<p>Hi, I was recently dismissed from UC Davis and I was wondering if anyone has the time to read my letter of appeal ASAP and give me some feedback. This is a rough draft.
I really appreciate it. </p>
<h2>Thanks. </h2>
<p>Dear Academic Appeals Committee and Admission,</p>
<pre><code> My name is _____, I am currently 19 years old and my major is Aerospace engineering. I am appealing the decision of Associate Dean ____ which requires me to withdraw from the university as stated in her letter dated June 24, 2010. I do not blame anyone but myself for the substantially low GPA I received and I know I did not try to the best of my abilities and skills to overcome the bad habits and emotional struggles on time. Over the course of last year, my grades were significantly affected by my bad studying habits, dorm life and the distance away from home. Fall quarter seemed like it was going to be everything that I had expected of college; parties, late night studying, socializing and independence, but on the contrary, I felt alone, out of place, no motivation and sick. I became ill on the second week of October with the seasonal flu which caused me to miss classes for almost two weeks, and at that point I felt like it was impossible for me to catch up because while trying to catch up on old material I would fall behind on new material. I had a lack of motivation coming from myself because I felt the distance from home was overwhelming since I had never been away from home for more than one week and having to travel to Los Angeles was not a simple task. I felt neither support nor encouragement from anyone surrounding me that at that point I was ready to give up and forget about UC Davis. My parents never attended college and do not clearly understand the trouble and sacrifices that a student must make in order to overcome the difficulties so when I would come to them, they couldnt really help me. But during winter break I spoke with my former high school counselor who gave me the encouragement that I long looked for. She told me that I must be willing to accept life away from home and live independently if I want to continue my education in such a great university. She made me realize that if I had been accepted to attend this university, then I can graduate from this university.
On my return to Davis for fall quarter, I came with a mind set of I can do it and I will do it but once again I did not try my best because at that point, with that enthusiasm that I had, my priority was now trying to fit in (because I thought that would help me survive), opposed to trying to pick up my grades. I fell into the college social life (ironically the opposite of winter quarter) and began to leave my school work for last minute. I was so worried that coming from a place like South Central Los Angeles would make me an outsider in a place so different than my neighborhood back home that most of the time was spent socializing instead of studying. After the first couple of weeks, I was sure that studying the night before for an exam would give me enough time to absorb all of the information, but I was wrong. It has come to my attention that I need time, a healthy body and a quiet place to study and concentrate on the material that I should be putting as a priority. If I am reinstated into the university for fall quarter, I will be living in an apartment with my own room and with people whose priority is school and not the party life. I will be able to focus on my school work without any distractions opposed to the dorm life where I had floor mates distract me all the time. Also, I know that one of my worse mistakes is not asking for help when I clearly needed it. For that reason I have planned to take advantage of all of the academic services offered by the university and if I feel like I am falling behind or not understanding the subject, I will most certainly get a tutor. I will not let intimidation or shyness get over me when it comes to seeking academic help. I am committed to attend workshops that will help me with study habits, work ethic and most importantly, help me with my classes.
When I returned for spring quarter, I undoubtedly realized that I messed up winter and fall quarter and that the way I was living the college life was wrong. At that point I began to question whether if I was content with the classes that my major required and if engineering was right for me; I decided to take Spanish 24 since I am a native Spanish speaker and I have always enjoyed speaking and writing Spanish. So I took Spanish and passed it with an A and without a doubt, if I am granted another opportunity, I will challenge myself in a different direction and strongly consider changing my major to Spanish which I know will be no easier than engineering, but it will be a challenge that I am confident to accomplish.
I am certain that if I am granted a second chance I will be persistent when faced with challenges that structure my abilities and skills that can be demonstrated through my grades. I have planned to discipline myself in every single aspect of my life because I do dream with my college graduation and with that diploma from UC Davis.
I thank you for your time and consideration. I sincerely do hope I will return to UC Davis for fall quarter
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