Hi! I was notified that I might not be eligible for financial aid for the upcoming year due to not meeting the unit requirement. I am planning to file for a SAP appeal. Can someone look over my appeal and give me revision tips? Thanks!
Dear Financial Aid Appeal Commitee,
My name is _____ and I am writing in regards to my ineligibility of financial aid for the 2015-2016 year, due to not meeting the minimum unit requirement. I finished my first semester at _____ with successfully passing all of my classes, meeting the unit requirement, and ending with an adequate GPA. However, this past semester, least to say, was a demanding on for me. I thought it would be beneficial to take on my first job while going to school, so I can gain work experience as well take the burden off of my parents, and pay for my own remaining tuition costs. Fortunately I landed a job that was closer to my house (about 50 minutes south of _____), this way I could easily commute to work on the weekends, since I usually went home every weekend. However, the hours were not too school friendly and I found myself running back and forth from class to work, with very seldom time too study, go to office hours, and even to simply sit down and take in the beauty of the campus I am blessed to go to. To make matters worse, towards the end of my semester I ended up commuting from home around 3-4 days of the week because of this job. I was lacking a successful academic life, social life, as well as stressing out more than I should have. I am not blaming the job for my poor work ethic that I carried my second semester, but I do personally feel I took on an extra task which I was not used to (as I was my first part time job), considering my academic load was pretty difficult as is.
Despite taking the minimum 13 units last semester due to still adjusting to the ______ workload and environment, and unfortunately failing a hefty 4-unit math course (which I definitely did not expect too since math is one of my better subjects), I am willing to prioritize much better this semester and learn from my past experiences. This coming semester, I will not be working (as I have already quit the job), so I can focus on my studies, constantly ASK for help when I need it and go to office hours -which I had very minimal time for last semester, join study groups and exchange numbers with fellow students (incase I am home for the weekend and need help on an assignment), and use extra resources such as the Student Learning Center to gain extra assistance. I can guarantee with the help of these extra resources and slight adjustments to my study habits, I will do much better academically and exceed the minimum unit requirement. Additionally, I plan on carefully planning out each assignment in advance, so I know what topics I need help with and not wait last minute to get the assistance I need. I am also planning to retake ______ next semester in hopes of attaining a passing grade as I am capable of doing much better than what I have shown this past semester. I am currently taking summer classes at a local community college (4 units) and once received in the registrars system and processed, I will have met Satisfactory Academic Progress unit requirements for the 2014-2015 school year. In order to track my academic standings, I have rewritten an achievable 4-year plan and have talked with an academic advisor regarding on how to progress successfully throughout my journey at ______.
I am hoping these extra steps will assist me in meeting the unit requirement and succeeding next semester as a ______ student. After taking with multiple advisors, I certainly feel more prepared and aware of what I am going into as I begin my second year at __. I value my time at and without a doubt see it as a blessing to attend such a prestigious school and be surrounded with likeminded students and professors. Simply saying I am thankful to attend ______ would be an understatement. With the lack of financial aid, I do see myself as well as my family stressing out more and finding a way to pay off tuition will be an extra burden that I am currently not prepared to take on. Not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress minimum unit requirement is definitely a wakeup call and not something any student and his or her family wants to hear; however, I am willing to do everything I can in my power to not only meet the SAP requirements but to push a step further and exceed them as I continue to pursue a psychology degree, here at ______. I honestly hope I will be given the chance to redeem myself, not only through my words, but also through my actions in the upcoming years.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,