So, I've done a lot of googling and I've yet to find someone with a similar predicament to me. (If you don't want to read a somewhat-lengthy, personal story, I suggest you skip this one)
After I graduated high school, I went straight to college. I wasn't sure what to study, but after the passing of my high school best friend, I decided to try to go somewhere in the medical field and entered the college of science to study Biology. While I was motivated to find a career where I could help the most people possible, I was also dealing with overwhelming grief and later on many other mental health issues caused by the sudden death of my friend (Depression, Anxiety, etc.). I stayed in this major for 2.5 years of college, struggling through courses, dropping many, and failing one. Eventually my mental health got so bad all I wanted to do was quit school all together because I could barely get out of bed in the morning. Instead, I changed majors halfway through my junior year of college to a hobby from high school: journalism. Despite knowing that I did not want to be a Journalist, I was still interested in research and interviewing subjects (something that later led me to my current studies), and I wanted to finish school on time, and take courses I knew I could do well in. I also knew I wanted to put all my Bio (and related) courses to use, so I decided to push through and complete a minor in Biology (I only needed 2 more classes to do so). Then, at the beginning of my senior year of college, my younger brother got really sick. He was in and out of the hospitals, having seizures, etc., and no one could figure out what was wrong with him. So, I went home to be with my family and help my parents as much as I could, and after he got better, I finished my Bachelor's degree in the midst of COVID 19.
As you can imagine after all of that, my undergrad transcript is pretty ugly. There are lots of withdrawn courses, and that one failed course (Calc 2). Even after I switched major's, my grades got better, but they still weren't straight A's. (My final GPA was a 2.88). I left my virtual graduation with a degree I felt like I hadn't really earned, and a minor I had barely survived. I was completely unsatisfied (and quite honestly pretty ashamed) with my academic performance, and even now I look back on it with frustration and regret. There were a lot of circumstances out of my control, but that performance was still my fault, and I honestly wish I would have put school off a bit and gone back once I had a chance to get my head in the right place. Well, that's what I'm doing now.
I'm back in school, getting my BS in Psychology, and I'm doing a lot better. Still not perfect, I did get a B- in my first course at my new school, but my GPA is a 3.92 and I'm hoping to keep it there or get it even higher before I graduate next year. I can attribute my better performance to a lot of things, but mostly 1. I was diagnosed with ADHD after my first graduation. This changed a LOT for me, specifically in how I manage my day and my school work. 2. I'm studying something I really enjoy and am truly interested in. To the point where now I want to pursue my masters. I know that my transcripts from my first school will be included in my application, and I'm worried they'll kill my chances of getting into a good program. I'm already studying for the GRE and I'm hoping I can compensate some there, but I also know that schools don't necessarily weigh those scores like they used to (some I'm looking at don't even accept them).
Does anyone have some insight into how I can expect admissions teams to view my old transcripts?
Also would be happy to take any advice regarding how to address my poor academic history in my statement of purpose, obviously I don't want to include all of the personal details I addressed here, but I do want to address how my approach and motivation as a student has changed since then.
Thanks! - E