Academic Dismissal Appeal Feedback

Parents Forum
1

Dear ______,

I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from the University -------. During Spring 2017 I was told that because of my Winter 2018 grades I was put directly on Subject to Dismissal. Because of this in order to be clear of dismissal/ probation I needed to be clear 3 quarters. I had cleared my subject to dismissal by that spring but unfortunately Winter 2018 I ended up with a 1.9 GPA which put me back onto Subject to Dismissal and that meant that if I didn’t get the required 2.0 for Spring 2018 then I would be dismissed, I ended up with a 1.8 the next quarter. Although I slightly improved from when I was put on Subject to Dismissal and I passed my classes with passing grades, those passing grades were not enough to get the GPA I was required to. When I got my dismissal letter I wasn’t surprised as I had already been aware of the grades I might get, but I was rather disappointed and ashamed that I couldn’t achieve a 2.0. I’m writing to you in hope that you would reinstate me for the following school year.

Firstly, I blame myself for getting such a low GPA. I also admit that I could’ve prevented myself from being in this situation if I just did what I needed to do from the get go instead of waiting last until the quarter was almost done to get help. Growing up I have always been shy and struggled in social situations. As I began high school my shyness developed into anxiety and as I went into college my anxiety became severe with many symptoms not only mentally but physically. Going to class became a burden and even though I would show up to lecture my focus was not on the lectures but rather on figuring out how I could control symptoms of my anxiety like shaking, breathing, heart palpitations and even stomach aches/nausea. As classes became bigger I felt as though I was becoming smaller and my symptoms seemed as if they were becoming noticeable by others. I would go to office hours only to stop right outside the door and overthink (on how dumb a question I would ask would be or how I’m probably going to embarrass myself). Then I would walk away with unanswered questions. Winter 2017 was only the start of the downward spiral. In the beginning, I believed that I could cure my anxiety on my own and didn’t tell anyone what I was experiencing, but I was wrong. My anxiety and concentration in school only got worse and my studying began to decrease because within time that soon triggered my anxiety into a state of panic as well and this was because I started worrying too much about fear of failure.

It took me more than a year in college to get the courage to finally push myself to meet with a therapist. A huge part of my anxiety was a fear of meeting new people so actually going to see someone I’ve never met and tell them all that I was going through proved to be something very hard for me. After meeting with a therapist a couple times I was referred to a psychiatrist where I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. Although this diagnosis is fairly new to me I have already gained some practical techniques to cope with my anxiety and have also been prescribed medication to lessen the symptoms. Currently, I am working with the CAE to get accommodations in classes. One that involves having a separate testing environment to lessen my anxiety.

When I first came to ------ I was sure that being a math major was the right fit for me because growing up that was my strongest subject and I always enjoyed working with numbers, but the math of high school was completely different from the math of college and I didn’t do as well as I thought I would. I knew that I had to change my major so these past two years I have been trying to figure out which major suits me the best. I finally decided that I would major in Sociology because coming from a primarily Hispanic community I always was interested in how other groups of people interacted. Sociology is a broad enough major to either go into the medical field or social work which is something I’ve always been interested in pursuing and if given another chance, I believe that I could show you my true potential. Although my mental health was a big part of me struggling in school I still take full responsibility for doing bad and I will change things coming in the future. -------- has been my dream school since I was 9 years old, and graduating with a B.A. here would mean the world to me. If I am readmitted, I will continue to meet with therapist and psychiatrist and continue to utilize the resources that the school provides to their students. I will also create a weekly schedule so that I won’t go into the week blindsided and anxious but rather ready and equipped to start the week off on a good start.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to explain my circumstances and taking the time to consider my appeal.

p.s. CAE is center for accessible education

2

The first paragraph is good, but I think the rest gets into unnecessary detail and ends up being too long. I think you should also go into more detail about how you plan to improve and the steps you are going to take.

3

Have you talked to anyone about a medical withdrawal? If you got diagnosed with anxiety and depression, a therapist and psychiatrist can document that and it is possible- not always but occasionally- to get a retroactive medical withdrawal which could wipe your grades clean for last semester. That would mean a leave versus dismissal.

That said, I don’t think your appeal has much chance. When people develop anxiety and depression that affects academic performance enough to cause a leave, or a dismissal, colleges want a full year of mental health, proven by full-time work or some other measure, before they will take a chance on a student. You could then reapply.

I think you should meet with a dean or someone appropriate to discuss your options for the future and what it would take to be readmitted. Also whether you can take classes while not a matriculated student, or if they will take credits for classes taken in the interim.

PLEASE pursue these options beyond writing a letter of appeal, which most likely will not succeed. And PLEASE look at this as an OPPORTUNITY to get yourself together, reorient your path, and get back to college in better shape. Community colleges are wonderful resources for a situation like this where you can prove your ability to succeed then reapply.

As for the letter, I have shortened it. They know all about your grades so I took the intro out and made other paragraphs shorter:

Dear XXXX, I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from the University I am hoping that you would reinstate me for the following school year.

As I began college I developed severe anxiety with many symptoms not only mentally but physically. Going to class became a burden and even though I would show up to lecture my focus was not on the lectures but rather on figuring out how I could control symptoms of my anxiety like shaking, breathing, heart palpitations and even stomach aches/nausea. I also had trouble going to office hours. I believed that I could cure my anxiety on my own and didn’t tell anyone what I was experiencing, but I was wrong.

It took me more than a year in college to get the courage to finally push myself to meet with a therapist. After meeting with a therapist a couple times I was referred to a psychiatrist where I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. Although this diagnosis is fairly new to me I have already gained some practical techniques to cope with my anxiety and have also been prescribed medication to lessen the symptoms. Currently, I am working with the CAE to get accommodations in classes.

I am also changing my major from math, which has proven difficult at the college level, to sociology. Coming from a primarily Hispanic community I always was interested in how other groups of people interacted. Sociology is a broad enough major to either go into the medical field or social work which is something I’ve always been interested in pursuing and if given another chance, I believe that I could show you my true potential. Although my mental health was a big part of me struggling in school I still take full responsibility for my failure and I will change things in the future.

XXXX has been my dream school since I was 9 years old, and graduating with a B.A. here would mean the world to me. If I am readmitted, I will continue to meet with therapist and psychiatrist and continue to utilize the resources that the school provides to their students. I will also create a weekly schedule so that I won’t go into the week blindsided and anxious but rather ready and equipped to start the week off on a good start.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to explain my circumstances and taking the time to consider my appeal.

4

Generally this is too rambling.

  1. Were you medically diagnosed with depression? If not, have you seen or will you see a doctor? If so, then you may be able to get a retroactive medical withdrawal.
  2. Have you seen a doctor? Is your depression under control? What evidence do you have?
  3. Can you appeal your dismissal?

A successful appeal must do several things:

  1. show that you understand what went wrong
  2. show that you take responsibility for the academic failures
  3. show that you have a plan for future academic success
  4. in a broad sense, show that you are being honest with yourself and the committee

Here are some examples:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/Academic-Dismissals/a/Sample-Appeal-Letter-For-An-Academic-Dismissal.htm

Some of this is general, and some specific to your situation.

  1. search this topic on CC and you will see many other posts on academic appeals
  2. Make sure your letter states what the issue was that caused you to have academic difficulties
  3. Did you talk to your professors/dean of students about the issue?
  4. Did you make use of the many resources your school has? if not, why not?
  5. Find out what those resources are…e.g. counseling center, talking to professors, talking to your adviser, withdrawing from class, talking to dean, maybe taking incompletes. Include specifics from your college. Here are more ideas http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1920853-college-is-a-step-up-from-hs-16-tips-on-doing-well-in-college.html
  6. State how you would use those in the future
  7. How are you addressing what caused the issue?
  8. Think about if you should continue at college, or take a break.
  9. Think about if you should continue at a community college, to be close to your family
  10. How is your college funded? Will that continue?

In general, keep in mind what the college wants…they want students who can succeed. They need to know that you understand what the issue was, know now the resources that you can use, how the problems is resolved so you will not have academic issues in the future.

Here is a post that I saw on this topic from someone who is on a committee that review these letters:

This is the decision my committee would have made. Please use the time away from school to take care of your health issues. It would be good to be evaluated by a health professional, start a treatment plan, and find a job/volunteer position.

My committee would consider you a strong case for reinstatement if you can provide:
a) documentation from your health care provider of a diagnosis
b) confirmation from your health care provider that you have been compliant with treatment and your situation has improved so that you are better equipped to handle the stress of college life if/when you return
c) details of how you plan to continue your treatment plan after you return to school
d) details of other campus resources you will use and adjustments you will make after you return to enhance your success
e) some statement of how you know your treatment has improved your situation (e.g. if you have been working during your time away and found it easier to handle the stress and demands as your treatment progressed)

5

@compmom thanks for the feedback. Before writing this appeal I spoke to one of my academic counselors who told me that by writing about this there was a high chance of getting my appeal approved. So I’m a little confused that you would say there was “little chance” and “which most likely will not succeed.” Also, I just wanted to say that I wasn’t failing classes and that most of my grades were C’s sometimes B’s and very rarely D’s but they were all passing grades so my counselor said that I could argue that I was still passing classes.

6

Based on my experience you might be better served by taking a leave. I sincerely hope that your appeal is approved if that is what you want. I rewrote the appeal to make it more concise and hope that was helpful. Learning to manage and treat anxiety is a long road. I don’t think you can use it to justify poor grades and then turn around and say you can do it so soon. It takes time. The appeals board may see it differently.

7

I agree with @compmom that you should consider requesting a leave. I have been through this with my D. It is very difficult to work on severe anxiety, depression and other mental health issues while also dealing with the academic stresses. Heal your mind, then refocus on your academics after you are emotionally stronger and better able to deal with it.

8

I honestly think that you should stick with your counselor since that is the person you trust and he or she is part of your school staff.

Many of us on this forum have extensive personal experience that we may not want to share for privacy reasons, that you clearly do not want to trust.

I think it is enough that you have heard opinions that differ from your counselors’. You are now prepared for any answer, hopefully, and realize that you have many options for the future regardless of what that answer is.