Dear Dr. ______ and the rest of the SIUE Appeal Committee:
I respectfully request readmission to SIUE for the 2016 Fall semester. I originally matriculated at SIUE in the 2015 Fall semester and was planning to be a Computer Science major and after failing to maintain an adequate GPA for both the Fall and Spring semester, I was put on academic suspension.
I take full and complete responsibility for my failures. All of the reasons that led to my academic suspension could have been prevented by me and me alone with better judgement. I thought mistakenly that I could keep a balance between two jobs and an 18 credit-hour course load. I was very wrong. I underestimated the amount of work that would be given to me in college. For the initial Fall semester, I had 3-4 papers and speeches constantly assigned to me throughout the majority of my classes. I found myself overwhelmed with the task of having to brainstorm ideas for all of these speech’s and papers, researching them, proofreading them, editing them, and practicing speeches, all while keeping up with test material for these classes and working one full-time and one part-time job and I found the quality of my work declining from sheer burnout. For my Spring semester I had many of the same problems. I had quit my full-time job and stuck with my part-time but foolishly still enrolled myself in another 18 credit-hour course load. I began to do better this semester since I had more time on my hands, but began to be discouraged because of my already low GPA and being on academic probation, along with the fact I had completely ignored any social aspect of my life. I had no friends to support or help me through this time and no ‘college experiences’ to speak of, which only further discouraged me and led to my academic suspension.
Since this time I have had quite a while to think about what I have done wrong, and what I can do to fix it. The first thing that came to mind is if my major is really what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always had a talent for programming and computers in general so it was an obvious choice for me, but I am also interested in becoming a MD, as unrelated as that may sound, as that’s what my father originally came from Palestine to become. But for now I want to focus on Computer Science. The next thing that came to mind is to not let my knowledge fade so I can remain prepared if I am readmitted, so I took and completed a good amount of courses on Coursera, specifically classes related to my major, Computer Science, such as Mathematics, Programming, and general Computer Science courses. I also decided to quit any job I may have if I am readmitted to SIUE so that I can focus completely on school and nothing else. I have also decided that until I can improve my GPA, to limit myself to 15 credit-hours or less to avoid over extending myself and to help me focus on the quality of my work. I will also develop my relationships more with my professors and fellow classmates so as to have people who I can go to for help and advice, as that is something I was sorely lacking in both semesters. I will also consult my academic advisor more often, at least once a month if not more often to make sure I am not missing anything crucial and that everything is going smoothly. I will take full advantage of the Student Success Center, something that could have helped me tremendously before, especially with all the essays and speech’s, but I never had the time to properly use. And finally, I will make it a priority to check my SIUE email every single day, as I noticed that I missed many important messages during the last term due to me not checking it for days or even weeks.
If I am reinstated to SIUE, I will need to raise my GPA quickly. In order to accomplish that I plan to retake a few courses that I did not do so well on. Specifically, I will retake CS 111 and Psyc 111 as these are two courses that I did not do particularly well in, because I missed the final in the former and had to rush papers which did not turn out as well as I needed. In addition to these classes I will take Chemistry 113 and Math 120, along with a Humanities class, which right now I am deciding between Art 111, Music 111, or Theater 111. This would give me a good 15 credit-hour course load that is very manageable for me. That is if I am reinstated of course. As for improving my study habits, I already plan to make full use of the Student Success Center. I also have my brother who also attends SIUE to help me out if I need it, and hopefully now that I have more time on my hands, I can actually be able to meet people and have friends who can give me support if I ever get discouraged again.
I realize that the committee may not lift my suspension. They are under no obligation to. I am asking for a special exception to a rule by writing this letter of appeal. But I honestly believe if given another chance I will do extremely well. This past year has been very painful for me, and it has helped me grow a lot as a person and has taught me much about responsibility. I hope that the committee seriously considers my request for readmission, as there is nothing in the world more important to me right now than getting back into school and back on track.
Sincerely,