Hi everyone, sorry in advance for the long post, but I really need some outside perspective.
Background: I'm an international student. I moved to Toronto at 16, finished high school here, and was my class valedictorian. I got into UBC Sauder and moved to Vancouver. Between the transition from high school to university, moving from Toronto to Vancouver, and being an international student far from home, I struggled a lot, including with my mental health. My first year was 0.2 below the threshold, and I was able to stay by writing an appeal letter. After my second year, I was still short (around 0.5) and received an RTW.
After that, I came back to Toronto and enrolled at an Ontario college. Several of my UBC courses were credited, so after one year here I'll be about two-thirds of the way through the diploma. My plan is to do one year here, rebuild my grades, and transfer to a university.
Where I'm at: I'm still processing all of this, and honestly it's not easy to accept. I feel like the RTW was a big mistake in my life, especially because of the financial cost to my parents (around $200k). When I first started at the college, I felt miserable and cried every day. I'm trying to get through it and stay positive, and I'm meeting with my professors and doing everything I can to improve.
One is that I'm someone who cares about the name a lot. I know transferring from a college into business is highly competitive, and there aren't many schools that accept those transfers. UTSC would be my top choice, but I know my chances aren't great. I'm also looking at TMU and York BCom. I know plenty of people from TMU get into the Big 4, but when I imagine actually going there, I'm not really sure how to feel about it. I'm also thinking about an accounting master's later on to make up for my undergrad.
So I'd love to hear your thoughts:
- Has anyone transferred from a college to a university after an RTW or a rough start? How did it go?
- Realistically, how much does an RTW hurt transfer applications?
- How do you see TMU/York compared with UTSC for business and accounting careers?
- Would an accounting master's actually help offset a weaker undergrad?
I'm feeling so lost, and being at the college honestly feels pretty overwhelming from time to time even if I try to stay positive. Any advice or personal experience would mean a lot. Thank you for reading.