Semester grades and sickness

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I know for a fact that I want to transfer out of my school at the end of my sophomore year and I want to make sure it is 100% possible. However, I'm really worried about my grades. Not only is this my first semester in college (and I tend to learn by making a lot of mistakes) but I also have had major setbacks with my health. In the middle of the semester, I became extremely ill and almost wound up in surgery (again). At the start of the year, I got new equipment to help me in class that repeatedly malfunctioned until two weeks ago. On top of that, one of my teachers is a notoriously hard grader and does not give anything higher than a 3.0--yes, I can say that officially since my friends have shown me their papers. When applying for a junior year transfer, how much weight is given to that first semester of college? How can I prove that I am a good student if my high school record is damaged from repeated trips to the E.R. and the O.R.? I'm getting really scared since I really want to leave the current hellhole I call my college.</p>

<p>Please pardon my semi-panicked state...</p>