Admission Dilemma

[infuscious]

<p>I'm having a real problem trying to decide what I should do... I've been attending a community college in the town I relocated to six years ago; I've accumulated 30 credit hours to transfer to a well-known state university that is also here in my town, with hopes of enrolling in their design program. I have a 4.0 GPA. The only problem is that back in 1998, I attended a college in my home town, in another state. I was having a lot of personal problems back then, and I ended up getting bad grades during my first semester. Midway into my second semester, I simply stopped attending, and therefore ended up getting Fs across the board. I'd taken out student loans to attend.</p>

<p>I'm terrified to report this on my application. Things have changed tremendously for me over the years between then and now. I've grown up--gotten married, had children, settled down, become responsible, and resolved the personal issues that tainted my first college attempt--issues that had haunted me from my childhood on into young adulthood. I've spent the last few years saving and preparing and planning for this moment; I've worked so hard to get outstanding grades and to stand out as a great student. Should I report that first institution? And if I don't report it, is there a chance they would find out?</p>

[IsleBoy]

<p>You would need to report your grades from 1998...and if you took out loans, the financial aid office will have that record. </p>

<p>Someone at the school will find out, especially if you apply for aid. It's better to be honest and use the essay section to explain how you've grown academically.</p>

[hsmomstef]

<p>don't worry about the bad grades -- believe me, many returning adults have the same story. With an excellent GPA at a community college (like you have) that is what the college will be looking at. they need to see that you can handle the course load (which you can). Many schools will not factor in transfer credits for GPA (both the good and the bad) and just about the only time those bad grades will cause you grief is when they figure the GPA for latin honors -- for that, they do count all transfer grades.</p>

[mikemac]

<p>if you don't report it and they find out you can be kicked out of school, and even if you graduate you'll always be haunted by the fact that if they find out they can retroactively strip you of your diploma for falsifying information on your application.</p>

<p>And if you're thinking "well, what are the chances of them being able to find" the odds are pretty high if anyone bothers to look. There is a company called the National Student Clearinghouse <a href="http://www.nslc.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nslc.org/&lt;/a> set up to provide exactly this information; they claim to have data on 91% of the US college student body. And since you had financial aid there are records strewn all over the place; if the financial aid office runs a routine check to see if you're eligible for aid (something they might do automatically even if you don't apply for it) then the past records pop up because there are lifetime limits on aid, and it will raise flags if you don't have those loans & colleges listed in your app.</p>

<p>And since you view yourself as grown up and responsible, why is this a "dilemma"? It's no more a dilemma than it is for someone to be walking by a store window and wonder about the "dilemma" of breaking the glass and stealing the contents. In either case you can do the right thing or lie/cheat/steal in hopes of making yourself better off at the risk of being caught.</p>

[infuscious]

<p>That's true, mikemac. I can't be dishonest. I'm just afraid I won't be accepted. I have a wife and two children, so it's not as though I have a lot of plan Bs. I'm not going to uproot my family and go to school out of state or even out of town. But you ARE right: I can't lie. I'll report it. But this presents its own dilemma.</p>

<p>Let me pose this question: how should I explain why I dropped out? I don't know how to approach this.</p>

<p>I experienced something in my childhood that haunted me throughout life, until I met my wife, who was instrumental in helping me heal. What happened was VERY personal--and a big part of the trauma came froom the fact that the adults in my life who were supposed to be looking out for me--including my parents--failed to do so. I won't get into the details here, and perhaps I don't need to; perhaps you can make some reasonable deductions based on what I've already said. Chances are, you'll be right.</p>

<p>The reason I'm being even remotely open about this is because I don't know what to do, exactly. Is such a subject appropriate for a personal statement? Those Fs HAVE to be explained, and in order to do that, I would need to explain what happened. But will this be too heavy for a personal statement? And will admissions be turned off by something that would cast an unflattering light on my parents?</p>

[Antarius]

<p>well, i understand what you are saying. I suggest you mention it, but rather than soending a lot iof time saying what went wrong, say that it went wrong for circumstances out of your control... and talk about how you and your wife have been proactively working to heal the wounds and how you are a changed and stable person now... your GPA now will help your case</p>

<p>They need to know something went wrong, but your character and perseverance is shown to them when you fought it off</p>

<p>I think you will be ok... and best of luck</p>

[hsmomstef]

<p>just wondering -- how many hours and what GPA did you have at the first school (the one you bombed at)? You say you have a 4.0 with 30 credit hours at the current school. </p>

<p>You may not need to explain the F's -- they may just attribute it to immaturity, etc.</p>

<p>I attended school and earned about 30 hour -- my GPA was about 1.2 (if I earned credit, it was an A -- otherwise it was an F). I had tons of F's on the transcript. After a number of years (about 10) I went back to a community college, earned a 3.5 GPA with 28 credit hours and then applied to the local state university. there was never any question about the F's and I didn't explain them. I was accepted without a problem.</p>

<p>I would call the admission's office and have a heart to heart with an admissions officer (not a clerk). Ask them if you need to explain the F's since you now have a 4.0 with 30 credits.</p>

[Antarius]

<p>well, i understand what you are saying. I suggest you mention it, but rather than soending a lot iof time saying what went wrong, say that it went wrong for circumstances out of your control... and talk about how you and your wife have been proactively working to heal the wounds and how you are a changed and stable person now... your GPA now will help your case</p>

<p>They need to know something went wrong, but your character and perseverance is shown to them when you fought it off</p>

<p>I think you will be ok... and best of luck</p>

[IsleBoy]

<p>I agree with Antarius.</p>