SAP appeal letter

Paying for College
1

<p>Hello, brand new here but this place has given me a wealth of info about my problem and helped me draft a letter for my SAP financial aid appeal. I would love it very much if maybe someone with some experience could give it a once-over and tell me what’s going on.</p>

<p>Here it is:</p>

<p>My name is Angela Sasser, I’m writing this letter in regard to my financial aid suspension. At the time of my poor academics in question I was eighteen and registered as a full time student at Cumberland College fall semester 1998. The college was private at that time and a large financial burden on my parents. To supplement that burden I worked twenty plus hours weekly at a local Wal-Mart, and I also took part in work study on the campus. </p>

<p>After the first couple months I realized I’d bitten off more than I could chew. I was living off campus and having to pay room and board, I was working two jobs, and I had a pretty rigorous commitment of nine class hours per week. My grades were suffering badly and after weighing my situation I decided to withdraw from my classes and join the Army. Thus relieving the financial burden from my parents and myself that at that time was too much for me to take on and maintain passing grades.</p>

<p>Since then I’ve been married, divorced, gave birth to three children and ultimately served my time in the armed forces for which I have an honorable discharge. I was extremely excited when I found out I was eligible for the pell grant this year. I’ve been attending my classes diligently and now I’m attending full time without the added stress of a job. What I’m trying to relay here is that I’m thirty years old and very ready for a college education. I feel as if I’m responsible enough for this task. Even at the time of my withdrawal years ago I felt like I was making the responsible decision. However, I fully accept the responsibility of my actions. I should not have taken on college with the financial strain I was going through. I felt as if my hands were tied then, because I had to attend at least nine hours weekly to get the loans and the work study to help with tuition. </p>

<p>I will also freely admit that I wasn’t ready for college. I wasn’t ready to accept a responsibility of that magnitude especially with added stress. It was an overtime commitment I wasn’t prepared to take on. This year I fully intend on putting my academics first. I have the opportunity with financial aid to attend a full twelve hours this semester and devote myself to that instead of college and a couple jobs on the side.</p>

<p>I very much would love to attend Eastern Kentucky University, I am a single mother of three and I know an education from EKU would open a world of possibilities for myself career-wise. I have never been more ready to attend and immerse myself in a learning environment. I will do everything in my power to not only meet SAP requirements but transcend them, as I want to maintain grades that will reflect excellence in myself and my course of study. Given the chance I will prove that I mean what I say and I sincerely hope that chance is given.</p>

2

<p>Please don’t put so much personal info in the post [MOD can you delete the name and/or school?]</p>

<p>OP, will you also use your GI Bill? If so add that to the letter.</p>

3

<p>I’m sorry if I posted too much, it’s just my name and the college name, again I’m sorry. I didn’t get the GI bill but I have my official discharge papers. I wonder if that would help, I went in less than a year after withdrawing.</p>

4

<p>Since I didn’t get much help (but what I did get was useful and I’m very appreciative of it) I’m going to reply to my own thread with my experience. There really isn’t much info available for students going through this process. Initially I freaked out and ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. But as you can see from the time I posted this thread up to now, my appeal was granted. Actually it was approved three days after submission.</p>

<p>First off, there is no need to freak out. If this is your first appeal, more than likely it will be granted. My appeal went through so quickly, I was told, because I had all the requested information included with the appeal. For instance I had 4 letters of character and other supporting documents like my army 214 to prove that I did what I said back then and that was join the army within the year I withdrew.</p>

<p>The finaid dept told me that the usual hold up of 4-6 weeks is due to incomplete appeals. So in other words turn in everything your college requires and if you can, go above and beyond that. My school only requested 3 letters of character, I turned in four. They did not request my 214 but I sent that document to help prove my point.</p>

<p>Just be sure to turn everything in within a timely manner, word your letter like you’re at least partially intelligent, and send in as much documentation as you can dig up to prove your case then relax. Your appeal will most likely be granted.</p>

5

<p>The appeal sounds good to me. SAP committees are looking for what happened & what you have done to change things so that what happened before will not happen again. Your letter seems to state these things clearly.</p>