Second SAP Appeal review?

Paying for College
1

<p>Hey everybody, I'm not new to this site but this is the first I'd ever posted here. I'm currently in the process of working on my second appeal letter and would greatly appreciate some feedback. This is my second appeal so I am super nervous and really want everything to be good or at least decent. I'm going for brief and honest here. The "issues" bit is a disability. I also plan on submitting the documentation along with this letter.</p>

<p>Dear SAP Appeal Committee, </p>

<p>This is my second time submitting an appeal letter in an effort to reinstate my financial aid at XX. My previous letter was submitted for the Fall 2014 semester and was denied. This was not the outcome I was looking forward to, however receiving the results of my appeal served as a wake-up call and forced me to realize that things would not be as easy as I had hoped. My freshman year at XX was less about academics and more about the freedoms I had. I was not a party kind of person, but this was no different than how I spent my time. I rarely studied and procrastinated on my assignments. I put more effort into getting out on the weekends than seeking help for classes. </p>

<p>Math was never an easy subject for me and while I made a passing grade of a C in my algebra class, there were so many opportunities available for me to rectify this. I will admit, I was stubborn. I thought that I could do without help, that while I was here at XX I would overcome whatever complications my "issues" threw at me and be a successful and independent student. Obviously I was wrong or I wouldn’t be in this situation. My courses became much more difficult than they should have been because the information I was trying to cram into my brain was not filtering through as I wanted it. My algebra class became as difficult as calculus because I did not put in the time I should have and I did not ask for help like I should have. </p>

<p>I was very disappointed that I would not be rejoining XX in August, but I did not sit around and think about what went wrong. Instead of being idle, I spent the semester at a local community college and did rather well. I received an A in public speaking, and Bs in social problems, computer concepts, intro to philosophy, and history. My GPA at the community college was a decent 3.20. If I added this with my previous GPA at XX of 1.17, that would have been a 2.18 and I would have no reason for writing this appeal letter. Yet, I made the error of retaking social problems and made the same grade, which left my GPA at 1.88. There was no merit in retaking social problems and I may have wasted my time, but the effort I put into that class and the rest of my classes proved my capability of displaying similar if not better work while at XX. In my previous letter and in this one, I mentioned that I had "issues" which affected my understanding of the course materials at XX. </p>

<p>Having "issues" is not the reason why I failed to meet my exceptional potential, but I was making things harder than they had to be by not putting in work and seeking help. I also mentioned several plans in my previous appeal I would begin in order to help lessen the confusion my "issues" occasionally cause. While I did not utilize all the plans I mentioned, I did make an effort to. I sought out the help of my instructors after classes so I could better understand the course work, attended almost all offered review sessions, and snagged any extra credit even if I didn’t need the points. Honestly, this semester was much more difficult than my first two semesters at XX, but this semester served to get me back on track. I felt everything a student should feel during my time: immense amounts of stress, anxiety, and disappointment, but I know this was all well worth it when I received my grades. I recognize that these feelings were the product of determination that every student should exhibit. I would very much like to prove that I too am an actual student on the XX campus and I humbly request that the committee grants me another chance to do so.</p>

<p>Sincerely, </p>

<p>xx</p>

2

<p>My opinion. Your letter is way too wordy. And you don’t tell what you plan to do when you get back to school XX to prevent a reoccurrence of your first year grades. The school wants to know your action plan. They want to know what you will be doing that is different than what you did the first time around.</p>

3

<p>I am long winded, I know…And I thought since I listed the plans in the first appeal, that I wouldn’t have to this time around. I guess that doesn’t matter. Thanks for the feedback, it’s really helpful :)</p>

4

<p>Just remember…your first appeal was denied. Look carefully at the action plan you outlined. Make sure it’s a good and doable one. You might need to revise what you plan ied the first time.</p>

<p>Your emphasis should be on what you did this fall successfully, and what you plan to do to continue that success at college xx.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>Keep in mind that courses that you took at CC will not be factored in to your gpa at your “home school”; you will transfer the credit, not the grade. However, if you should ever apply to grad/professional school, you must include all transcripts.</p>

6

<p>It is a bit confusing why you devote an entire paragraph to discussion of your algebra grade, which was a C, given that your overall GPA was closer to 1.0. Are you planning on being a math major and that is why you are discussing algebra in so much detail?</p>

7

<p>Your letter should be succinct … the one above is far too wordy. Just focus on what has changed that will allow you to do better in the future. For example, “This semester, I asked for help from my profs, and it paid off in better grades.” Meet with an academic counselor and draw up an academic plan - submit that with your appeal letter. Remember, the SAP reviewer has A LOT of review to do … so keep it simple.</p>

8

<p>@Sybbie: I do intend on trying to get into a decent grad school, despite this setback, so thanks!</p>

9

<p>@Cheddar: Lol, I cut that entire bit out. I just wanted to provide some examples, but I guess its better to be as brief as possible. </p>

10

<p>@Kelsmom: I understand. I should consider that the committee will be receiving hundreds of other appeals and not getting to the point might make them impatient. I’m trimming my letter now. Thanks :)</p>

11

<p>I edited my appeal:</p>

<p>Dear SAP Appeal Committee, </p>

<p>This is my second time submitting an appeal letter in an effort to reinstate my financial aid at XX. My previous letter was submitted for the Fall 2014 semester and was denied. This was not the outcome I was looking forward to, however receiving the results of my appeal served as a wake-up call. My freshman year at XX was less about academics and more about the freedoms I had. I rarely studied and procrastinated on my assignments. These actions did not benefit me in any way and I was landing myself in tough situations by not managing my time as I should.</p>

<p>Instead of waiting this semester out of college, I attended a local community college and did rather well. I received a decent GPA of 3.20. However, because I retook one of my classes and made the same grade, my overall GPA is currently 1.88. In my previous letter and in this one, I mentioned that I had “issues” which affected my understanding of the course materials at XX. In the past, I learned that keeping quiet about my “issues” would only hurt myself so I asked my professors at the community college about additional assistance if I needed it.</p>

<p>During my time at the community college, I set forth some of the plans I mentioned in my previous letter. I asked my instructors for help so I could better understand the course work, attended almost all offered review sessions, and snagged any extra credit even if I didn’t need the points. I actively utilized these plans, so this time I will include additional plans to guide me in making this semester as successful as possible. I plan on: </p>

<ol>
<li>Submitting documentation of my “issues” so I can receive the help I need.</li>
<li>Striving to meet all requirements of the SAP policy.</li>
<li>Familiarizing myself with the various tutor services on campus to maximize understanding of my classes.</li>
<li>Focusing more time on my classes, assignments, and studying. </li>
<li>And meeting with my academic advisor to discuss how I can further improve my academic progress.</li>
</ol>

<p>This semester served to get me back on track and made me see that while college is difficult, it can be rewarding if the work is put in. I realize that these are the typical things a student should know and I would very much like to prove that I too am an actual student on the XX campus. Through this appeal, I humbly request that the committee grants me another chance to prove myself.</p>

<p>Sincerely, </p>

<p>xx </p>

12

<p>I don’t think referring to mysterious “issues” is useful. What exactly are you talking about? If you have a psychological problem, you need to explicitly discuss it and what kind of help you’re getting to address it. If you have some kind of learning disability, ditto. I don’t know what the heck “issues” are, and neither will the person who reads this.</p>

<p>Also, keep in mind that your second appeal may be reviewed by someone who never saw your first one or else has no recollection of it, so there’s no point in referring to it.</p>

13

<p>In addition, in the documentation of your “issues” will you require any accommodations? If yes, then you need to file your paperwork with the office of disability services at your school so that you can get your accommodations.</p>

<p>Your letter is still to long, veers off track and does not get to the point. Kelsmom who works in financial aid gave you good advice; please follow it.</p>

14

<p>You need to USE the tutorial services…not just familiarize yourself with them.</p>

<p>Letter is still too long.</p>

<p>Put the grades you got at the CC. Your explanation of your GPA is confusing to ME. </p>

<p>Think “bullets” not a long song and dance.</p>

15

<p>I considered all of your opinions and typed a new letter with them in mind. I understand that using “issues” is not helping much so I included my disability. Please review and thank you for your help.</p>

<p>Dear SAP Appeal Committee,</p>

<p>I am submitting this letter in an effort to reinstate my financial aid. The reason why I did not meet SAP requirements is because I rarely studied for my classes and procrastinated on most of my assignments. I have autism so because I procrastinated, I did not allow myself to have enough time to study and whatever information I tried to retain was either very confusing or quickly forgotten. I understand what I did wrong and how this was not proper student behavior.</p>

<p>While I was out this fall semester, I took a few classes at the local community college. I received the grades of 1 A in public speaking and 4 Bs in computer concepts, American history, social problems and intro to philosophy. Because I retook social problems, my cumulative GPA is now 1.88. </p>

<p>During this semester, I made changes in my academic career to rectify what I should have done at XX. I met with my instructors to discuss course material and asked them for additional assistance if I had trouble comprehending. By doing so, I was given more time to fully understand the class material which helped me receive my grades and complete this semester. </p>

<p>If my suspension status is rescinded, I plan on incorporating the actions I took this semester and a few more to make my semester at XX as successful as possible. I plan to:</p>

<ol>
<li>Submit any documentation of my disability so I can receive the help I need.</li>
<li>Strive to meet all requirements of the SAP policy.</li>
<li>Attend the tutor sessions on campus for my classes.</li>
<li>Focus more time on my classes, assignments, and studying.</li>
<li>And meet with my academic advisor to discuss how I can further improve my academic progress.</li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you very much for your consideration.</p>

<p>Sincerely, </p>

<p>xx</p>

16

<p>I think the revision is much better. After the sentence about your grades at the CC, I would just say what your GPA was there. Instead of “Because I retook social problems, my cumulative GPA is now a 1.88.” I would say, “While my GPA at XX was 1.17, my GPA at the community college was YY.” I haven’t understood the social problems course situation – didn’t you get a B both times you took it?</p>

17

<p>Got it. And yeah, I retook social problems and made Bs at both XX and CC. My GPA would have been 2.15 if I took another class.</p>