A depressing realization

WC3

It's almost November again and, as I did last November, I will be applying to transfer universities. It will be my fourth time applying and I've always known the odds were against me though other people refuse to believe that. But it's only $50 to apply and it's currently the only way I will ever have any hope of advancing my academic career and obtaining a career in general. It occured to me last night though that I have a significantly higher chance of dying from the cancer within the next 15 years than ever being accepted to any of the universities and nothing I can do or say can ever change that. I know how the application review process actually works.

The application review process favors young people with resources to do a lot of volunteer and extracurricular activities and makes exceptions for only ordinary extenuating circumstances; not the absolute clusterf**k the first school has put me in. I can't change the fact that I am not a young teenager or 20 something with parental resources that allow me to go on volunteer trips to Guatamala and I can't erase the circumstances beyond my control that put me in a situation of having to transfer but left me ineligible to do so.

Short of winning a Nobel Prize (which is actually impossible as an independant researcher unless you are already someone of note), the reality is there is nothing I can do to negate the stigma attached to my circumstances for my application to even have a chance at getting past the first wall and looked at by someone who might still see the potential in me.

Georgia1

Hi there, and I'm sorry you are having a "down day" today. I'm not familiar with your situation although I know we've posted on some of the same threads. Are you someone in mid-life applying to transfer as an undergraduate from one U.S. university to another? Would you mind sharing what field you are in? Transferring is really hard, but I'm glad you're keeping at it and I'm hoping there's someone here who can help if you need concrete advice. But meanwhile I hope your treatment is going well and that you have time today to do something nice for yourself.

WC3

Georgia1:

Thanks for the reply. I PM'd you.

moth

I'm bummed for you I hope some admissions officer looks beyond the surface of the app and sees your potential.

I just went back to school this past Sept., going for my second bachelor's in a totally different field than my first. My program looked only at GPA of pre-requisites so I just worked my tail off to get that nailed and they had to let me in, even if secretly they're thinking wth is this old woman doing here :P

MissouriCatLady

Sending you a hug and hoping for a nice surprise. You are such an excellent writer, I can tell just from the few posts I've seen. Hugs to you xx.

WC3

moth:

I hope so too. The school I am trying to transfer to uses a holistic approach...so they say, but the reality is there is a GPA cutoff and credit cap. My situation is complex, unfortunately, and I am stuck in a catch 22. It's a really convoluted situation that the administration agrees should have never happened, and it's just so horrible because I had worked so hard and was doing well until the system failed me.

Congrats on getting in to the program. I think it's really great that you are pursuing a second degree. If you don't mind me asking, what field are you studying?

MissouriCatLady:

Thank you :-)

moth

WC3 - I'm going for a BSN: bachelor of science in nursing