Do I disclose my health issues if it could possibly hurt me in the long run?

Transfer Students
1

hi!

I’m a college freshman looking to transfer out of a state school to hopefully a t20 for business. I know having a near 4.0 is ideal but I dealt with some health issues this semester and a lot was going on that led to a B- in calculus.

I began treatment for my eating disorder at the beginning of the semester which meant two appointments every week and then I also had to see a cardiologist due to my ed resulting in heart issues and also having to get my blood drawn due to vitamin deficiencies. I was nearly put into a partial hospitalization program (I managed to argue against it because I want to finish school) but it’s still in the cards for me possibly over summer if things don’t get better but I’m still in outpatient as of now and still going through heart issues.

I don’t know if it would be the smartest idea to disclose my ed because I don’t want to be seen as a liability. I have good extracurriculars and I genuinely thought I had a shot before I messed everything up with my gpa. I’m not really sure what to do. I’m thinking of either just not applying at all or just disclosing heart issues instead of the ed but I’ve just worked way too hard since high school to end up like this.

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I don’t have an answer for college applications…but I will say…

Please please put your health as your first priority. There isn’t anything as important as making sure you are healthy. College will be there always. That can wait. Getting your eating disorder situation under control, and having good resources for continued care if needed…way more important than college is now.

College will always be there for you.

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3

Thank you. I know college will always be there for me but I just don’t want to waste away everything I’ve done, I cant let my issues take away from my success. I just want to get the transfer process over with (in a hopefully successful manner) and then I’m telling myself I can try to recover after

4

So let me ask you this ?

Do you like your current school ? What will a top 20 do that this won’t ?

There are I assume 20 top 20 schools. Overall ? 20 more for accounting, 20 for marketing, etc.

What’s the goal. You need to like the school a rank doesn’t do that.

To answer your question - no, do not. If you are disclosing in an essay and it shows perseverance, I can see. But to justify a single B- no.

I’m sorry for your illness and I truly hope you can get past this.

If you’re disclosing to justify a B-, well how come the rest of the grades are presumably better ? What kind of proof do you have that ties the B - to this. Maybe you are simply earning a B-

Too many say, like yesterday, my EC is brutal so I suffered in GPA. Really ? Where’s the proof.

If you told me, school suffered - all of it - because of the program you were in with partial hospitalization, I’d say - well not sure if you disclosed if it would hurt. Or not. But it’s believable.

But you’re struggling in a class. An important one. But you cannot partition it from the rest of your performance, which I assume is fine.

So I would not go there. It would, to me, be rightly held against you as excuse making.

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Ask yourself what it will help to disclose your health issues. The admins are going to be comparing you against other transfer applicants who might have perfect grades and great projects or club memberships.

IMO, they aren’t going to consider your health issues as a positive, or feel that it a reason to overlook the grade. You need to make your application as strong as it can be without drawing attention to the weakness.

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The rest of my grades were fine. I do understand how it looks like an excuse, even though genuinely it was hard for me to balance all the appointments and issues with calc specifically because it was a four credit class (my others were 3 and one of them was 1) and I had it every single day (MWF lecture and TT 8am required discussion). I would have my dietitian appointment on Tuesday’s and my therapy one on Wednesday right before lecture and I missed lecture a couple times to get blood work done and see my doctor.

As for the business program, I wanted to aim for schools with high recruiting with IB/PE. Currently, I’m having an okay time at my current school (have friends and a routine but I’m obviously not the happiest and things could be better).

I definitely don’t think at this point I will disclose my ed. it feels embarrassing and I don’t think it’ll help. I am only just considering mentioning health issues in terms of heart/blood. Idk tho.

7

You’re right, I understand. Thanks for your advice. I likely won’t mention any relation to my ed. just considering the heart stuff but now likely won’t mention that either and just give it my best shot.

8

So - listen, your health is first and foremost.

And IB is often cuthroat. There are stories about - some IBs complaining about the hours and being told not to work Sundays.

On the other hand, some think you must go to certain schools - and there are folks in the industry on here who certainly mention target schools (not all top 20s) - but I have to tell you, every time I hear someone say - you can’t get to so and so from whatever school.

Well I see there’s a recent Alabama grad at Goldman as an IB analyst (I looked it up because someone was saying not possible). Another wanted to leave Va Tech and they have many. My daughter’s BF goes to U Denver and he’s interviewing with a Nashville firm. A guy that was trying to date my daughter had an IB offer in NYC from College of Charleston…so I’m not buying that you have to be at a target school. It might be 98% easier…but it’s not the only.

I think - IB isn’t just NY anymore and I’ll acknowledge while there are the target schools an all - but many/most companies today post jobs and anyone can apply - and some do get through. There’s also IB after grad school if you went that route.

But you also have a life like this (not at all I’m sure but some) - it is an intense career - and maybe you’d want that…but maybe you wouldn’t. And what would happen when you got there if you had issues/concerns. You can’t disclose to them.

I’d say this:

Top 20 doesn’t mean you’d get IB. It’s very competitive. Non Top 20 doesn’t mean you wouldn’t. Because I could find 50 colleges or 80 or 100 - I don’t know how many - on linkedin as investment banking analysts…probably your school as well.

And don’t forget, banks are like other companies…they have functional jobs like marketing, HR, legal, IT, etc. but those aren’t IB jobs.

Many got to IB, not even from business school - there’s many from LAC.

You have to get your health under control…that’s first and foremost.

But I would not disclose. It cannot help you. Regardless of your schedule and when medical appointments were - it either hurt everything or hurt nothing - but you can’t say it hurt one class - and a critical one for top B schools as well.

Your record is your record - and I don’t know how you’ll do admission wise, but nothing good can come of disclosing (in my opinion).

Best of luck.

Goldman Sachs junior bankers complain of crushing workload amid SPAC-fueled boom in Wall Street deals (cnbc.com)

9

This concerns me.
Transferring to a top school with issues, will add more issues, let alone ED and Heart concerns.

  • OOS will not be cheap.
  • Transferring into top schools is an uphill battle. Many schools only take junior entry level transfers and you have to hope that another student transfers or drops out of that school to make space for you/your major. Does not happen often.
  • Seeking a new health provider, in a new state, may be a difficult challenge if your current insurance does not have enough coverage to meet that state’s minimum requirements.

GET HEALTHY first!

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10

You need to deal with your eating disorder and heart issues right now.

If you do not like your current school or do not want to be there, can’t be there etc…take a leave of absence to restore your health. Then you can put in transfer apps.

You indicated that you might have to be hospitalized over the summer because you are not doing it now (argued against it because of school). This may require a leave of absence, depending on how long you are hospitalized for.

Your job right now is to take care of your health. Being in college while dealing with an eating disorder and heart issues is difficult. Please do not make it harder by trying to transfer to a top 20. Dealing with a new school while also navigating appointments and trying to recover can be very stressful.

I want to commend you for getting help for the eating disorder and heart issues. That should be your focus.

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I completely agree, you need to put your health first.

I would recommend that you not disclose your eating disorder in transfer applications.

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Every word of @aunt_bea ‘s post is correct. OP, everyone here thinks you need to prioritize your health over transferring. Count me as another to say do not add this information to your application. Your health at this point is not anyone else’s business. College AO’s will not regard such info as beneficial to your app.

Nothing you did in high school is wasted. All the hard work has served you well now that you’re in college and struggling with a health issue, which I imagine you had in high school as well.

There are a lot of students who have a mistaken belief that if they worked hard in high school, there needs to be some kind of prize for that hard work. There is: college is a prize. The name of the college is not the prize. What you do with your opportunities at college is an added bonus. It is the extra effort you make during your college years that will continue to shape your future. You’ve set standards for yourself already while you were in high school. Remember that health should be part of your standard.

The truth is that’s it’s the person, and not the name of the school, that makes the most of their college years. Maybe that means transferring to a different school, but in your situation, I think it means getting your body and mind in a healthier space and transferring in as a junior…

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13

I strongly recommend taking a medical leave of absence. Doing a partial or preferably inpatient eating disorder program. Worrying about which school to attend later. If the ED is already affecting your heart, I think you are missing the urgency of the situation. Eating disorders only tend to get worse and/or get entrenched and last for many years. Please get the maximum help now.

At your current school, do you have accommodations for your various medical requirements or have you not disclosed there? Once accommodations interfere with academic functioning, even if you were to have maximum accommodations, it is time for a leave.

You can return or transfer or wait a few years- many options for schooling. Life is not a straight line. But you need to make sure you have a life, period. Changing schools is a low priority when your health is a risk.

ps I am wondering if we have communicated in the past with a different screen name. If so, I advised the same thing and here we are again.

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14

OP- hugs.

Do NOT engage in the magical thinking that if you transfer, you will find a better health care team, a better education, a better anything.

To echo everyone else- your health not only comes first- it is THE most important thing you need to be thinking about.

If your issues are serious enough that your team is recommending a residency program, listen to your team. They have seen cases like yours before. The type of perfectionism your posts imply is not inconsistent with your dx…" I cant let my issues take away from my success"-- you don’t have issues, you have a complex medical diagnosis which requires a collaborative team (cardiologist, dietician, mental health support) to get you well.

Do you think that if you transfer you won’t ever miss a class to get your blood work done? Do you think that if you transfer your cardiologist miraculously says “forget an EKG, your midterms are more important”. No. You are in denial if you think that the same time consuming medical appointments will not follow you wherever you go.

Where are your parents on the subject of transferring??? Has anyone suggested withdrawing for next semester and just focusing on getting well-- whether hospitalized or out-patient?

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15

Since you mentioned seeing a therapist, I would suggest you discuss this with the therapist. I am suggesting you discuss the whole idea of transferring with this therapist.

You shouldn’t be embarrassed about an eating disorder. You should be working to become healthy.

I think a discussion with your therapist about transferring to a more competitive college, and pushing yourself like it seems you want to do…will help with your ED…which you say is causing your cardiac issues.

You need to be beyond healthy to work in the IB/PE fields which often require starting folks to work 60 or more hours per week.

Again I say…your health is far more important than any of your career goals. Far more important.

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16

You know …honesty is to the best policy. With yourself. Your health situation is a serious one.

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Would you be embarrassed if you had asthma? Diabetes? needed hearing aids? Ongoing physical therapy for a rotator cuff injury? We’re talking about your health… not about a stupid prank you played in junior high…

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18

A leave of absence is a great idea. As is the rest of this post.

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19

Our bodies always attempt to protect our hearts. If desperate, our bodies will allow vital resources to be pulled from our muscles, our bones, our reproductive systems–but will try to preserve normal cardiac function. So if an eating disorder is serious enough to have affected the heart, it is serious indeed. When it gets to this level, getting the body medically stable needs to be the only priority.

Having an eating disorder is not your fault. I am sorry this has happened to you. Once you get the intensive treatment this illness requires, and are in sustained full remission, then you can go forward to seek any college experience you desire.

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I have a friend who died from an eating disorder. Do you know about Karen Carpenter, the most famous victim of an ED who died while getting better. Dangers to the heart increase unless recovery is medically supervised. I don’t like scaring you . I completely understand where you are.

I have kids with medical and psych. issues and the resulting delays in their college years did not affect their long term goals. It is okay to take care of yourself. You deserve to be well and not struggle.

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