<p>I have to feel like I need to tell someone. 1st time, was when my mom had a lovely scare that she may have lung cancer, but luckily that did not happen. Normally most school place you on academic warring a slap on the wrist. No somehow I managed to miss that part and I was suspended for a semester, which is funny because I had a 2.5 overall GPA (I know not great I was still adjusting, coming from a community college). One semester of bad grades and my GPA is below a 2.0 and my semester GPA is not even a 1. </p>
<p>This last semester has been somewhat hard. My dad passed away from lung cancer, liver cancer, it was everywhere. He found out in February he was dead by the summer. Most people get at least a year. No, I got a few months then I had the funny realization that my dad was no longer around. Personally I wished I would have sat the fall semester out, worked on accepting that my old man was not going to be around for the parts of my life that most daughters and even sons get to have their parents around for. I went forward, and tried to do it and screwed everything up. </p>
<p>Now I am trying to figure out a way of fixing it. From what I can tell not a whole lot will. I guess I could go to the local CC and earn my AS then apply to other places in hopes that my horrible year does not come back to hunt me. Because personally if I sit out a year, then I'll never go back. My mom did that, well she just took a year off and she never went back. </p>
<p>I could see if I could not appeal it, but they already granted me one appeal I doubt if they will grant me another one. How was I to know that one of my parents would just up and die one day. It wasn't like my dad was very old, he was about to smack 50 in a few years. </p>
<p>Really, why can't life just give me a break every once and a while. </p>
<p>I do apologize for rambling, I have not gone to sleep yet because well I'm worried. I have not been officially given that second suspension, but I have seen my GPA followed the flow chart. I'm no fool. All I am waiting for is them to slap it on me.</p>
<p>To be honest, you can’t use death as an excuse.</p>
<p>My dad had ALS (google it and see the side effects - its sad when a 50 year old man can’t walk, eat, put on his own pants, or wipe his own ass). He had the condition for roughly 2 years before diagnosis, then only had 8 months. He worked for 6.5 of those months - yes, he worked, retired right as I started college (I worked at the same company as him) and then 6.5 weeks later, he died. </p>
<p>That was my first semester in college, ended up with a 3.65 and now, a year later, have a 3.9. </p>
<p>Appeal and see what happens, death always hits a soft spot (hell, that first semester, I got a 30% on a math midterm, yeah, like 4 lowest in the class of 180. Talked to the professor, got a B on the next midterm and an A on the final – got a B in the class) and will likely get you another pass, but there really are no excuses for failing to meet your own obligations, especially when you had already been warned in the past</p>
<p>Sorry I don’t agree with the above poster. It’s downright cold and kinda rude to say that death doesn’t play a role in contributing to academic problems. The death of a parent is really hard to cope with. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. I can’t even imagine. When my uncle passed from pancreatic cancer (he was diagnosed in summer, passed in january) I was heartbroken. I became really depressed and shut down. I failed a class that semester and got a D in another. I’m not blaming my failure on just his death, but everything combined made it hard for me to even go to class. It was rough for my entire family. I know how hard it is to concentrate once something as life changing as that happens. My mom recently has had a cancer scare as well and I had a pre cancerous scare of my own right before finals. </p>
<p>My suggestion would be to get help. Talk to your academic advisor. See if you can make another appeal. There is definitely a way for you to overcome this. Worse comes to worse, like you said, transfer to a community college and get your AS and then transfer to a different college. I am really sorry to hear about your situation, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, I promise. Your dad would want you to succeed, I’m not sure if you’re religious or not, but I know he will be there for you even if its not physically. Gather all the advice you can. Where there’s a will there’s a way. Failure happens to everyone unfortunately and some people are dealt really bad hands in life. But you can’t let that stop you from being a successful person.</p>
<p>binks09, in one sentence you say that death is not an excuse, but then you conclude your post with a statement that suggests you used death as an excuse to get your grade boosted in a math class. Which is it?</p>
<p>OP: Death is troubling to many and there are those who take it harder than others. There are even those that thrive in the face of pain because they throw themselves into their work so that they do not have to think about what is happening outside of the classroom. You, however, seem to be one of those who withdraws from everything and is unable to function at the necessary level required.</p>
<p>Talk to your adviser and seek out counseling services on your campus. You need to talk to someone both for your academic needs and for your emotional needs. Although you are against it, a year off might do you some good to gather yourself up and decide what you want from life. Continuing the way you are will just ensure that the pattern repeats and you will waste money and time.</p>
<p>I highly recommend speaking to a counselor to discuss your emotional troubles.</p>
<p>Yes I did say that… I “profited” off of it you can say. There was no excuse for me doing so poorly on that first midterm, even though I used one to my advantage. </p>
<p>And I said the same thing to the poster. I said death is a very sentimental subject that nearly 100% garners favor for someone. By my post, I said that there is no excuse for screwing up, especially a second time, but that he should try and appeal due to the extenuating circumstances at play.</p>
<p>This will probably come off more catty than I mean it to, but your post is completely contradictory in nature. You say death is no excuse, yet you are now confirming that you suggest it as a bargaining chip. If it is no excuse, then it shouldn’t be a bargaining point for sympathy at any offense.</p>
<p>What I think that you mean, but correct me if I’m wrong, is that the emotional distress caused by death is an excuse and a valid point to ask for more assistance and consideration. What is not an excuse is recognizing that one has an issue, but then doing nothing about it while riding on the tails of the trauma as your reason to continue doing nothing. There are several resources (such as speaking to an instructor) that one can make use of to try and correct or at least improve a situation. Giving up completely and not attempting to improve your declining situation is not an excuse.</p>