Financial Aid SAP Appeal Letter

Paying for College
1

<p>Hello everyone, I received an email from my college that I am reaching my maximum credit limit and it says that I have to write a letter of appeal. I have drafted one but I have never written anything like this before and I would appreciate your help. Please let me know your thoughts on the letter and how I can improve it. I know that this isn't a very good excuse but it is the truth about what happened and I'm really scared that I won't be able to go to school anymore. This is really important to me and I don't want to mess it up. Thank you in advance. </p>

<p>The letter:
Dear Appeal Board,</p>

<p>My name is First Last and I am submitting a letter of appeal. I am close to reaching the maximum credit limit because my language and culture barrier resulted in me not understanding my options. English is my second language and although I understand a good deal of it, communication is still often a challenge. My parents grew up and went to school in Russia during the existence of the Soviet Union and have no knowledge of the U.S. college system and I didn't realize the extra guidance I needed to seek in order to make the right choices. Misconceptions of the college system and miscommunication of information about college led to the impression that college was a progression from an Associates transfer degree to a Bachelors degree to post graduate. I didn't understand that the prerequisites for an Associate’s degree would be different than the prerequisites for entering into a Bachelor’s program.</p>

<p>My goal has always been to work in the science field and my volunteering experiences reflect that. After speaking with my first adviser I was under the impression that the purpose of the general AA transfer degree was to get broad exposure to general education and then transfer to a four year university where I would specialize in my major. After explaining my goals to a new adviser I discovered that the prerequisites for the Environmental Engineering program were different than the prerequisites for the general AA transfer program. Since my first advising session with First Last, and as evidenced my transcript, I have taken steps to register for and be successful at completing classes that will put me on track to reaching my goal. </p>

<p>Now that I have found the right plan for me I am more motivated than ever and feel confident about my choices. My adviser has also helped me create a clear academic plan that will guarantee my success. I have also made it a priority to overcome any barriers that English poses and have been receiving private tutoring which has greatly increased my fluency. Another factor in my success if my new awareness of the campus resources available to me. Whenever I have trouble with understanding something new I now know that the writing and math labs are available for my use. This means that I have the goals, motivation, and support in place for my future success at Name College. </p>

<p>Thank you for you consideration,</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>First Last</p>

2

<p>The grammar and style of your appeal letter doesn’t support your claim that you have a language barrier. You write better than many native English speakers. If I were considering your appeal, I’d think that you were making excuses.</p>

3

<p>I agree with patsmom – it sounds like you just experienced a misunderstanding about how things worked, instead of having any issues as a result of English being your second language. This isn’t uncommon, as program requirements often confuse native speakers as well, but it’s not a very valid excuse and probably won’t be accepted, as you had a few years to sort it out.</p>

4

<p>I went to writing lab to get help with my letter. And it is a lot easier to type than it is to speak. Typing you can take as long as you like to write, speaking you have to reply right then. People hear my accent and think that I am stupid. Thank you for your feedback. Do you know what my options are now that I won’t be able to pay for school outside of loans?</p>

<p>I have 74 earned credits that I earned towards my AA out of 90. I attempted 92 with some classes I dropped… I guess it counts as an attempt even if you drop before a W? Of those 74 credits, 32 can be applied towards my new major. I’m not sure what to do now, if you guys have any suggestions, I would appreciate them. =)</p>

5

<p>You appeal letter needs to come up with a plan of what your are going to do to finish and complete the degree in the shortest period of time.</p>

<p>hate to sound harsh, but people are not going to be concerned with the “tale of woe” and how your family came from russia, blah, blah, blah…</p>

6

<p>I definitely don’t want to sound like I’m making up excuses. The fact is that my previous adviser didn’t understand what I needed and didn’t care to. When I spoke to my new adviser and explained my goal she told me I was on the wrong track and I have been registering for the right classes since then. We have put together a plan for me to get the right classes and I will include it with my letter. Do you guys think I should omit my language problems so I don’t sound bad and just say I didn’t understand how the system worked?</p>

7

<p>Also, I don’t mind harshness. I would rather hear it from you guys then from the people making a big life decision for me. If you’re thinking this after reading my letter, they will too. Your honesty is something I really need.</p>