Dismissed from University. please read my appeal letter

Applying to College
1

<p>I was dismissed from my university due to poor academic performance. this is my appeal letter. can someone please read it and tell me if there is anything i need to fix? please help!
English is not my first language so i have trouble with commas. please tell me if i am missing commas or if i am misusing them. thank you!</p>

<p>Dear I.D Committee: </p>

<p>My name is XXXXX. I am 20 years old and I am Majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I am writing to petition to hold my academic dismissal from X University. I was very devastated when I was informed about my dismissal, but I understand the circumstances under which the decision was made. I take full responsibility for my failure and I would like a second chance to fix my academic situation. </p>

<p>My academic performance at X University wasn’t very impressive the past four semesters. I know I shouldn’t have any excuses for poor grades, but I would like to explain the reason behind my low GPA. The past two years have been very hard for me. I went through the toughest time of my life because I am suffering from premature male pattern baldness. I started to lose large amounts of hair during my senior year of High School. I didn’t think much about it until it become visually obvious that I was balding. </p>

<p>After graduating High School, I became depressed about my hair loss and I had a tough time understanding why it was happening to me at the age of 18. When my first semester started at X University, I started to completely isolate myself from friends, family, social events, and every aspect of interaction with others. I was embarrassed about my premature balding and It bothered me every waking moment of my life. I spent several hours a day searching for solutions to fix my problem. The time that was meant for studying and homework was spent on the computer to learn how to stop losing my hair. I tried many products and solutions that didn’t work. I wasted my time because I didn’t know any better. I skipped many classes because I was embarrassed to show myself to my class mates and professors. After using many products that failed to stop my hair loss, I started to develop obsessive thoughts about it. When I was in classes, I only thought about my hair loss and became paranoid about what others thought about it. Instead of paying attention in classes, I sat there feeling depressed and paranoid. I refused to visit a therapist because I was too embarrassed. I let my emotions control my academic life, which led me to my poor performance throughout my enrollment at X University.</p>

<p>I finally found a permanent solution to my hair loss. During the fall semester of 2012, I decided to fix my problem by wearing a hair piece. That is the only option I had left after deciding not to get a hair transplant surgery. I feel much better now and my depression and paranoia almost disappeared. Getting the hair piece was a long and tedious process, but I finally have it now and the company that makes them sends me a new one every 4 months. My poor academic performance during the fall semester was also due to me feeling depressed and skipping classes. I spent many hours on the hairpiece company’s website instead of studying and completing homework.</p>

<p>Now that my emotional and physical problems are solved, I am willing to work very hard to fix my academic situation and continue to pursue my dreams. After learning about my dismissal, I reevaluated my mistakes and made a plan to be successful at X University if I am reinstated for the spring semester. I already met with an advisor before winter break to enroll in classes that will help me boost my GPA. If I am reinstated for the spring semester, I will do the following: </p>

<p>• I will seek professional medical help to end my remaining emotional issues that affected my academic performance.
• I will reenroll in the classes I discussed with my advisor to boost my GPA.
• I will seek help from tutors and professors during office hours regularly.
• I will follow a strict study schedule to perform my best in every class.
• I will never let my emotional feelings control my academic life.
• I will keep wearing hair pieces and I will keep visiting my hair dresser every month to adjust them.
• I will not let my emotions control my attendance. </p>

<p>I understand my academic performance was not acceptable, so I will strictly follow my plan to earn a better GPA starting this spring semester. I am confident that my plan will be successful, because during the summer semester, when I didn’t have regular interaction with other students, I worked hard to focus on my two classes and earned a 3.37 GPA. Now that the main issue that affected my poor performance is fixed, I am very confident that I will be successful at X University. Please understand that I am not a bad student, I just went through a rough personal hardship that turned my whole life around.</p>

<p>I understand that I need to include documents to support my appeal; however I don’t have many documents because I refused to visit doctors due to embarrassment. I do have receipts from the company I get my hair from and I will include them with this letter. Thank you for considering my appeal and I would love to have a chance to also appeal in person. I will be looking forward to hear from the I.D Committee.</p>

<p>Sincerely, </p>

<p>My name</p>

2

<p>I shouldn’t have, but I burst out laughing when I read that your excuse was male pattern baldness. If losing hair actually does cause that much stress in your life, you may have a personality disorder. It would look much better to the appeals committee if your baldness triggered a diagnosed personality disorder. Otherwise it looks like a practical joke, sorry.</p>

<p>This doesn’t apply if you have a personality disorder, but many people go through incomparably harder things than you are and their GPA is fine.</p>

3

<p>You have no idea how hard it was. but it is what it is and yes i kinda agree that it looks like a joke. That is why i am trying to appeal in person. but can you please tell me if the letter is good</p>

4

<p>If you were appealing to me, unless you showed me a report from a psychologist that indicates a personality disorder, I would expel you from the university without a second thought.</p>

<p>Frankly, without that, your excuse is laughable at best. And no, the letter is not good because it is so ridiculous that it comes across as a joke. Regardless, I think that it is imperative that you get a diagnosis from a psychologist because no normal person would worry that much. I think your excuse would be viable if you did this.</p>

5

<p>well thanks anyway for your input. i understand my situation is a little unusual but i poured my heart out in that letter and i am being 100% honest with them. I don’t think they will laugh at me for being totally honest. </p>

<p>someone else please read it and tell me if there are any mistakes, etc?</p>

6

<p>Okay, a parent’s point of view . . .</p>

<p>In a nutshell, the issue isn’t WHY you screwed up, it’s the steps you’ve taken to ensure that you don’t screw up in the future. Regardless of what your situation is - baldness or a life-threatening health condition - no one is going to let you back into school because they feel sorry for you. The ONLY way you’re getting back in is if they see a workable plan for the future.</p>

<p>So . . . cut out the personal details. Say you had a physical problem develop during your senior year of high school that caused you increasing embarrassment . . . to the point that it took over your life and prevented you from functioning. You have now resolved the physical issue, and are taking steps to deal with the emotional issues that it left in its wake.</p>

<p>Frankly, I am concerned by your statement that you “will” seek professional help. If I were evaluating your appeal, I’d want to know that you are already getting counseling . . . and that your counselor feels you are ready to resume your studies. Part of the problem here is that you’ve done this entirely on your own . . . you got yourself into trouble on your own and now you’re saying you’ve gotten yourself out of trouble on your own, as well. I’d feel more confident if you were currently meeting with a professional (therapist?) who was willing to attest to your current mental health.</p>

<p>And, no, you don’t need documentation regarding the medical condition that got you into this mess. To be honest, that’s personal, and you don’t have to disclose it. In the end, it wasn’t the medical condition that caused the problem . . . it was your embarrassment and eventual depression. Since you don’t have any documentation regarding your emotional state, all you can do is attest to it yourself. Documentation regarding the underlying physical condition is unnecessary.</p>

<p>Remove the unnecessary personal details and your letter will be about 1/3 the length it is now - and that’s what you want. Short and to the point. You had an emotional breakdown, you’re dealing with it, and you are confident that you can now move forward with no further hindrance.</p>

<p>Oh, yes, and don’t ask to meet with them in person. If they want to meet you, they’ll tell you.</p>

<p>Try again, and post the new letter here. I’ll try to remember to check back today or tomorrow to see what it looks like.</p>

7

<p>dodgersmom, thanks a lot for your reply! that helped a lot. is there a way i can talk to in in a private message? i have a couple of questions? i don’t have enough posts to message you so can you please message?</p>

8

<p>Engstudent - Since you don’t have enough posts, even if I send you a message, you won’t be able to reply. Can’t you post your questions here? If you really don’t feel comfortable doing that, then say so . . . and I’ll see if I can come up with a solution.</p>

<p>One thing you need to know, though . . . I have a dog who has no sympathy for your situation whatsoever. He wants to go out . . . NOW! He’s been waiting patiently, but I can’t make him wait any longer. So I’ll check back here a bit later . . . but right now, I need to be away from my computer for a while. :)</p>

9

<p>yes, honestly i don’t feel very comfortable asking that question here. if you can figure out a different way, that would be great!</p>