Feedback on my dismissal appeal letter?! I could be kicked out!

Parents Forum
21

Grammar issues aside…the letter is way too long. If you shorten it, maybe you won’t have such long sentences at all.

Stick to the bare details.

  1. BRIEF what happened...remember, they already know your academic record. You don't have to go into lengthy detail about how poorly you did.
  2. BRIEF description of your issues. Stick to the facts. Leave out all the opinions, and emotions. Facts.
  3. Tell what you have already done to help yourself.
  4. Tell what you will continue to do if you are allowed to return to their college.

Leave out all sentences that sound like excuses for what happened.

Now…my opinion…the MOST imoortant thing you can do for yourself is some real soul searching. You need to be very clear on WHY you actually failed your classes. Many folks have issues and don’t fail classes. U til you find out the reasons for your depression etc…and address those things first and foremost…really, returning to college isn’t probably the best plan. If you don’t really understand why thishPpened to you…and address those things…it is very possible you could just return and fail again.

Having good mental health is far more important than returning to college.

22

Yes the letter is too long and TMI. My concern is you don’t know what will happen to you. Have you received an official letter? If not then Before you send anything go talk to X or your advisor/dean and find out exactly what your academic situation is and your options. if you don’t like them then craft a letter addressing that. They may let you take a medical leave for instance which sounds like something you should do.

23

Depression and/or bipolar disorder often doesn’t happen for a reason. Clinical conditions like this can be brain-based (and genetic).

24

OP- hugs to you.

25

While I agree with this…I still say…the student needs to deal with these issues before returning to college. Even if brain based or genetic, there are still treatments for these issues. They don’t need to get in the way of a productive life if treated well.

26

IMO, with Bipolar 1 You will most likely not succeed back at school until you get medically stabilized at home for at least a year.

My neighbor’s son went through a similar situation as yours… It took a full year at home on a medical leave to get the meds right, therapy and the ability to handle classes (he went to cc for a few classes in the interum). He also suffered from ADHD along w bipolar… this gets tricky for meds bc stimulants (for ADHD) can set off mania very easily. When Bipolar is first diagnosed rapid cycling is common. The meds are tricky.

Severe depression at school led to taking antidepressants, these set off a manic phase (for 3 months) in which he racked up serious debt while at school along with risky sexual escapades (also common in Bipolar mania). You need to be monitored in a place with strong support systems in place while trying manage this disorder.

Big Hugs… it is just an interruption, not the end …don’t worry but you need to be serious about this disorder.

27

Thank you to everyone for the advice! I’ve made revisions to the letter, so I hope it’s in better shape now. Also, to clear things up, I didn’t have any accommodations with the disability office for the semester (I tried, but I was too late) and I took Ritalin for my ADHD, which greatly improved my symptoms. Also, my doctors think that I have Bipolar 2, which is slightly less severe than Bipolar 1.

This is the new version!

Dear X,

My name is [redacted] I am writing to apologize for my performance this semester. Though I understand that students in my predicament are usually asked to leave, I would like to urge you to reinstate me for next semester, as my difficulties stemmed from undiagnosed health issues that can be resolved with proper treatment.

About a month into the semester, I began to suffer from a Major Depressive Episode. I did not recognize the signs at the time, and felt disoriented, sluggish, and hopeless. I could barely get out of bed, missed numerous classes due to sleeping for twelve or more hours a day, and couldn’t think because my mind was so foggy. I suspected that I had depression shortly before my Midterm Grade Report sparked an intervention by my proctors, my advisor, and Dean [redacted], but was unsure of how to proceed since I myself did not know the cause of the illness. In spite of my efforts, I couldn’t make significant progress as I tried to get back on track, since I was so physically and mentally drained. On April 11th, 13th, and 25th I saw two specialists at Counseling and Mental Health Services, Dr. [redacted] and Dr. [redacted], but due to time constraints, I was not able to schedule enough sessions with them. We discussed the option of taking antidepressants, but because of the associated risks and the low chance of success with them in such a short period of time (under a month), it was suggested that I wait to determine the best course of action. Without adequate treatment or a concrete plan for my mental health, I began a downward spiral that greatly affected my academic success.

I recognize that I should have been more forthcoming with my professors and my support network earlier in the semester, but I had never experienced depression before, and couldn’t see the symptoms for what they were until they had gotten worse. Eventually I shut down and stopped responding to my professors and advisors in a timely manner concerning my academic work, worsening my predicament. I should have gone to the peer counseling groups on campus and the Bureau of Study Counsel for assistance and would have taken further action had I been thinking clearly.

While I am aware that the normal course of action in this situation is a requirement to withdraw, I beg that you will reconsider. My difficulties this semester stemmed from underlying health issues that needed to be addressed before I could improve academically. As I have proven in the past during the fall semester, I am able to handle schoolwork and mental health concerns simultaneously when they are identified and properly addressed. From October 7th, 2015 to January 25th, 2016 I met with Dr. [redacted] and Dr. [redacted] ten times to receive treatment for my newly diagnosed ADHD, using medication and therapy sessions to improve my focus, organization, and time management. In comparison, I was only able to make three visits to mental health services this semester due to scheduling issues, and there was not enough time for a treatment plan to be executed as the term drew to a close. While receiving treatment for ADHD, I was able to maintain a 3.XX GPA, write for [redacted] and [redacted], secure a leadership position on the board of [redacted], and hold an on-campus job at [redacted]. If allowed to return for the fall semester, I will employ methods similar methods to handle these issues, using medication, counseling, and workshops at the Bureau of Study Counsel to resolve my symptoms.

This summer I am taking steps to improve my mental health, and will meet regularly with a specialist in my hometown. Both Dr. [redacted] and Dr. [redacted] suspect that I may be suffering from Bipolar 2 as I experienced a significant increase in mood during the end of term, but I have three months until the start of fall term to rectify the situation. I made significant progress in treating my ADHD in a similar amount of time, and can provide documentation of my treatment during the summer. My time during the fall semester at [College] was absolutely amazing and I’m truly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given. Though I know that I have disappointed many people, my GPA this semester was not indicative of my abilities as a student and I hope that it does not keep me from graduating on time with the rest of my class. Please take this information into account as you decide the best course of action in this situation.

Sincerely,

[A Very Concerned College Student]

28

There are two LONG paragraphs in your letter. I personally think they can still be shortened. You are providing a lot of tiny details that don’t matter.

Give the basic fact…and not all the elaboration.

Remember, yours will not be the in,y letter these folks are reading. Give them the needed information and no extra stuff.

29

This is no better in my opinion. You mentioned a manic period and that would be bipolar 1. If professionals diagnosed you with bp 2, then you weren’t incapacitated by a mood elevation. if you have bipolar disorder, it is surprising that Ritalin helped you with no disastrous stimulation effects.

To tell the truth, there really is little you can say in detail to support your case, because you didn’t access adequate treatment, didn’t take meds, didn’t see professionals available to you and so on. You didn’t even register with the disabilities office for ADHD.

Are you being dismissed or are you unsure? Has anyone mentioned a medical leave?

I think you should make the letter as short as possible and then rely on documentation from professionals.

"Dear XXXXX,

I am writing to appeal my dismissal from XXXX. I understand that my grades were not adequate this past term (year?). I have since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD, and have begun treatment with therapy and medications.

I am requesting a second chance at XXXXX once my health challenge is stabilized. I will do anything that the college requires of me to show readiness to return and do the work at the level I should be performing. If the college wants me to take a medical leave, I will go that route for whatever period of time is requested.

I am attaching documentation in the form of a letter from my psychiatrist, therapist and xxxx in support of my appeal.

Thank you for your consideration."

30

Compmom’s letter is to the point. Yours should be similarly to the point.

31

@compmom But I was asked by the college to provide a personal statement about what occurred during the semester and what I would do to improve. It’s too late for me to get a letter from my psychologist/psychiatrist. I was contacted on Friday and the letter is supposed to be reviewed by administration on Tuesday.

32

The details your letter provides and the defense you present comes off as defensive and even flimsy. Sorry to be blunt, but right now that is the best way to help you.

You can use the bare bones outlines some of us have suggested and flesh them out a little. For instance, specifically, what treatment and what medications are you doing?

But I think the main point that you need to make is that you suffered a new onset depression and subsequent diagnosis with MDD, bipolar ( and previously ADHD) and that since you did not yet understand your challenges and did not yet have treatment, your studies suffered.

With treatment, you will work hard and hope to have your academics return to their previous level.

You really have to have some support from psychologist or psychiatrist (do you have a psychiatrist? who is prescribing for you? are you taking meds? )

There are many students who have enormous health challenges during the college years , who nevertheless do their work, sometimes with accommodations. Some will take medical leaves during those years. You did neither.

If you had come on this forum earlier, halfway through a bad semester while dealing with depression, I would have advised getting a medical leave and trying to wipe the grades for that semester off the slate.

Keep it short and matter of fact and offer documentation by professionals if you don’t have any ability to get letters. Email or call the professionals and ask if they will support you in writing.

If not, I am not sure any college official is going to buy the story. Sorry.

There are many ways to get back to your academic life and succeed. I promise. But first, focus on your health.

So the college gave you a few days to write a letter about a proposed dismissal?

33

What you have been diagnosed with is confidential and you do not have to share it. You can simply say you were diagnosed with a mood-related issue and you are under the care of a psychiatrist and psychologist and developing the tools necessary to help you manage your stress, and recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease so that you can actively manage them.
Less is more.
Too much information is not only unnecessary, but it may backfire, especially if the person reading it is not in the healthcare profession.

34

You can say “undiagnosed health challenges” if you like but as soon as you provide the names of professionals such as a psychiatrist or psychologist the school has some information on the type of health challenge, so I don’t know why you would withhold it.

When we dealt with medical leaves, the school already knew the diagnosis, technically, through the disabilities office. It was very helpful for the dean and other administrators to know what was actually going on.

To me, it makes sense to disclose because it adds to your argument, but legally, you have a right to privacy. Your diagnosis will be kept confidential.

For reentry after a leave, you generally have to interview with an MD or other professional at the school, at least in my experience, so, again, disclosing diagnosis helps with that.

35

@Fox_Spirit11

I hope you are working with your academic advisor on your letter.

As you are making a claim that a medical condition prevented you from functioning successfully, you should provide documentation (it only has to go to Psychological Services or Disability Services; the academic standards review committee will not have access to it to protect your privacy, but it has to be provided for a credible claim). If you can’t get the documentation by the time the letter is due, mention that it will be forthcoming from your provider(s) and name them in the letter (not here).

If your health situation is as you represent it, a leave of absence sounds more realistic than reinstatement. Don’t stress your desire to graduate with your peers; the committee won’t find it a compelling reason. You are probably going to have to do GPA repair by retaking classes , and that will take time.

You don’t have an academic action plan in your letter (what classes you will retake, etc.); you only discuss your symptoms and how busy you were/are. If you don’t have time for any appointments, how are you going to get better? How will your schedule change? If I were on the review committee, I would like to see answers to these questions… Focus on what you can realistically do differently in the future.

I would also not use terms like “apologize” and “disappoint.” You’re not asking to be forgiven for being ill; you’re trying to make a case that you will be a functional student if/when reinstated.

36

OP, I am so sorry that you are having mental health problems and that it interfered with your ability to succeed at college. However, reading your letter as a complete stranger to you and your problems, I remain unconvinced that there would be adequate reason to not require a leave of absence. A leave of absence for poor academic performance is the normal consequence when performance does not meet the minimum requirement. The leave gives the student time to remedy the issues that have prevented him or her from succeeding.

Since you do not give the details of your performance (F’s? D’s, incomplete?) or the exact remedy proposed by the college (I assume it is leave of absence for a semester, but you say dismissal in the title to your thread, which is not the same), I can not be sure what has been suggested. You do not have to tell us, but I just want to point out that a semester leave of absence for poor performance is not unusual. Additionally, many students who have to take a leave of absence for poor performance have psychological issues (diagnosed or undiagnosed). I could not tell from your facts whether you are a freshman, and if this is your only semester of academic problems, which may or may not be important to the college in their decision.

You mention that a number of administrators from the college reached out to you before this decision, and that you were unable to achieve acceptable results. From their point of view, a leave of absence would be the correct step for you to get back on track. It is true that the summer break is a few months long, and you might improve, but that is conjecture.

I am sorry to say that the general tenor of your appeal letter is of someone who truly is sorry to have failed, but without a reliable plan for future success in the immediate future. Perhaps if you were at home for a semester you could get a job, volunteer, take an online course, and show that you have worked on your illness so that it is under control, and that you are ready to return. I am sure that the college would want what is best for you.

Lastly, although you have not asked for this type of advice, as an experienced parent I will offer it: whenever you return to school, do not take on too many extracurricular activities and outside responsibilities until your academic progress is on track. Yes, some people can do well being a leader and having a part time job etc. etc. Others may not have the time to do all of these outside things and do well in school - regardless of any health issues.

Good luck to you, and I hope you begin to feel better.

37

can you get a retroactive medical withdrawal? Talk to your Dean of Students and find out.

38

I think you can have a sentence to the effect that your medical condition made it difficult for you to comply with the medication routine at first. Now that you are taking the medications, you realize how clouded your judgement was at the time. I know they want an explanation, but try to reduce it to one or two short sentences.

39

I agree with @bopper that retroactive medical withdrawal from all of your classes may be appropriate, but that will require you to accept that you are not going to graduate “on time.” It would have to be for all of your classes (not just the ones you did not do well in). It might be better to have the Ws on your transcript than a string of bad grades that will drag down your GPA and aren’t transferable.

This is the kind of thing you really should be discussing with your academic advisor at your school.

40

@anothermom2 Yes, this is my only semester of academic problems, but honestly, I don’t think I would benefit much from a year off. My family life with my parents is pretty crappy/unhealthy, and going to college was a relief. Being home would actually add more stress, especially since my parents aren’t really supportive of my treatment. I came home and told them what happened last semester and they shrugged and told me to just “go with it” and insisted that I was probably fine and didn’t need to seek help. It’ll be much better when I’m away rather than at home listening them bash me for taking meds for “fake illnesses”.