when your GPA's too low to transfer -- Virtually Advising Q+A

The Q: I want to transfer to another university, but my GPA falls very short of their requirements. What are my options?

The A: Your GPA falls short of the school's MINIMUM requirements for transfer students? If that's the case -- if they literally won't even look at your application because your GPA is too low -- then you've got three choices that I can see:

1) Raise that GPA! I realize this may not be so simple; there are lots of reasons people have low GPAs. It could be that your study habits just need some fixing up, but it could also be personal/family issues you're having trouble dealing with, a general lack of motivation and direction, or even a learning disability you didn't realize you had. You might want to meet up with your faculty adviser or a campus counselor to talk about the reasons your GPA isn't so hot; maybe it'd give you some insight into how you can help yourself improve it. If a major illness or family crisis has kept you from doing as well in your classes as you normally would, meet with your school's dean of academics to see if you can retake some classes or have your lowest grades turned into Ws or incompletes.

2) Pick another school (or schools) to transfer to. Check out other colleges you might be equally interested in, but which have more lenient transfer requirements. And remember that your GPA isn't the only thing you need to worry about when you're transferring. Even if you're accepted, there's no guarantee that the credits you've earned at your old school will come over to your new school with you. Most colleges won't accept credits from any class you did worse than a C in; some schools are even stricter than that. This means that even if you're a second-semester sophomore now, there's a chance you could end up as a sophomore again next year if your new school doesn't accept enough of your credits. So do your homework on each school you're considering before you apply -- and definitely before you accept an admissions offer.

3) Don't transfer -- at least, not yet. Try to figure out what it is that's keeping your GPA down, and see if you can turn the boat around a bit. If things just suck in general and you barely even understand what the heck you're doing in college right now, consider taking a little time off to get your life in order. If you're having trouble with your classes, meet with somebody on campus you can talk to for help sorting things through.

Best of luck!

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor