told me I was "good at it"), got diagnosed with ADHD and a mood disorder, briefly lost motivation and hit an academic dead end. Got back up in spring and decided to take summer session art courses at a UC as an outside student.</li>
<li>Summer: Hated what I was doing and realized that I should stop forcing myself to love something that I couldn't find passion in. Got an incomplete for one of my courses and withdrew from the other. However, I fell in love with the UC environment and often attended my friends' lectures with much curiosity and enjoyment.</li>
<li>Current third year: Changed my state of mind, went back to community college, began taking my medication regularly, and changed my major to psychology. Right now, I'm doing excellent in my classes (19 units) and anticipate a 3.8-4.0 GPA this quarter. </li>
</ul>

<p>Current GPA: 2.3...</p>

<p>Alright!! So I basically am lost to where I should focus my personal statements. </p>

<p>I do want to talk about my diagnosis, how it negatively then positively affected my self-perception, and how it lead me to pursue psychology -- however, since I'm now taking medication, I don't want my essay to end up saying "I swallowed some Adderall, so now I can do good in school". I'm definitely a lot more motivated and I believe that I can succeed if I put my mind to it. Personally, I was always capable of working hard, but I was essentially "lost" and became unmotivated after high school. </p>

<p>Should I explain my low GPA? Or should I avoid that because it would sound like a list of excuses? Should I mention my summer art stint? After all, I was at a UC, didn't get anywhere grade-wise, and now I'm applying to the UC's. Looks and sounds crummy already...
How do I highlight all the good that came out of all the bad without sounding too idealistic?</p>

<p>Ahhh! All of it seems like way too much to cram into 300-ish words...</p>

<p>Sorry for the long message! Any insight or tips? Anybody out there dealing with mood/learning disorders too? Can anyone relate? I'd love to hear from an outside perspective.</p>

2

<p>i cant relate, but i think you have the right points to write about.</p>

<p>id write about how you have grown as a person and as a student. i would explain the low GPA…as looking at your transcript can only explain so much. i would also note the ADHD diagnosis. i personally dont know what it is like to live with ADHD but im sure for some it can be relatively difficult and a large obstacle to overcome. i think its most important to write about how you are not “that” person now. whether its because you attended a few lectures at a UC taht changed you or whether you changed your mindset about education, for whatever reason that may be it would help to acknowledge it :)</p>

<p>im a psych major too. UCLA, UCI, and UCB have great psych departments.
best of luck! and if the classes you took in your 1st year are 2 years ago, you might be able to get an academic renewal. basically its like a W, but you get a “Z.” ask about it and see if its an option!</p>