Admissions Withdrawn due to error made on APP while on Medication

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi parents</p>

<p>I have a difficult decision to make and wanted to gather various opinions on what approach to take in writing an appeal letter to a school (A california public school) that withdrew my offer of admissions becuase I made an error in the app that I did not realize due to me being on medication that messed with my judgement.</p>

<p>I am a transfer student from a community college into a Californa Public University.</p>

<p>In July 15th, transcripts were due from the community colleges. Before that date, I drafted a letter stating that two classes I reported I took in fall semester 2009 were actually false and I never took them, ever. </p>

<p>In reality, I HAD taken those classes, completed them, and recieved "A" grades on both. I was on medication that messed with my judgement and for some odd reason decided that I really didn't take them. I believe I woke up from a nap and a dream and suddenly drafted that letter. </p>

<p>The counselor replied that it was fine and that she didn't need the transcripts from those colleges then.</p>

<p>Later, the counselor replied that she did in fact, need them, even if I withdrew and to please send them. I sent them. HOwever, right after I ordered the transcripts and before I sent them, the school went over the records of everybody with missing transcripts and pulled their offer of admissions away. </p>

<p>THe transcripts were already en route when this happened.</p>

<p>What am I supposed to tell this school? I can have my pyschiatrist write a letter but I fear that the school will then really reject me becuase it will seem as if i'm crazy or something, and we all know colleges are extra viligilant about that after some colleges getting sued for admitting crazy student that committed suicide, etc. I'm not crazy, I have organizational problems and was taking medication for that at that time. I am no longer on that current medication.</p>

<p>My mother says that instead, I should mention that I made a copy and paste error and that I should explain away THe letter I wrote in which I said that I didn't take those classes as mentioning classes that I did in fact, take early on in the semester and withdrew and that I copied and pasted the wrong classes into my letter. It's the truth but without talking about the medication side effects becuase that would just complicate matters so much given that my file is already complicated with numerous transcripts.</p>

<p>Furthermore, I have already registrered with the student disability office at that school. It's not like I would intentionally try to decieve that university into saying that classes I took and got A's in them i never really took. Who would do that?</p>

<p>Furthermore, I have proof that way back in january I ordered transcripts from that community college (the one that I drafted a letter about not taking those 'A grade' classes)</p>

<p>to be sent to my home address. I have proof that I ordered them but not that I shipped them.</p>

<p>In this case, what should I do?</p>

<p>Im afraid that if I mention the medication error, they will already see me as crazy and then not accept me based on that and say it's something else. Hey, it's been done before!</p>

<p>futhermore, getting a note from my pyschatrist will take longer and the admissions office says an appeal should be made ASAP.</p>

<p>However, i only get one chance to appeal. so if I don't include pyschiatrist info, then they reject me, im screwed...</p>

2

<p>oh, and my major is in a medical field…so the fact that im going to a psychatrist might freak them out???</p>

<p>Of course, they could always say that I got rejected for transcirpts not recieved (official reason) but off the record they could have rejected me for the pyschiatry situation. (my friend who likes to say extreme things also says i should include the pyshiatry case such that I can sue the school later on for discriminating against student with disabilities in case they reject my appeal…not that i would becuase by then id be too late to enter fall 2010 anways!!)</p>

3

<p>First off, the details of this are quite difficult to follow. So, whatever you do say in your appeal should be straight forward as possible and to the point.</p>

<p>Secondly, I would advise telling the truth rather than make up a story about “cutting and pasting”. It just doesn’t ring true and you have nothing to fall back on if it doesn’t work in appeals.</p>

<p>Third, yes, get your doctor involved to write a letter in support–if the doctor can state that there can be issues with memory/judgment while on a certain medication or while trying to adjust dosages, that is all the better for your case.</p>

<p>The California publics are in a crunch, and looking for ways to cut students from their rolls. However, likely not for issues of health/medication. If they cut you for transcript problems they may just stick with that. But it is worth trying to appeal. </p>

<p>You need to straighten this out no matter what – because if they deny your appeal I assume you will reapply for transfer. Therefore, get your records (and the story about the problem about your records) cleared up now before the next round of applications are due.</p>

4

<p>Great advice above. Pay special attention (as you move forward on this) to annikasorrensen’s first point: your story as presented here is very confusing and difficult to follow. Figure out what exactly you want to communicate, list those facts in chronological order, tell each piece of the story once, and only once. For your appeal to be successful, you need to untangle the way you’ve tried to explain the situation here, and make it crystal clear to the Appeals Board exactly what happened, and exactly why (with corroborating evidence presented as needed). If you want to post a new attempt here (as a practice draft) I’d be happy to read it and offer feedback. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>I was also going to suggest a practice draft. You have to keep things extremely straightforward, or in my experience people tend to think you are lying or making excuses-- for those of us with out-of-this-world medical problems it is extremely frustrating.</p>

<p>I would not say you made a copy and paste error, since that is not true, and I would probably phrase the bit about the medication very carefully, because this: “withdrew my offer of admissions becuase I made an error in the app that I did not realize due to me being on medication that messed with my judgement.” kind of makes it sound like you were working on your application while under the influence, which essentially you were even if it was an accident, and it just doesn’t sound awesome.</p>

<p>If it were me, I think I would just say that I was ill and misspoke. When I noticed my error I promptly sent transcripts to correct the matter, but I received notification that my admission had been revoked while the transcripts were en-route. I should have called and notified the office of admissions immediately, but I didn’t realize I wouldn’t have time to send the proper transcripts. Enclosed are the correct transcripts, and a letter from my doctor documenting my illness and its involvement in this incident. I hope you will consider my appeal and allow me to attend your fine institution… yadda yadda yadda. </p>

<p>But that’s just what I would say.</p>

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<p>I think you have to mention the medication. The University has in your file both a transcript from the community college showing that you took the courses and a letter from you denying that you ever took courses at that school. They are bound to have questions about either your honesty or your rationality.</p>

<p>I would state that you were taking a legal prescribed medication for a legitimate medical condition and that you had an adverse reaction to it that temporarily incapacitated you and while you were suffering this adverse reaction you, for reasons that you can still not comprehend, sent this letter containing incorrect information.</p>

<p>Apologize profusely for the confusion and extra work you have caused the university because of this letter, reassure them that you no longer take this medication and if needed can get a letter from your physician stating that in his/her opinion your health should present no problems that would prevent you from being a valuable member of the university community.</p>

7

<p>No way is anyone going to buy a ‘cut and paste’ error. The obvious question is why would you write something that is false that would reside anywhere that you could copy/cut it from? So, doing that will just make you sink even faster in the quick sand.</p>