Unusual situation, chance me for transfer?

Transfer Students
1

(Sorry if this is a bit long)

I have a pretty unusual situation but I really want to finish my degree and I’m wondering what the best colleges I could possibly get into are.

Out of high school I got into a top 50 school but ended up going to a liberal arts college ranked around 80 for personal reasons. I was really, really struggling with mental health the whole time I was in college, and a lot of time my focus was on intensive therapy rather than on school. So I took frequent semesters off, took the minimum course load all semesters and mostly low level, and only have a 3.2 GPA. Which is not great to begin with…

That’s not even what I’m most worried about though. I completed about half a degree but then dropped out because my mental health was so poor. That was over 5 years ago now, and due to my mental health and reasons I’m not comfortable getting into on here, I have done basically nothing I could put on an application in the meantime. So I have a huge gap in time with no way to explain what I was doing, and I’m really worried that would completely prevent me from getting in anywhere.

Sorry for the depressing spiel, but I’m just trying to explain my situation. I know it’s really unusual and extreme but I’m still hoping to go back.

Before applying, I’m thinking of:
-Taking courses at a local (not community) college to raise my GPA and hopefully ask those professors for letters of recommendation? I hope to raise my GPA to a 3.3 before applying (I know this is still low)
-Possibly working for a family member with a small business, although I don’t know if this would help me since it wouldn’t be particularly relevant to my major but maybe would look better than having not worked at all

Can someone chance me for these schools? I know this is probably a major, major stretch, but I’ve always been an extremely hardworking student, mental health just threw a wrench in things, and it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that I may no longer be able to go to a good school.

Chance me for transfer (would be majoring in math):
UIUC
University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Minnesota
University of Florida (would the online school be easier to get into?)
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Loyola University Chicago
DePaul (setting my sights more realistically here. I’ll be truly embarrassed if even this is a stretch)

And just any chance of getting into a top 70ish university?

2

Bump; I would really appreciate any thoughts

3

Have you gotten your mental health situation sorted out? That should be the priority.

I think where you go will depend on what you can pay. Transfers don’t usually get a lot of aid. I think I’d enroll in the local cc and finish a 2-year degree. You can use your record there, and recs from those professors, to transfer to a 4-year school. What state are you in?

4

@austinmshauri , thanks for the reply!

If I am honest, my mental health still isn’t leaps and bounds better, but at this point it’s been years and I’m tired of waiting to go back.

I’m very lucky to be in a position where cost is not really a limiting factor. But to answer your question I live in Illinois :slight_smile:

I appreciate the suggestion but I’m really not interested in going to a community college. I don’t know much about that process though; would I have a better shot that way than if I took courses as a non-degree student elsewhere?

5

You don’ t have to be a non-degree seeking student. Many urban schools have a pretty open registration policy, and accept most applicants. My daughter just signed up for some classes at a 4 year university as a visiting student, but she could have transferred quite easily, and then transferred back to her regular school. You could attend for as long as you wanted (needed to) and then just transfer to one of the schools you prefer.

I don’t think you are going to have an easy time transferring to one of the schools on your list without building a solid record. If you think you can get into DePaul, why not apply there now?

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@twoinanddone Thanks for the really great info. I didn’t know urban schools tend to have an open registration policy, seems like a real possibility for me.

One issue with DePaul is that they require half a degree completed there and have less flexibility in terms of courses required, and I already have in the realm of 70 credits to begin with.

Another is that they don’t seem to offer a regular mathematics degree, so I may have to major in CS, which I think is a harder program to later transfer into at other schools.

I also worry about being able to transfer to a better school from DePaul since it’s pretty low ranked. If I got really great grades at DePaul, do you think I’d have a shot at then transferring to a school like UW Madison or Minnesota? (And would grades alone be enough?)

What if rather than going to DePaul I took courses (obviously in this case as a non degree student) at Northwestern or U of Chicago and then applied to UWM/UMN? Since these are so selective I wonder if it would look better

Although I guess just going to DePaul is the more realistic option.

(Sorry for the long post and all the questions!)

7

One thing about going the community college route is that it could lead into a degree from a school closer to what you feel is your natural level than the schools you listed. Virtually all state flagships have articulation agreements with the local community colleges, so that you can go straight through & get your 4 year degree. Other CCs have deeper relationships with both public & private colleges. For example, Monroe Community College (NY) has a strong association with Cornell (all Colleges, but esp CALS & HE), as well as Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Columbia (General Studies), Smith, and UNC. Some/many/most of your existing credits should transfer to the CC.

Apologies if I am mis-reading this, but many students who are/were top-50 LAC type students in HS see a CC as ‘beneath’ them. If that’s true for you, take another look. Ime (of CCs on both coasts, as a student and a teacher) is that they are the unsung heroes of 3rd level education. There are a lot of very smart, very hard working students there, and a truly surprising number of genuinely good, invested profs. It might not be the right path for you- but then again, it might be.

8

Thanks for your reply. It’s definitely something to look into, but I just don’t think it really makes sense for me because I already have a high number of credits (around 70).

9

What is wrong with just finishing up your degree where you are studying now? Think about that option. Between the courses you are taking now and the credits you already have earned, you have have more credits than would be required for most AA and AS degrees. A community college doesn’t make sense unless you want to make a drastic change in your major and need to essentially start over as far as your major goes.

10

@happymomof1 I’m not studying anywhere now — as I mentioned in my first post, I dropped out over 5 years ago now.

My last school was a tiny undergraduate college and I’m not even sure if they allow adult students, which I now am. And I just can’t imagine myself going back there. Without going into too much personal detail, it would be putting myself back in the situation I was in before. It’s pretty much off the table for me.

11

I don’t think a 5 year break from school is a negative. Have you worked at all? That’s a perfectly reasonable way for an adult to spend their time. I don’t believe the 5 year gap will be your issue. The challenge for you will be showing selective schools that you have the track record to succeed. Taking frequent breaks, less than a full course load of 100- and 200- level courses, and coming away with a 3.2 GPA are things that will make it difficult to get into a top 70 university.

Transfers and OOS residents don’t get much aid, so your first challenge may be funding. If finances aren’t an issue, I’d enroll in a cc for a degree. There are plenty of great cc’s. Attending one will show you’re ready to do the work, and getting a degree will package up all your previous credits. It doesn’t matter how many credits you have for the cc’s I’m familiar with. I’ve attended 5 universities and have a bachelor’s degree. I enrolled in a cc to get the credits I need to apply to a master’s program, and they didn’t care how many credits I had. I’m not familiar with IL colleges, but you can call your local cc to ask their transfer policies.

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@glacier0 - Sorry! I misread what you had written about studying at a local (not community) college, and thought that you were already there. Depending on what your longer-range goals are, what that local college offers, and what you can afford, studying locally may make the best sense for you. That is what a friend’s daughter did after dropping out of her higher-ranked LAC for mental health reasons. She lived at home, worked on her treatment, and finished the major that she could complete fastest.

Consulting with the transfer admissions offices at this local college, the community colleges that are easy for you to get to, and the transfer admissions offices at a couple of other colleges and universities in Illinois, would be helpful for you. Bring your transcripts with you. Talk with them about your longer-range goals, and about how their institution could assist you in reaching those goals. They have seen applicants with messier records than yours, and will have useful ideas for you.

Wishing you all the best!

13

It sounds like you are favoring Illinois Universities. I suggest you look into UIC and IIT as well if you want Mathematics or Applied Mathematics as a degree. As Faculty member at IIT, I know that we give reasonable financial aid to transfer students and UIC has tuition costs that are significantly lower than UIUC. The most important thing, however is that you find a school where you will be able to manage your mental health issues and complete your degree.

14

I would consider LACs with non-traditional student programs such as Beloit, Smith, College of Wooster.

15

Many schools are going to require your final two years, or 60 credits, at that school, so DePaul is not unusual in that aspect. If you already have 70 credits, you’ll still need to take 60 to graduate, or a certain number of upper division courses at that school, or particular courses. I don’t know that getting another 10-15 credits and then transferring the 70 you have plus another 10 will help you get out of school any faster.

If you don’t want to go to DePaul, don’t go there. I think you are stuck it thinking that because you were at a top 50 school coming out of high school you should only apply to top ranked schools. You have to look at where you are now, not where you were coming out of high school. A 3.2 at college is not a high school 3.2, so you might be a good transfer candidate.

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DePaul is a perfectly good school. I suggest you look into more things Han just rankings as the basis for a school.

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If you were in good standing there when you left (3.2 GPA normally is), returning usually is not difficult.

Of course, if it is no longer suitable for other reasons, you need to find a transfer school.

Have you completed enough math courses to be taking junior level math courses when you restart as a transfer with junior amounts of credit?

18

I agree with @ProfessorPlum …forget about rankings, they are just one piece of the entire decision. I think your top priority should be continuing to work on your mental health situation, and (assuming getting back into school is a part of that solution), finding a school that fits you, both acceptance wise and personality wise. Many, many, many people out there are pursuing their careers successfully from a community college or “lower ranked” school. Don’t let rank stop you from moving forward. Good luck.