<p>Can you critique my SAP appeal letter? Thank you!</p>
<p>Dear Financial Aid Office,</p>
<p>This is an appeal to my financial aid suspension for the school year of 2014-2015. My name is ______________. Like many others my age, I struggled to find a single identity and purpose in college. A year ago, I supposed the best way to mature is to go out of your comfort zone—in my case, design— to explore other majors that, might hopefully prove fruitful to my success. I turned to science and engineering. </p>
<p>My transcript was adequate until Winter of 2014. During this time, I had missed a week of class to visit my bed-ridden uncle in Singapore. Of course, my classes were important; however, he was my ninety-year-old uncle. I didn’t know he existed, let alone know when he’d stop. I stayed longer, assuring myself that I would give it my best to remediate my absences once I returned. Coming in, I was always behind and playing the “cat and mouse” game. I had chosen a strenuous course load that ranged from courses in engineering to history. Over time, the work load become overbearing, and I failed to meet expectations. </p>
<p>During Spring of 2014, I was further motivated by my prior grades to improve. I enrolled in more strenuous classes within engineering. It was at my fault that I did not know my limits. I had been told by my parents that engineering was the only major that they’d be happy with and that they believed that I was capable. Eventually I started to believe so— I wanted them to be happy. Even more so when my grandfather passed away; I tried my best to visit and console them while juggling my workload during this quarter. Computer science took the majority of my hours. I’d often go to office hours, program, debug, and distribute the rest of my free time to my other courses and family. Mental fatigue and depression was imminent and I fell ill twice, each lasting two weeks long. The trend occurred again--I fell behind. It frustrated me that no matter how hard I tried, I still failed.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until then that I met my advisor, who was a joy and pleasure to be with. Her name is _____ --- she sincerely saw the best in me. I told her of my extensive background in design, from being on the front cover of a magazine to having thousands of subscribers on YouTube. She assisted me in choosing my summer session courses and encouraged me to pursue design. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t only about working harder, but also working smarter. With a part time job and the support of my family members, we barely managed to finance my summer courses. And with all their collective efforts, I managed to raise my GPA above the minimum for financial assistance (2.01). I'm taking imminent efforts to improve my GPA with a another summer session. </p>
<p>From this, I realized that design is my best asset and I cannot afford to waste other's investments. I cannot be the second drop-out of my family, and I will do my very best to meet any criteria to continue receiving aid. I value your support, and I promise you that I won't let you down. I apologize for my blunders and I thank you all for your time and efforts. </p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>