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Hi - long (obviously), but if you have any kind of experience or know somebody who knows somebody that has experience with this kind of stuff, please take a few minutes to read what I've written below.
I go to a DO school. Last year, I started school w/ class of 2019. I started feeling sick at the end of block 1, and had huge problems w/ getting up to go to class and would often ask for extensions on assignments, bc of inability to complete them - turns out, I had mono. I went on medical leave at middle of block 2, but wasn't diagnosed until April of 2016, since the mono was caused by CMV and all my docs were looking at epstein-barr, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. I requested testing for CMV (PCR & serum) and both came back positive. When I was leaving school, I was obviously an emotional wreck, since I didn't know what was wrong with me but just felt overall horrible.
Flash forward to now: I was allowed to start back to school w/ the class of 2020, but only after signing a contract saying that I wouldn't be tardy to anything, miss anything, and that required me to be in counseling throughout the year (since the administrators saw me upset, crying, and generally being a sloth in the process of going on medical leave). I was also put on academic probation from 2015, and wasn't allowed to get off of it despite starting out a new year. Basically, I had to sign a "learning agreement" because my behavior while I was sick wasn't acceptable healthy medical school student behavior. I signed it, because I wanted to be back in school and didn't challenge any of the points in the contract.
I did really well in Block 1 of this year, but had to remediate a class in Block 2 & 3, which per the handbook, is totally allowed and I passed each class and was ready to tackle block 4.
Block 4 started out rough, because stuff happens, I had gotten a vicious stomach bug, stayed in the ER overnight for suspected appendicitis, and was diagnosed with a paralytic ileus. It put me out, and it was no fun, obviously. Basically I missed a week of school because of it and it put me REALLY far behind, farther behind than what I realized until the second test of cardiopulm physiology.
Here's the rub: when I realized I was behind and having trouble catching up, I emailed our academic success department about scheduling a meeting so that I could nail down a study plan and get caught up. I also emailed our medical education department several times about discussing grades and additional more boring subjects, to which I received no response. I actually had to go into the med ed office to see if they were even receiving my emails, to which they said yes, but they receive so many, that basically the one I sent got sent down to the bottom of their list to reply to. :O
I reached out for help from classmates, brought my grades up from the mid sixties to upper nineties, adjusted my study habits, etc. etc. but in the end, it wasn't enough to bring 3 of my grades up from the mid sixties, and 2 from the high sixties. Regarding how I brought my grades up, in my appeal, I had two fellow students write me letters of support, one from my tutor and one from the class president.
The school wants to dismiss me, based on what they said were academic reasons (understandable), but they also cited the absences from LAST year from when I was sick w/ mono as a reason for dismissal, along with my MCAT score and undergrad science GPA. In the letter that outlines why I am being dismissed, it clearly states that "you are being dismissed purely for academic reasons." I am unsure of how my MCAT score, absences from being sick, are even worth adding in to the letter if it's purely because of my academic performance *while* in medical school. Also, the school let me in with my MCAT score and undergrad GPA, and now they're holding it against me? I get they are trying to build a case that I am academically incompetent, but they ARE the ones that let me in...
In the dismissal letter, they also stated that I failed a course that I didn't fail (I brought this to their attention, and they rescinded it and said they were misinformed). This makes me raise an eyebrow - they had written my dismissal letter based on faulty information - how the heck were they misinformed about me failing a class? The class they said I failed, I actually did really, really well in.
They also didn't bother addressing the information that I provided about how I continuously reached out to the administration put in place to help students and how they flat out just didn't respond. I seriously believe the school is holding a grudge from me getting sick last year and how I was a pretty crappy student when I was sick - I know it sounds crazy, but the fact that I had to broadcast on social media to my peers that I needed a tutor this past block (bc the school wasn't helping), seems a bit absurd, too. I have gotten the feeling that administration is annoyed by me from the moment I got back from medical leave.
I know that I am capable of succeeding as a student and that getting mono last year was super inconvenient for everyone, but I also know that starting out this past block getting behind and scoring poorly - but taking responsibility for it and bringing my grades up from, in one class, a 43 to a 95 (!), shows that I am driven and will do whatever it takes to make sure that I am able to learn the material. I laid out a study and remediation plan in my appeal letter and let them know what I did differently to bring my grade up from absolutely atrocious to the mid-nineties.
I guess I just wanna know what you guys think, because I take issue with a) being dismissed in part because of absences that I earned (which, by the way, were in the allotted amount allowed to be missed) when I wasn't able to really even get out of bed - and have documentation from four doctors that I had mono - these were all given to the school b) dismissed, in part, when I was obviously an "at risk" student, but even in light of asking for help from appropriate people, I didn't even receive a response. I get that my grades at the beginning of this past block were horrible, and if that were the sole reason, it would be a bit more understandable, but since there seems to be more to it than that, I just want insight.
TL;DR: I know this sucks, and yes, I know that medical school is ONLY FOR THE TOUGH AND THE TOUGH ONLY (a bit of sarcasm; I do know that it takes tough-minded and strong willed peeps), but I know that I have shown the school that I am dedicated to the profession AND am capable of bringing my grades up, even when getting behind (I also revamped my study techniques and have now obviously determined what I need to look out for in regards to getting behind in the first place) - and even when the resources in place don't respond to emails inquiring about meeting for help. What would you guys do? I have appealed to the dean, but his response genuinely leads me to believe that he, at most, skimmed my appeal.
Has anyone ever won an appeal based on similar information? Do you have any words of wisdom? One of my friends has told me to "lawyer up" since, to them, it seems as if the school admin just flat out doesn't like me. You guys, I have read similar threads and know that most of the time the info isn't as convoluted as what I provided, so hopefully you all have some insight into the nuance of what I'm saying.
THANKS!
I go to a DO school. Last year, I started school w/ class of 2019. I started feeling sick at the end of block 1, and had huge problems w/ getting up to go to class and would often ask for extensions on assignments, bc of inability to complete them - turns out, I had mono. I went on medical leave at middle of block 2, but wasn't diagnosed until April of 2016, since the mono was caused by CMV and all my docs were looking at epstein-barr, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. I requested testing for CMV (PCR & serum) and both came back positive. When I was leaving school, I was obviously an emotional wreck, since I didn't know what was wrong with me but just felt overall horrible.
Flash forward to now: I was allowed to start back to school w/ the class of 2020, but only after signing a contract saying that I wouldn't be tardy to anything, miss anything, and that required me to be in counseling throughout the year (since the administrators saw me upset, crying, and generally being a sloth in the process of going on medical leave). I was also put on academic probation from 2015, and wasn't allowed to get off of it despite starting out a new year. Basically, I had to sign a "learning agreement" because my behavior while I was sick wasn't acceptable healthy medical school student behavior. I signed it, because I wanted to be back in school and didn't challenge any of the points in the contract.
I did really well in Block 1 of this year, but had to remediate a class in Block 2 & 3, which per the handbook, is totally allowed and I passed each class and was ready to tackle block 4.
Block 4 started out rough, because stuff happens, I had gotten a vicious stomach bug, stayed in the ER overnight for suspected appendicitis, and was diagnosed with a paralytic ileus. It put me out, and it was no fun, obviously. Basically I missed a week of school because of it and it put me REALLY far behind, farther behind than what I realized until the second test of cardiopulm physiology.
Here's the rub: when I realized I was behind and having trouble catching up, I emailed our academic success department about scheduling a meeting so that I could nail down a study plan and get caught up. I also emailed our medical education department several times about discussing grades and additional more boring subjects, to which I received no response. I actually had to go into the med ed office to see if they were even receiving my emails, to which they said yes, but they receive so many, that basically the one I sent got sent down to the bottom of their list to reply to. :O
I reached out for help from classmates, brought my grades up from the mid sixties to upper nineties, adjusted my study habits, etc. etc. but in the end, it wasn't enough to bring 3 of my grades up from the mid sixties, and 2 from the high sixties. Regarding how I brought my grades up, in my appeal, I had two fellow students write me letters of support, one from my tutor and one from the class president.
The school wants to dismiss me, based on what they said were academic reasons (understandable), but they also cited the absences from LAST year from when I was sick w/ mono as a reason for dismissal, along with my MCAT score and undergrad science GPA. In the letter that outlines why I am being dismissed, it clearly states that "you are being dismissed purely for academic reasons." I am unsure of how my MCAT score, absences from being sick, are even worth adding in to the letter if it's purely because of my academic performance *while* in medical school. Also, the school let me in with my MCAT score and undergrad GPA, and now they're holding it against me? I get they are trying to build a case that I am academically incompetent, but they ARE the ones that let me in...
In the dismissal letter, they also stated that I failed a course that I didn't fail (I brought this to their attention, and they rescinded it and said they were misinformed). This makes me raise an eyebrow - they had written my dismissal letter based on faulty information - how the heck were they misinformed about me failing a class? The class they said I failed, I actually did really, really well in.
They also didn't bother addressing the information that I provided about how I continuously reached out to the administration put in place to help students and how they flat out just didn't respond. I seriously believe the school is holding a grudge from me getting sick last year and how I was a pretty crappy student when I was sick - I know it sounds crazy, but the fact that I had to broadcast on social media to my peers that I needed a tutor this past block (bc the school wasn't helping), seems a bit absurd, too. I have gotten the feeling that administration is annoyed by me from the moment I got back from medical leave.
I know that I am capable of succeeding as a student and that getting mono last year was super inconvenient for everyone, but I also know that starting out this past block getting behind and scoring poorly - but taking responsibility for it and bringing my grades up from, in one class, a 43 to a 95 (!), shows that I am driven and will do whatever it takes to make sure that I am able to learn the material. I laid out a study and remediation plan in my appeal letter and let them know what I did differently to bring my grade up from absolutely atrocious to the mid-nineties.
I guess I just wanna know what you guys think, because I take issue with a) being dismissed in part because of absences that I earned (which, by the way, were in the allotted amount allowed to be missed) when I wasn't able to really even get out of bed - and have documentation from four doctors that I had mono - these were all given to the school b) dismissed, in part, when I was obviously an "at risk" student, but even in light of asking for help from appropriate people, I didn't even receive a response. I get that my grades at the beginning of this past block were horrible, and if that were the sole reason, it would be a bit more understandable, but since there seems to be more to it than that, I just want insight.
TL;DR: I know this sucks, and yes, I know that medical school is ONLY FOR THE TOUGH AND THE TOUGH ONLY (a bit of sarcasm; I do know that it takes tough-minded and strong willed peeps), but I know that I have shown the school that I am dedicated to the profession AND am capable of bringing my grades up, even when getting behind (I also revamped my study techniques and have now obviously determined what I need to look out for in regards to getting behind in the first place) - and even when the resources in place don't respond to emails inquiring about meeting for help. What would you guys do? I have appealed to the dean, but his response genuinely leads me to believe that he, at most, skimmed my appeal.
Has anyone ever won an appeal based on similar information? Do you have any words of wisdom? One of my friends has told me to "lawyer up" since, to them, it seems as if the school admin just flat out doesn't like me. You guys, I have read similar threads and know that most of the time the info isn't as convoluted as what I provided, so hopefully you all have some insight into the nuance of what I'm saying.
THANKS!