katiebeth

Okay, thanks. I will call each institution before applying just to make sure. I'll explain it shortly and sweetly in that separate form or send a letter. I'll touch on the fact that after withdrawing I took a year off to get a "real job" and learn about the working world. Hopefully it will satisfy them to know I didn't sit in my parents' basement eating doritos all that time. I don't know how to assure them it won't be a problem in the future without detailing my illness, which I would rather not do. I'll talk to my lab advisor about how to phrase.

Let's say I have a blemish on my college record--for instance the fact that I took medical withdrawals my first semester and started fresh a year later at a new school. At my current school (a tier 1 research university), I have done extremely well and am planning to complete an honor's thesis this summer. My lab advisor (someone who picks her own graduate students) said she believes I have a very strong application, but she doesn't know about that first semester, and I'm concerned it will reflect poorly on me. I can very clearly explain why those withdrawals happened, and I think the reasons are good. Do I need to send graduate schools the transcripts from my first school? Should I attempt to explain the circumstances around those withdrawals in my SOP, a separate letter, or only explain if asked? Thanks!