Will Taking a Break Effect My Chances of Transferring?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I am a second semester freshman in college and am really not enjoying my experience at my school. I was applying to transfer anyways, but with my current living situation and everything that has been going on socially around me, I am thinking that it might be a good idea to take a semester off. Although I never had imagined myself ever taking a break, and had always decided to suck it up and push through, I just cannot bare the thought of staying at this school any longer. The issues that I am dealing with have started to take a toll on my academics and I am worried about my future. </p>

<p>Here is a little background on who I am:
I currently attend a top 50 public university and have earned a cumulative GPA of a 3.51. I am a member of three active student groups on campus and participate in intramural sports. I was a competitive athlete in high school while I also played the flute, volunteered, and worked. </p>

<p>Additionally, I have also struggled with depression since I was a freshman in high school and it has been made worse by my experiences at my current university. Originally, my parents had pushed me towards attending this school because they felt that it was the best decision for me. Although I was hesitant and did not want to attend this university, I tried to make the best of my experiences and to have a good time. However, things have not played out well for me. I am in the process of sending out transfer applications but am finding that everything has taken a serious blow as a result of my depression. </p>

<p>My main concern is will taking a semester off my first year of college affect my chances of getting into another university for next fall? If I am to take a semester off, I would look for an internship while also volunteering in the area that I would like to major in. </p>

<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated, good or bad! </p>

2

<p>Taking a semester off should not give you a black mark as long as you take the time to gain useful experience. If you have only one semester of courses under your belt (less than 30 credits), you will have to include your HS transcript as part of the transfer application.</p>

3

<p>If my high school transcript was only mediocre, will my college grades have a stronger influence? </p>

4

<p>Good grades in your college transcript will definitely help because it proves you can work at that level.</p>

5

<p>It’s not clear to me: Are you thinking of withdrawing from your college now, this current semester? Doing so will not affect your transfer chances per se, but please double check with each college you are considering to see whether you would be eligible to transfer for fall 2014, if you will only have completed one semester by then. The policy will vary by school. </p>

<p>To answer your second post, generally speaking, the more college under your belt, the less weight your HS transcript will be given in the process. </p>

<p>Irregardless, please take a step back from all of this now, and deal with your depression. If you haven’t done so already, please obtain some counseling at your school. That is what is most important here. </p>

6

<p>Thank you so much for all of the advice!</p>