Academic Dismissal appeal Letter feedback asap please!!!!

Parents Forum
1

I was recently disqualified from my college and they allow you to write a letter to appeal it. I can’t travel to go and appeal in person, so this letter is my best chance of being reinstated. all feedback is welcome, please be brutally honest!!! i really need to be in this college and i know i can improve!

To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter to appeal the recent decision by Ball State University to disqualify me from school due to an insufficient GPA. When I received the news that I had been academically disqualified, I was devastated. I was extremely disappointed in myself. Although I did slightly improve compared to my first semester, I know it still was not enough to get out of probation status. I am mainly writing to ask that you please consider reinstating me at Ball State, under academic probation, so that I can show you that I can improve even more. I know I have the potential to be a great student here, I just need a chance to show you.

During both my first and second semester I had health problems that overall definitely affected my academic focus. First semester I was passing multiple kidney stones, and had to have surgery; second semester I was diagnosed with chronic cluster migraines. Those migraines were so debilitating, I couldn’t even get out of bed to get to class. Once I finally got the right medicine, I started going back to class. But at that point, I was already behind by two weeks. Being behind in class has always caused me anxiety and stress in high school, but it was magnified tenfold when I came to college. I was still trying to survive in my new environment, with no family around to support me. It was especially hard to adapt when my environment wasn’t always so welcoming. It became hostile when there was an altercation between some girls that lived on my floor that I was involved in. I did not instigate the fight, I was just trying to keep it from becoming physical. After that, my floor did not feel safe. I was constantly worrying that I would be attacked, which added to my anxiety and stress. On top of that, sometimes just little things would upset me and I would go into a depression and wouldn’t have any motivation to do anything. The anxiety and depression took a toll on me, and I wasn’t taking care of myself.

I made many mistakes along the way and I look back and see all the things I should’ve done to help myself. I should’ve communicated with my academic advisor more, especially about withdrawing from classes that I knew I was having difficulties with. When I was sick I should have talked to my professors about making up class time. I also should’ve used campus resources, like the learning center, to get the help I needed. One thing I wish I would’ve done is gone to the counseling center to talk to someone about coping with my stress, anxiety, and depression. Overall, I didn’t have my priorities in line. If I put most of my energy into my classes, I would have done much better.

To improve myself over the summer, I have been doing many things. Firstly, I have been going to my doctor about my medical problems and what I can do to prevent them or alleviate them while at school. I have also asked my doctor to recommend me to a psychiatrist or therapist so that I can find better ways to cope with my anxiety and depression. I have also been trying to find a productive way to relieve stress. When it comes to friends, I will make sure that any friends I have are the ones who’ll influence me to focus on school, not to party.

When I first came to Ball State, as a Psychology major, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with that degree. After my first semester here, I found my true calling with Social Work, and I changed my major. I do believe that I struggled my first semester more because I wasn’t in the right major. If given another chance, I believe I could show you my true potential. I strongly believe that I belong at Ball State, and that it is the best college to attend to pursue my career in social work. My dorm next year will be right next to the library, so I will have no reason to not go to study. I will take all of my syllabus’ from my classes and put all due dates on a calendar and put it on the wall where I can see it so that I can remind myself of when things are due. I will also create a weekly schedule so that I have set times to study throughout the week and set times where I can relax and relieve my stress. When I have any difficulties I will immediately do one or more of the following: contact my academic adviser, discuss difficulties with professors, go to the learning center and find a tutor. If I have any problems with anxiety or depression, I will go to the counseling center immediately. I believe that next year I will be in a better environment to focus on what’s important. I apologize for my poor performance last semester and I plead that you please consider giving me one more chance to show that I belong here, and that I want to attend here in the fall more than anything in the world.

Thank you for your consideration.

2

I don’t have much experience with appeal letters, but just reading it over, the part about the “altercation” sounds like a weak excuse. You are (purposefully?) vague about it, which makes me wonder if there is more to the story and why you didn’t get this fear for your personal safety addressed earlier, like bringing it to the attention of your RA or the administration.

3

I agree with the above – definitely take out the part about the altercation.

Also, shorten dramatically, leaving in only the pertinent parts – you want another chance, you had serious health problems which are now addressed, you know what to do going forward (counseling/academic adviser, taking care of yourself etc.)

And by the way, you write well. Once you cut down the copy, it should be quite good. I’ve helped out other students with their appeal letters, and this is among the best ones. Good luck!

4

Focus. This letter is too long.

Your points are: You had health issues: kidney stones in your first semester, migraines in your second semester. For that reason, you missed a lot of class time, you got behind, and you were unable to catch up. Moreover, you were disorganized, and when you got in trouble, you didn’t seek help. In the future, you will address the health problems. You will be more organized. You will seek out help even before you get in trouble.

I’d leave out the stuff about the dorm issues. It sounds petty and vague.

Listing your errors is good: you should have gone to your adviser earlier, you should have dropped classes earlier, you should have used the learning center. I suggest moving the part that starts, “I will take all of my syllabi…” and putting it directly after that. First you’ll list your errors, then right afterwards, you say what you will do to fix them. I also suggest including, in the errors part, something about lack of organization-- you weren’t organized enough, but in the future you’ll take your syllabi and put them on a calendar, blah blah blah.

The part about your intending to find a psychiatrist is weak. They want to hear what you have done to solve the problem. Consider waiting a few weeks until you have already found the psychiatrist and had two visits with him/her.

5

When did you first receive your academic warning letter?
How long have you been away from school? I am confused by your reference to summer, are you projecting your plans for this summer as if they are already completed?
What is the timeline of your difficulties in school and what steps did you take to mitigate them?
If this is all recent, I suggest that you plan for a year off, get therapy and medication if needed, and retake the courses that you failed at a community college. Write a letter stating such with corroboration from your therapist.
Just let them know what actual steps you have already taken, possibly including health conditions with a Drs letter.
Listing things that you should have done, IMO, looks weak, because presumably you knew about those resources before you received warning.
They will want to see you utilize those resources with specific safety nets if you start to slip.
Many people take longer to get through undergrad than they anticipated, especially if they run into difficulties with health or academics.
But it won’t help you in the long run to re enter too quickly.

6

I would emphasize health issues and also steps you have taken to address them.

However, I am surprised to see that there is no mention of disability services. Was health services involved in your health care or did you have to go outside the university? Health services should have worked with a dean or other administrator to negotiate extra time, excused absences, notetaking and other accommodations for you, possible through disability services.

If you have cluster headaches or migraines (and these are different, I believe) and any other chronic issues, you should register with a disabilties office no matter where you go. Have a doctor provide a letter that lists desired accommodations (private room/quiet, excused absences, notetaking, extra time on projects, separate room for exams, reduced courseload etc.) with an explanation that rest is the only way to prevent and to treat these headaches, even with somewhat effective medication on board.

If you have migraines or cluster headaches, it is absolutely essential to have work done in advance, based on the syllabus, because one episode can set you back a week, and then you are behind on that work while you catch up with what went before. Meanwhile you cannot recover from an episode because you are not resting and are stressed. Have an MD explain all this.

Make sure you have an MD with connection to the university for primary care as well, who is willing to communicate on your behalf.

Some of this can be done retroactively. If the school knew of your surgery or your cluster headaches, services should have been offered, ideally, but you also should have sought them out. You are young and new to college, and personally I think few kids your age would be able to self-advocate in the midst of illness. Do you have parents involved?

You might very well have a legal basis here for reinstatement.

It is essential to get documentation from doctors about your surgery and cluster headaches. Include that. If you have the money, you could talk with someone who would know what to say to the college about their own omissions in your case.

Anxiety and depression can also be a reason for accommodations, but it sounds like you did not see a professional for this.

I have written all this trusting in your explanation regarding health. But if the true reason for your academic problems is due to poor habits or social drama, that is a different story.

p.s.if a medical withdrawal is appropriate or is ever appropriate, know that the grades can often be wiped clean…this is a legitimate accommodation for health problems that make work too difficult.

7

Did you discuss the medical situation with the dean of students while it was happening? This would have been grounds for a medical leave which would have stopped the clock. If you had discussed it but she recommended that you should do the best you can, then I think you have a strong case.

8

I have been a member of committees that have had to deal with student appeals for many years. Your letter is all over the place and seems to literally offer all possible explanations for doing poorly. There are health problems, roommate problems, unable to prioritize and schedule problems, too much partying problems, and more.

Maybe you do really need to take some time off to figure out how you can be successful in college, take care of your health issues and figure out what you really want.

If you continue to persue your appeal, you should have lots of documentation supporting what you say. There should be doctors letters, RA letters, etc. Something to support all of your claims.

9

Cluster headaches are different than migraines.
I had migraines which were associated with hormonal changes and so somewhat predictable.
H got cluster headaches, which were about 20 times as bad as my migraines.
Did you go to a neurologist?
First semester when you had surgery, seems like the time to have something in place to allow you to finish your courses. Did you have any incompletes that needed to be finished up by the end of the year?
Second semester, when you were behind two weeks from missing school because of the headaches, did you make any attempt to talk to any of your professors, or get assignments online?
Ball state uses Blackboard so students can access their coursework online, even if you could not physically go into the classroom, did you make any attempt to access any of your assignments or class discussions?
Administrators will be asking these questions, and it will help to anticipate what they need to know before they can feel comfortable giving you a third chance.

10

I agree that you should focus on medical issues. Consider asking your doctor’s for supporting letters confirming your issues.

11

I think the letter could be much more focused.

You need to convince the reader that: 1) you understand why you are on probation, 2) your academic performance did not reflect your ability, because of health issues, and 3) that these issues are now resolved.

12

The letter is WAYYYYY too long.

Remember, yours won’t be the only letter these folks are reading. Stick to the important points…more like bullets. What happened…what you have already done to address the issue, and what you will continue to do.

Do not ramble. Your letter just rambles on and on…and is not easy to follow.

13

The letter is entirely too long.

The core of what you are trying to do is SUCCINCTLY lay out the issue, show that you have accurately “diagnosed” what went wrong and most importantly have a strong action plan so that it never happens again.

Here are some sentences that you could delete entirely, and here’s why:

“When I received the news that I had been academically disqualified, I was devastated. I was extremely disappointed in myself.”

Why should they care that you were devastated / disappointed in yourself? It doesn’t matter how disappointed in yourself you are … they care about your action plan.

  • “I am mainly writing to ask that you please consider reinstating me at Ball State, under academic probation, so that I can show you that I can improve even more. I know I have the potential to be a great student here, I just need a chance to show you.” *

That’s two sentences that do nothing other than repeat your first sentence - you are writing this letter to appeal their decision.

*Being behind in class has always caused me anxiety and stress in high school, but it was magnified tenfold when I came to college. I was still trying to survive in my new environment, with no family around to support me. *

You’re basically saying here – I get nervous when I get behind in class. Well, everyone gets behind in class sometimes. And every other student at Ball State is “trying to survive in a new environment.” What makes your situation different?

*It was especially hard to adapt when my environment wasn’t always so welcoming. It became hostile when there was an altercation between some girls that lived on my floor that I was involved in. I did not instigate the fight, I was just trying to keep it from becoming physical. After that, my floor did not feel safe. I was constantly worrying that I would be attacked, which added to my anxiety and stress. *

This is weak, when the fight didn’t involve you AND you talk about “worrying” but it doesn’t seem like you took any concrete steps (notifying an RA, requesting a move to another dorm, etc.).

  • Firstly, I have been going to my doctor about my medical problems and what I can do to prevent them or alleviate them while at school *

Not specific enough. “I am now under the care of a doctor who has prescribed A and B for my medical issues of X and Y. I meet with this doctor on X regular basis and that will continue once I am back in school.”

*. I have also asked my doctor to recommend me to a psychiatrist or therapist so that I can find better ways to cope with my anxiety and depression. I have also been trying to find a productive way to relieve stress. *

Again not specific enough. “I asked my doctor to recommend me to a therapist” is a weak “solution.” “I am now going to a therapist X times a month and we have an ongoing plan to treat my anxiety / depression” is much stronger. “Trying to find a productive way to relieve stress” is a weak answer. If you’re still trying, why should they trust that you can still handle it?

When I first came to Ball State, as a Psychology major, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with that degree. After my first semester here, I found my true calling with Social Work, and I changed my major. I do believe that I struggled my first semester more because I wasn’t in the right major.

I think the major seems to have nothing to do with anything; it’s irrelevant. It’s not as though you’re making a case that you were an engineering major when you really should have been an art major. Psychology and Social Work aren’t that far apart.

  • If I have any problems with anxiety or depression, I will go to the counseling center immediately.*

No! You need to show that you are proactively ALREADY seeing a therapist / counselor of some sort - not that “if I stumble, I will seek them out.” You stumbled before and you didn’t seek them out.

You can get this down to 3 paragraphs. Best of luck to you!

14

^ Great points above. A suggestion about the first few words – you don’t have to say “To whom it might concern,” when you have been given the specific info on who will be receiving this letter. Say, “Dear Dean of Academic Affairs,” or “Dear XYZ committee members.”

15

nice response, pizzagirl. Nice of you to take your time to help out this poster with excellent feedback.

16

You might request a medical leave instead of dismissal. Even if they reinstate you, you should not return unless your medical issues are under control. Ditto any other place, at least for full time attendance.

17

I don’t like paragraph one, “I just need a chance to show you”. You had a chance semester 1. You had a second chance- semester 2. Your sentence makes it sound like you feel they are shortchanging you, but they are not.