I recently received an email from my university stating that I must withdraw because my GPA is too low. I am only a first semester freshman and I was taking 16 credits due to being a biomedical sciences major. At the end of this fall semester, I decided I was going to change my major to Communications once I received my final grades back (something I have always thought about dong). I am allowed to appeal this decision of academic dismissal and I believe I made a very good argument (I would post it but it is fairly long). My school gives us four elaborate questions to answer in the appeal. I explained how I took classes that were too difficult for me, along with not being interesting to me in the least bit. I owned up to my mistakes and took responsibility for them. I also talked about how I will have new roommates in the spring who are motivated and dedicated to school. I gave many ways on how I am going to be dedicated to school in the spring. I am hoping this appeal goes through since I will be starting new classes in a subject I am interested in. Does anyone have any experience with academic dismissal appeals? And has anyone been successful? If anyone has any advice or experience on this topic I would LOVE to know! I am extremely anxious and scared because I have never been happier then when I am at this University. I would be absolutely devastated if I was unable to return in the spring.
Thank you!
P.S. I am not dumb. I am a strong student who made some dumb mistakes and is really hoping for a second chance to prove myself.
Colleges admit students who are seen as good academic fits for the school. Students who are admitted also assume they can meet academic requirements. Unfortunately, some students are derailed academically as you are. I assume you were asked to leave the university because your poor performance was beyond really bad. You were allowed to and already did submit an appeal.
I have read many letters in which students state that they will study much harder if the are allowed to return to school. You need to think seriously about your learning and behavior in the first semester that explains why you were told to leave at the end of the term. While good intentions are nice, they do not compensate for poor academic performance. Despite your intentions, what specific problems did you have such as skipping classes frequently, not taking notes when you did attend, not reading the texts, turning in papers and assignments late or not at all, not studying between classes, failing to prepare sufficiently for tests, not seeking assistance from the learning center or attending faculty office hours…
Catastrophic academic failure requires comprehensive problems. These are the things you need to identify, report to the appeals committee, and explain how you will change these behaviors. Disinterest in classes is never an excuse. You are expected to meet course requirements even if the class is major boring. Schools are not interested in students whose academic performance depends on their level of interest. Everyone can identify mind numbing classes they took. There is also no guarantee that you will do better in your new area of interest. Your choice of new roommates for the next term is not a guarantee of future academic success because that implies former roommates led you astray. Even if they were a bad influence you made your choices. If the classes you took were too difficult, what specific steps did you take to perform better or even drop one or more classes. I do not see you as owning responsibility for academic failure when classes were too difficult or boring and you fell under the influence of roommates who led you astray. Owning up means taking responsibilities for your behavior and not cataloging excuses. So, what did YOU do that lead to academic dismissal and what specific, measurable actions will you take to turn you academic situation around?
It’s a shame you didn’t post here and ask for some help on your appeal before you submitted it. None of us can say what the college will decide. Often, when kids report back on succesful appeals, the letter of appeal has included concrete actions the student plans on taking in order to ensure academic success. For example, did you include information about how you would attend the tutroing center, meet with professors regularly to check your progress, check in with your academic advisor to ensure you are on the right track, curtail your extracurricular actvivites unitl you were back on track with grades, reduce your job hours, utilize the resources at the library, etc…?
Yes. I included how I would be meeting with my advisor more often and seeking out help from my professors when I needed help with something. I also explained how I would be taking more advantage of the library and the free tutoring my school offers.
I know disinterest is not an excuse and I did not claim this as an excuse in my essay. I explained how when I was in need of help I did not seek out help from others, which was a huge mistake on my part. I did not ask for advice from others or help from my professors or my advisor. You’re right, there is no guarantee that I will do better in communications, however knowing that I could get dismissed again will certainly motivate me to do well. If you want to read my essay I can send it to you.
Also, there were only four classes that counted towards my gpa, and those were the only classes I have taken at college since I am only a freshman. I did not fail any of them. I don’t mean to be making excuses, I am just providing some more background here.