<p>I have recently been academically dismissed from college and I have been given the opportunity to appeal the decision via letter. I've done some research online and have found that when appealing, it helps to be painfully honest. A major factor influencing my GPA was marijuana use my freshman year. I stopped smoking and managed to get very good grades during my last semester on probation, bringing a .9 something (I know, horrendous) to a 1.84 in one semester. I do not have any proof that I stopped smoking or even started smoking for that matter, so do you think mentioning smoking would be TOO honest and end up hurting my chances? Would it be a good idea to mention this in my appeal or leave it out entirely?</p>
<p>I realize that haha, definitely don’t want to flaunt it. The only point I wanted to make there is that in my recent semester I managed to do a hell of a lot better than before, which wasn’t hard, but still.
My main concern is the drug use though, and I hate to annoy you, but should I mention that or not? thanks for replying!!</p>
<p>No. You don’t want to go there, that is just confirming more bad choices affecting your year and presents you as a risk factor. You must have been smoking an awful lot of pot if that was the reason you blew off all your classes. Casual pot smoking doesn’t result in that. You must have been in a major extended fogbank of smoke. Like Pigpen with week cloud instead of grime, lol.</p>
<p>Are you saying that the 2nd semester was total 1.8 or that was an average and you got higher for the semester alone?</p>
<p>From your original post it seems that you raised the 0.9 to an 1.84 in your last semester. If that was your third semester then your GPA for that semester must have been over at least a 3.5 or so. This is what you need to mention in your appeal, not your overall GPA but the fact that you will be able to raise it further by continuing the same kind of academic performance as the last semester. Furthermore, if your university has a course repeat policy, you might be able to replace some of those bad first year grades which will immediately raise your GPA.</p>
<p>When you make the case, DO NOT mention your drug use, instead you should make the argument that you had personal issues in your first year which you have solved.</p>
<p>My husband had a 0.8something for similar reasons way back in the late 70s. A Dean called him in to his office and said he was out if he didn’t turn his grade situation around quickly (the Dean did not know about the marijuana use, just the poor grades). Being in a quick panic because being kicked out of college would mean being homeless, he made an agreement to maintain a 3.2 or higher thereafter. He upheld his end of the bargain, graduated well, and even went on to graduate school and earned a advanced degree. Focus on your grades and your plan for ongoing improvement. </p>