One other idea: if you see a professional and get a diagnosis (and the eating disorder is important) you can try to get a medical withdrawal, which can mean a medical leave of absence. Sometimes a medical withdrawal can mean wiping your grades for the semester (with no Ws) if you are willing to lose the credits in order to improve your GPA and transcript. I really would talk to a dean or advisor about this. You should also register with the Office for Disabliities and receive accommodations.
I understand that there may be family values and cultural values at work here, including a kind of involvement with parents that may be deeper than many US kids, as well as pride in independence and distrust of counselors.
But you can’t really have it both ways: do an appeal based on emotional problems, and then try to do it yourself and avoid help. Your appeal will be denied.
I would seriously consider the medical withdrawal angle in place of the appeal if at all possible though if you were already on probabation this may not work either.
I think CTScoutmom’s post is a good one. Look at this as a reset. You can start fresh after working on whatever obstacles you now have. You support your parents and now give them a chance to be supportive of you. I promise you that you can finish college and get a good job and have a good life no matter what happens with the appeal.
“But you can’t really have it both ways: do an appeal based on emotional problems, and then try to do it yourself and avoid help. Your appeal will be denied.”
This.
By not getting help you make it seem like a) you don’t REALLY have emotional problems or b) that you will still have academic issues at the end of the fall semester.
A school wants to see that you’ve ADDRESSED your issues. It doesn’t appear like you have.
I think you have WAY too many specifics about everyone’s medical problems. It isn’t relevant or anyone’s business what the problems are. You could reduce that a lot.
As an aside from that, I don’t know what your major is, but I’m troubled by your repeated statements about studying by reviewing the lecture notes. If that is the major extent of the study plan, then that is a problem.
This is the decision my committee would have made. Please use the time away from school to take care of your health issues. It would be good to be evaluated by a health professional, start a treatment plan, and find a job/volunteer position.
My committee would consider you a strong case for reinstatement if you can provide:
a) documentation from your health care provider of a diagnosis
b) confirmation from your health care provider that you have been compliant with treatment and your situation has improved so that you are better equipped to handle the stress of college life if/when you return
c) details of how you plan to continue your treatment plan after you return to school
d) details of other campus resources you will use and adjustments you will make after you return to enhance your success
e) some statement of how you know your treatment has improved your situation (e.g. if you have been working during your time away and found it easier to handle the stress and demands as your treatment progressed)
@dazedandbemused Yeah, I’m already working with 2 of my 3 advisers to plan what to do during my semester off! I want to keep taking courses though so I can still work towards graduation, but I’m not sure yet if they’ll let me transfer credits over taken during this time. Tomorrow is my first appointment with a highly referred counselor (planned the timing perfectly).
And yes! I was sent the things I would need to do for re-admittance in the Spring and am already working towards them I will probably need documentation from my health care provider as well as definitely needing an evaluation by our Health Services department, and then the logistical academic things handled by my advisers and I.
Your point e is interesting though since it’s not anywhere in my conditions for re-admittance, but I’ll certainly bring it up with my advisers and student health. Thanks for the advice and support! And for following my thread haha
At my college, we would not accept any transfer credits for courses taken during suspension.
Think about the big picture: you were facing dismissal, appealed, and the dismissal was converted to a medical suspension with the understanding that you need the time away from school to focus on improving your health. If you spend that time taking courses instead, it could be interpreted as your not being fully accepting/aware of your situation, or your not being truthful about your health situation.
@dazedandbemused No, I understand that 100%, my parents even brought up the same thing T_T It’s just hard for me to go from doing 80 mph down Route 66 for a long time to, not just pumping the brakes, but completely stopping. My desire to graduate in a timely fashion is just very strong, and I’m glad I have a lot of support in family, friends and advisers to help me transition during this time and to navigate the next seven months.
This is good news, very good news, and you have already succeeded in developing a more positive attitude about the situation. Congratulations!
But, you need to fully absorb the message. Try to give up the idea of graduating on time or even within a certain time frame. This is a distraction from what you do need to focus on- your health.
As a parent of two kids who have had medical leaves, one for extensive medical issues and another similar to yours, I can say that this is a huge opportunity to step back and look at the big picture. I really mean that: “opportunity.”
Worrying about taking classes is looking at the “trees.” You need to look at the “forest”
There are many things you can do during the break. I can communicate via PM on this. Some will depend on finances.
I think it will clear your head and heart a bit, to try to NOT do any school for awhile. Pay attention to the requirements for reentry and make sure you understand them fully, but then move ahead in ways that help you heal and grow.
This is NOT a complete stop. It is just taking a different road. There are other roads besides Route 66 that will get you to your destination! (Don’t sit around watching game shows though!)
If transfer credits are possible, you could consider taking a class in the semester before you reenter, to see how you feel.
You may be surprised, eventually, at how fresh school can feel after a break and new priorities are established.
You are not applying the brakes and completely stopping, you are stopping briefly at a rest area. Colleges report a 6-year graduation rate for a reason - plenty of students don’t finish in exactly 4 years. Yes, your classmates who graduate on time will start their careers a semester (or maybe even a year) earlier than you. But you are not them. If you rush things, both your grades and your health will suffer, putting you at a disadvantage of the “you” who doesn’t rush, and follows the new path you have been shown.
'Everything I’ve been primed for, dreamed of and hope for my life is essentially shattered because the 10 year plan isn’t working anymore." IMO you should re-think this attitude. Many of the happiest and most successful people I know are ones who are able to re-calibrate, adjust when necessary. There are many good reasons why people change their long-term goals – it happens all the time. While it is good to think ahead it is not good to feel trapped or burdened by your own plans and expectations. If your current 10 year plan doesn’t work – then make a new one that will. Remember, life is a marathon, not a sprint.
I will probably need documentation from my health care provider as well as definitely needing an evaluation by our Health Services department, and then the logistical academic things handled by my advisers and I.