Academic Suspension Appeal

Applying to College
1

I was recently put on academic suspension for not achieving the required completion rate of 67%. I have only attended 3 semesters and had to withdraw from the 2nd one. The 3rd was not enough to bring me above the requirement, so here I am.

I was hoping to get some feedback on the letter so far:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to appeal my academic and financial suspension from X. The reason for my suspension as I understand it was that my course completion rate was not satisfactory. Despite receiving a 100% completion rate for the 2015 spring semester, it remains at 63% overall. The reason for my low completion rate is because I withdrew from all of my classes during the 2014 spring semester, and I would like to talk about why I made that decision.

The end of 2013 through the end of 2014 was a difficult time in my life. My parents had just recently told me that they were going  to be getting a divorce, and my father left the house that day.  This came as a complete shock to me because,  as far as I knew , my parents relationship was fine. The next thing I knew, we were selling our house, and moving a couple towns over. My father as well as my mother and I were moving to much smaller houses than we were used to, and with that came the need to downsize. The coming months were full of distractions, both externally, and internally. Externally, I had to help with yard sales, and moving furniture. Internally, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that was happening, and was having a hard time focusing on the task at hand, such as school. 

In addition to this, I was on a few medications that were having adverse effects on my psyche. I was taking Zoloft for my anxiety and it wasn't really showing the results I had hoped for. Instead of making me less anxious, it made me dull, unmotivated and withdrawn, while also increasing the frequency of which I had panic attacks.  In addition to the Zoloft, I was also taking Accutane which is infamous for the psychological effects it can have. Unfortunately I was one of the victims of these side effects. I had a complete loss of appetite, I lost over twenty pounds  while on the medication.  I was also having extreme dips in my mood, minor inconveniences  would make me unbelievably upset or stressed out. Looking back,  I consider these effects to be the biggest factor in my decision to withdraw . While a divorce and a move would be tough for anyone, the medication was essentially amplifying any stress and anxiety I was feeling.

Between all the distractions and my own lack of motivation I found myself falling significantly behind. I made the decision to withdraw sometime before midterms because I wasn't confident that I would do well, it was adding on another layer of stress I just couldn't handle at the time.  School was also something I actually had the control to change. My parents divorce, the move, and my medication were all things I couldn't change,  but I could catch a break  by pushing school to the side for the time being. It was a tough choice to make, but In the end I'm confident I made the right decision. I was able to cool down a bit, and get my head in the right place. 

Life has since calmed down, I have been off of all medications for over a year now and am doing much better. As I mentioned before, I attended the 2015 spring semester and completed all of my classes. My grades, while passable,  were lower than I would have liked.  To aid with this I plan on making use of the schools tutoring services, as well as staying on campus to finish assignments as I am less likely to get distracted while in the building. I'm determined to do well this semester, and will put in all the effort necessary to make that happen.
2

It’s a great idea to write a letter, but it’s seems almost TMI. Maybe don’t be so detailed.

Sorry for what you went through, it’s never an easy thing.

3

Yeah It seems too long/TMI to me as well, but I don.t want to essentially say: I dropped out because my parents got divorced. That alone doesn’t seem like a good enough reason.

4

I think you should explain about your parents separating, but maybe omit the part about being depressed. You can mention that your mother needed support so you went back home to give it to her. Under normal circumstances you would have never left school, but it was to help your family. You can mention needing to help them move quickly. Note your 100% completion in all other semesters, that this was an unusual circumstance and give your commitment to your education.

5

When you withdrew in the spring of 2014, did you talk to the school about why you were leaving? A medical withdrawal could probably have been arranged at that time. Or at least a clear understanding arranged with them to facilitate your return to school. If this is the first that the school is hearing about this, then you’ve made it harder on yourself than it needs to have been.

Did you at least approach anyone in the student counseling center for services before you left? If so, you might want to contact them and ask advice on next steps. They will have seen other students who withdrew for similar reasons you mention here and may be able to suggest how best you can approach this.

I’m going to assume the school doesn’t know anything about your situation - otherwise this letter would probably be unnecessary. If the school don’t know, and you didn’t go to the counseling center, you should probably set up a face-to-face meeting with the school to discuss the situation, with documentation that supports the medical withdrawal in spring 2014 and your transcript, showing 100% completion in spring 2015 (I assume completion means you got passing grades in everything?)

And I agree with the others that there is too much information in this letter: If you do go the letter route, you can note that your parents divorced, you were needed at home to assist with the transition, you have been getting medical care during this period, and would appreciate the opportunity to continue your education - with academic readiness evidenced by the spring 2015 quarter.

Good luck. You have my sympathy, by the way - this is very difficult to tackle alone, especially as a college student.

6

I think you should remove the specific medications and why you were taking them. Just say during this time, I was on two medications that had x, y, and z negative side effects and that I am no longer on the medications.