To whom it may concern,
I am writing to appeal my dismissal stop for the Fall 2015 semester at City College. I am aware that my grades have been subpar the past semesters, and I take full responsibility; however, I am writing this letter to explain the reasons behind them and ask for my stop to be lifted.
I was originally enrolled in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, and (obviously) did not handle the major well. I did wonderfully in architecture at XXXXXXX (specialized) High School, and even got one of the 3 architecture awards in my graduating class, however; I had no experience in model making. Model making came to be a problem for me because I have a very slight physical disability that causes coordination issues for both fine and gross motor skills. I used to get occupational therapy in elementary and middle school, and had an IEP through my primary schooling, but, because I am not registered through the college for disability services, my first professor was not understanding. I realize now that I should have gotten over my anxiety and spoken to the department head about the issues I was having with her. At the end of the first term, after receiving some of the lowest grades I’ve gotten in my life, I considered switching, but was pressured into staying by my father. This was probably my first mistake, as I should have taken my education into my own hands instead of caving into him, but I didn’t want to deal with him sending constant letters, calls, and threats because of my decision the same way he did while I was still at XXXXXXX (specialized hs). My grades continued to lower the next term. The pressure from the department and its professors (some of whom insist you cut your other classes to work for their studio classes), mixed with my father harassing me about staying in the field were some of the causes behind it. Instead of seeking out help, I tried fixing things on my own, which was another failure on my part, and I should have sought help sooner.
After getting the probation letter, I decided to switch majors into graphic and web design. At the beginning of last semester, I was doing much better; however, around a month into the term, my mother was diagnosed with late stage two breast cancer (two malignant tumors and one cancerous lymph node). At that point, I was her primary caregiver, bringing her to the multiple biopsies, mammograms, and sonograms she had leading up to her mastectomy which all fell during times I had my afternoon class. Instead of talking to an advisor or the professor for my afternoon class beforehand, I stopped showing up on the afternoons when I had to take her to the hospital. This was very immature on my part, but I wasn’t allowed to drop the class and didn’t know what else to do. Looking back, I should have talked to an advisor and taken an incomplete or a leave of absence right when she was diagnosed. In a way, me not talking to an advisor was partially me being in denial to myself that she was so ill.
As you can see from my transcript, I received an ‘A’ in the class I had in the mornings that semester (Intro to Jazz MUS14500). And can succeed when I’m not allowing extraneous factors to get in the way. At this point, my mother’s treatment will be over in the first week of September, so there is only one appointment of hers overlapping with the fall semester and will not cause further problems to my education. I have also cut off all ties with my father, and will not allow him to pressure me anymore. I apologize for not handling this sooner in the summer, but I have been taking my mother back and forth between home and the cancer center she is getting her treatment at most days. Thank you for considering this appeal, and I hope you give me another chance at probation and assure you, that I will be better at conversing with my professors and advisor this upcoming term.