[Amanda_1981]

In 2000, I started my first year of University with the intent on doing a 4 year BA in English and then hopefully become a teacher. That dream went down the drain when I developed severe agoraphobia by the end of my 3rd year and was forced to drop out of my program and move back home. I spent the following 4 years completely housebound, thinking my life and dreams were over. Two years ago, I started doing extensive cbt therapy, got on the right med combo, and moved out of my parents' house, into a townhouse with my sister. I am now able to go out without having panic attacks and have decided I'm ready to go back to school. After having gone through all I did with my mental illness, I have decided that, although I do have a passion for English and languages, I now want to go to school to get a degree in social work, and would love to be a peer or community support worker within the mental health field. It's a very competitive program and I have no idea whether or not I'll get accepted, and will only know within the next few months. I chose to only send my high school transcripts when I applied, as I ended up with several 'incompletes' on my University transcripts, as I was too agoraphobic to go to class during that time, and was too embarrassed to tell my professors why. I am hoping I made the right decision to not send my University transcripts. I did borderline 'ok' for my first year and a half, but by having missed so many classes, my grades just went from 'ok', to 'could be better', to 'not so good', to 'really not so good', to 'failure to complete'. I know some say to have additional transcripts from a former University/College improves one's chance of getting into a competitive program, and I did take an online course this past summer and did very well in it, but I can't help but think that all they will see on those transcripts are the failure to complete grades from my 2nd and 3rd year. So.. I'm hoping that my high school transcripts will be enough to get me in the program. I was really hoping there would be an essay question to answer upon applying for it, but there weren't any areas on the application to express why you want to take the program. There was a section to put in any related work or volunteer positions to your program during your time away from school, but I haven't worked since 2003 and the volunteer position I do now involves working at the library used book store, which has nothing to do with social work. I hope I did the right thing by not sending my old University transcripts. I have until February 2nd to add additional information to the College. Any ideas or thoughts on anything I can do to help improve my chances of getting in? I really don't want to be pessimistic about it, but I can't help but feel that they're going to see from my high school transcripts that I graduated high school in 1999, haven't worked, been in school, or volunteered anything related to my program of choice since then, and it's now 2010. I guess it couldn't hurt to send them in a formal letter/essay on why I have waited this long to apply and what my reasons are for applying to this particular program.

Any thoughts?

[Perna]

I don't think it's optional to send/not send the transcripts? It's like applying for a job, you have to have all your experience/background in there or explain it in the interview/if there's questions. There's no shame in trying again after having had problems and dropping out! They need to know that you "could" do fine! You're older now and will have gained that much more experience but with nothing written down about what you were doing the last 10 years, they have nothing at all to go on. You might want to read their material but it could be that withholding the transcripts will be a no-no by their rules if they ever learn about it?

Be proud of how well you've done, having a problem and taking care of yourself; they want/need to see that!

Good luck, Amanda.

How are you doing, Amanda?