Opinion on SAP Appeal Letter

<p>Good morning. I am curious to hear opinions on my appeal letter for my FA. This is the first time I've ever gone through anything of this nature, so any advice would be of great assistance.</p>

<p>Dear Sir or Madam:</p>

<p>This letter is being written to appeal to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee the decision of the denial of my Financial Aid for the Summer semester of the 2013-2014 academic school year, so that I may continue to receive Federal Financial Aid for the coming semester. The reason as to why I did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress was due to the completion rate being below the new standard of 50%. I have been a student at ... since the 2009 Fall semester. Throughout my tenure, I have faced a number of challenges in reaching my own personal goal for success a student. In particular, during the Fall and Spring semesters of the 2011-2012 academic school year when I withdrew from several classes which ultimately impacted my completion rate. The issue in question, which impacted my ability to be successful, was due to the start of my new job, and upon starting the new job, a sudden change within my role, which brought about new stress factors. I began my current job June 1, 2011 as a Data Analyst contractor with the federal government. Once I started my job, I was without computer access for over two months, and with the computer being my main source of completing my work, I shadowed my then direct team lead for that period of time to get familiar with some of the workload I would have. I also began familiarizing myself with background documentation, so I would hopefully be up to speed once I gained computer access. Once I finally gained access to the network in mid-August 2011, unbeknownst to myself and to my team lead at the time, she had to unexpectedly take FMLA due to issues with her pregnancy. So I was asked to take my workload, as well as to learn and take on some of her load. I had already registered for the Fall semester, but as time went on I was unable to give 100% of myself to my schoolwork, due to the project overloads at work and the added stress, so I withdrew from my classes of INFA 610 and INFA 620 for the semester. I did not want to fall into the trap of not going back to school, so as the 2012 Spring schedule became available, I registered for two classes, ITEC 620 and ITEC 630. During early 2012, the contract was on at work was up for recompete, so there was a lot of added pressure to make my work as close to perfection as possible. This stress was not only due to the contract, but also due to my team lead resigning from her position in February 2012 therefore, I was then asked to continue working in my position on my tasks, as well as take over all of her tasks. With this stress, I was able to pass ITEC 630 due to the leniency and understanding of the professor in question, however my ITEC 620 professor was not as understanding and after looking through my grades at the time and realizing that I was not successfully passing the class, I withdrew after the deadline, which led me to receive a FN in the course. </p>

<p>Since the summer of 2012 after being re-awarded the contract with the agency, I took a short leave of absence from work from mid-May – mid-July of 2012 to help de-stress and to get back into full swing of being a successful student. My job also hired a new team lead in May, in place of my previous one, which has taken away from my stress and allowed me to focus on the responsibilities at hand so that I can continue to be a successful employee, as well. With my new approach in hand, I took the punishment of receiving the FN and paid out of pocket for the Fall 2012 semester and passed both of my classes and had my Financial Aid reinstated for the Spring semester of 2013. </p>

<p>With four classes left in my Masters of Technology -- Information Assurance program, it is my goal to be completed with school at the end of the Fall semester this year. I have registered for two classes this Summer session, as well as for two in the Fall. While I know that this appeal states that I must become SAP eligible for the Fall semester, I will not have a need for Financial Aid in the Fall, due to my job informing us of a policy that they will pay for our education up front starting in September. However, I really am in need of the assistance for the coming semester and the aid that was previously provided will be of great assistance to me. I sincerely hope that this appeal shows that I am dedicated to being a successful student here at ..... Please do not use only my past as a barometer for my success in the future. As you can see from the aforementioned steps I have taken to ensure my success going forward and I firmly believe that I am truly deserving of having my financial aid reinstated for the Summer semester.</p>

<p>Thank you for your consideration in advance.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>As supporting documentation I have a letter from my Project Manger which supports the dates in question.....I hope this suffices...</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Why was the 2013-14 financial aid request denied? Was your spring 2013 GPA too low? I’m not sure if what happened prior to your aid being reinstated for the spring of 2013 matters, unless the denial was based on overall GPA. </p>

<p>It is too long and full of grammatical errors</p>

<p>Paragraphs are your friend.</p>

<p>The only thing that your letter really says (and reiterates over and over again) is that you have challenges balancing work and school in a way that you can do both of them well (as compared to the majority of masters candidates in your major who most likely also hold down full time jobs while attending school). </p>

<p>You really have not stated what steps you will take to be successful going forward.</p>

<p>Since your company will be paying for you to take classes in the fall, why not just take the summer off and allow the company to pay instead of racking up more debt?</p>

<p>Briefly to the chase:</p>

<p>This is the reason why I was not successful
This is my plan my plan for turning things around and being successful.</p>

<p>Another thought…</p>

<p>If the denial is based on overall record, can you show an upward trend in credits completed/GPA? I think your letter is too long and contains unnecessary details. What’s important, I think, is that work responsibilities interfered with your school and caused you to drop classes. The fact that you shouldered additional job responsibilities might matter; why your supervisor left probably won’t. Your record after the drops is important. Have you received good grades in every course since then? </p>