Question by : Financial Aid appeal letter help..?
I started school last fall and didn’t do well. This was because I was being harassed by an abusive ex and at the same time my fiancee was in a bad accident and crushed his pelvis. I have twin daughters who were just turning one at the time and I had a hard time taking care of them, him, and watching our backs from my stalker and keeping up with school work. I was put on academic probation and took spring classes. I tried my hardest to do well and pass my classes. I turned in my work except 2-3 assignments. I turned in a few assignments through my phone or laptop and still got the message saying it was done so successfully. At the end of the semester when it was time to tally grades a two of my teachers failed me and said I did not turn in my work. I told them I did and even showed them proof but they said it was too late and now I am no longer on financial aid and have to write a letter. I have no idea what to say because the requirements of an appeal are: a serious illness or injury to student or immediate family member, death of an immediate family member, significant trauma in a student’s life, or other unexpected DOCUMENTED circumstance. can anyone help or make suggestions?
Best answer:
Answer by nancy
It sounds as if you have some of the circumstances that would qualify you. Your fiance could be considered an immediate family member, since you live with him, and the stalker and the assignments that you turned in could be considered unusual and unexpected circumstances.
The trick to getting an appeal approved is providing documentation that what you say is true, and showing them how things have changed and how it is likely that your performance will improve.
For documentation, I would ask your fiance to write you a notarized letter detailing his injuries and the care you had to provide for him. If he is willing, you could also include some medical records or a letter from his doctor.
For the situation with your ex, you could provide police records. If you were not working with the police, provide a notarized letter from a third party (such as a neighbor, or a counselor) who was aware of the situation. Be as specific as possible: what occurred, how often, what threats were made, what actions you took to protect yourself. Your object here is to demonstrate how this threat affected your ability to do your school work. One threatening phone call wouldn’t be enough to affect your work that much, but a repeated pattern may very well have contributed to anxiety that created a problem with school. So you have to show the extent of the problem.
As far as the missing assignments go, you would have to provide copies of dated emails you sent them, and the replies.
To show how things have changed, you might provide a letter from your fiance’s doctor stating that he has recovered and no longer needs your care. You might explain how the situaiton with your ex has been resolved. You might also show evidence that you have been working with advisors at the school to map out a plan to handle your schoolwork in the next semester. Give specific details of your plan, and if possible, provide comments from the advisor you worked with.
In general, don’t blow things out of proportion. State your case briefly and clearly and provide statements or other documentation from third parties that backs up what you are saying.
Good Luck
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