VCU Student with Bad First Semester Trying to Transfer to W&M

Chance An Arab Virginian Kid Transferring to W&M from VCU
So I have a pretty high SAT score, but last year I had a really rough first semester, though I retook them and got really good grades (which you’ll see in a second) I still had an awful first semester. These are the classes I took and the grades I got

Astronomy - F
Astronomy Lab - F
International Relations - D
History 201 (History: The Anthropocene) - F
Univ (English) 112 - F

Then I retook these classes and I got an A in everything except English which I got a C in.

This semester I am taking

Public policy
Intro to political theory
Astronomy Lab
Comparative Politics
Biology 101
Statistical Thinking
Univ 200 (English)

If I were to get an A in all of these classes, what would my chances of getting into William and Mary look like? Would they still be near non-existent?

From W&M’s website: “Typically, competitive transfer applicants have a GPA of 3.5 or higher at their current institution.”

VCU has a historical repeat (do-over) program. So according to VCU I already have pretty close to a 3.5 but I doubt that W&M would honor that.

With that said, I want to try and figure out if from the perspective of an admissions officer, if they would be willing to let me in.

I think transfer GPAs and stats don’t count against their ratings stats, so you may have a chance if you can convince them you’ve turned the corner.

The real question is: Will your earlier grades from VCU show up on your transcript? If the answer is yes, then William & Mary will be an very high reach. William & Mary considers students holistically, which means they consider everything, and wants to accept students that will succeed there. It can be challenging even for students that are very talented and bright. You have shown that you can do well and have grown, but you will be competing with applicants who have done well in their semesters from the schools that they are transferring from.

I’m going to be honest and say that those classes still raise a big red flag because you didn’t just fail one class, but almost all of them. I think you need to take a look and honestly assess the reasons for those grades to make sure you are ready for a more challenging courseload. If it was time management, challenging courseload, struggles with mental health, whatever it is, you should make sure that you have that squared away for your own sake to make sure that you can succeed and achieve your full potential in the future.

I fell through for mental health reasons. I was very depressed, among other things. I was questioning my orientation among other things. I also had problems going on with my family at the time.

I am taking the maximum number of credits, so I’m pushing myself as much as I possibly can. Is it all in vain at this point though?

Here’s a different question: irl, why do you want to go to W&M? I can think of a bunch of reasons: somebody you are romantically interested in goes there? you didn’t want VCU in the 1st place / W&M is prestige-wise more where you think you should be? (or more where your parents think you should be?). Do you feel that you are W&M kid at root, and if so what are the specific traits that give you that feeling?

^^^ Those are all really good questions to consider. I think if you are applying to William & Mary, you will have to really address why you want to go there as well as an explanation for your past first semester grades somewhere in the additional information section. The actual credit amount doesn’t really matter as much as the courses themselves and the grades. Extracurriculars and essays can really boost your application as well, but you should apply to a range of schools if you are interested in transferring.

Also I’m also not going to lie. There are a good number of people at William & Mary who do struggle with mental health and use the counseling center here – most of them not school-related issues – but the counseling center tends to be overbooked a lot and it might take a while to schedule appointments. Something you should also consider if applying to college is: is this place a good place for my mental health if I need consistent, available help? William & Mary could be the right place, it might not be. They are doing many more wellness initiatives and looks like it will improve significantly in the upcoming year, but that is a valid consideration if that is a concern for you. There are other places where there is a greater availability of services where it is not as greatly utilized.

The good news is there are plenty of great places out there even if you do not get into William & Mary. I am rooting for you and hope that you do get to go to a place where you are happy, but that is not your only option. Based on your post, I assume that you are interested in politics or international relations? William & Mary has a great program, but There are many places where you can study that and being in a city can actually be advantageous from an internship or job standpoint.