| Financial Aid SAP Appeal Letter
Hello everyone, I received an email from my college that I am reaching my maximum credit limit and it says that I have to write a letter of appeal. I have drafted one but I have never written anything like this before and I would appreciate your help. Please let me know your thoughts on the letter and how I can improve it. I know that this isn't a very good excuse but it is the truth about what happened and I'm really scared that I won't be able to go to school anymore. This is really important to me and I don't want to mess it up. Thank you in advance.
The letter:
Dear Appeal Board,
My name is First Last and I am submitting a letter of appeal. I am close to reaching the maximum credit limit because my language and culture barrier resulted in me not understanding my options. English is my second language and although I understand a good deal of it, communication is still often a challenge. My parents grew up and went to school in Russia during the existence of the Soviet Union and have no knowledge of the U.S. college system and I didn't realize the extra guidance I needed to seek in order to make the right choices. Misconceptions of the college system and miscommunication of information about college led to the impression that college was a progression from an Associates transfer degree to a Bachelors degree to post graduate. I didn't understand that the prerequisites for an Associate’s degree would be different than the prerequisites for entering into a Bachelor’s program.
My goal has always been to work in the science field and my volunteering experiences reflect that. After speaking with my first adviser I was under the impression that the purpose of the general AA transfer degree was to get broad exposure to general education and then transfer to a four year university where I would specialize in my major. After explaining my goals to a new adviser I discovered that the prerequisites for the Environmental Engineering program were different than the prerequisites for the general AA transfer program. Since my first advising session with First Last, and as evidenced my transcript, I have taken steps to register for and be successful at completing classes that will put me on track to reaching my goal.
Now that I have found the right plan for me I am more motivated than ever and feel confident about my choices. My adviser has also helped me create a clear academic plan that will guarantee my success. I have also made it a priority to overcome any barriers that English poses and have been receiving private tutoring which has greatly increased my fluency. Another factor in my success if my new awareness of the campus resources available to me. Whenever I have trouble with understanding something new I now know that the writing and math labs are available for my use. This means that I have the goals, motivation, and support in place for my future success at Name College.
Thank you for you consideration,
Sincerely,
First Last
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