Suspension Readmission Denial. HELP ASAP!

Applying to College Admission Stories
1

I am trying to figure out my options after a stressful 5 months, yet I feel hopeless.

I was in good academic standing at the end of my first semester in college fall of 2010. Spring 2011 I didnt do so well taking only 3 classes I had a 0.6 gpa for that semester, which dropped my total gpa to a 1.7 by the end of spring 2011. I did not know I was on academic probation till sometime around July. At that time I was already taking summer classes; chem 1, chem 2, and calc 1. By the time I found out about the probation it was too late to withdraw. I failed calc. This put me on academic suspension for fall of 2011, with a 1.362 gpa as of now. I was basically told that I can not appeal, and would just have to sit out the fall semester. I couldn’t even take classes at a community college to raise my gpa because I have 29 hours, and if I go higher then 30 hours I would have to apply to declare a major in a college. To do that I would have to have a 2.0 gpa, which I don’t have. I reapplied from suspension during the semester. I went through all the workshops, paperwork, and hours of talking. In the end a letter of DENIAL which was written on Dec 21st was sent on Jan 4th. The spring semester starts Jan 16th.

The email suggested that I take some classes at a community college to ‘build a pattern of success’, and the earliest I can reapply is fall of 2012.

I want to appeal. Is there a way I can talk to the dean about this? I don’t understand why I was denied. With not much time left I would like to see if I can apply to a community college even this late in the admissions process, or even online? I want to know what my options are? I plan on going to med school, but for now nursing school seems more realistic. My main goal right now is to get my gpa up to a 2.0 in one semester, then a 3.8 or higher by the time I graduate from college. Please be honest of what my chances are, and possibilties of being able to be readmitted back in fall of 2012.

I am very confused, and honestly very depressed right now. I want a second chance.

Please help me.

2

You say you don’t understand why you were denied. Are you able to identify why you did so poorly, and what you will do differently if you are given another chance so you will succeed academically?

Schools do not have academic rules to “punish” you; they do not want you to dig yourself deeper and deeper into the ground, spending money on classes, when you are not moving forward toward completing a degree. The more classes you attempt and result in a poor GPA, the harder it will be to raise it above a 2.0. Obviously, there must be a reason for your poor performance, and until the school has reason to believe you have a strategy to succeed, they are doing you a favor by denying your petition.

Some schools have a program that allows you a “do over.” It can be called “Academic Fresh Start”, “Academic Bankruptcy”, or something similar. After a period of time (varies by institution; where I work it is 3 years) your academic record is forgiven. Even the classes you passed before are wiped out; you get to start over with a clean slate.

However, you also need to be aware that institutions often have different rules governing academics and financial aid. If you receive federal financial aid, they are obligated by law to comply with federal rules, so even if you are given additional chances by the academic rules, you may not qualify to receive financial aid.

Federal rules include: minimum overall cumulative 2.0 GPA for undergraduates; must pass 75% of classes attempted in any term (based on how many classes you were in at a certain point in the term when financial aid hours are “frozen” - this includes classes you later drop/withdraw from); and satisfactory program completion (also called “Pace”) - you cannot attempt more than 150% of the hours required to complete an academic program, and you must be completing at least 67% of your attempted hours cumulatively.

Once you have identified why you did so poorly, and have a concrete plan so you will succeed, and have the resources to pay for additional attempts, since you will probably not qualify for any aid, then I recommend you find a community college or technical school and look at health care classes, if that is your area of interest. At the school where I work, several of our nursing students first complete a certified nurses aid or practical nursing program. This allows them to work (and earn money) while they are seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

If you were to succeed in classes at another school (community college, technical program, other institution of higher learning), then it is possible you may eventually get back on track academically. Use your search engine to look for “GPA Calculator” or “GPA Estimator” to consider scenarios on what it will take to get your GPA up to above a 2.0.

Best wishes to you!

3

As the above post says, you’ve got to get your act together.

You also should know the “rules of the game”. To say that you didn’t know that you were going on probation is being very oblivious. You should have known based on your performance.

You need to work out a game plan and go from there.

Good luck.

4

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but you must be honest with yourself. Basically, it seems you are on probation because your gpa. Anytime you fall below 2.0, you must realize that you are in trouble. Basically, it sounds like your options are locked. I would take the time off and study on your own. There are plenty of free online courses and tests that you can prep yourself during this down time. This way, when you return to school, and are required to take, let’s say calculus, you would have already covered the material on your own. Another thing, nothing is impossible and persistence and tenacity counts for alot, but in the end your results must prove itself. You say you want to go to med school. Pick a school and find out their stats for admissions. Do you or are you able to achieve them. Be honest with your commitment and results. I think to some degree, you were in denial. If you really want to achieve your goals, commit to them 100%. Good luck. I wish you well. btw, what school were you attending?