To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to appeal my academic suspension from CNU. The suspension did not come to me as a surprise however, it did deeply upset me. I would like to urge you allow me to return to Christopher Newport University next semester.
At CNU honesty is very important thus this letter will stay true to heart. Last semester was one of the most difficult transitions I have ever made in my life, as a result my grades were affected by it, but I would like to explain to you the circumstances I was going through. The beginning of the semester was fun and exciting, I was up to the challenge and eager to succeed. However, after the first few weeks of college I became very sleep deprived. I would find myself falling asleep at 5 a.m. and a lot of times even later. This sleep deprivation obviously effected my attendance in class and my ability to work. Then the poor work and grades had me feeling lost, I was so confused to whether or not college was right for me, and thus I became depressed. My depression had a great toll on my behavior. For long periods of time I would stay alone in my dark room; friend often texted me if I was fine but unfortunately, I respond with “Yeah, just busy.” I made attempts to go to class but my anxiety would keep distracting me from the lesson at hand. Also, my grandmother passed away a few months ago, my family has been recovering for our loss but her death only made my depression worse, she will always stay close to my heart. To simply put my situation, I was emotionally overwhelmed and felt lost.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20 but if I were to redo the semester, I would have used my resources wisely. I should have taken advantage of the people willing to talk to me and help me through my depression. I took my good friends that I made at the CNU community for granted, they for sure would have been able to help me get through this. Please note that I am only to blame and I accept that, I just know that if you give me the opportunity to return immediately that I can succeed!
I adore CNU, such a phenomenal community of students and educators that is placed on an equally beautiful campus. If I am reinstated, I give you my word that I will work much better on my schoolwork, use my resources better, and be a better part of the CNU community. My low GPA is not a reflection of who I am. I honestly am a great learner who has grand ambitions in life. I just had a poor semester that I take full responsibility for. Thank you greatly for considering my appeal and I truly hope that you will allow me to return next semester.
Sincerely,
XXX
This is way too long, and too wordy. Remember, the people reading your letter see dozens and dozens like it.
Use short, declarative sentences. Paragraphs!
Cut to the chase.
Cut out the flattery (“phenomenal community” “equally beautiful campus”)
Say what happened, and – more importantly – the SPECIFIC steps you plan to take to address your apparent depression issues and improve your academic performance.
Sending you a rewrite, but you need to do what @katliamom says: tell them “the SPECIFIC steps you plan to take to address your apparent depression issues and improve your academic performance.”
@yogurt98 : It should pop up in your mailbox (upper right near your login) any minute. If not, email my user name as a gmail account, and I can send it to you. I’ve used all your own words – just fewer of them.
Yogurt98, I feel for you, so please don’t take this the wrong way. But your appeal letter is mostly wishful thinking. There is no reason to think things will improve when you try again, much as you want it to. Did you see a therapist or doctor while you were not able to sleep? During the depression and/or anxiety? That pattern suggests certain diagnoses. It is impossible to tell as yet. But I think it would be much better if you could document a visit to a therapist, psychiatrist, doctor or coach- or more than one of these- and present a treatment or management plan that is supported by a professional. Does your school offer help with time management? If you do have a diagnosis after seeing someone, you would be eligible for registration with the disabilities office and some accommodations. In any case, you should be checking in with someone weekly because the tendency to put your head in the sand when you miss classes and “feel lost” can be addressed by having regular contact with a coach or tutor.
I would make this shorter and put a lot of emphasis on specific plans for when you come back, but supported by a professional who can also vouch for you.
The first paragraph is a little repetitive. The first sentence is fine, but I’d then mention why you are writing (to explain your mitigating circumstances) and then what you are doing now to remedy the situation.
I would lose the third paragraph.
The fourth paragraph should be more concrete. Can you cite evidence (i.e. test scores from the beginning of the semester which were o.k.) that supports your argument that you can do college work. Also, if you could cite why the situation is different now (e.g., seeing a counselor, dealing with your depression), this would strengthen your statement.
Make it shorter. You need to say what actions you will take that will help you be successful.
If lack of sleep affected you negatively what specific actions will you take to make sure you get enough sleep? If you are suffering from depression/anxiety what specific actions will you take to address the issues? If you suffer another emotional blow (I hope not) what do you know now that you did not know then?
Without addressing the changes you need to make it is unlikely that you will be successful in your appeal (or your college career).
I know this will sound harsh, but I have a child who suffers from depression and anxiety and managed to get through college with appropriate help, so I do have some knowledge to bring to bear here.
There is nothing on your appeal letter that should convince the administration to change its decision. It wasn’t your friends’ responsibility, nor within their capabilities, to haul you out of a depression and anxiety. They aren’t your “resources”, and to say that not depending on your friends was where you went wrong and that you will depend on them more in the future will be of zero comfort to those deciding whether you are fit to continue at college. You should have resorted to your school’s counseling center as soon as things started to go downhill. It seems you still have not done so. You need to get professional help to work on your issues. Only then will you be in a position to resume your academic career.
Good luck on getting the help you need and returning to school at the proper time.
Outline an action plan describing how you plan to deal with these issues next semester. Maybe seeing a doctor will show you are taking steps to attack your depression and sleep problems should they arise next semester.
CNU has the Center for Academic Success. It sounds like you did not avail yourself of this resource. As another said, your friends, though they can be supportive, are not your resources. You need to have a concrete plan of development. Be sure your letter is well written as well.
