I am glad to hear that you are focusing on chemistry and want to attend medical school. This university has had many students go to medical school, and you can do this as well if you are determined and willing to work hard. However, you must also make time to focus on other subjects as well. Your willingness to go to the workshops on time management and study skills has made the impression that you are here at this university to learn and better yourself. After speaking with Professor Davidson and seeing your eagerness to succeed, I have decided to grant your request to drop the English course. I hope that the workshops help you with your coursework and that you get into medical school.

I am glad to hear that you are focusing on chemistry and want to attend medical school. This is a great goal that can be achieved if you work hard at this university. Even though having knowledge in the sciences in necessary for medical school, being a well-rounded student is also important. I have made the decision of rejecting your request of a late drop in English. Take this as a lesson learned, and use the workshops to your advantage. You will have the opportunity to retake the class next semester where you will do well if you use what you learn from the workshops.

I worked in advertising two summers ago. I had to create a two-sided, one spot-color flyer that was going to be delivered to every doorstep in the county I live in. I wanted the design to be the best. I decided to do the two-sided flyer because I wanted to give the two best advertisers a spotlight in the community. I decided on the spot color of green because it associates with money and looks clean on the page. I talked with the owners of both businesses to see how they wanted their side of the flyer to look. Both were family ran businesses and I decided to do small biographies of all the employees, which they all loved the idea. I made appointments to interview everyone that was going to be included. Then I worked on fitting all the biographies on the page, as well as promotions they wanted to include. My goal was to make a flyer so that customers would get to know the business. I made three designs for each business and them took them the samples to choose from. I managed the project by staying in close communication with the clients and letting them have input on the project. I feel I formalized my goals and plans because I created a flyer that gave both businesses success, and people in the community that knew I put it together said they really enjoyed learning about the businesses, and went to shop there.

1)
Dear Ms. Saar,
I would be happy to grant your request. Based on your letter, it seems that you have thoroughly thought this through, and taken steps to improve your situation. Time management is one of the most important skills to apply in a college environment, and your willingness to improve these skills is admirable. Understand that it will take a greater effort next semester to be successful. I wish you the best of luck in your future goals, and will speak with you further during your scheduled meeting.
Sincerely,
Dean Meldrum

2)
Dear Ms. Saar,
I'm afraid that I must respectfully decline your request for a late drop of your English course this semester. While you have obviously recognized your mistakes and taken steps to rectify them, you have done so at an inconvenient time. Had you taken this initiative earlier, it may have been possible. While your future aspirations are admirable, this does not excuse poor performance in other coursework. Thank you for taking the initiative to speak with me personally, I will be happy to answer any other questions at that time.
Sincerely,
Dean Meldrum

3)
When I was in high school, I competed on the speech and debate team. One of my main events was Lincoln Douglas debate. In this event, competitors receive a monthly topic in which to revolve an argument around, both for affirmative and negative side. Because of the wide variety of competitors and schools involved, these arguments could be built from anything. Therefore, in order to be competitive, I had to prepare and think of every potential argument that could be made, and specifically, any arguments that could be made against my case. I would keep several files of research, quotations, and information on hand during a round, which could be brought up to counter any argument feasible. This specifically addressed the logos aspect of the debate.
Also involved was the ethos, how the judge deciding the round perceived me. It was imperative to speak clearly, to dress professionally, and be polite and courteous to both my opponent and the judge of the round. The judge was important, because they were the real audience. I was not there to convince my opponent, but the judge deciding who would advance. Because the judge could also be anyone, I was taught specific responses to create based on who the judge was. If they were a well known coach of another team, or older alumni of debate, I was able to tailor my arguments at a higher level. If they were a parent, or a normal citizen, I would keep my arguments simple, and appeal to what I believed their moral beliefs to be.
Because of the incredible flexibility of the debate, there was no absolute way to prepare. Someone could always be caught off guard. But the key was to prepare heavily for the factors I could know about; the formalities, speaking well, solid arguments, and preparing for the ones I could not; the judge and what my opponent was arguing. Because I was able to prepare and practice for these situations, I ultimately became a better debater, and better speaker.

1.

Dear Ms. Saari,

I would like to inform you that after discussing your issue with Professor Davidson that I am granting your request to drop ENG 1000. Professor Davidson and I have agreed that it would be in your best interest that you drop this class. I am glad to hear that you are taking your classes seriously and are concerned with your grades and future career. I realize that first year students have problems adjusting to college life and are learning how to manage their time. I am also glad that you talked with your professor about your problems that you were having with this class. I feel that the workshops that you signed up for will help you in your future classes and career. I would like to wish you the best in your future endeavors. I can answer any other questions that you may have at our schedule meeting.

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

2.

Dear Ms. Saari,

I would like to inform you that I will not be allowing you to drop your ENG 1000 class. Professor Davidson and I spoke, and I have made my final decision. The university has a very strict policy with late drops. Please use this as a lesson learned, and continue to work hard. I would like to advise you to stay enrolled in the workshop classes for next semester. I believe that these workshops will help you with your future classes. You will be able to retake your English class next semester for a better grade if you apply what you have learned from this semester, and what you learn from the workshops. I can answer any other questions that you may have at our scheduled meeting.

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

3.

I had to create a lesson plan, and present it to an eighth grade math class. The lesson plan that I created was “Writing Two-Step Equations.” In my lesson plan, I presented definitions and examples. During the designing process, I read the entire section in the book. I then wrote out the important definitions, created several examples, and made sure that I had plenty of material to present to the class. I also created a homework assignment that went along with the lesson that I created. The examples that I created included all of the steps needed to solve each problem. This lesson plan was created so that anyone would be able to teach it to the class. I started out in the lesson plan with reviewing the material that was presented in the previous class period. I then presented to the class the new definitions that would be used in this lesson. Next, I used examples to show the student how to work the problems. As I was presenting the lesson to the class, I made sure that I allowed the students to ask questions and discussion information that they were unsure of. At the end of the lesson, I assigned a homework assignment that I created. This homework assignment allowed the students to practice the material that was presented in class.

When creating and presenting a lesson plan, it is better to have too much material than to not have enough. As you are presenting a lesson, you never know what questions the students might have. You have to be prepared to answer any question that they might have that pertained to a previous lesson or that current lesson. When I was creating my lesson plan, I had to make sure that certain criteria and goals were met so that the student would be able to successfully complete their homework assignment and meet state standards.

Ms. Saari,
After reading your letter and hearing about your commitment to your academics from Professor Davidson, I have decided to grant your request of a late drop from English 1000. I understand that being a first year student can be overwhelming and you have shown that you are trying to rise above with your joining of the two workshops. I hope that you will learn from this experience and I wish you luck in the rest of your academics.

Ms. Saari,
Upon reading your letter to request a late drop from English 1000 I denied your request. Time management can be a difficult thing, but as a student you have to learn how to balance all of your classes. Also, even if you were to drop the class now you say you are signed up for two workshops. To drop a class and then sign up for the two workshops seems as though this would not help your time management and may even provide you a shorter amount of time to work on your chemistry. I wish you the best of luck in the rest of your academics.

During my senior year of high school I had to write a literary analysis for my british literature class. The process consisted of me breaking down the paper into an outline first then followed by writing down information and sources for my entire paper onto note cards. The last phase was to go through all of my note cards that I had made and type them out to create the paper. By laying everything out first and creating my complete ideas on the note cards this made the process of writing the paper much easier.

After carefully reading of your letter, I have decided to grant your request late drop your English course. I understand that your first year, especially your first semester can be very difficult to learn how to juggle coursework and outside affairs. I am pleased to hear that you have signed up for two Learning Center workshops. I feel as those workshops will be very beneficial and help prevent you from entering another situation such as this one. I believe that every student deserves a second chance and I am confident that you will be able to succeed if given that opportunity. Good luck with the rest of your semester and keep up your enthusiasm to learn and succeed.

After reading over your request to drop your English class, I am not able to grant your request. Even though I understand that your first semester can be very difficult, we, as an institution, have set up guidelines for dropping that we are not able to compromise. Please take this experience and learn from it. Everyone has a time when we have failed or not had the outcomes that we had wished. Take this failure and make into a success story. You have the information and the determination to turn this grade around even if you have to do it again next semester. I appreciate your well-written letter and I very pleased that you have taken the initiative to be proactive and help your future by signing up for classes at the Learning Center. Good Luck with the rest of the semester and keep up your focus.

I produce important pieces of communication on a weekly basis. As an Resident Assistant, I am constantly planning and advertising programs. If an advertisement is not properly designed and hung then no residents will attend my required programs. Since all fliers are in black and white, I must take time and design which aspects should be thicker and thinner, where the eye would be drawn and what color paper will get their attention for this particular event. Since there are tons of fliers, posters, bulletin boards, and other items posted to the walls I must make sure there isn’t that color paper currently up and that I have the proper space to put something up in the size that I have created. Sometimes I decided that the best place to put a sign is on their door ensuring that they would see it. When developing my plan I first take a tour of my area and think about the paper color then from there I start the actual design process. Every sign advertisement takes me between 20-45min. Other RAs spend less time, but have fewer turnouts, so I feel my extra effort pays off in the end.

Dear Ms. Saari

After reviewing your letter I"m glad to hear that you are doing better. It sounds like you are trying really hard to get your focus back on track. I've checked to see that you have signed up for the Learning Center's workshops and that proves to be that you are taking the necessary steps to improve your achievement here at Calumet University. We take our students learning very seriously and we wouldn't do anything to hurt your education and future goals. I've also spoken with Professor Davdison and he believes that this would be in your best interest to retake his class at another time. Therefore, I would be honored to grant your request. Please make sure to keep up the good work and start focusing on all your subjects. They are all important! Good luck with the the remainder or the semester.

Sincerely,
Gloria Meldrum
Dean of Students

Dear Ms. Saari

After reviewing your letter I'm glad to hear that you are doing better. It sounds like you are trying really hard to get your focus back on track. I'm proud that you have taken the initiative to sign up for the two Learning Center Workshops. However, we here at Calumet University take all our courses very seriously. I'm sorry to inform you that I have decided to reject your request. It it not only too late in the semester, but something needs to be taken from this mistake and hopefully more effort is put forth in your future. Good luck on the remainder of your semester. Hopefully medical school works out for you. Keep up the good effort on getting back on track and you'll be just fine.

Sincerely,

Gloria Meldrum
Dean of Students

In an entrepreneurship class we were assigned to create a business and come up with a business plan. We were in groups of about four or five. We assigned a team leader to make things go smoother.
We first decided the business and what should be accomlished within this business. We came up with a set of questions that each person could take and research. After researching our questions we got back together to discuss what we came up with. We then decided which things would be best for our business. After deciding how our business should be ran we each wrote a couple pages about our business plan. We were each assigned a different topic on it. One thing we did was researched why and how this business would be appealing to the community. After finishing our business plan we had to present an elevator speech to the class. We prepared our speech and set goals to be accomplished. Our professor and class had to decide whether it would be successful or not. Some groups got torn apart, but I think we did pretty well.

1)

Dear Ms. Renee Saari,
After reading your letter and meeting with you to discuss your request for a late drop, I have decided to allow you to drop English 1000 this semester. Signing up for the time management and study skills course has shown me that you are responsible and willing to get help in order to be more successful with your academics. Now that you have a better understanding of how much time you need to put into all of your courses, I expect that you will not need to contact me regarding any more late drops. In the future if you need to drop a course make sure you are aware of the drop date deadline. I wish you the best of luck to you as you continue your education here at Calumet University.

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

2)

Dear Ms. Renee Saari,
After reading your letter and meeting with you to discuss your request for a late drop, I have decided not to allow you to drop English 1000 this semester. I can not make any exceptions for students to drop a course after the deadline unless there is a legitimate excuse. (e.g. serious illness, death in the family, etc.) You are a very intelligent and responsible student. And with some hard work I believe you can recieve a passing grade in English 1000. However, if you do not pass English 1000, you can always take it again to improve your grade. The time management and study skills courses will definelty help you with your future semesters here at Calumet University. You have learned an important lesson your first semester and it will greatly benefit you in semesters to come. I wish you the best of luck to you as you continue your education here at Calumet University.

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

3)

In my English class in middle school, my teacher divided the class into several groups to create a project. The project she assigned was for us to create a game that students could play in order to help us learn our vocabulary words. Our design plan followed the rules we have learned in the reading pretty well. First, we stated our purpose: create a game to learn vocabulary words. We then discussed are strategies as of how to go about producing the game, which included what type of media we were going to use. We could create a board game, a pictionary type game, or a simple flash card game. We also had to think about are audience and what type of game would appeal to students the most. Once we considered all these things we started to produce the game. And of course after producing the game, we tested it to see if it was enjoyable and effective for our audience. I do feel like our goals and plans became formalized because the game was successful. It was a fun game that helped us learn our vocabulary faster and more efficiently.

Ms. Saari,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been granted the option of a late dropping your English 1000 class taught by Professor Davidson. Although I wish you would have thought about this earlier in the semester you have planned out the proper steps in order to succeed in the future. Your ambition to do well in school really shows when you explained how you signed up for two workshops. The one based on time management really will help you get a better grasp on what you must do in order to manage your time here at Calumet University. The workshop on study skills will not just help you here at school, but will help you with many tasks later on in life, especially as a future medical student. I appreciate your concern for wanting to do well, and wish you the best of luck in your chemistry class, and keep me informed on how your English class goes when you do decide to retake it.
_________________________________________________________________________

Ms. Saari,

I regret to inform you that I will not be able to accept your request to drop English 1000. I do think your two workshops will help you in the future. I cannot accept your request to drop because it is too late in the semester to do this. In the future, I wish you take care of these matters sooner in the semester. There is a point where we as administrators have to draw a line. If we let one person drop late because of a slipping grade, we have to let everyone drop, and without drawing a line, the dropping of classes could extend all the way until the week before finals. Although you will have to take the grade that you receive this semester, you will also be able to retake this class next semester. I am happy to see that you are making an effort to become a better student. This will pay off for you in medical school. Best of luck in the future.
________________________________________________________________________

At my high school, I was the editor-in-chief of our high school yearbook. Not only did I have to plan out exactly where every single thing went in the book, I had to devise ways to make money so we could produce the best book. The planning for the yearbook was very meticulous. I laid out exactly what was going to be on everyone of the 286 pages in the book. I laid out specific goals for what our designs would be for every page. On the wall, we wrote out a list of our goals for what we expected of the book, such as popularity from the students and the awards it would win. To have something communicate well that is this big, I had to be very detailed in my planning.

Renee, I am glad to hear of your strong interest in pursuing medical school, and that you take your classes seriously. You seem to be a well thought-out person, one who has learned from her mistakes. You have taken all the necessary steps to show me you are committed to do better, by signing up for the work shops and talking with your professor. Therefor I am permitting you to drop the class. Hopefully you will do better now that you understand what you need to put into the class.

I am sorry, but I can not allow you to drop your ENG 1000 course. Though you show willingness to prove that you have made mistakes and that you can do better, you should have considered these options earlier. We are trying to cut down on late drops, and you have shown no long-term emergencies or illnesses which would show a condition out of your control. While it is important to focus on your core classes, this does not excuse you from pushing your other courses aside. The workshops you signed up for were available to you this semester, and you should have taken them up when you saw your grades starting to decline. Take this into consideration for the rest of your classes.

I had to write a statement of purpose for my application for study abroad in Japan for next semester, and I'm still waiting to see the outcome on that. I did a lot of brainstorming, thinking carefully on the core questions they were asking. I came up with the purpose of me going and the reasons why they should pick me, along with goals I felt needed to be expressed in the essay. From there I wrote many drafts, having them read by people I trusted for advice. From all the info I gather, I was able to write a well formulated and written essay to be reviewed by the CIEE study abroad board.