stef… I do feel for you and your predicament. What I worry about is that you seem to not yet have a sensitive internal barometer of what it means to excel academically in your chosen field. I see this when students want the results of academic success, but haven’t actually internalized the day to day motivation that leads to this success. I also see this when students either don’t have the necessary background, the intellectual fit, or learning style that matches with their goals. It feels a little like you keep chasing a prize but never quite reach it. This can lead to a sense of failure and can cause you to miss all the other prizes out there that might be a wonderful match for you.
I think this is why so many of us are encouraging you to really take the time to understand the bigger picture, rather than just trying to run faster, apologize, then keep running.
Sylvan’s question may help you think about this bigger picture.
The other option is to go to CC, take 18 units and maintain a 3.0, then I can reapply for admission
That really doesn’t sound that bad. You need to learn how to learn and to get back on track. Also, floundering in a school that is on quarters is not helping you. Is the CC on semesters?
I’d cut it down even more- to let them see what they need to and show your maturity and ability to focus. You really cant show a new sense of focus if you wander through all those details. It does seem scattered.
“I received your email regarding academic dismissal and would like to respond and request reconsideration. I have been making efforts to resolve this and will include brief details of the particular challenges I had been dealing with.”
I hope you have revised your approach and didn’t delay until you go the letter.
“As of (date,) I’ve been taking the following steps.” Then the bullets, but starting with the most effective (to turn around academics. Not some vague maybes or career services or your parents, etc.) Most important steps, whatever they may be. Eg,
• Working with my advisor to create a plan to get back on track
• Going to office hours to improve my understanding of the material
• Adding more study sessions and workshops
• Dedicated weekend time to review lectures, test my understanding, read ahead and get started on papers
• Prioritized academics and dropped several activities until my performance is satisfactory
Hope you get the idea. Skip the vague "promises"and show the action you took. None of us can entirely redo this for you. They don’t need to know which classes met which days.
“With the 14 hours per week of internship at dental office as well as Organic Chemistry, Physics, Calculus and Nutrition, I was off to a good start of the quarter. I spent time at library after work to review morning lectures and get ahead on readings, with nothing else on my mind.”
Instead of asking for sympathy, simply state the challenges.
“On October 12th, 2015, my grandmother passed away after a long illness. In that same week, I missed Physics 142 mid-term exam for the viewing and funeral, returning October 19th. Though I was determined to make up this exam, my professor does not offer makeups, no matter the circumstance. This resulted as a drop score (0%)” I hope you did speak with the prof, about this, that would show you tried.
Etc.
My version may be too dry, too abbreviated, and I probably shouldn’t have offered this revision, but I wanted you to see the point we’re all making. This is serious. Edit, to stay on message. Good luck.
I wonder if there should be a sticky thread of how to write a good appeal letter. Every single one we review is always way too wordy, gives extraneous detail, and is more focused on the where went wrong vs the steps being taken to move forth. Anyone game to start a sample?
Thank you lookingforward for your feedback. I did email my professor about retaking the exam. I also asked if we could meet up in person to talk about other options and I even offered to give him proof of my grandmother’s funeral. He denied all of my requests. This was not main reason for my poor grades. I missed the exam to be able to attend her funeral, which affected my grade a lot, however, I knew I still had the chance to pass the class. I lost the motivation to keep studying for class and put all my effort into organic chemistry, a class that I was retaking because I needed to improve my GPA. I passed ochem with a C, but failed Calculus.
One thing I did notice, though, my original grade for Ochem did not get deducted from my GPA. This is something I need to speak with the registrar about because if the original grade was taken off my GPA, my GPA would not be below a 2.0. Obviously, this makes a BIG difference in my academic status. BUT I know it does not change the fact that there are ways I need to improve and change the way I approach my studies.
When it happened, did you email / inform the department head or a dean of students to let them know you requested a make-up and one was not being allowed? That’s the kind of proactive effort we are talking about.
^If this policy was announced at the beginning of the quarter, one would tend to think it is legal and the department would stand behind the professor. Since the outcome seems to have been that the final counted for twice as much, it would seem that the professor didn’t just give OP a zero and compute that into the rest of the grade.
I did not email the department head about it because the professor mentioned it in the beginning of the class that this was his policy. I did email the professor again about it to see if my circumstance could be an exception, but he still did not want to comply with my request.
I figured since my grandmother’s death was not the main reason for my academic performance and since I did not want to sound like I am blaming the professor for failing the class, this is what i came up with and revised my draft.
"
I recently received your email regarding academic dismissal and would like to respond and request reconsideration. I have been making efforts to resolve this and will include brief details of the particular challenges I had been dealing with.
I took on a 22 hour internship at a dental office to enhance my experience and build my resume. In the beginning of the quarter, I had no problems with adjusting to the work schedule in addition to the classes I was taking. I underestimated retaking Organic Chemistry because I knew what to expect from the material. I did not dedicate enough time on Calculus 142 because I was satisfied with how I did in Calculus 141. In the middle of the quarter, I realized my mindset was wrong. Nearing the end, I was struggling to catch up on the material I should have spent more time on in the beginning, as well as keeping up with the most recent lectures. I put more focus into my internship than on my academics.
I did not seek help when I knew I needed it and should have taken complete time off from work to prioritize my education. I did not access resources to help me academically. I understand that my academic performance no longer meets the university standards, with a cumulative overall GPA below a 2.0. However, I am willing to get back on track with the university. As of December 15, I took time off my internship to prioritize my academics. If given the chance to continue my education at Cal Poly, my academic improvement will consist of:
-Working with my advisor to create a plan to get back on track
-Going to office hours to improve my understanding of the material
-Prioritize academics and drop several activities until my performance is satisfactory
-Adding more study sessions and workshops to my schedule
-Dedicate weekend time to review lectures, test my understanding, read ahead and get started on papers
I am asking for a second chance to prove that I can succeed at Cal Poly Pomona. In the past, I did not take the time to evaluate what went wrong in how I approached the two quarters I demonstrated poor academic performance in. For Winter Quarter 2016, I am ready to take action and commit to my academics. I am confident that I can succeed and get back on track by taking the actions I have listed.
Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my request.
"
How much time passed between your missing the exam and your emailing the professor about a makeup? If you didn’t do anything about it until it was clear you were going to fail the class without that test, and weeks had gone by, then I understand the professor denying the makeup. Personally I don’t administer makeup exams past 10 days, and I say so on my syllabus (it’s a common limit). The semester moves too quickly. Makeups also require the professor to spend time writing up another exam (to avoid cheating) and committing time to proctoring. It’s not that simple to do.
PS I missed your earlier response about the “no makeup” policy.
I emailed him about a makeup days before the exam because I knew I had to miss it to go down for my grandmother’s funeral. I emailed and planned ahead of time and he still would not give it to me.
OP -
Are you appealing an academic suspension or an academic dismissal?
Would bringing your GPA up to a 2.0 at the registrar’s office, if there indeed has been a mistake, buy you some time? Or are other issues, such as failure to complete a minimum number of credits for the quarter, involved here?
The bulk of the last revision is still heavy on self blame. All the “what you did wrong” dominates. “I underestimated,” “I did not dedicate enough time.” You assumed 142 would be a breeze because you got through 141, You “did not seek help when I knew I needed it,” You didn’t prioritize, didn’t seek help, and more. Mea cupla, mea culpa. Three paragraphs of it, when what they need to see is how you have already changed, why they should take a chance on you.
OP, in a case where you want to turn around adult opinions, you need to quickly get to the positives. You want them to give you another chance based on xxx. Find the xxx.
If this were, eg, at a job, your boss wouldn’t want you to detail the mistakes (I underestimated the time, I assumed, I thought it would be ok because it was ok last month, I didn’t ask for help when I knew I needed it.) They would want to see you learned a lesson, have already changed, and won’t repeat.
It’s one thing to say, I know I made errors in x and y. I realize now that I focused to much on Z. But short, then get down to the real message.