Need Info.

manna, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2003

If you have legitimate financial, medical or personal problems which would give you retroactive withdrawal with your formal school, look into petitioning the department at your former college.

I was fortunate enough to receive a retroactive medical withdrawal from the courses I started taking on my first trip to college.... (I flunked out of all of them). Here I am now, almost 10 years later, and only a little bit wiser. LOL

If that is a no go, you may just end up having to take general education courses on your own dime/time until you prove to a college that you are over your obstacles and able to commit yourself to your education..

Good luck! :)

Shylah · Nov 12, 2003

hey manna,

I greatly appreciate your advice, but what exactly is that and how do I go about it? If i am unable to do that,how long do you think it would take me to prove to other coleges that I am capable of performing well academically? I am extemeley desperate when it comes to getting back on the right track A.S.A.P. The thing is, I have not yet told my parents. I am trying to firgure out what to do first. I feel so hopeless. Going to school and just taking classes seems like a waste of time and money.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2003

It IS a waste of money and the fact that you acknowledge it shows you are on the right track. I would involve other key players. Talk to your advisor NOW. Ask him/her whom else should you talk to for advice. Talk to your parents. If they are paying for your education they have a right to have a say. You might have to drop out a while or go part-time and get yourself together before attempting college again. You need answers from the people who make the decisions, not us or classmates or anyone really. I would even make an action plan outlining the problems that brought you to this state and what you are doing to rectify them AND prevent them from occuring in the future. You may not need to actually give the plan to anyone, but it will help you get a grip on what went wrong and how it can be fixed so when you interview with counselors, instructors, etc. you will have a little script in your head. P.S. Don't blame your woes on someone else. That sounds immature. You will always have woes, but the real question is, can you cope with them and go to school at the same time? GOOD LUCK>

manna, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2003

Originally posted by Shylah
hey manna,
I greatly appreciate your advice, but what exactly is that and how do I go about it? If i am unable to do that,how long do you think it would take me to prove to other coleges that I am capable of performing well academically? I am extemeley desperate when it comes to getting back on the right track A.S.A.P. The thing is, I have not yet told my parents. I am trying to firgure out what to do first. I feel so hopeless. Going to school and just taking classes seems like a waste of time and money.

Here's my own personal experience with retroactive withdrawal:

My first semester in college, I just plain quit going to classes but didn't bother to withdraw. This was almost 10 years ago... WOW. Anyway, I came to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and had my p-doc write a letter stating that I had been suffering from symptoms of this disease during the time I had been enrolled at that particular school. With his letter in hand, I wrote a personal letter to the Dean of the college in which I was enrolled and petitioned for academic amnesty. At some schools, they will not grant academic amnesty unless you have been out of school for a certain period of time. Luckily, the Dean sided with me and when it went before committee it passed and my academic record was wiped clean.

I attended college again in 1998 and failed two courses. I had severe sinus problems and ended up having a septorhinoplasty. My family physician wrote a letter for me this time, which I again petitioned to the college and went before a committee to approve me for retroactive withdrawal. This time they did not "wipe clean" my academic record, but only placed W's in place of the F's or WF's on my transcript.

Most colleges have certain policies in academic standing related to GPA/course progression. You could probably look up that information in your school's handbook (or is it online, I'd be glad to look through it for you).

Like I mentioned before, if you have a seemingly legitimate reason for your academic troubles, you could put yourself at the mercy of your college's Dean - be honest, explain the situation, they might be able to help you more than you know.

I'm sorry that you haven't told your parents, but I'm sure they will find out sooner or later if they are involved with your schooling in any way.

As crass as it sounds to say it, sometimes things just have to be learned the hard way. (I've experienced my share of that as well)

This can get pretty personal as far as why you had academic problems of this nature and how involved your parents are with your education, so I'll stop at that. If you'd like to contact me privately, I'd be glad to help you in any way possible.

Best of luck....

Shylah · Nov 12, 2003

Thanx purple mania. I really appreciate your advice. I'll defiantely try that. Maybe when this is all over with, I just may be able to let you know the results. hope to keep in touch.