I plan on writing a letter of appeal on my rejection to Penn State UP. I know these are often discouraged and unsuccessful, but my SAT went up 130 points and my GPA jumped .5
I struggled with my junior year grades due to a number of personal things as well, but I’m not sure what to include that doesn’t sound whiny but highlights how I’ve improved this year
These things include:
Death of grandparents
Emotional abuse from father (mom is now filing divorce)
Diagnoses of depression and anxiety disorder
Brother dropped out of Penn State UP (after only one semester) & is addicted to drugs
I don’t know what to include and what to exclude, but many of these topics I find too embarrassing to discuss with friends and family. Help!! Thanks
@kittywitters I’m sorry that you had such a rough junior year. I wish you well in your appeal, but you should know that Penn State does not consider senior year grades at all. They may reconsider the SAT score, but they are usually pretty firm in not accepting grades for decisions after junior year. I’ve never heard of an appeal working - but they must sometime. And admittedly, the crew here at CC is a pretty small sub sampling of PSU applicants.
I think you just have to matter of factly state that you had issues in your junior year that affected your grades but that you believe that you are ready for Penn State and have made positive changes. What works against you, is that sincere as you may be, I am sure Penn State admissions has heard it all.
Good luck to you wherever you end up. Keep up with the positive changes regardless of your decision outcome at PSU. Do you have other school options? You can always take some community college classes and try again.
@jlhpsu thank you! I appreciate your kindness. I don’t expect to get very far with my appeal but it doesn’t hurt to try! Is there anything you would recommend leaving out of my letter? I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to guilt trip the admissions committee with sob stories but I also want to explain myself.
Be a little careful with this because due to recent events on college campuses, schools are going to be cautious about students who have experienced mental health issues. I do sympathize greatly with you and I am not saying this is right or wrong for schools to do. Just make sure you emphasize how you have overcome these issues.
@blprof Thanks for the advice. I know Im not a crazy killer or anything but I realize there is a stigma surrounding mental illness…
Anyone have advice on whether I should bring up my brother being a dropout? My family are HUGE Penn State fans and everyone was disappointed, but he is taking classes at Temple now… I just don’t want to sound like I have a reason to hate the school.
Actually, it is completely illegal to deny someone entry to college because of a mental health (or any other) diagnosis. That’s why they don’t ask it on an application. Schools also have thriving mental health services on campus so that they can address the needs of their students. Having anxiety and depression in no way will negatively affect your admission. It should not anyway and if it did, they would be breaking the law. So, explaining your issues should not affect your decision in that way.
That being said, I am sure they have heard all of this before. Anxiety and depression is hugely common and if general statistics hold, more than 10% of their student population is on an antidepressant. So, using that as an explanation as to why your stats aren’t where they would like may not hold much water, especially when I am sure they have heard every sob story out there as an ‘explanation’ as to why grades aren’t as they are. Your explanation is sincere, and I’m sure many others are also - but it does come to the point where schools have to have a cut off. Fair or not. But I would try, especially since you are being treated and your grades are improving. I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high, but I would try. That’s all you can do, and if you do that and it doesn’t work - at least you know you’ve done all you can.
And then if that doesn’t work out - find where you are meant to fit in. Because there is a place. I promise you that!
@jlhpsu Although if they did reject me because of mental illness, there really wouldn’t be a way to know for sure that was the case.
Beside the fact, does anyone know where/who I should send my letter to? Should I send it straight to the office of admissions or direct it to someone specific?
I would probably use the admissions department email unless you have in your previous correspondence the name of a specific person.
I would mention the higher SAT and increased senior year grades (even if they are supposed to count) and perhaps mention death of grandparents and parents divorce if you feel you need to mention something to explain your junior year grades. All other comments I would leave out.
It isn’t likely that the admissions office knows who your brother is so I wouldn’t mention him either.
@kittywitters But they already did reject you without knowing about your mental illness diagnosis. Really, you won’t know. But since 2/3 of their decision is GPA based and 1/3 is Testing and other factors - if you were denied based on those alone, that is acceptable.
I’m not sure who to direct your appeal to. My understanding is it’s a formal appeal process so you should find out what that is and follow that.
Good luck!
jlhpsu - while it may be illegal, there is no way to know in admissions what role a student’s mental health played, especially in a situation like the OPs where she has already been denied admission. That is why I urged caution and I have seen others on CC do the same. Here is a good article on the subject, including quotes from CC’s own Sally Rubenstone :
A difficult conundrum for both prospective students and admissions officers.
I read an interesting article recently about the impact of an increasing number of students seeking mental health assistance on campus and how schools are struggling to deal with it. I see it as a positive in that people are more open about mental health issues and willing to seek help, but it has definitely had an impact on institutions of higher education.
@blprof I don’t disagree with you. I just hate to think it’s true. I spend my days working to lower suicide rates in this country so the thought of anyone being discriminated against for getting help is repugnant to me. But, I know you are correct in that there truly is no way to know since admissions decisions are often subjective.
Oh, I agree with you too, and I have many family members with all sort of mental health issues so it concerns me as well. The applications for admission to the bar as an attorney used to specifically ask if you had ever even sought assistance for a mental health problem (I don’t know if they still do) and I thought that was outrageous.
OP – there is no reason for you to hide your status, treatment, or history. You needn’t fly it like a flag, but neither should you feel like it is a matter of shame or embarassment. You are more than one particular health diagnosis or history. There are zillions of students and zillions of reasons for denials and admittance. Your life is full of potential and promise, and you have proven already your resilience and resolve.
If you want to appeal, to feel certain you’ve done all you can to talk PSU into changing their mind, then go for it. If you do not end up at this one particular school, your life will continue an arc that will be beautiful. Penn State is a nice school, but it isn’t unique in that, and it isn’t worth feeling crushed over. It’s just a school. You be you, and don’t look back. Be well, be whole, be loved, be awesome
Also (still upset about this one!) Penn State has a comprehensive mental health support system for students and it was just endowed as the 2016 Senior class gift so fellow students would always have the help they need. That does not sound like a school that is illegally discriminating against students who need support, Just sayin.
There’s also a difference between admissions and the students, of course. It’s nice that the students wanted to fund CAPS but they’re not the people admitting new applicants.
@greenbutton@bodangles PSU doesn’t ask on their application about any mental health diagnosis, so I think in general they could not possible discriminate in this way. When going for an appeal, the OP may disclose more personal information - but my feeling is that any denial at this point is based upon stats (the OP was denied already) and not due to any information she may share.
For what it’s worth, my daughter is a freshman at Penn State and her essay that she put in with her application was all about being diagnosed with anxiety disorders and her uncle’s (my brother) death by suicide and how she has worked through that. She got in, so I have to believe that they don’t discriminate based on mental health. It’s not 1950 anymore. It would not be acceptable to discriminate based on mental health any more than to discriminate against someone with a heart condition. Both are biological illnesses.
Please note that I was never saying that Penn State does discriminate or that it should! It is not 1950 anymore, but it is 2016 and colleges are facing significant legal liability due to actions of their students. As the article I cited points out, this is a growing consideration for colleges. There was recently a case of a student at Princeton who attempted suicide and was required to take a semester or two off. The student sued, demanding to be reinstated. And there have been numerous cases of parents suing when their child commits suicide at college. I think colleges are in a difficult position with this. Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. My advice to the OP was that to be very careful about how the issue is presented, that is all. I think it would be bad advice to tell a student, don’t worry, they won’t care, and if they do, you can sue. Yes, the student would have legal protection IF they were able to prove that their admission decision was based on discrimination. But how many students would be willing/able to pursue such litigation? With an extremely doubtful outcome? Full disclosure: I am an attorney by training so perhaps I think about these things differently than others.
I would talk with your guidance counselor and see what they say you should do. Did you get accepted to a branch campus or outright rejected? While it is disappointing not to get UP, you may benefit from a smaller campus to start. My niece started at Altoona and now is a senior at UP and had a great experience at Altoona. Especially with a degree in nursing, its important to start out strong. Good Luck and I would not do anything until you talk to someone in the know.