Transferring due to harassment

Transfer Students
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@smiles2122 Thank you for this sincere reply!!

Funnily enough, part of the current harassment from my current university are attempts (likely involving bullying) with other universities to delegitimize my prior academic performance before university, including high standardized test scores (SAT, National AP Scholar, National Merit Finalist + Scholarship Winner, etc. etc.) Totally evil retaliation. University content is deeper than precollege content in specific fields to encourage academic research, so some precollege activities aren’t really so relevant to university academics and research. However, they can demonstrate academic ability to at least some credible extent.

It is good advice to include information about advocating for myself in challenging environments since it would put negative events in a positive light.

Thank you for the kind words! I hope I can find a culture that is a better fit! It is certainly not a walk in the park to determine without honest testimonials from other students, and with COVID, who knows what universities are pulling on us next!

Since there is a 30 minute limit, I’ll respond to the next reply here as well: @MWolf

Here is the thing. People gave you advice. You can take it or you can leave it. However, you cannot tell people “I don’t like your advice, give me different advice”.

Well, you CAN say that, but don’t expect that they will do it.

Sorry, it is the right of the OP to seek specific advice. It is quite rude not to address OP’s concerns. After all, OP is the one facing the situation. And the mod reminded everyone to be respectful - I don’t think providing advice not requested is very considerate or welcoming.

Bottom line - there is no “tactful” way to mention what you are telling us happened to you at your previous university. Any mention of conflict between you and the university will hurt your application far more that your GPA will.

Please read previous replies that do give this advice.

If you write anything even close to “my low GPA was due to bad behavior on the part of my previous college”, almost every AO will translate that to: “I will likely not be able to do any better at your college, and I will blame you for it”.

You are implying that every college is equal in culture, student treatment, resource availability, etc.

So don’t mention it, no matter how tactfully.

I will consider it. But please refer to my previous hidden post for reasons that were already provided. From my understanding, you say it will make me look bad.

Since you were always in good standing, there are colleges which will accept you with your present GPA.

Yes, I agree that is true. But these colleges may not necessarily improve the situation.

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I will think positively!

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Is the previous university in the US or abroad?
If abroad, is it in a democratic country?

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First off, I’m very sorry for what you are enduring. Sounds like the right plan to leave this school and transfer.

I hear you about wanting to explain your lower GPA. I also have concerns about not raising red flags with ad cons at other schools. I don’t think you can wordsmith an explanation of what happened that isn’t going to be damaging to your transfer application.

My concern is that it sounds like you want to transfer to a top school. Transfer rates are typically very low at top schools and you maybe better off targeting programs where your current GPA is more in line with their averages. Then you don’t need to worry about how to not throw your current school under the bus and raising red flags.

Remember that rankings mean next to nothing. Pick schools to transfer that have the supportive environment and small class sizes that you are looking for, that are strong in your major. Don’t worry about what is “tops” on some arbitrary list.

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Here is my “tactful” advice.

Admissions Officers who evaluate transfers understand 100% that academic performance as shown on a transcript is highly subjective. What could earn a student an A at one institution could be a B across the street; an honors student in Psych could be barely passing in Classics. This is not news to them.

You seem unduly focused on your grades, explaining them, putting them into a context that a competent AO will not need. Assuming that the institution you left is an accredited college somewhere in the world, you transcript will speak for itself. As will your essay on why you wish to transfer.

Find a set of colleges where your past academic performance (including your HS record which seems quite strong) puts you squarely within “admittable” range, apply to a bunch of them. Your reasons for transferring are that you prefer the culture, need a smaller department (or bigger department), are looking for a wider range of courses in your major, are attracted to the possibility of inter-disciplinary work across departments- i.e. something that sounds academic and “vanilla” and non-controversial.

The path you want to go down doesn’t seem like a successful transfer strategy. Students who want to transfer have hundreds of reasons- some academic, some personal. Sometimes it’s just to get away from a bad breakup if every time you walk into your 8 am Chem lab that person is sitting there. Sometimes it’s because you hate the weather and can’t bear another year of seasonal affect disorder when it’s always rainy and gray. Sometimes it’s because- well, you don’t know why, but you “gotta get out of there”.

Adcoms know this about transfers- that’s their business. They get it. Not every reason gets spelled out, put into context, explained on the application. They also know that.

This is not a court of law where you have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Couch your reasons for transferring into something aspirational (“I admire the cross-departmental research your sociology and econ departments are doing and hope to be part of it”) and let the rest of it go.

People with eating disorders transfer to be closer to their physicians. People with substance abuse issues transfer to be closer to their sponsors. People with PTSD transfer to get away from a triggering situation. They just don’t spell it out in their applications- Adcoms are helping to run an academic institution, not a residential treatment program. They want to see your ACADEMIC reason for transferring; they don’t want or need to understand the reasons you got a B in Urban Planning 101 instead of an A and they CERTAINLY don’t want or need to understand that you’ve got some tension/serious issues with the administration of another academic institution.

There are probably 50 colleges who would LOVE to have you- today- based on your transcript. Apply there and move on with your life.

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Your best bet to transfer is to find a school that will see past your grades. You don’t need to explain why you want to transfer beyond telling them your current school is a poor fit for you (cultural, teaching style, size etc). I can’t see any scenario where getting into the details of your situation will be a plus.

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This was answered earlier.

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Then you don’t need to worry about how to not throw your current school under the bus and raising red flags.

Sorry, this was already mentioned as well. That is absolutely not my intent. I’m seeking advice on requests mentioned in my earlier post.

Remember that rankings mean next to nothing. Don’t worry about what is “tops” on some arbitrary list.

Thank you for the advice, but I highly disagree with “arbitrary” because I highly prioritize academics and enjoy working hard and taking advantage of resources, and I believe top-ranked programs offer more and hope future commenters will take this into account as well as well as respecting earlier requests in my post.

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Hello, you had already commented twice earlier. I would prefer new commenters like the mod had stated earlier as well.

Admissions Officers who evaluate transfers understand 100% that academic performance as shown on a transcript is highly subjective. What could earn a student an A at one institution could be a B across the street; an honors student in Psych could be barely passing in Classics. This is not news to them.

Yes, I agree.

You seem unduly focused on your grades, explaining them, putting them into a context that a competent AO will not need. Assuming that the institution you left is an accredited college somewhere in the world, you transcript will speak for itself.

Unfortunately, because of varying circumstances, grades don’t speak for themselves. One could have partied all the time for low grades while another could have had other obstacles.

Find a set of colleges where your past academic performance (including your HS record which seems quite strong) puts you squarely within “admittable” range, apply to a bunch of them. Your reasons for transferring are that you prefer the culture, need a smaller department (or bigger department), are looking for a wider range of courses in your major, are attracted to the possibility of inter-disciplinary work across departments- i.e. something that sounds academic and “vanilla” and non-controversial.

I intend to do so.

The path you want to go down doesn’t seem like a successful transfer strategy. Students who want to transfer have hundreds of reasons- some academic, some personal. Sometimes it’s just to get away from a bad breakup if every time you walk into your 8 am Chem lab that person is sitting there. Sometimes it’s because you hate the weather and can’t bear another year of seasonal affect disorder when it’s always rainy and gray. Sometimes it’s because- well, you don’t know why, but you “gotta get out of there”.

I’m not sure how the anecdotes justify your first sentence. People have differing circumstances, so AOs need to be able to differentiate.

Adcoms know this about transfers- that’s their business. They get it. Not every reason gets spelled out, put into context, explained on the application. They also know that.

Again, please refer back to my last post for repetitive reasons and requested replies.

This is not a court of law where you have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I definitely do agree.

Couch your reasons for transferring into something aspirational (“I admire the cross-departmental research your sociology and econ departments are doing and hope to be part of it”)

I didn’t know couch was a verb too. Thank you. I will do that too.

and let the rest of it go.

People with eating disorders transfer to be closer to their physicians. People with substance abuse issues transfer to be closer to their sponsors. People with PTSD transfer to get away from a triggering situation. They just don’t spell it out in their applications- Adcoms are helping to run an academic institution, not a residential treatment program. They want to see your ACADEMIC reason for transferring; they don’t want or need to understand the reasons you got a B in Urban Planning 101 instead of an A

I wouldn’t disagree with any of that.

and they CERTAINLY don’t want or need to understand that you’ve got some tension/serious issues with the administration of another academic institution.

I’m not sure, it’s common and well known for students to have serious issues with this administration, so there isn’t so much stigma. Please refer back to previous post with my requests.

There are probably 50 colleges who would LOVE to have you- today- based on your transcript. Apply there and move on with your life.

Again, I don’t disagree, but I highly prioritize academics and enjoy working hard and taking advantage of resources, and I believe top-ranked programs offer more and hope future commenters will take this into account as well as well as respecting earlier requests in my post.

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Namaste. There is a tendentious tone to your writing which makes it hard to help you-- of course you prioritize academics, presumably that’s why you are posting here. I have been hiring in corporate America for over 30 years, have been recruiting on campuses in dozens of states, and can assure you that there are brilliant and hard-working students everywhere. If you were my kid, I’d be advising you to prioritize your mental health and safety right now, get accepted to a college which is going to have the kind of support you need- even if it means attending the 33rd “Best” program in your field and not the 29th “Best” program. Focusing on the rankings is not going to help you become “your best self” right now.

Best of luck to you.

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Hi, please refer to my previous post with a list of repetitive replies: Transferring due to harassment - #69 by Transferee1

If you didn’t catch it in the post (I know it’s long) that was the last bullet

  • Just transfer to a university that takes low gpas, because low gpa wouldn’t be admitted anyway
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OP your approach is analogous to a person going to a doctor and asking for advice. When the doctor tells the person bad news you have a horrible illness and will only live 3 months the patient then spends the next 12 weeks going from doctor to doctor seeking a different diagnosis. You are not only wasting our time but you are wasting yours.

You have made up your mind. Absolutely wish you good luck but please stop trying to persuade people to change their best advice and or seek a unique opinion that squares with your view.

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If you are sure of this why did you start this thread?

You have heard from some very experienced people recommending you not mention the ‘extreme scandal’ and ‘stalking and extreme racism’ at your past university. It doesn’t seem you are open to hearing other opinions, because you are ‘sure’ what your inexperienced self believes to be true. Further you have been dismissive of people’s opinions, including one poster, Hanna, who is uniquely qualified to help you. You didn’t even answer the question she asked you.

There is still too much we don’t know about your situation, including how many years of college you have completed, your college GPA, and whether or not you need financial aid (FA tends to be far lower for transfer students). If your college GPA is below a 3.0, I do not think a transfer admittance to a ‘top’ school is possible (even though I don’t know how you define ‘top’).

You have received consistent advice from experienced posters, some of whom have worked/currently are AOs and/or college counselors. Not sure what else you need to hear to be ‘convinced’, or to even consider what you believe may not be accurate.

I recommend you do some virtual transfer admissions sessions with colleges on your list, learn what they are looking for in transfer applicants, and ask the AOs these questions.

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Hello, you had already commented twice earlier. I would prefer new commenters like the mod had stated earlier as well.

OP your approach is analogous to a person going to a doctor and asking for advice. When the doctor tells the person bad news you have a horrible illness and will only live 3 months the patient then spends the next 12 weeks going from doctor to doctor seeking a different diagnosis.

If I were told I would die soon, I would definitely seek as many perspectives as possible, and there have been many cases of doctors wrongly predicting earlier deaths and other doctors fully treating terminally-ill patients.

You are not only wasting our time but you are wasting yours.

Hello, you had already commented twice earlier. I would prefer new commenters like the mod had stated earlier as well.

You have made up your mind.

I haven’t made up my mind, so I am commenting instead of leaving or closing the thread.

Absolutely wish you good luck

Thank you very much.

but please stop trying to persuade people to change their best advice

I’m not persuading anyone to change their “best advice.” Responding back with comments is done to communicate my reaction to stated views and ask for follow up. It is part of the process of healthy debate. Posters do not need to follow up if they don’t want to. Additionally, OP has rights to provide rebuttals. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

and or seek a unique opinion that squares with your view.

I don’t see why I should not do this since I’m OP. See Transferring due to harassment - #69 by Transferee1

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This is actually the opposite of what I was suggesting.

If part of the reason your grades were low and you left your college was because of being bullied and harassed, you can allude to the fact that it wasn’t a safe or healthy place for you without actually saying it.

There is advice out there to explain why someone left their last job due to a toxic environment without actually saying so. Things like “I didn’t get the support I needed,” or “It wasn’t a good culture fit” or “The environment wasn’t conducive to me reaching my full potential.” Yes, these are beige statements that don’t really get at what happened to you, but admissions officers can read between the lines.

Going into admission warning them that there might be people out there badmouthing you is not advisable. It is extremely unlikely that your previous university is contacting other colleges to undermine you, academically or otherwise. If you have proof that they’re doing it, that’s another story, but it’s really not how these things work. They are likely very happy that you left and as long as you aren’t making a big deal out of things, they won’t either.

And no admissions officer is going to contact any previous school to check unless you give them reason to do so (and probably not even then because they’re more likely to just say “no” to your application).

If you want to tell your whole story to the schools you are trying to transfer into, you can just do it even if nobody here says it’s a good idea.

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Another quote from the Forum Rules:

“College Confidential forums exist to discuss college admission and other topics of interest. It is not a place for contentious debate. If you find yourself repeating talking points, it might be time to step away and do something else… If a thread starts to get heated, it might be closed or heavily moderated.”

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/guidelines

Having said that, users cannot tell other users not to post. That function is unique to the mods and admin.

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Yes, I had messaged you about this issue - can it be regulated? No new commenters are contributing.