Transferring Universities w/ Drug/Alcohol Disciplinary Record?

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to read/contemplate this. I’m a sophomore at a private school ranked top 50 and want to transfer to a top 20 school. I will keep things confidential; it should suffice to say that I’m not worried about academics/extracurriculars. I take those seriously. However, being a naive undergrad, I allowed myself too much fun this year and got the unfortunate opportunity to get to know the dean of students better. Now I’m on disciplinary probation, was removed from campus housing, and as part of my sanctions am undergoing substance counseling.

If you haven’t guessed yet, I now have a thick disciplinary record. I only have alcohol/drug violations, and my academics are certainly on par. My test scores are up there. But now I find myself worrying that my prospects are ruined because of my disciplinary history.

My question is: Is it possible to transfer to a top 20 school with a disciplinary record as a Junior, given that all other factors (academic, testing, extracurricular, writing, etc.) are not of any concern (to say the least)? I have one alcohol and one drug (MJ) policy violation and to my knowledge neither were criminal, but the drug violation was on the more serious side due to large amount. Should I stop looking to transfer and reconsider grad school, or is this inconsequential in the grand scheme of things?

Thank you so much, and best of luck with your endeavors.

Getting a record in the first place is not as important as what you do to pull yourself together and clean up your act afterward. Go have another chat with your now good friend the dean, and talk about what you can do to make yourself a viable candidate for transfer to the particular place you think you’d rahter be at, and/or a viable candidate for the grad school program you think you are interested in.

Do you have a reason to want to transfer? Just going from “top 50” to “top 20” is a poor reason to transfer.

My suggestion is that you work hard to get good grades where you are, and keep yourself out of trouble for the next 2 1/2 years. With this, coming from a top 50 university, you will indeed be “a viable candidate for the grad school program you think you are interested in”.

Generally speaking, transferring to a top 20 university is very difficult. Having a disciplinary issue is probably going to lower your already very poor chances.

The top colleges value solid thinking skills. They know kids make poor decisions, but don’t expect this as you mature. It’s compounded by not learning from the first incident. For transfers, the College Report includes the question, “Is this student in good standing?” And if answered no, requires an explanation.

You need better advice than we can give you. Some colleges are more tolerant of some sorts of foibles. Others not so much, when they have plenty of applicants and a low transfer admit rate.

Transferring is generally a bad idea unless it’s health or financial. You can expect lose 1-2 semesters and spend tens of thousands or more retaking classes. Not to mention that financial aid has limits.

I agree with @DadTwoGirls. Going from “top 50” to “top 20” is a very bad idea. Rankings schools is like comparing apples and onions and calling one “better.” You’re already at a great school. I think you’d be far better off just finishing where you’re at.

I appreciate all comments above and thank you all for your time.

@DadTwoGirls @coolguy40 I believe wanting to pursue a wider range of programs than offered at my university, in line with my budding yet voluminous career track, would be one reason. The other would be to join a culture of achievement rather than a culture which has been documented, even by my current institution itself, as marred by widespread substance abuse among pupils, abysmal mental health among the student body (the president of the school issued a memo on this), racism, institutional mediocrity (laughably, documented), and irrationally high cost of attendance. It should suffice to say that a ridiculously expensive school with programs regarded average at best is reason enough to transfer; US colleges are already criminally expensive, so I might as well spend my money on a degree that’s worth it. Ranking is not the reason why I’m transferring. Neither is branding. It’s the need for achievement (which happens to be tied to ranking) and my consequential wish to be part of an environment that promotes it healthfully.

@lookingforward Thank you, you have a good point. I should be seeking advice elsewhere. Schools are not monolithic in their tolerance for transfers with less-than-good student standing. I can only hope my competitiveness will not be too adversely affected.

I’m sure you probably realize this, but one of the essential parts of a transfer application is the Dean’s report. The dean is required to sign off, and this form asks specifically about discipline issues. So the Dean will have to answer.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll be instantly rejected however. Just take ownership for what you’ve done, and show that you’ve become a better person. Seek the substance abuse counseling and demonstrate that you’ve learned from past mistakes.

Also note that most grad school applications have a similar type of process.