academic suspension letter need some feedback

College Confidential Community
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<p>To Whom It May Concern;</p>

<p>My name is XXX and I am a Sociology Major at the State University of New York College at Cortland .I am writing to you in the hopes of an appeal the decision of my academic suspension. When I received the news of my suspension I was deeply saddened, but understood completely the circumstances under which the decision was made. My low GPA failed to meet the requirements of the college to remain an active student on campus,which as a result led to my temporary dismissal. I take full responsibilities for my actions and realize that I am at fault for being in this position. Throughout the duration of my Freshman Year I endured many trials and tribulations that gravely affected my academic performance. I wish wholeheartedly that the turn of events that occurred this past year were different but that is not possible and I feel the need to explain myself and the reasoning behind my Insubstantial GPA.</p>

<p>Receiving my acceptance letter from SUNY Cortland was one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve achieved to date. I was so happy and so excited to call myself a Red Dragon and was pleased that I had been accepted to the number 1 school of my choice. However things began to veer off course starting with my mother. We have a very turbulent relationship, and my mother was not supportive of my attending SUNY Cortland and expressed her discontent quite frequently.Her disapproval of the college weighed heavily on me because she is my only source of financial assistance. I came to Cortland as a Psychology major and that was an earnest mistake, because I did so in the hopes of pleasing my mother to suppress her constant threats to stop aiding me with my tuition and expenses. I knew my heart was not in the major that I had declared and tried to force myself into a role that was not for me. That was the first step in my demise. </p>

<p>As the year progressed my family problems escalated, with my Grandfather’s health being the primary concern. My grandfather has had serious health issues in the past including High blood pressure, Hypertension, and remission from cancer so his health history is very scary. Over the past year his heart began malfunctioning and he was slowly deteriorating before my family’s eyes. It was very painful to watch.With every break and trip that I returned home my Grandfather began to look more and more sickly and began withering away. This slowly but surely began to mentally pick away at me because my grandfather is the closest person to me and the thought of losing him ate away at me. I began to lose focus and concentration on the work that I already struggled to complete in the first place. As my grandfather’s health was still declining I was bombarded with even more bad news. One of my close childhood friends from the family In Haiti had passed away which was a complete shock because she had not been ill so her sudden death was that much more tragic for me.With all of this occurring there still managed to be even more devastating news. My mother who is a single parent was afraid that she might have been losing her second job which is what enabled to sustain our household. She needed those 2 jobs to make ends meet and at the time she was sure that she was going to lose her job due to her clinic losing funding and having to terminate some of their employees. I began to feel trapped under the stress that my family was enduring and began to lose my mental composure. I felt lost and confused. I felt like there was no one to turn to for advice and mentally shut down. I took myself out of the running for my own success and happiness before my college career had even begun. I began to feel a sense of grief that I could not shake and with all of the other problems that had came to pass I was mentally exhausted and could barely keep up with my studies.</p>

<p>Things began to take a turn for the better when my grandfather received heart surgery. He began to look and feel a lot better and the prognosis of good health increased dramatically. when I heard this news it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could somewhat breathe again. As time progressed I had heard back from my mother about her job and had been told that she would not be getting terminated and yet another huge load was lifted off of me. I felt like things were finally get back to normal. However the damage had been done. My grades were suffering and my GPA was at a 1.8 I did my very best to try and rectify as much of the situation as I could and finished the year with a cumulative GPA of 1.98 and just missed the 2.0 mark needed to remain in school.</p>

<p>Freshman year was not Ideal for me and brought me to my breaking point and back. I made many mistakes that I’ve learned from since then, and have every intention of putting my best foot forward. If I were to be given this second chance and be reinstated for next semester there would be a world of difference between my previous grades and the grades that I would be receiving next semester. I have devised a plan to make sure that I reach academic success.I have already taken the first step by switching my major to what I’m truly passionate about, I would take fewer credits (12) until I have my GPA back on track,retake the classes that I did poorly in, make weekly visits to ASAP our student tutoring program, make sure that I visit my professor’s during their office hours, and last, but certainly not least make sure I receive counseling or talk to someone if undergoing something that I cannot handle and is a danger to my mental health. </p>

<p>Attending SUNY Cortland is a privilege and it is not my right and I have an opportunity that most kids would never even dream of by being able to say that I am in the process of obtaining a college degree. I know just how fortunate I am to be a student of this institution even though it has not been reflected in my grades thus far. If reinstated I will go above and beyond all measures to prove myself and show the real student that I am and the potential that I have. My education is everything to me and I know that continuing my studies at Cortland is what I need to reach my pinnacle of success in life and I am willing to fight for it and do whatever is necessary to get back on track towards a successful future. Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to read my letter.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>XXX</p>

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<p>You should post this in the College Life Forum or the Parent’s Forum. Best of luck to you!</p>

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<p>I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from xxx School of Nursing, because of disapprobatory grades on my final exams of Fundamental of Nursing and Health Assessment and .</p>

<pre><code>I believe the policy should not apply to my case because an urgent medical situation prevented me from demonstrating my knowledge about the material covered throughout the quarter.

Last quarter was my second quarter in xxx and one of the most disappointing quarters in my academic history due to health issues and personal difficulties. On Friday June 1, 2012 at 20:30 pm, I had a laparoscopic gall bladder removal surgery at the Community Hospital of San Bernardino. I decided to have the surgery two days before my final tests because the doctor recommended that I could not postpone the surgery any longer as I had been postponing it since the last April. During my postponement, I was trying alternative medications such as holistic medications to improve the condition of my gall bladder. By the time it became unbearable I also became concerned about possibly losing my Medi-Cal benefits and not being able to afford the surgery. My financial situation changed from the last year and every year I have to fill out forms on my financial situation. I was contacted and asked to submit the annual forms by the end of May. I have been the guardian of my younger sister who has come to America from Japan after the earthquake and nuclear power issue of March 11, 2011. Stressing on losing medical assistance, not being able to afford the surgery and wanting to take care of my health concerns were important for my sister and I since we are in the United States with little family support. If there were to be a chance that I would lose medical coverage it would be a great hindrance to my family situation. I felt that it was the responsible thing to do after my last discussion with my doctor. He expressed that the last ultrasound result showed the presence of a medium sized stone that was causing me to experience pain more often and that the only thing I could do to control the pain was to take medications. He also explained that most patients usually have minimal post-operatory pain and that after one day I could return to my normal activities. Therefore, I decided to have the surgery and take my final tests as scheduled. I felt confident that I was going to do well on the tests because I was studying ahead of time and later after the school quarter was over I would take a better post-operatory rest. However, my body did not respond as I was expecting instead I felt weak, anxious, and tired. The doctor told me after the surgery that the gall bladder itself was in a very bad condition and could have caused damage to other parts of my body if it stayed in. The pain and bloating sensation did not leave until two weeks after surgery. Before the finals and the surgery had become an issue, my family in xxx had financially helped me purchase a flight ticket to go back home to xxx. At the time of the purchase I thought that I was feeling well. I had made some changes in my diet and I was trying holistic medications to improve the condition of my gall bladder. However, the pain came back toward the end of the school quarter. Mentally, I was using my trip to Peru as motivation to stay focused on my work at school and my trade. Regardless of the pain that I was feeling, I had in mind that I was going to take care of my mother who had a hip prosthesis replacement four months ago. Also, after three and a half years I was going to see my grandmother, and my aunt and uncle which helped raise me and to whom I treat as a mother and father figure. The pain that I was going through before the finals along with worrying about disappointing my family on helping them along with the fear of grade expectations became a hindrance to my concentration. The medication that I was taking for the pain affected my ability to focus and I had to decide on going through the final with the pains, or taking the final while being medicated, which would leave me drowsy and unfocused. The morning of the final test, I chose to take the finals while taking the pain medication.
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<p>Throughout the quarter I met many people that like me worked hard to get into the nursing program and have passion about nursing and helping people. Unfortunately, many do not share the same passion or they possibly lost focus because of the pressure for obtaining good grades, so their personal and moral values were harmed by the desperate attempt to succeed in classes. A few weeks before finals I heard a conversation that bothered me a lot and as the weeks passed it really made me feel very uncomfortable. Regrettably, I did not address this matter in the proper way and I let the conversation to internalize inside me obtaining emotions that injured my ability to do well on the tests.</p>

<p>In preparation for resuming my studies, I plan to prioritize things in my life more wisely. I will listen to the health professional recommendations in regards of my physical and mental health condition and take a good care of my body by meeting with the doctor whenever I have concerns of my health. Also, I will have a better time management where I not only will take time for my studies but also for my health and personal responsibilities such as my sister. Furthermore, I will not risk my grades again and I will come to my teacher to explain them what is going on with myself in order for them to be aware of my condition so they can be in a better position to help me. Lastly, I will not let other people’s opinions, comments and actions to affect me because I cannot control them but I can control myself and my future in xxx University.</p>