<p>First off, this tread is intended for the students that find themselves in the unfortunate circumstance of needing to write an appeal to their college regarding an academic or financial aid probation or suspension, which is often the result of a semester GPA below 2.0</p>
<p>Many students in these situations turn to online forums to assess what others have done in similar predicaments, and thus this thread is not about my situation or chances but rather what influences one's chances for a successful appeal.</p>
<p>The basic structure of a successful appeal is:
a personal assessment of why your grades were poor
a plan of corrective action for future academic success</p>
<p>Most colleges have a set of "extenuating circumstances" that they consider to justify poor academic performance, and these are usually: serious physical illness, serious psychological illness, illness/death of a family member, divorce, loss of employment, etc.</p>
<p>You are aware of it if any of these circumstances apply to you, otherwise you are part of the majority of students (myself included) that are trying to prove that they take responsibility for their personal failings, and are committed to overcoming and resolving their academic problems.</p>
<p>This "solution to academic problems" is the core of your appeal, especially if you have no extenuating circumstances and choose to take responsibility, as ultimately you will not have a successful appeal if you cannot show to the college that you are serious about applying yourself next semester. The committee that will be reviewing your appeal is largely interested in why you deserve a second chance and why you won't make the same mistakes.</p>
<p>The focus of this tread is to suggest options that one has for proving that they are committed to future academic success. Many students end up writing an appeal that basically acknowledges that they messed up and have since matured and promise to do better next semester. What makes a successful appeal is having a strong proposal for future academic success.</p>
<p>Some common examples of "proof that you'll do better" are:
I will go to my professor's office hours every week
I will meet with my academic advisor every week
I will sign up for a tutor in whichever subject I need
I will contact whichever college resource will help me with study and time management
I will take a college course on better study skills
I will retake whichever courses I failed</p>
<p>These are all solid examples that any committee will be happy to read, but EVERY student can and should have these examples in their appeal! So what else can you include?</p>
<p>This thread is about thinking beyond those examples of how one can prove that they are dedicated to improving their academics next semester. So please post any suggestions you can think of!</p>