<p>To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from Alfred State College. I was not surprised, but very upset to receive a letter earlier this week informing me of my dismissal. I would like to urge you to reinstate me for next semester.
I admit, I had a very difficult time last semester, and my grades suffered as a result. I don't mean to make excuses for my poor academic performance, but I would like to explain the circumstances. Fall semester seemed like it was going to be everything that I had expected of college; late night studying, socializing and independence, but on the contrary, I felt alone, overwhelmed, and out of place. I started my second semester with high hopes. In-fact, the problem is that I had set my hopes too high. I was overly optimistic declaring a tough major, and being ambitious about the science courses I could handle. I had struggled with science and math in high school, but my dream of working with animals led me to pursue the degree. As a result of this, my grades suffered. As we progressed through content, the material in the classes started to get harder and some of the courses required more time outside of class in-order to stay on top of the material. The biggest mistake I made was waiting until the end to seek help. Before the semester ended, I went to my advisor with some academic concerns like completing my degree on time, changing majors, and some of the difficulties I faced during the semester. She talked with me about other majors I could look into. Concerning my grades, she said it looks like I was overwhelmed this semester by taking such a difficult major. With her advice, I decided that it would be a good idea to change my major to fit my strengths in reading in writing, and so I switched to Social sciences.<br>
I do not blame anyone but myself for the substantially low GPA I received and I know I did not try to the best of my abilities and skills to overcome the bad habits and emotional struggles on time. I love Alfred State, and it would mean so much to me to graduate with a degree from this school, which would make me the first person in my family to complete a college degree. If I am reinstated, I will focus much better on my schoolwork, take classes that are better suited for me, and seek help immediately to become the best student I could be.
Please understand that my low GPA that led to my dismissal does not indicate that I am a bad student. Really, I'm a good student who had one very, very bad semester. I hope you will give me a second chance. Thank you for considering this appeal.</p>
<p>In the essay, you cover what went wrong, how you’ve confronted the issue, but mention few plans to improve. To convince whoever will be reading this, it will be important to list specific steps you plan to take next semester to bring up your grades. You mention changing your major, but if you have a specific plan of action it would definitely help. What on campus resources will you use? Will you continue to meet with your adviser apart from mandatory meetings to discuss your progress? Will you make full use of professor’s office hours? Will you change your study habits to better fit your academic needs? Will you seek tutoring from peers and professionals? Will you lighten your extracurricular load to better focus on academics? Discuss how you will use this as a learning opportunity to improve next semester by leaps and bounds. Giving a detailed description (mention specific resources available to you there) will help convince administrators that you deserve a second chance.</p>
<p>I wish you luck!</p>