Please give me any feedback that you can. I have to submit this by the 5th and i have been pondering what to say for weeks. thank you!
What happened this semester that undermined my studies? -
I lost focus in school and because of that it impacted my studies dramatically. I was dealing with the death of a father like figure and the aftermath of it breaking my family apart. I was going through the emotions of it all and I lost sight momentarily of my priorities and focus in school. I have not spoken to anyone about it and i see now that not communicating is what has me in the predicament now.
Did I take full advantage of the services that the University offers? (For instance, did I meet with my advisor? Take advantage of my professors’ office hours? Go to the Learning Center?)-
I did not take full advantage of the services provided by the school and i regret not doing so deeply. I should of placed my pride aside and reached out for help when i needed it, but instead I thought i can handle it all on my own. This is one mistake that I am learning greatly from and will not occur again as I am now full aware of the resources I have at hand.
What will I change if I am allowed to return?-
If i am allowed to return, I will seek help when needed and stay in touch with my advisor more regularly to ensure I am on the right track. I felt embarrassed asking for help when i was down, but that was just me being human and trying to take care of things on my own.With that being said, I have already changed my perspective on communicating and reaching out for help when needed. Also, I shall visit off hours and the learning center more often to ensure that I am getting the most out of it and that I am not falling behind. Furthermore, my main focus if granted to return is to remain focused.
What other information would you like to share with the committee?-
I grew up in a family where no one really attended school, or graduated from college for that matter. Attending and graduating from college is very important to me because I want to make something of myself one day and it all begins once I graduate from here with my degree. Sometimes as humans we need to fail in order to succeed and realize whats most important to us. I’ve realized my mistakes and I am ready to move forward by striving to get better grades, utilizing my resources more efficiently and putting more time towards my studies In the past year I’ve only failed one class, despite how difficult things may seem. Now, with my dedication academically and the resources provided by the school, I can and will achieve this goal. Thank you!
“With that being said, I have already changed my perspective on communicating and reaching out for help when needed. Also, I shall visit off hours and the learning center more often to ensure that I am getting the most out of it and that I am not falling behind. Furthermore, my main focus if granted to return is to remain focused.”
Don’t use the word “shall”, and the last sentence of that paragraph doesn’t make any sense.
In the last paragraph, take out the “really” in the first sentence, and take out “Attending and” in the second sentence.
Also, capitalize all of the I’s and make sure there is a period at the end of each sentence.
Some of this is general, and some specific to your situation.
search this topic on CC and you will see many other posts on academic appeals
Make sure your letter states what the issue was that caused you to have academic difficulties
Did you talk to your professors/dean of students about the issue?
Did you make use of the many resources your school has? if not, why not?
Find out what those resources are…e.g. counseling center, talking to professors, talking to your adviser, withdrawing from class, talking to dean, maybe taking incompletes,
State how you would use those in the future
How are you addressing what caused the issue? How are you dealing with your family?
Think about if you should continue at college, or take a break.
Think about if you should continue at a community college, to be close to your family
How is your college funded? Will that continue?
A successful appeal must do several things:
show that you understand what went wrong
show that you take responsibility for the academic failures
show that you have a plan for future academic success
in a broad sense, show that you are being honest with yourself and the committee
Be as specific as possible. When you lost focus at school, what happened? Did you stop going to class?
Did you realize you were not doing well? Why did you think you could handle it on your own?
For this part, be much more specific.
What will I change if I am allowed to return?-
If i am allowed to return, I will seek help when needed and stay in touch with my advisor more regularly to ensure I am on the right track. I felt embarrassed asking for help when i was down, but that was just me being human and trying to take care of things on my own.With that being said, I have already changed my perspective on communicating and reaching out for help when needed. Also, I shall visit off hours and the learning center more often to ensure that I am getting the most out of it and that I am not falling behind. Furthermore, my main focus if granted to return is to remain focused.
You use the word focus a lot…saying you are going to be focused is not convincing.
This is all too vague. Here is an example of something more specific:
If i am allowed to return, I will attend professor office hours to get guidance on how to be successful in each of my classes and for help throughout the semester. I will monitor my grades and if necessary, will get tutors for classes I am having difficulty with. I now realize that trying to deal with my family situation on my own was a mistake and will make an appointment with the Counseling Center in the beginning of the semester to discuss the issue. I will monitor my grades and if I need additional support, I will visit my advisor to get advice on support and if I am on the right track. I felt embarrassed asking for help when i was down,but nowhave changed my perspective on communicating and reaching out for help when needed. Also, I shall visit the Off-Hours and the Learning Center more often to ensure that I am getting the most out of it and that I am not falling behind. I plan to create a study schedule and to form study groups for classes where that will be beneficial.
What is a “father like figure”? Either this was your father or he wasn’t. Was he your uncle? Your stepfather? Your mother’s boyfriend? A teacher from school? I would recommend being as truthful as possible so it doesn’t seem like you’re exaggerating your connection with this person in order to get sympathy.