Need help with an appeal letter as well as tips in this situation

Parents Forum
1

I learned that I am eligible for suspension after this past semester and I would appreciate some help as well as some steps to take in this situation. A few days after I found out about my possible suspension I went straight to the University to talk to one of the associate deans to talk about ways to be admitted on an extended probation this semester. After talking to her she told me to update her with steps I am taking to improve my situation, so I did and I also sent her this letter in attempt to try and let the committee know what steps I plan to take to improve myself. Even though I sent her this email and let her know that I currently have an A in the Economics class that I am retaking, but she never got back to me. The day after I sent the email I called the office to try and touch base, her secretary told me that she said that she saw it and will contact me when she gets a chance. Its now going on three days and I’ve yet to get a response and Im getting nervous because she said that they usually begin decision making in June and I would hate for this letter to go unnoticed. I’m wondering if I should call again or should I just wait for a letter to show up. Thanks for all the help in advance.

To the Deans of the School of Arts and Sciences at XXXXX University,

My name is XXXXXXX and I am an Undecided Arts and Sciences student. At the end of the Spring 2018 semester I learned that I am eligible for academic suspension from the University. I fully understand the reason for the suspension and I take complete responsibility for my actions leading up to this point. I am writing this letter because I hope that I can express that I believe that my academic future is very important and also to lay out some steps that I plan to take in order to put myself back on track if I am granted one more semester on academic probation at XXXXXX University. 

The first semester I spent at XXXXX was very different from anything that I had done in my life. Being on my own and exploring dorm and campus life were things that I was very interested in doing and I am very happy that I had the chance to do that. There were a lot of adjustments that I learned I needed to make in this first year of being away and admittedly, those adjustments weren’t easy for me. During this time I also looked to do extracurricular activities. In the beginning of the semester I was very involved and very active in my courses. As classes started to move along I realized that I had trouble trying to figure out a balance between those classes as well as activities outside of the classroom. The more I tried doing other things around campus the more and more my grades began to fall. When I finally grasped what was happening, my grades were too low to recover and I ended my first semester at XXXXX with a lower GPA than I could even think of. In the second semester at XXXXXX I strived to do much better, but unfortunately I did not have a plan of action to keep myself from going down the same path I did in the first semester. While there was a slight improvement in my GPA it had not improved as much as I hoped ultimately diminishing my chances of returning to XXXXX this Fall.

The time I have spent so far and the time I will spend during away from XXXXX this summer have and will allow me to reflect on my past mistakes and develop a plan of action to put myself on a path to success at XXXXX University. I have learned that I have a an issue when it comes to being a proactive worker. Instead I spent a lot of my time working reactively which is what did the most to hurt my performance this school year. During the year, instead of making tutoring appointments and attending office hours even more. I would let myself fall into a hole and attempt to dig my way out when it was too late. There are tons of resources available at school but I did not take the time and initiative to make good use of them. I decided not to help myself on the basis of a false sense of pride. I wasn’t able to develop good study and work habits because I didn’t allow myself to grow and harness them. Going forward and learning from these mistakes I have a plan that I feel as though will allow me to achieve success and perform much better at XXXXX University during the Fall 2018 semester. This plan puts coursework above everything else. This means that I will not attempt to do anything outside the classroom unless it has to do with coursework until my GPA is satisfactory. I will also work my absolute hardest to become the proactive student that I know that I can be by seeking help before it is too late. This also means attending tutoring sessions as well as office hours to get help with homework as well as trying to stay ahead when it comes to studying for quizzes and exams.

Alongside all this I have enrolled myself in courses for the Fall 2018 semester that will capture my interests more than my other ones did before. I have also enrolled myself in a summer online Intro to Economics class through XXXXX that will allow me to make up some of the missed credit from the past school year. At the time of writing this letter I am also working out plans to retake the English course I need as well. I want to create an environment for myself where I can go above and beyond. I think that following this plan will bring forth a significant improvement in my GPA and allow me to also make strides as an overall student and person.

Thinking back on the path I took to get me to this point disappoints me and I once again acknowledge the fact that it is no one else’s fault but my own, but I do look forward to putting myself back on the right track for success at XXXXX University.

Thank you,

XXXXXX

2

Way too long. Do a search on successful appeal letters. Your letter needs to be half the length it is now. It needs to say briefly and succintly 1.) this is what I did wrong. I own it, and I deeply regret it. 2.) here is my specific plan about how I will prevent that happening again. I will go to professor office hours… I will meet with my academic advisor… I will make use of the tutoring centers on campus. I will join study groups. I will create a study schedule and stick to it. I will enact lifestyle changes such as cancel my Netflix account/reduce my work hours/restrict socializing to Friday and Saturday nights, etc… 3.) I would be very grateful if you would reconsider my suspension and allow me the privilege of remaining in xxxx Uni. I appreciate you taking the time to consider my appeal.

These lines need to go: “classes that will capture my interest”. Too bad, you’re in college. Not every class will be interesting and that doesn’t give you an excuse to do poorly in them. I wouldnt readmit you if I read that in your letter. Remove references to how you “didn’t allow” and will “try.” You need to say “I will.” Good luck.

3

Was the letter you sent your official appeal? If not, rewrite it. Lindagaf offered some very good suggestions.

4

Sorry, I didn’t realize you had already sent it. All you can do now is wait to hear back. Best of luck.

5

A successful appeal must do several things:

  1. show that you understand what went wrong
  2. show that you take responsibility for the academic failures
  3. show that you have a plan for future academic success
  4. in a broad sense, show that you are being honest with yourself and the committee

Here are some examples:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/Academic-Dismissals/a/Sample-Appeal-Letter-For-An-Academic-Dismissal.htm

Some of this is general, and some specific to your situation.

  1. search this topic on CC and you will see many other posts on academic appeals
  2. Make sure your letter states what the issue was that caused you to have academic difficulties
  3. Did you talk to your professors/dean of students about the issue?
  4. Did you make use of the many resources your school has? if not, why not?
  5. Find out what those resources are…e.g. counseling center, talking to professors, talking to your adviser, withdrawing from class, talking to dean, maybe taking incompletes,
  6. State how you would use those in the future
  7. How are you addressing what caused the issue?
  8. Think about if you should continue at college, or take a break.
  9. Think about if you should continue at a community college, to be close to your family
  10. How is your college funded? Will that continue?

In general, keep in mind what the college wants…they want students who can succeed. They need to know that you understand what the issue was, know now the resources that you can use, how the problems is resolved so you will not have academic issues in the future.

For your letter, I would have asked you:

  1. Why on earth didn’t you do anything differently second semester? Cuz what you did first semester didn’t work
  2. What are specific resources at YOUR school that you can use to get back on track?
6

Yes, my reaction was that you didn’t spend enough time describing specifically what you would do differently.

7

Thank you all, as for calling them back should I do that or just wait to hear something?

8

You can call but I would not be very hopeful. (sorry)

9

Three days is not very long. There is probably a committee meeting. You do not really seem clear on why you didn’t do well. Did you party? Get depressed? Do you have time management problems?

You did your best with the letter and you will just have to wait I think.

If they do not grant you another semester, please know it is not the end of the world and might even be the best thing that has ever happened to you, in the long run. Not always, but have said this later on.

You can reapply, and you can also look at other college programs and ways to go to school, including online.

If there was any medical reason for your failed classes, meet with a counselor or doctor and let the administration know, but it doesn’t sound like that was a factor.