Multiple W’s with decent GPA/ECs?

Transfer Students
1

Hi all. I am going to CUNY College of Staten Island for Biology, but I want to transfer next fall to a SUNY school that is more oriented towards environmental science as I want to enter environmental advocacy/conservation biology, especially wildlife conservation. Specifically, I am looking at SUNY ESF. However, I have been having a hard time this/last semester and I’m worried I am no longer a good transfer candidate.

I have a 3.6 GPA and am in my third semester. I have a 6 year history of volunteer work within my intended field (conservation/zoos). I also did an internship with the education department of a zoo during my first semester (Fall 2017). I currently have 3 jobs, all of which are related to my intended field (an instructor at a zoo, a veterinary assistant, and an animal technition at my school’s animal research facility). One job I’ve had for 1.5 years, another 1 year, and another just a month or so. Before that I worked at another animal facility for 1.5 years. I am 21 years old.

However, in the spring, I withdrew from chem 1/chem 1 lab because I was taking 18 credits including 5 STEM courses. I went to re-take it in the Summer, but honestly had something close to a mental breakdown that I am still suffering from now in October.

I became extremely depressed and lethargic. Every day I would sleep for 14+ hours and have no energy to get out of bed once I eventually woke up. I slept through 4 of my classes during the Summer including one of the exams, which forced me to withdraw from the class again for that summer, bringing me to 4 W’s.

This Fall I registered for an easier chem class with the hope that it’d ease me into chem 1 when I have to take it again (intro to chem). However, I have not broken out of my depression and am continuing to struggle with my classes. I have A’s in all my other classes, but have dropped my Calc 1/Calc lab classes because I have been missing classes and unable to study (bringing me to 6 W’s in my third semester of school), and slept through a chem lab which included my midterm, which has made it impossible for me to get an A. So this semester I expect to have 2 W’s, a C in chem lab and then 4 A’s.

I don’t know what to do, or if I have any chance of being accepted as a transfer student. I’ve been so depressed and struggling so much to function that I’ve been considering medically withdrawing from the entire semester. The only thing keeping me from doing that is my hope of being able to transfer. I feel like transfering to a school far from here and more oriented towards my future goals will make me feel a lot better about myself and my life and give me more room to focus and grow out of this pit I’m in, but I’m really not sure. I feel like a lot of this depression has to do with being tired of the people I’m around here (family/friends) and all my local responsibilities, in addition to commuting costs and all that. But I don’t know if I’ll even be a good candidate.

What do you guys think? What should I do?Ddo you think a SUNY would take me with my projected grades for this semester, or should I withdraw completely and try again once I have my stuff together? Let me know. Thanks.

2

First of all I think that you should focus on your health. You should see a doctor and get a referral to a psychiatrist. It sounds like you are suffering from depression. Depression is very common. Many very smart and very capable people have suffered from it, including many famous people that you have heard of and who have accomplished great things. The medical profession has gotten a lot better in dealing with depression in recent years. This is a common illness and is nothing to be ashamed of. However, it is something to get treated.

Whether to withdraw for this semester would probably depend upon how bad your depression is, and how bad your grades are. If you do withdraw, you will want to see a counselor at your school and get a medical withdrawal. This also means that they will want evidence that you are being treated effectively before you return, but you should try to get treated effectively regardless for your own well being.

Secondly, if you are suffering from depression, you probably should not be taking 18 credits at once. This would be a very difficult course load for anyone. You need to take things at your own pace.

Thirdly, I am not all that worried about your transfer chances. It sounds like you are still getting good grades and completing a heavy class load. If you take 6 classes and drop one, it looks like you started with an extra class and dropped back to a reasonable but still hard course load. It also sounds like you are mostly getting A’s. Even very good students do get a B or a C from time to time. Yes, we try to avoid the B’s and C’s, but no one, not even a very strong student, is perfect. You might need to be close to perfect for Harvard or Stanford. However, for a SUNY (which are very good schools) you need to be a very good student, you don’t need to be perfect.

I don’t know whether you will get into the SUNY or not, but I think that you chances are probably good.