<p>Hi everyone,
I'm a freshman this year at a top university but I'm considering transferring.
I was raped earlier in the semester, which is a large part of why I don't want to stay at this school, but it has also severely affected my grades. I'm worried that my bad first semester will affect my ability to get in anywhere as a transfer.<br>
Does anybody know how I might deal with that issue in the transfer process?
Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Well I’m really sorry to hear about that. There’s an “additional information” section of the common application (assuming that your prospective schools use the common app) which allows you to list any miscellaneous information regarding reasons for poor academic performance. Use that section to explain your situation and how it correlated to your grades.</p>
<p>The “why transfer” essay is also a large portion in the decision process, so I guess you can touch on it in that essay, although some other members may not approve of this course of action.</p>
<p>I hope everything works out for you, but have you considered taking time off from your current university in the meantime?</p>
<p>I’m sure if you’re trying to transfer under those circumstances, which by the way are extreme, the adcom might put all of the weight on your high school stats.</p>
<p>Yeah, under extreme circumstances, I’m sure the adcoms would be much more lenient and be willing to look more heavily at your HS grades, if not entirely at them. So sorry to hear that such a horrible thing happened and hope everything works out.</p>
<p>I would strongly consider seeking advice from your adviser or a counselor in your school on this matter. They would know what to include in your transfer application, what to leave out, and help you figure out what your next steps should be. I’m so sorry this happened to you.</p>
<p>You do need to meet with your advisor, and mental health counselors to help you through this. If you have lost motivation to attend classes and complete your assignments, find out if you can withdraw from school this term. It may be possible to take a “medical leave of absence” or the like. Depending on your school’s policy, your grades might be recorded as W or as Incomplete. If the grades are Incompletes, you will have a certain amount of time in which to finish the course requirements.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>VCW- I was just browsing through the threads and happened to come across this one. First of all, I just want to say how deeply sorry I am that such a horrible thing happened to you, especially in your freshman year of college. Second, I had personal circumstances a couple of years ago, although not nearly to as traumatic an extent as yours, but I felt that I couldn’t do the work and I ended up dropping out midway through the semester; the classes were simply recorded as W’s. Since then, I dealt with the issues, got back into school, got my life back on track, and was accepted to some top-ranked schools as a transfer. I always explained the circumstances in the Additional Information section of my applications. As such, I am saying that above else, your first priority is to take care of yourself, and allow yourself to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. As was suggested, you should definitely seek help from a mental health counselor and speak to your academic advisor. I am sure, given the circumstances, that colleges would overlook this semesters grades. I am not advocating you to withdraw but your education will always be there; in the meantime you need to take care of yourself and allow yourself to heal. I can definitely understand not wanting to be there anymore; do what is best for you and above all, do what you need to do to recover. I am sure, if you speak to the right people, that the academic stuff will take care of itself, and should be fairly easy to deal with. Once again, I am so deeply sorry that this happened to you. Take the time to allow yourself to heal and I wish you the best of luck.</p>