Academic And Financial Aid Appeal

Hello, This is my first time doing this sort of thing.I received academic suspension and a financial aid suspension. I just want some critiques on my appeal letter.

05/18/17

Financial Aid Office
School name
Street name
City, State Zip

Dear Academic and Financial Aid Committee:

My name is XXX and this is my first year here at —. I’m writing this in hopes of getting a second chance to prove myself and reach my goals. Although my grades were poor, I believe my GPA is not a proper reflection on what I’m capable of. I’ve made many mistakes and I am going to fix them. My biggest mistake was not taking this seriously. I thought that since I was able to underachieve my way through high school, I could do the same in college. I should’ve seen this was wrong. I understand that now. With my first semester, I had enrolled in two online classes which I failed because I didn’t seek any help. I changed it up this semester by enrolling in classes at the school, but again I still didn’t go out and seek any real help. I didn’t know there were many resources I could use, like the tutoring center and talking with my professors. I’ve always been uncomfortable in a school setting. It’s nerve wrecking and some days I physically find it hard to speak to my professors and ask questions. Added with my inability to focus and concentrate and it’s no surprise I was unable to properly succeed. I know this now and I’ve created an academic plan that I will follow in hopes of reaching my goals.

My academic plan is as follows:

I will utilize the tutoring center and even hire my own personal tutor and contact them immediately if I have any questions.
I will make an effort to overcome my anxiety of school and speak with my instructors if I have any problems and communicate more in classes.
I will speak to a doctor about my inability to focus and concentrate, as well as see a therapist on my anxiety of school.
I will put all my energy into school and take it seriously.

In the fall I’ve enrolled in a career exploration class with the hopes of finding something I will love to major in. I’ve talked with my counselor and set up plan for the next year as well. Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone owns up to them. I want to own up to my mistakes and ask for another chance. I wholeheartedly believe that if I stick with my plan and work extremely hard, I will not have a repeat of this year. Please allow me to have this second chance to make a better student of myself.

Sincerely,

XXX

Is this too short? Am I clear enough? Do I need to add more? Is it good enough?
Any help is greatly appreciated!

Do you have a disability that can be properly documented by a doctor or therapist? If so, I would get that documentation and refer to it in your letter, as opposed to referring to an inability to focus or concentrate. Then, you could state that you tried to cope with your disability without seeking accommodations, but that ended up not working for you.

I was prescribed anti anxiety meds but they didn’t seem to help and made things harder in class. How would I properly get documentation? Should I contact the doctor that prescribed them to me?