<p>I was accepted to the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State main campus and attended for the Fall 2011 semester. Due to difficulty adjusting to college, intense homesickness, and distractions caused by the Sandusky scandal, I did very poorly academically. I did not pass four classes and received a D in my math class, equaling a semester GPA of 0.20. This one semester is clearly not reflective of my academic capabilities, since I was accepted for consistently being on the distinguished honor roll, achieving an SAT score of 1910, and being inducted into the National Honor Society. My parents were obviously very upset with my grades and encouraged me to transfer elsewhere because they thought University Park was too large for my personality. With family in the Philadelphia area, a relative persuaded me to transfer to Eastern University. Three semesters have passed at Eastern, and my cumulative grade point average at Eastern is 3.10. I have taken 16 classes, earned 49 credits, and presided over an academic record that is consistent with my abilities. I feel as though I have proven that I can be a successful college student.</p>
<p>With the clarity of hindsight and the fog of my poor first semester cleared away, I realize that I should have ridden out the rough patch and stayed put at University Park. Boiled down, I struggled initially with the rigors of being an upstanding college student. After much contemplation, I recently concluded that a degree in Political Science from Penn State is more reputable than little-known Eastern University, and I should seek re-enrollment to University Park.</p>
<p>Well, I applied for re-enrollment. Along with my current transcript from Eastern University and a lengthy letter detailing how I’d learned from my mistakes, I received a letter from a coordinator at the College of the Liberal Arts. She denied my request for re-enrollment because they adhere to a strict policy of not admitting former students with a Penn State c.g.p.a. less than 2.00. I again implored her to please consider my circumstances and the enormous strides I’ve made academically. Still, her decision wouldn’t budge. She said Penn State “never” re-enrolls students with less than a 2.00 c.g.p.a.</p>
<p>The only route to attending Penn State she offered was for me to take summer courses at Penn State to boost my c.g.p.a. above 2.00. This means that I would have to earn A’s in fifteen credits as a non-degree student. With it being June, only one session of four-week classes is offered this summer at Penn State. It would be unheard of to undertake fifteen credits in such a compact period–nine credits (3 classes) would be “pushing it” according to the Registrar.</p>
<p>Now I feel completely stuck. I really have my heart set on attending Penn State main campus in Fall 2013. It was hard enough leaving Penn State with terribly low self-esteem, but it hurts even more to know that Penn State will disregard my success over the past three semesters. How should I pursue this? Is attending Penn State main campus in Fall 2013 a pipe dream? Is phoning the Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts a fool’s errand? Do you think they would compromise if I took nine credits this summer?</p>
<p>Boy, do I wish I had stayed put at University Park or transferred to a local branch campus. Eastern University was a big mistake, and a hasty decision I made when I felt sorely dejected and desperate. Any suggestions and/or advice would be immensely appreciated. Thank you so very much.</p>
It’s a good lesson to others to fight for what they really want.</p>