Dear Student Success Coach,
On May 18, 2017, I felt a piece of my heart shatter as tears flooded my face in devastation. As I read the words one by one, I could not help but deny every bit of truth. “You have been suspended from the University of XX” it read. A nightmare I had foreseen became the reality I refused to accept. As I woke up the next day, I felt nothing more than pure disappointment and emptiness. As the days went by, denial turned into acceptance, believing the unwanted truth. I had failed.
The following year would be the longest, as I suffered in discovering the reasons for my suspension, I began to reflect on my poor academic performance. I began asking myself, “Where do I go from here?” “Is College right for me?” “What do I do now?” Feeling lost was the first step in re-evaluating my goals in life, and whether college was my true ambition. All along, I believed my purpose in life was to be an Orthopedic Surgeon. However, as the days of my suspension lingered, my passion for such a career was challenged. After months of self-reflection, I came to the realization that this was not my desired lifelong career. As I grabbed my dusty MCAT books off the shelf for donation, I felt tears rushing down my face once more. However, this time, they were not tears of sadness. As I handed off the MCAT textbooks, I felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. Anxiety, sadness, and grief were absent, and I felt like I could finally breathe.
It was during this time of my suspension that I realized the true purpose of academic probation/suspension. Soon after, I began enrolling in classes at XX Community College, hoping to prove that I was worthy of a second chance. My previous fear of academic suspension became a reality. However, I can now confidently say that I am proud to have been suspended. For without it, I could not have discovered the person I whole heartily want to be. For that, I plead for readmission, not in hopes of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon, but for the Physician Assistant I know I will become.