To save money, I decided to attend university and live at home this year. At the beginning of first term, my younger brother began to display severe mental health issues. He's been extremely violent both in behaviour and contact with my mother and I, and is always manipulating the functioning of the household. The constant anger and destruction as well as rarely feeling safe in my own home has made it very hard to apply myself to school work, and I had many days where I could barely get out of bed in the morning. Consequentially, my grades suffered fist term. Second term has just begun, and my brother is continuing to worsen. I know for a fact that I cannot manage both school and the issues with my family at once right now, and therefore have decided to drop out of school and start somewhere else next year.
However, I wanted to know the consequences of this. Will I get my money back? Can I apply to a new university with just my high school grades and have my first term of university/drop-out disregarded? What can I do to make sure that I do not lose any more whilst in the process of dropping out?
Thank you in advance for any advice that you can offer with this pressing situation.

you can get your money back as long as your drop the course before the add/drop date for term 2.
all the best

You cannot apply to another school with just your high school grades. You can't just pretend that last term didn't happen. In some cases I think they let you write an explanation if you feel there were extenuating circumstances.

Is there any reason you don't want to come back to Mac? They would let you take a term off and start in September and you wouldn't have to go through applications and pay OUAC again. Even if you were to come back and pull your grades up, that would help with transferring if you really wanna go someplace else.

If you talk to the associate dean of your faculty, he/her/they may be able to take one/some/all??? courses off your transcript, though i hear they rarely do.

Originally Posted by starfish

Is there any reason you don't want to come back to Mac? They would let you take a term off and start in September and you wouldn't have to go through applications and pay OUAC again. Even if you were to come back and pull your grades up, that would help with transferring if you really wanna go someplace else.

Probably because Mac was chosen so the OP could live at home. If home isn't a good prospect, then another university farther away makes more sense. Sure, you could rent in Hamilton; but then it becomes a harder sell, to yourself and others.

Talk to your academic counsellor. And drop your courses (if you know you're not coming back) before tuesday to get this term's money back

I think it might be possible to apply somewhere with your high school grades, how would they know?

OUAC retains records. Also, most universities will ask you to declare if you have taken at any other post-secondary institutions. Failure to disclose in that case would constitute fraud could result in your application to another school being revoked and a record put on your file. You could have a very difficult time getting into another Ontario (perhaps Canadian) university if you were found to have submitted a fraudulent application.

From Page 139 of he 2013-2014 Undergraduate Calendar:

FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE CALENDAR
McMaster Undergraduate Calendar 2013-2014 General Academic Regulations Petitions for Special Consideration
Petitions for Special Consideration

The University wishes to assist students with legitimate difficulties. It also has the responsibility to ensure that degree, program and course requirements are met in a manner that is equitable to all students. Students may submit, in a prompt and timely manner, a Petition for Special Consideration to the Office of the Associate Dean of their Faculty (Faculty office) in those instances where a student acknowledges that the rules and regulations of the University have been applied fairly, but is requesting that an exception to the regulations be made because of special circumstances. Petitions should be submitted in a prompt and timely manner for the relevant session, but no later than July 31 immediately following the Fall/Winter session or November 15 immediately following the Spring/Summer session.

Two forms are available in the Offices of the Associate Deans (Faculty office):
Petition for Special Consideration (Form A):
The Petition for Special Consideration (Form A) is submitted for a variety of issues, including, when a student wishes to have a leave of absence or seeks to depart from University requirements based on compelling medical or personal reasons; or a student believes that an adverse ruling or decision about his/her academic performance, such as failing a course, or being required to withdraw from a program for failure to meet program requirements, should be waived because of compelling medical or personal circumstances.

I believe Form A can allow for a break in your studies without withdrawl. However, you would need appropriate documentation (from relevant professionals like doctors).

The best thing to do is to set up an appointment (don't use the drop-in service) with an academic adviser in your faculty anddiscuss this with them, showing them supporting documentation. They will be able to help you far more with any withdrawl (temporary or permanent), transfer, or issues with grades as a result of your situation than anyone on here can.