This past semester I received a D- in my Calculus 1 class which made my semester GPA a 1.99, cumulative 2.75. I was contacted by my FA office that I was placed on scholastic probation and my financial aid needed to be appealed. Here is my SAP Appeal letter, let me know what you think:
Dear Office of Student Financial Aid,
My name is XXXX and I am writing to appeal my suspension of Financial Aid. This past semester was very stressful and overwhelming because I was not transitioning to a new major only, but also working as a Resident Assistant. It was very difficult for me to concentrate and do well in my classes as I put my job first which affected my mental health. I understand now that I made mistakes and should have communicated with my professors. I thought I could handle both at once, but I was wrong and have learned from those mistakes.
I realize that I neglected my studies and would like another chance to do better. I have made a list of steps to take in order to be successful in class:
I have decided to not return to the Resident Assistant job in order to give full attention to my academics.
I have reached out to XXXX and XXXX to start attending counsiling sessions to better my mental health so that I am prepared for class.
I will talk to my professors to find ways to succeed in their classes as well as seek help during their office hours when needed.
I will manage my time wisely by setting aside time to study and organize goals to a level of importance so that I can balance my school work appropriately.
I will use tutoring services for my difficult courses where I struggle by familiarizing myself with the tutoring services on campus as well as utilizing the writing center.
I have scheduled to retake Calculus 1 to obtain a higher grade.
I am grateful for being granted the opportunity to appeal and now I must prove to myself and the university that I belong here. Attending university is a gift, not a right, and I will be sure to prove myself. Without Financial Aid I will be unable to attend this fall and I hope you can give me this second chance. Thank you for your time and for considering this appeal.
Pretty good. Counseling is misspelled. My only question is whether you got the D- because of mental health reasons or because more simply you didn’t have great attendance and because you didn’t devote enough time to study. These latter reasons are easier to fix than mental health problems.
It was really a combination of both. I began to let my extra curriculars take over and would stay up really late working for those extra curriculars and wouldn’t have much time to study. I’ve decided to drop those extracurriculars as well.
I didn’t take the job for free housing, but rather the experience that I thought I would receive. I enjoyed being an RA, but it put so much mental strain on me which caused my grade in Calculus to suffer. I can afford housing on campus without the RA job. As for documentation, my FA office requires documents, what should I include? The documents of when I changed majors? (Over Christmas break), documents that show that i have stepped down from extracurriculars? I don’t have a document of me leaving the RA job as it was a meeting between me and the director of Resident Life. Thanks for helping.
My name is X and I am writing to appeal the suspension of my Financial Aid. This past semester was very stressful and overwhelming because I was not only transitioning to a new major, but also working as a Resident Assistant and committed myself to one too many extra curriculars. It was very difficult for me to concentrate and do well in class as I put my job and extra curriculars first, which began to affect my mental health. I understand now that I made mistakes and should have communicated with my professors. I thought I could handle these at once and received a D- as a final grade in Calculus 1 which brought my spring semester GPA to a 1.99, cumulative GPA of 2.75. I admit that I was wrong and have learned from those mistakes
I realize that I neglected my studies and would like another chance to do better. I have made a list of steps to take in order to be successful in class this semester:
I have decided to not return to the Resident Assistant job in order to give full attention to my academics.
I have reached out to X and X to start attending counseling sessions to better my mental health so that I am prepared for class.
I will talk to my professors to find ways to succeed in their classes as well as seek help during their office hours when needed.
I will manage my time wisely by setting aside time to study and organize goals to a level of importance so that I can balance my school work appropriately.
I will use tutoring services for my difficult courses where I struggle by familiarizing myself with the tutoring services on campus as well as utilizing the writing center.
I have scheduled to retake Calculus 1 to obtain a higher grade to raise my GPA.
I will meet with my advisor on a monthly basis to review grades, struggles and issues that may prevent me from succeeding in class.
I have resigned from my extra curricular activities in order to better my academic standing.
I am grateful for being granted the opportunity to appeal and now I will prove to myself and the university that I belong here. Attending X is a gift, not a right, and I will make sure to prove myself. Without Financial Aid I will be unable to attend this fall and I hope you can give me a chance to redeem myself. Thank you for your time and for considering this appeal.
Sincerely,
X
As for documentation, should I include the document in which I changed majors? Should I include the email to the Counselor? What other documents would be considered viable?
You guys have been a huge help! I’ve talked with a friend from my school who went through the same thing. I’m going to include a document of a 3 year plan (the remaining time I have left) with classes I’m taking each semester for my major so I know what to do and who to talk to. I’m also going to include the documentation of my change of major.
I emailed the director of FA at my school and she said she wasnr abke to advise me, but encouraged me to be as thorough as possible when submitting my statement. Is my statement/letter thorough enough…?
