I’m looking for some advice getting into a good college. I have a unique set of circumstances. I’m 21 and I’ve been to three colleges. I’ve gone from 2.8 gpa in highschool to A student freshmen year and bad student sophomore year.
First semester freshman year I went to a medium state school and got a 4.0 GPA. I quickly loved school, but I didn’t feel challenged. I decided that I would attempt to get into UW-Madison. I ended up transferring to a good branch school as a stepping stone to get to the main campus.
I stayed at the branch school for one semester. While there I got a 3.88 gpa. This could’ve easily been a 4.0. However, I had health issues that messed up my mental health severely. I continued with my plan and applied to UW and some backups.
It’s worth mentioning that my second semester wasn’t complete. I was relying on one semester of grades to get me into these schools. I was denied at UW, accepted at IU, enrolled at OSU, and accepted at PSU. I decided that I couldn’t stay at the branch school and assumed the summer would heal my mental health.
My sophomore year at OSU was a mistake. I got a 3.33 gpa my first semester and dropped a class. The second semester was covid with pass/fail. I failed the class that I dropped the first semester. I failed because my mental health was at rock bottom. I did the best I could all things considered.
Deciding to enroll in OSU was a poor decision because I lost sight of my goals. I was closeted gay and this was important in my decision. UW-Madison seemed like a perfect fit. I was passionate about the campus and its culture. The rank of the school was originally second to becoming me. Both times I visited OSU I knew it wasn’t a fit, but felt it met my academic goals. This decision made me feel very disassociated with the world around me. I didn’t feel like a student anymore.
So I decided to withdrawal from college and take a gap year. I moved across the country and did some real estate investing. This has been fun, but it’s not me. It’s been a year and a half, but I’m 100% ready to go back to college. It’s difficult when I’m not sure where my options are. I really want to go to a school that actually matches my intellect and capability.
I sit here now knowing that my mental health in college and not knowing my identity in high school put me in a worse position. It’s left me with bad school decisions, a failed class, and a just-okay GPA. I sit here now confident that I’ve taken care of myself. I’m ready to get my degrees.
I just don’t know how to sell myself to good B state schools. Any advice on this situation is appreciated. Thank you in advance 