Personally, I think you should immediately refrain from publicly discussing anything related to your allegations, and get yourself some legal counsel. It seems like there should be some kind of clarification and resolution to what you have going on with this university before you spend your energy transferring to a new one.
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Is your lower GPA due to the harassment, etc. or is it due to things like overly crowded classrooms, the department not living up to it’s reputation, and things like that? Or some combination?
Because it sounds like you have two things going on. One, that you don’t feel like you got the kind of education and academic support you needed in the classrooms or in your department…
And, two, that there was an issue having to do with your job and the university retaliated. Forgive me if I get that wrong because it sounds like a very complicated situation.
If you really just want to walk away from your experience without taking any further action, then you don’t need to talk about it and you shouldn’t. Lots of people transfer with lower GPAs for all kinds of reasons including that they are interested in changing majors, they want smaller classes, a different geographic area, or other other ways their previous college wasn’t a good fit. Admissions Officers understand this.
Just make sure that you keep the language general and positive like that. Talk about what you’re looking for in a new school as a way to explain your less-than-stellar academic performance. Don’t talk directly about what was wrong with your old school. Badmouthing your previous university won’t sit well.
That’s your “story” and there are good colleges out there that will take you even with a lower GPA. If you wanted to post your stats and the kind of things you’re looking for in a new college, there are a lot of people here who could help you build a list and a plan that might include colleges inside and outside of the US.
Of course, If you are really worried that your previous university will continue to try to retaliate against you or if you are currently being harassed, then you should look into legal counsel.
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You have received good advice here, which is basically, to not mention it on your transfer application.
Treat and deal with your transfer application separate from your scandal situation (as two separate things going on in your life.)
So your question has been answered - now it is up to you to take the advice provided by CC. Wishing you all the best.
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I agree that the answer to your question (should I discuss the harassment, stalking, etc. as well as your belief that your most recent program has “scammed” you into failing) on your transfer application is definitely no. You might allude to a lack of fit but focus on the characteristics of the new university that has attracted you.
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I disagree, like I mentioned in the first few posts, there are successful admissions counselors for those kinds of cases. But, it’s important to clear up common misunderstandings that I’m not responsible for causing scandals. The university is at fault. I haven’t committed crimes.
A school will want to know -why would we want you? Why would you be good for this school?
That’s unrelated to mentioning negative experiences that can explain lower grades. I think it’s valuable to do so and then follow up with positives and growth stories about overcoming obstacles.
Even mentioning drama would likely put you in the reject pile, short of a public university or community college - but I don’t think that’s where you intend. By the way, I would tell you the same thing for when you graduate and try and gain employment.
Not sure, it’s common for people to switch jobs every year or two in my field and for bad fit workplaces or management to be reasons. Issues can be tactfully mentioned without leading to rejection, like differences in work styles or work demands, competitive vs. collaborative coworkers, management that prioritizes the company over individuals, etc.
Organizations are risk averse. Sell yourself, move on from your past. If you have to say why you are leaving, you can simply say it wasn’t a good fit - and move on.
That’s true. A lot of why it wasn’t a good fit relates to activities that make the university look bad, though - see my earlier post in the thread - and I’m sure they would want a little more explanation so the same issues don’t repeat at the transfer institution.
Nowhere did I say they “scammed” me into failing, rather the program has a lot of questionable and shady activities.
You have received good advice here, which is basically, to not mention it on your transfer application. Treat and deal with your transfer application separate from your scandal situation (as two separate things going on in your life.)
Clarifying again that the university is scandalous, not me, and mentioning negatives about university harassment doesn’t necessarily make me look bad since they are unlawfully targeting me but can instead provide valuable explanation.
You have received the collective wisdom of adults already. If you have made up your mind, there is little point in further discussion.
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If you are looking for posters to support your apparent wish to disparage your current university in your transfer applications to explain your GPA you won’t receive it. Your persistence in discussing why writing about your situation will help you will not persuade posters here because the bottom line is it won’t help.
Many many students have less than stellar experiences at their colleges which prompt them to transfer. Admission officers don’t care about what happened at your previous school, they want to know why they should accept you to their school.
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That’s your opinion. You don’t know that’s how an AO will view it.
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Is your lower GPA due to the harassment, etc. or is it due to things like overly crowded classrooms, the department not living up to it’s reputation, and things like that? Or some combination?
A combination, and I don’t think those two are separate.
Because it sounds like you have two things going on. One, that you don’t feel like you got the kind of education and academic support you needed in the classrooms or in your department… And, two, that there was an issue having to do with your job and the university retaliated. Forgive me if I get that wrong because it sounds like a very complicated situation.
Yes. Not completely true but something like that.
If you really just want to walk away from your experience without taking any further action, then you don’t need to talk about it and you shouldn’t. Lots of people transfer with lower GPAs for all kinds of reasons including that they are interested in changing majors, they want smaller classes, a different geographic area, or other other ways their previous college wasn’t a good fit. Admissions Officers understand this.
That’s reasonable. Smaller classes and different geographic area are valid. But it wouldn’t justify a lower gpa (class size might).
Just make sure that you keep the language general and positive like that. Talk about what you’re looking for in a new school as a way to explain your less-than-stellar academic performance. Don’t talk directly about what was wrong with your old school. Badmouthing your previous university won’t sit well.
That’s reasonable as well. But badmouthing and informing about safety concerns are different. Or any comments that could make the university lose reputation are considered badmouthing?
Of course, If you are really worried that your previous university will continue to try to retaliate against you or if you are currently being harassed, then you should look into legal counsel.
I will do that too.
I’m not sure I would want to attend a university where retaliation against students for valid safety and academic concerns would be viewed negatively against a student. Retaliation would make the university look bad. It might be viewed negatively if the application doesn’t provide any positives and only discusses a negative situation. If they think retaliation is in favor of the university over the student then it’s likely they would do the same to their students too.
Then take your shot and see where you land.
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Again, I’m not here to disparage the university. The prior post was to clarify the situation, because several people mentioned it was vaguely explained and that they couldn’t advise properly. It’s to justify lower grades by mentioning that events outside of my control were occurring that negatively affected my performance and require transfer to a different university where things like this won’t affect me, since the student body is smaller for one and people won’t get away with mistreatment in a large population.
Is it not true? I’m sure you have more experience, but I’m not yet completely convinced because I would be skeptical of an application without an explanation that simply says it isn’t a good fit but doesn’t justify why performance would suddenly improve at another university.
Legal counsel would be valuable. Unfortunately funds are tight.
Part of this is likely to hinge on whether the universities you’re applying to can understand what you’re talking about, ie., “as a student at NYU Abu Dhabi I was sexually harassed, the police thought it was totally fine* and the university didn’t let me complain” or “while attending HKU the new provost tried to force me to withdraw pro democracy blog posts” v. “I chose not to get vaccinated and not to wear a mask, and the university had me forcibly removed from campus when I tried to attend the classes I’d paid for”.
(* because it legally is, and reporting sexual assault means the woman broke the law on decency – Americans can get caught in that)
That’s a good point. I think they will understand because it’s publicly known that this university has had several sexual harassment cases mishandled.
What’s your GPA (or equivalent depending on the system you attended ?) Wh2t field, subject, or major? Is the university located in a country with known human rights issues ? Why did you choose this university in the first place and would you be reconsidering attendingif the harassment hadn’t taken place? What universities would you be applying to (you can list 6 similar ones, out of whixh only 2 or 3 are really on your list)?
US, STEM, I wouldn’t choose it again, there simply aren’t enough resources to go around for every student, without special treatment, and it is a poor culture fit. I mentioned more in earlier comments. I would apply to universities in the same tier.
Again all organizations have attorneys. Their jobs are risk mitigation.
Think of it this way. If you are a great driver but get in a car accident, the insurance company will either raise your rates or drop you.
If you live in a house, it catches fire because of something the neighbor did, your going to get raised or dropped.
No one is saying bad things did not happen or unfair things. While i don’t doubt the story abd that you were harmed, what I’m saying is no one wants to go near anything that brings in their minds (not yours) even the slightest risk.
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Here is your original statement: “I just want to get my degree without disruption from a smaller university program that actually has the resources to support all of its students and doesn’t scam them into failing.”
It is true that you didn’t distinguish which of its students were scammed into failing but you might be viewed as included in “all of its students.”
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OP… you are getting good advice here. I don’t know why you would post asking for help and then ignore the advice you are getting.
I don’t mean to belittle your concerns in any way, but you seem resistant to seeing how a third party (Admissions officers at another college) will react. They will likely turn the page and move on to the next application.
Find a few colleges where your record speaks for itself, no explanations about grades or stalking required, and get on with your life. Do you want this terrible thing to consume you for another year?
Find a free legal clinic (usually connected to a law school), find out if you can get an order of protection, and then move on with your life.
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