I am A freshman I was just notified of my disqualification to UCI and I have a chance to appeal my case. This appeal is conducted face to face with a UCI Faculty Member rather than a formal written letter. I worked on average 15 hours a week and it got in the way of my studies. I had to help out because my family is undergoing some financial problems at the moment and I needed to do my part to help the family. Another problem my dad (aged 74) had to drive me between home and school since I don’t have a car (hour and 30 min away), and d he got into a large accident involving several cars and his car got totaled, causing me to go back and check on him and take care of him (happened after dropping me off at school) . He was hospitalized for a Week and could not work for two. Not only that, but throughout the semester I have been undergoing depression from all the stress, and the fact that my dad had an accident did not help at all. When concerning the classes I failed, I had picked classes that did not reflect my interests but rather my parents. I do not attribute my failures to my parents, rather my lack of interest in the classes I was failing did not help my mental health. Lastly, during finals week, I had come down with a fever while studying and had an anxiety attack during my math final. I also plan on mentioning that As a First year and new to college/adult life, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of duties and responsibilities I had to face. My question today is which details should i focus on/eliminate in this appeal? Also will i need medical/police records about my dad’s accident? Lastly, should I also focus a part of my appeal on how I plan on improving my academic standing with the school?
@bantioquia sorry for all your difficulties.
Can you help clarify your situation?
UCI is on the quarter system. You just finished your second quarter?
Were you placed on academic probation after your first quarter? What was your GPA?
Did you speak with an academic advisor then? Did you devise a plan to be successful 2nd quarter?
What was your GPA second quarter?
How long does disqualification last? Can you reapply at a later date?
Is there any college closer to your home?
Being a freshman in a college system that is quarterly is very, very difficult. It catches many students by surprise. You are not alone. You do need a path forward. Lets see if we can help you.
I had just finished my second quarter and my GPA for the quarter was about a 1.3333 ( Two Fs and an A) and I was placed on academic probation my first quarter (1.9). I met a counselor about my probation and told her about my work issues. ( accident happened about 2 weeks after this appointment so they don’t know).
As for Reapplication, I don’t think it’s possible.
There are colleges closer to home, though I’d prefer to stay in UCI.
Will they be sympathetic because I am a freshman in college who still is trying to get his life together?
Some extra info:
My problem with my first quarter is that I had taken Bio and Chem and struggled in them, thus ending my interest in a degree in bio. I talked to my counselor about it and they agreed with my decision to change my major . Then in second quarter, I wanted to pursue a Business degree but the culmination of issues led to my failure in those classes. The only class I did exceptionally well in is my History class (which I got the A in). Now I know that I want to pursue a Degree in History and already informed my counselor of this.
"also plan on mentioning that As a First year and new to college/adult life, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of duties and responsibilities I had to face. My question today is which details should i focus on/eliminate in this appeal? "
This is the detail you should eliminate. Every first year is new to college life, duties, responsibilities so why would they have sympathy? . You want to focus on the circumstances that were unique to you - needing to work, not having transportation, etc.
So lets list the reasons you stated for doing poorly.
- Unexpected work load of 15 hrs a week to help family finances.
- Lack of transportation due to totaled car.
- Lack of interest in course material. 4, depression and stress
- Fever during finals week.
- panic attack in math final.
- Will you still need to work?
- How have you solved your 3 hour commute/ transportation issue?
- You have had great success in your history class. You will still need common core courses for a degree. What positive study behavior in your history class can you repeat in your other classes?
- Is your dad better? What are the causes of your depression? Are you still depressed?
- Fever was bad timing and should not happen again
- Was this your first panic attack? Why do you think you had it?
To move forward and be in a position to be successful you will have to have the answers to the issues that you believe caused you to fail.
You have to show that you are in a position to now be successful.
Also, if you were placed on academic probation after the first term (what happened then?) and then didn’t imorove after the second term, you might want to look carefully at WHY this happened. Maybe a little time off from UCI to get your bearings is a good idea.
Commuting 90 minutes each way to school and being dependent on someone else for a ride is not a good situation even if everything else were perfect.
It’s not what you want to hear, but in your shoes I’d swtich to a school that was closer to home. The UC’s view community college as a feeder system, so given your financial and transportation issues, why not consider doing 2 years at a CC then transferring back to a UC once you have some academic success under your belt?
It sounds like right now there’s just too much on your plate both physically and mentally and a huge daily commute to a tough school is making things worse.
You seem to be a low income student. Did you get enough financial aid?
Concerning Sax,
- I Don't Need to work next quarter, my parents and I talked about it
- I was planning on living in an apartment with some roommates
- For my History Class, I really put some extraordinary effort in order to pass that with an A. Not to say that i Did not put effort in my other classes, its just that I have a passion for History . (and to be honest I am horrendous at math)
- My dad is doing much better now, he should be working within a week or two.
- Yeah it was just poor fortune
- This was my first panic attack, and I must say I've never felt that way before. I had shortness of breath, a racing heart, and I was Trembling so it was hard for me to write. Ended up not finishing the exam.
I plan on taking Classes only for my desired Major Next quarter in order to make my studies more focused on my goal. Also I fear that I do not have financial Aid and have been paying out of pocket these last two quarters. We have the money to pay for this next one AND my dad’s California Veteran Package is coming through so I don’t have to pay for tuition next year and onward.
Just want to clarify that I am willing to go to a CC, its just that I want to see if I can reverse this appeal before I do.
Okay then, now you have a plan.
You go to your meeting with hat in hand. Old persons way of saying “be humble”
Present only those issues that you have found a fix for.
- Take your pay stubs. Show you had a job. Explain why you now do not need to work.
- State where you will be living if they let you continue.
- State you know why you had success in History. State that you can now do that for your other classes. Look up the learning center or tutoring center on line. Talk to them about setting up appointments for next semester. Share this info at the meeting.
- State your dad is doing better. Mention stress. Do not mention being depressed. Sure, take the police reports. Or even take your dad for that matter. You need them to know you are an adult but that you also have family support.
- Do not mention being sick
- Do not mention your panic attack.
Be contrite. Be sincere.
Expect to not be allowed to stay. Ask if they have any options of a readmit.
That is just my opinion. There are others here who I hope continue to chime in that are very knowledgeable in this area.
I have truly tried to just answer your question of what to leave out or include.
Thank you for your time, it was really helpful.
It does sound like you’re positioned to do much better since you’ll be living on campus. As @sax mentioned, I would definitely, absolutely bring written proof of your points to the meeting. Bring a copy of your lease for the apartment next quarter, bring the police report from the accident, bring a copy of the hospital bill, bring a copy of your pay stubs. And if you have it, bring some documentation of your father’s vet package that will help with expenses next year (for your point that won’t need to work as much).
The point of bringing all that proof is because I’m sure they hear all kinds of excuses that stretch the truth during these appeals. You’ll want to show them not only the evidence backing up your claims, but also how seriously you’re taking the whole process. Best of luck to you, and let us know how it turns out.
You are welcome. If you do take your father with you, you may have two options.
- Bring him in with you. Introduce him and state that you brought your dad because although your education is entirely your responsibility it is also your families goal for you to be successful in your endeavors. You want them to know that your dad is in your court and you are not hiding anything from him.
- Leave dad in the waiting room. State the above and offer to have your dad be part of the meeting if needed.
One of my kids struggled with college for a number of reasons. Although she never finished, not even 2 years, she was constantly learning her craft and picking up side jobs to add to her résumé ( in addition to her regular job to support herself). She just accepted a very nice job offer in her field with great pay and benefits…at age 29.
The point is never stop learning, never stop preparing yourself for something better. Learn from your mistakes but do not let them hold you back from accomplishing whatever goal you set for yourself.
Good luck to you.
Keep…moving…forward.
< He was hospitalized for a Week and could not work for two. >
Do you mean that your father, at the age of 74! is still working full time? Congrats to him!
If i would be in your shoes, I would try to get a year off and fix all family / health issues first.
Irvine is a very expensive city to live. UCI campus housing is expensive as well. However, you can rent a very cheap place in Santa Ana, that is very close to UCI. Santa Ana has a poor reputation, but, common - it is not that bad! I believe, there is public transportation from Santa Ana to UCI. You can use bike + bus and travel almost anywhere. I lived without a car for almost 2 years, and I know that it is perfectly possible to do it. Also, you can buy a salvaged old car for less than $1,000. Good luck!
Sax is right on target. You need to prove (with documentation) that the factors that led to your failures have changed.
If you are not getting financial aid, then your family has a higher EFC, which makes me wonder why you had to work, but apparently that has changed…
One more thing: throughout all these troubles, it might have been better to talk to someone at the school. There might have been some accommodations possible for instance. If you had been my child, with all those F’s looming, I would have withdrawn you. I would rather pay for a bunch of W’s than a bunch of F’s, and it is always possible you could have withdrawn without the W’s due to special circumstances.
In other words, you are advocating for yourself after the fact, so in the future, advocate before and during, if that makes sense. Good luck!
Are you a UU student?