Well, I think I may have blew it

Transfer Students
1

So I was accepted as a transfer student to my dream school from community college on the standard conditional academic basis.

I had one class to pass (calculus), and it doesn’t look like I’m going to do better than a D. It looks terrible because it was my only class. I came into the summer burnt out and exhausted from a death in my family mid Spring semester, and it was an online class (big mistake). I wasn’t in the right state of mind.

I’m pretty much resigned to the likely possibility of my acceptance being revoked.

Regarding reacting to this, I have heard everything from “don’t draw attention to it by contacting admissions” to “send a letter before they see your transcript”.

Anyone have any advice? I’m considering declining the admission and just reapplying somewhere down the line, if I even feel like it after this point.

Should I get ahead of this or not? The school is not super selective, but it is well regarded regionally. I would rather not say the name of the school outright but you might be able to gather from my username.

Edit: additionally, Calculus is required for my intended major (computer science), but I am not going to be a student in the computer science school. I applied to and got into the most “general” school as they allow you to take classes outside of your school. So, technically, this isn’t required for my current major, though admissions is aware of my intentions to eventually transfer. If that makes sense or makes any difference.

2

Get ahead of it. Offer to retake the class either at their college, or if they will defer your admission to the spring so you can retake it at the CC.

3

Should I mention the death in my family? I hate to rely on something like that, but it is the truth.

4

Additionally, if this does fall through, is there a rule of thumb for reapplication after rescission? Are colleges less likely to accept you a second time around?

5

So now you have a measure of the maturity of your friends. The responsible and respected thing is to face up to one’s problems. Hoping things will blow over or go undiscovered is not a good approach in life. If you tell someone about your problem then 2 things can happen: (1) they appreciate your honesty and maturity (2) there may be a way to work things out if your employer/school/spouse finds out early on. If you try to duck then when the problem is discovered they will realize you knew about it all along and didn’t say anything, which isn’t going to buy you many points or leniency.

I’m not saying calling them now will change things, but its more likely than if you wait until they review your final transcripts. An approach I’ve seen recommended is to say essentially “I’m sorry, I accept responsibility, here’s why it won’t happen again”.