Can someone review my SAP appeal and give me advice?
Dear Office of Student Financial Aid,
I am writing to respectfully appeal the loss of my financial aid eligibility due to my academic performance during the recent semester at Florida Atlantic University. I would like to start by sincerely apologizing for my academic performance last semester and take full accountability for not doing my best. I know my grades and performance do not reflect the student I know I can be. This past semester was extremely difficult for me personally. As a single mother to my daughter, I was trying to balance work, parenting, financial responsibilities, and school completely on my own. Adjusting to doing everything without much support became overwhelming, and I struggled to manage everything at once. I was also dealing with a lot of financial stress and was falling behind on bills, including my car payments. The pressure of trying to provide stability for my daughter while keeping up with work and school caused me a lot of anxiety and emotional stress. On top of that, I was dealing with personal family issues that affected me mentally and emotionally throughout the semester. Although I understand these challenges are not excuses for falling behind academically, they did affect my focus, motivation, and ability to give school the attention it deserved. Instead of asking for help sooner, I tried handling everything on my own, and eventually I became overwhelmed and fell behind in my classes. I’ve also been dealing with some ongoing mental health challenges, which made it harder for me to manage everything during that time. I have suffered from bipolar depression since I was 15 years old and was diagnosed at a young age. This affected me heavily last semester and made it difficult to manage my emotions, stress, and responsibilities. I felt like I had a lot of weight on my shoulders, especially because I did not have much support nearby at the time. This is not an excuse for my academic performance, and I do take full accountability for my academic negligence last semester.I was fully aware that I was struggling academically, and I did try reaching out for guidance. I contacted an advisor who had previously helped me when I first started at FAU regarding summer classes and what would happen if I failed my courses. I also asked if we could schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss my situation further, but I unfortunately never received a response. Even so, I understand it was still my responsibility to continue seeking help and improving my academic performance. This semester taught me a lot about the importance of balance, time management, and reaching out for support when needed. While my academic record last semester does not reflect my true abilities or dedication to education, I have learned from these experiences and am committed to improving moving forward My circumstances have already begun to improve, and now I will have a stronger support system in place. My mom is moving closer to me, which will help me tremendously with my daughter and daily responsibilities. Having her nearby will relieve a lot of stress and allow me to focus more on my education and maintaining balance in my life. I have also caught up on my bills and improved my financial situation, which has already helped reduce a significant amount of anxiety and stress. My daughter will also be starting school this fall, which will bring more structure and stability to my daily routine and allow more time to focus on my studies. I have also taken time to reflect on everything that happened and recognize where I went wrong. I understand now that trying to handle everything alone led to unnecessary stress, and I am learning to be more organized and intentional about managing my responsibilities. Education has always been very important to me, and I am determined to succeed. I want to build a stable future for myself and my daughter and show her the value of hard work, perseverance, and consistency. School is extremely important to me, and I am doing everything in my power as a single mom to not break and to give my daughter the best future possible. She means everything to me, and everything I do is for her. These experiences have motivated me to come back stronger, more focused, and fully committed to my academic success. I feel more prepared and supported moving forward. Moving forward, I have created a clear plan to help me stay consistent and succeed academically. First, I will follow a structured weekly schedule that balances work, parenting, and school responsibilities. With more support at home and my daughter starting school, I will have more consistent time dedicated to my coursework.Second, I will stay organized by using a planner and calendar to track assignments, deadlines, and exams. I will start assignments early and avoid last-minute work so I can stay ahead and not fall behind again. Third, I will take full advantage of FAU’s academic resources, including tutoring, academic advising, and communicating with professors when I need help. I understand the importance of asking for support early instead of waiting until I fall behind. I will also continue working on maintaining stability in my personal life so I can stay focused and consistent academically. Most importantly, I am fully committed to my education and my future in business. I understand what it takes to succeed, and I am ready to put in the discipline, effort, and consistency needed to achieve my goals and create a better future. I respectfully ask for forgiveness and another opportunity to prove myself academically. I truly believe that with my mom now moving closer and becoming part of my support system, I will do my very best this summer semester and move forward academically.
Sincerely,
Alexa