ENG 204-002

1. Renee,
Even though it is late in the semester, I will grant your request for a late drop. You have shown dedication to your studies through your well written request. I know that the first year of college can be an adjustment, some people adjust well, and others do not. Your have shown great maturity in how you handled this situation. By taking the time to talk to your English professor you gained his support to late drop and his encouragement to retake the class, shows me that your professor sees your potential and that this failing grade was not a result of inability to do the work, but because of your lack of time. Enrolling in the Learning Center’s time management and study skills class show that you are serious about succeeding in your future classes. I also appreciate that you are willing to talk face to face about the situation. Most of the time students will just send me an email, which conveys an informal attitude. Even though you are late in your request, an F on your transcript could affect your GPA and acceptance to medical school. Your willingness to rid yourself of the situation and future time management inabilities has led me to allow you to drop the class. You seemed to have realized that an F is possible if you do not commit fully to each course.

2. Renee,
I appreciate the effort you have displayed by taking the time to compose a formal letter that showcases the context of the situation, your request to late drop, your reasons for failing English, your commitment to take workshops, and detailing the support of your English teacher and adviser, followed by an offer to meet face to face. You mentioned in your letter that you would like to attend medical school. Choosing a career in the medical field means that you are going to face time management on a daily basis. In medical school you will have classes that have heavy workloads that are difficult, and you will have them all at once. Your English class is just as important as Chemistry class because it is a basic requirement for this school. If did not just occur to you at the end of the semester that you were having difficulties in English. Mid-semester your poor grade would have been evident, at this time you should of worked with your professor to rewrite assignments or work on extra credit. If you would have come to me mid-semester we could have worked through this, but now it is too late. I hope that this failing grade in English will help you to learn that in college you have to learn how to manage your work load; especially in your case since you are planning on pursuing a career in the medical field.

3. I am in the Communication Studies Society and every year they offer their member a chance to be part of Project Protégé. In Project Protégé you are matched with professionals in the community and you job shadow them over a period of time. To be chosen, you have to fill out and application and attach two recommendations. Last year I was a sophomore and while I had good relationships with my teachers, I felt like none of them knew me well enough to give a complete and honest recommendation. So I decided to get in touch with two individuals in my hometown that would fit the bill. One was my summer job manager, and the other was a neighbor and family friend that held a job in profession I desired. Because I was asking the two individuals to take time out of their busy schedules to write a recommendation and send it back to me in a short period of time, I decided to call each one of them personally to set up the situation. Then I proceeded to mail the two individuals a recommendation form with a detailed letter of appreciation that I wrote. They were more than happy to write the letters, and their recommendations worked because as I sophomore I was one of the few chosen to take part in Project Protégé. I managed my project by choosing the appropriate strategy of contacting my summer job manager, and neighbor then following up with a thank you letter. I formalized my goal and plan by thinking through the statement of purpose, audience and context. By having a statement of purpose of wanting to convince CSS that I was who should be chosen for Project Protégé by getting good recommendations, considering my audience (my summer job manager and neighbor) who were busy with their full time jobs and families. The context of the situation was a short time period I had to turn the recommendation letters in I knew it would rush them in their responses and possibly affect my recommendations. I treated my summer job manager and neighbor like ends instead of means to an end by my production by calling ahead to set up the situation, and a thank you letter for their time. In the end my production was a success.

Renee,
I appreciate the material written in your letter and I am going to grant you permission to drop your English class. As the Dean of students, my hope for all of students is to be successful in all of their course work and it means a great deal for a student to understand that there is only so much an individual can handle. I took many things into consideration and am in complete agreement that your record for medical school is very important and I would not want a grade in the first semester of freshman year to be the reason you are denied. It shows true character and understanding of oneself to accept that things are too overwhelming and figure out how to fix the issues. It is encouraging that you are taking advantage of the time management and study skills workshops. It proves to me that you are truly trying to make a difference in your academics and not just asking for an easy way out of an "F." Many students run into the same problems you have, so do not feel like this is a unique situation. College and high school are two very different systems of education and it takes time to get used to the methods of college professors. I feel you understand that there is a difference and you are taking the right measures towards ensuring your success in the future.

2.Renee,
I regret to inform you that I am not going to be granting you permission to drop your English class. I appreciate the time and effort taken in writing this letter, but I do not see the value in letting you be removed from the course. Students encounter these problems every semester and if I begin to let people drop when they start performing poorly in a class, then there is no reason for students to try their best in the first place. It is great that you are using the resources offered on campus in terms of time management and study skills because that means you understand your areas of weakness and are doing what you can to better yourself. I do not, however, believe that because you are taking these steps you should be allowed to drop your English class. As a college student, you have agreed to study, learn, and hopefully pass the rigorous course work. It is unfair to allow to drop this course because you put chemistry as a priority. I understand the need to do well in chemistry, so that you may have a chance of getting into a medical school, but medical schools look at all courses the student has taken and judges them on their ability to succeed at more than just the required medical courses. It is too late to provide you with your desired answer, but maybe this will help you in learning how to prioritize correctly and give each course the amount of studying it requires.

3.In high school I became the head editor of my school newspaper my senior year, so there were many times where I had to manage projects. At first it was extremely stressful learning how to manage large groups of people, but once I started to get the hang of it the real issue was figuring out how to delegate and make sure people were completing their tasks on time. There was on particular time where our football team made it to the final game of the state play-offs and the newspaper wanted to do an 8 page insert on the team. The paper was to be printed two days from when the initial idea was put together. I began to get head editors together for each individual page and once I found them I put three writers underneath them. After all the people were assigned to their seperate pages I told everyone to brainstorm ideas and to map out a design of a page with story ideas on a white-board. After all the ideas were submitted I went through, with the help of the advisor, we created the lay-out for the eight pages. Everyone had to turn in their stories the following day and they were turn in the final pages with pictures and stories. I managed the group of students with the help of my advisor and constantly checked on the progression of the work. The project was a major success.

Upon consideration, I have decided to grant your request for a late drop from your English class this semester. The first year of college can be a challenging adjustment for anyone and time management skills take practice. You are experiencing a completely new environment and a college course load can be overwhelming. Enrolling in the time management workshop shows dedication to your schoolwork and I believe it will help you in balancing your time among your different courses. You took responsibility in the way you approached the situation and I appreciate your formal letter and request to set up a meeting to discuss the problem. By contacting your English teacher you showed that you are motivated to give each course your full attention and that it wasn’t because of lack of effort that you are failing the course. Because it is late in the semester an F on your transcript would have hindered your ability to pursue your goal of attending medical school. Your motivation to address the situation and to take the initiative to better your time management skills for the future has confirmed for me your seriousness about your studies.

After considering our meeting and your request to late drop from your English class this semester, I will unfortunately not be able to grant you permission. I appreciate you contacting me, contacting your English teacher and your willingness to enroll in time management workshops. It shows maturity and that you are concerned about your grades. However, time management skills are something that every college student faces. It takes practice and trial and error to be able to balance your time accordingly. Enrolling in the time management workshop will help you to better these skills and teach you how to balance the coursework from all of your classes. Also, a failing grade in your English class is something that needed to be addresses right when you started having trouble. Once you realized you were having trouble in the course, you should have contacted your English Professor about things you could work on to better your grade and possible extra credit assignments. This poor grade can be used as an example of a possible need to work on balancing your time more efficiently and I hope does not hinder your motivation towards your schoolwork.

When I was studying abroad in London at an International School last semester I had to give a power point presentation with my friend on the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaigns in front of many of the students in the school. Because we were talking about the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign to students from all over the world, we decided to keep it as unbiased and factual as possible. Because many people have differing political opinions about presidential candidates and it can be somewhat controversial, we wanted to keep the focus on the different methods each candidate took in their campaigns. Our main goal of the presentation was to present a balanced and informative lecture on the different approaches and methods each candidate used. We wanted the students to walk out more informed on the campaign process. So she decided to take one candidate and I took the other. We presented the process and approach each candidate took in their campaign, presenting both the positive and negative aspects of each campaign. We showed both candidates campaign successes and faults. Because our audience was students, we didn’t want our presentation to be boring, so we added a lot of graphics, pictures, links and videos to show everyone examples of what we were talking about. We went over possible questions that could be asked and practiced numerous times to make sure we were completely prepared. In the end, the audience and the teacher received the presentation well and we ended up getting a good grade on it.

To be clear, I have decided to submit your request for a late drop of your English class; any further meeting is not necessary. My conclusion was based mainly on two points: You put forth substantial effort to prevent a similar situation from occurring again by signing up for two Learning Center workshops, as well as this being your first semester attending the university. Medical school is very competitive and I understand that one blemish on your academic record can limit your opportunities in your post-undergraduate choices, but-- as you said--English is important, just as Chemistry is; if you cannot handle your curriculum, do not take more classes at once than you can handle. You have learned your limit this first semester. Next semester, please make sure you utilize all the information you gain from the workshops, and what you have learned from this experience.

I have made the decision to reject your request for a late drop of your English class; a further meeting is not necessary. It is simply too late in the semester to handle this situation now. The transition from high school to college is difficult on most students; there are many other students similar situations to yours, and they can't all drop their currently-failing classes. The university has deadlines, and if you needed to drop a class, you should have done it before that time. If you are not able to pass the class, let this be a lesson in-and-of itself and that it, hopefully, will not be a reoccurring theme in your college and medical school career. As you mentioned in your letter, English is important; it is just as important as Chemistry is in your post-undergraduate plans. Realize that medical schools consider all your classes for enrollment, as well as your GPA. For future semesters, use what you learn from the Learning Center's workshops, and consider others if necessary.

In a public policy class I took last semester, we were assigned to groups of about 4 or 5 people and were given a topic to research, argue, and present upon: ours was "affirmative action". Our group then split up the work by format of the presentation, which lead to me and a partner to have to come up with the conclusion of the presentation; the professor said presentations in the past got interactive with the audience and played a game on the topic, or performed a skit. We chose to do a debate; He went the "con" side, I went "pro" to affirmative action. My partner and I thought it would be a perfect way of balancing out the differing opinions of the audience (it was a political science class and most students wear their opinions on their sleeve) and easy to execute in a classroom environment. We kept with the uniformity of the previous parts of the presentation by adding extreme points to the powerpoint already being utilized, since our debate was battling extremes. After the debate, we asked the audience questions, and--sure enough--they voiced their opinions as well based on our points.

1. Dear Renee,
I have reviewed your letter and after meeting with you about the late drop of your English class, I have made my decision. I understand that the first semester, and even first year, can be very stressful and overwhelming for new students; I was one too once! Given your apparent academic deligence in your other courses, and the support from your teacher and advisor on the matter, I see no reason to deny your request for a late drop. Please understand though, that time management and good study skills are incredibly necessary to make the most of your college academic experience. I strongly encourage you to go through with enrolling in the workshops you spoke of in your letter, because, in the future it will be soley your responsibility to manage your workload appropriately. I hope that this late drop of your English course will give you the fresh start needed and will also help teach you better study skills for the future.
Sincerely, Dean Meldrum

2. Dear Renee,
I appreciate you coming to speak with me in person about your delimma with your English class; I am sure that your responsible and mature attitude will help you succeed academically at this university, and in your future career. I regret to inform you, however, that I simply cannot grant your request for a latedrop. It is the college's policy to offer a drop-add period once classes have began for students to evaluate their workload and have the option to drop courses if necessary. However, once this period has ended, a student must accept their enrollment and their grade for each class. Unfortunately, it would be unfair to grant anyone an acception to this rule. If you are unsatisfied with your final grade in English this semester, do not be discouraged. I would strongly recommend trying the course again once you have learned and honed your time management skills. I hope you accept this as a learning experience and, despite my denial of your request, still enroll in the Learning Center's workships. You will find them helpful, as your course load will only continue to grow as your academic career moves forward. I wish you the best success for the future.
Sincerely, Dean Meldrum

3. One of the biggest projects I have worked on so far was my senior project. Each year a respected family put together an herbfest for our community and wanted to continue to grow and add new attractions each for each run. To help the event gain attention I approached the family with the possibility of creating an herb booklet to help the more inexperienced gardners in our town become more familiar and interested in planting and growing. I put together a hard sketch of the layout of the book for the family and included a powerpoint presentation with the information and diagrams I wanted to include. Knowing that the family was very knowledgeable about many types of plants, I placed pictures of the herbs on each page along with blocks for texts and graphics and color. I made sure they were aware that I valued their input on the project by taking time to meet with each family member individually and allowing them to take me on tours of their own personal gardens. Before I presented the final book to the family I had my parents, several teachers, and a few classmates go over the book for read-ability, accessibility, and spell-check.

1.) Renee,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your professional and mature manner in handling this situation. I fully understand the difficulty of college courses, and how especially trying it can be for first-year students to get the hang of things. As you know, many students call my office around this time of the semester asking for late drops from classes in which they are failing for a number of excuses. You however, seemed to have learned your lesson this first time around, and I am very impressed by how you have aggressively taken matters into your own hands. It sounds like you have done an excellent job of communicating your concerns with your English Professor Mr. Davidson, and your choiceto take advantage of the Learning Center's workshops is definitely a positive one. My decision is to grant your request for the late course drop, and I look forward to meeting you soon to discuss a further path for your success here at the University.
2.) Renee,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your professional and mature manner in handling this situation. I fully understand the difficulty of college courses, and how especially trying it can be for first-year students to get the hang of things. My concern however is, that you may not have been in contact with your English professor Mr. Davidson, your advisor, or myself early enough in the semester. Many students do well in their high school courses, and get set in their ways of falling behind, with the ability to easily catch up in class. As you seem to have learned, college is not this way at all. Medical school is an excellent goal to work towards, but I think that it is important that you try to finish out this semester in your English class, so therefore I am denying your request for a late course drop. This time of the semester is difficult for all students. It seems like your English professor Mr. Davidson has confidence that you will do well in the class, and if you do not make the grade you want this semester, you could consider re-taking the class in the future. I look forward to discussing your decision to take advantage of the Learning Center's workshops and more ways for you to remain successful at the University.
3.) An instance when I had to produce an important piece of communication was when I had a speaking part in a wedding ceremony. My process of design was to first consider my audience: the family and friends of my cousin who was getting married, and of her spouse. Then I considered the context of the communication: the ceremony within the church, which would be heard by the whole audience. Lastly, I considered my purpose: to use the material I was asked to say to contribute to the meaningfulness of the ceremony, and to enhance the couple's memory of their special day by ensuring that my communication part was perfected. I managed this project by writing the speaking part out on notecards one sentence at a time and rehearsing them repeatedly. I then began memorizing the sentences as I rehearsed them. Finally, I formalized my goal of a perfected and planned speech by rehearsing in front of my parents and sister, and getting their feedback.

Renee,
The adjustment for any first year student from high school to college is almost always an extremely difficult task to undergo. I have considered your request and decided to grant your late drop for this course. After having spoken with Professor Davidson, it seems as though you truly are a gifted student, and although you have struggled with balancing your workload, he believes, as do I, that you have the ability to retake this class and succeed the next time around. Also, the workshops you are taking are a fantastic idea. They are there for a reason, and I admire any student that will open themselves up to new learning opportunities, especially if it will enhance their college career academically. I will be more than happy to speak to you in person, and I thank you for scheduling the appointment. It is partly my job to help guide students into being as successful as possible, and because you are so driven to do well and get into medical school, I have no problem helping you in all ways that I can. Thank you for the letter, I look forward to seeing you soon.

Renee,
Thank you for your letter. Although it is a busy time in the semester, I am always willing to work with students in any way that I can. I admire your work ethic and persistence in regards to a formal letter to me, your aspirations to some day get into medical school, and your willingness to take workshops on how to better yourself academically, however, I do not find it possible to grant your request for a late drop in your failing English course. I sympathize with you because I understand how difficult it is to balance such a work load and adjust to college at the same time, but rules are rules, and if they are broken for one, there is no reason that they may not be broken for all, and I cannot allow this contradiction. In addition to that, medical school is a grueling road, and situations like this will teach you lessons for the future. I see that you are serious about your schoolwork and if you continue to take it seriously and work as hard as you have and even harder, you should have no problem passing this course the second time around with an excellent grade. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you in the way that you have hoped, but I am more than willing to speak with you in person on ways to grow and balance your workload appropriately. Thanks for your time.

When I was a senior in high school, the dreaded senior project was a big deal to not only teachers and students, but some members of the community because there were members of the community that acted as judges for the presentations. I had always been interested in how insurance worked, so I decided to do a mock insurance plan for myself and my entire family, and all of our belongings. This was something that required a detailed process of design, something I had never really had to deal with before. I began by figuring out how I could present my information to the judges and my teacher in the most professional manner possible, while maintaining their attention, because I knew that a presentation on an insurance plan wouldn't be the most entertaining thing they would have seen. Eventually, I decided to formulate a plan to present the most entertaining information in my insurance plan initially to grab their attention, and include fun facts about my topic throughout the presentation to keep it. I knew that speaking on the subject wouldn't be enough, so I decided to create a tri-fold poster with parts of my plan and pictures of me in the insurance office placed neatly yet creatively on it. Although I struggled in preparing for the presentation, I would always take a couple of steps back if I got stuck, and in the end, the judges loved the project, and I received an A on it.

Renee, I have decided to grant your request for the late drop of Professor Davidson’s English course. Several factors led me to this decision. First, I can tell by the mature and passionate steps you have taken. I can see from the time you have spent meeting with Professor Davidson, the workshops you have signed up to take, the meeting you have recently scheduled, and the professional and calculated letter you sent me, that you are indeed a student who is serious about her studies. Second, I know that freshman year tends to be overwhelming, as students are shipped out of their family’s homes, placed in an entirely new environment and told to fend for themselves. Third, I understand the effects of a failing grade on a transcript now can have on plans for the future, which in your case is medical school. These factors aside, I want to be sure that you understand the gravity of this situation. Time management and proper study methods are crucial to any scholar’s studies. I hope that the Learning Center is able to teach you the methods required to evenly apply yourself to all of your courses. As you said, both English and chemistry are important. No one class takes precedence over another. I am grateful that you understand this and I will reiterate this information more thoroughly in our up and coming meeting.

Renee, I have decided to deny your request for the late drop of Professor Davidson’s English course. I am impressed with the professional and mature manner in which you have approached this situation. I can see from the time you have spent meeting with Professor Davidson, the workshops you have signed up to take, the meeting you have recently scheduled, and the professional and calculated letter you sent me, that you are indeed a student who is serious about her studies. My only concern is with how late in the semester you have decided to act. Being so close to exams, Professor Davidson and I can only assume that you are committed to finishing the course. To drop now would only encourage the development of poor habits. Accordingly, I am hoping that this denial will serve as an alert to the obstacles that lie ahead. Time management and proper study methods are crucial to any student, medical school bound or not. All students are faced with many difficult courses and being able to apply yourself evenly to all your tasks in a professional setting is skill that will last a lifetime. As you said, both English and chemistry are important. No one class takes precedence over another. I am grateful that you understand this and I will reiterate all of this information more thoroughly in our up and coming meeting.

In the spring of 2009 I was enrolled in a course on Comparative Politics. In this course we imitated a debate between the nations of the European Union, my nation being Greece. My partner and I designed a fairly successful strategy in approaching the debate. My audience in this assignment was my Professor and the other small groups of my peers that were representing other nations of the Union based on the time and research devoted to the project. Some of these nations were aligned with Greece in their views on how to handle the nuclear situation and still promote the idea of democracy and freedom. Most of these groups were timid or unsure because they weren’t exactly comfortable with speaking in front of the Union to offer any solutions or suggestions due to the risk of sounding under-researched and earning a poor grade. The context of my communication was in the two day debate held in our class room and in the ten-page document my partner and I had prepared that was to be submitted to the Professor for our final grade. The purpose of my communication was to try to persuade the Union on a solution to the nuclear crisis that is occurring in Iran, in accordance with the views of Greece. We managed our project by thoroughly researching Greece’s view on Iran’s nuclear situation. We looked at what nations would be against us and what nations would be with us. Then we decided to anticipate the arguments of the opposing nations and prepare rebuttals. In these rebuttals we connected our defense with our offense and then decided to offer up a solution that would quell the fear and anger of the opposition but encompass Iranian peace and the ideals of democracy. From here, we formalized our plans by drafting a document that was supposedly from the Greek Foreign Ministry to my partner and I, the Representatives to the Union from Greece. In this document was in great detail, our plan to persuade the Union in viewing the situation with rational and democratic mind sets and to offer up a solution for the Union to consider, and in the hopes that the motions is voted upon.

Renee,
I have decided to allow you to drop your English class. I too was once a college freshman, so I know it can take some time to get acclimated. Your letter was well written and showed me that you are the type of student who, under normal circumstances, would most likely excel in a freshman English course. I know our learning center has been helpful to many students in similar situations in the past and knowing you signed up for workshops reassured me that I am making the right decision. Also, having your professor in agreement with a late drop worked in your favor. Medical school will be challenging enough without a zero from a basic studies course factored into your GPA. Thank you for handling this matter in a mature manner. Good luck with finals and your next semester.

Renee,
I have decided to reject your request for several reasons. It is very late in the semester to realize you have made a mistake. Because you are expecting to fail the course, I feel it’s safe for me to assume that your mid-semester grades where lower than you anticipated. That would have been a good time to sign up for one of our Learning Center’s workshops and inform me of your situation. If I to allow you to drop this drop this course, it would be unfair to students who paid closer attention to their grades and made necessary adjustments early on in the semester. It could also send a message to students implying that a well written letter and consent from a professor could replace organization, preparedness, and work ethic. Thank you for handling this matter in a mature manner. Good luck with finals and your next semester.

The most important piece of communication I have worked on was my senior project. The project required students to choose a topic of interest and, among other things, give a final presentation to a group comprised of faculty and volunteer judges. Your presentation had to include a PowerPoint and a physical product. The topic I chose was furniture construction so I decided to build a drafting table for my physical product. I heard from people who had already been through senior project that a really impressive physical product would ensure a high grade so I focused most of my time working on my table. The table I built took well over the required minimum 10 hours to build and looked amazing. I also had to make sure I took pictures of the building process. Because some steps in the building process are more exciting and photograph better than others, I had to have a clear plan and figure out which steps would be the best to include in my slideshow. When it came time to present, my judges responded well to my presentation and were very impressed with my table. I ended up getting a 99 on my final presentation.

1. Renee, I have decided to grant your request due to the respect you seem to have towards your school work. As a freshmen, you were not aware of the amount of time and effort that is required to succeed. A university's work load is extremely different than that of a high school and it often takes at least a semester or even up to a year for students to adjust to this change. I am impressed that you have realized this and taken full responsibility for your actions-- especially in enrolling in the time management course, as well as the course in study skills. Our learning center is a very effective resource and I am glad that you are putting it to use. Also, I have received a phone call from Professor Davidson and he had supportive things to say about this decision. Apparently you are a very attentive student, you have just let yourself fall behind. As a former student in a university, I would suggest retaking this course in the summer when your work load is easier and you have more time to focus on your studies. If you would still like to meet with me in person about this issue, I will be available by appointment.

2. Renee, I regret to inform you that I have rejected your request about the late drop to Professor Davidson's English class. We have spoken, and although he did support your request, I feel as if letting you get away with this would only set an example that it is okay to let yourself fall behind. Also, I would then be required to let other students get away with this and that would just be unreasonable. As a first-year student, time management is one of the biggest lessons to learn. I am pleased that you have decided to take courses in this area at our learning center as well as one in study skills. It sounds as if they will be extremely helpful to you. One of the main reasons I have chosen to decline this request is because I feel that you have seen this coming and had plenty of opportunities and a long time span to drop this class when you realized it would be too tough of a work load. However, our university offers replacement grades, so if you would like to have this grade dropped, retake the class and the higher of the two grades will be kept on your record.

3. I actually had an entire internship revolved around the projects and teachings of communication skills. Starting my junior year in high school, I was hired by the local newspaper as an intern journalist and proofer. Every week I would have at least one sports column to cover-- usually two depending on how many "big" games were being hosted by the hometown high school that particular week. My job was to take several notes throughout the course of the game with specific statistics and details about the players. I was also required to take pictures and know details about what was going on in that particular play. At the end of the game I would conduct interviews with the top scorer and the coaches. My goal was to write an impressive/intense article as well as eye-catching photos.

1.
Renee,

I appreciate you taking the time to formally write me in addressing this issue. I have reviewed your letter and current academic progress and I am pleased to inform you that I will grant your late drop. The adjustment from high school to college is a very difficult one and I understand this and can sympathize with you. Because you have taken the time to utilize the Learning Center’s workshops it is evident to me that you are truly concerned with your studies. Furthermore, Professor Davidson’s support in your late drop also demonstrates to me that he also recognizes your true potential. Because of your honesty in addressing this issue and understanding of the problem I am going to grant your late drop. However, keep in mind in the future that you are going to closely monitor all of your studies and wisely budget your time because this late drop approval will likely not happen again. Wish you the best!

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

2.
Renee,

I appreciate you taking the time to formally write me addressing this issue. I have reviewed your current academic problem and have strongly considered your request for a late drop. This was a very difficult decision but I am afraid I am going to have to deny your request. I understand that your freshmen year is a very difficult transition but your life will be full of difficult transitions and there will not always be an easy way out. Your path to medical school is going to be a particularly grueling one and you will have to learn to better manage your time and balance your workload. I appreciate you taking the time to utilize the Learning Center’s workshop, however this is something that could have been done much earlier in the semester. Low grades are not something that suddenly spring up on you at the end of a semester and I think this is a valuable lesson learned. I can truly see your true academic potential in your willingness to remedy this problem; however I cannot change the policy for one student and not the rest. I apologize for being so stern, but rules are rules. I wish you the best of luck in your studies and I am sure that you will succeed.

Sincerely,

Dean Meldrum

3. My sophomore year of college I took a course in Advanced Oceanography. A major component of our grade was an hour long group presentation. There were four members to a group so each group member was responsible for about fifteen minutes. A design plan was particularly important in this case because we were all responsible for a good portion of information. It was essential to understand all aspects of what have to be conveyed and the amount of time each member could spend on a subject. Our presentation was on the seismic waves and we broke down the subject into four subcategories. Communication was extremely important since it was primarily a verbal presentation that used a PowerPoint as a guideline. Proper planning between ground members was essential so that nothing overlapped and became redundant. Our main goal was to convey all the information in a timely fashion. We accomplished this by working together and running through our presentation making sure all the information was mentioned and that ideas flowed from one thought to the next.

Renee,
I would like to thank you for your letter on the issue of your late drop from English 1000. I have taken time to review your case in particular as well as your current grades, and have decided to grant your request. The formal style of your letter was very much appreciated, I’m used to quick one-sentence requests from students who are looking for an easy way out. We’ve all been college students at one point or another, and I understand how easy it is to get behind. I’ve taken into consideration your concentration in the medical field and realize that perhaps the best thing for you is to give that a shot and take the English class when you’ve gotten into the swing of things and will have more time to devote to other subjects. Its important, however, that you realize this isn’t a free pass. College classes are designed to provide you with a multitude of classes and experiences so it’s for that reason we stress you take different subjects. You’ve got another chance to do this right, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you let me know how things work, please keep me updated.

Renee,
Thank you for your letter on the issue of you dropping your English 1000 class. I understand that you are feeling overwhelmed in your studies and that you are new to the college life. However, I’m afraid I will have to deny your request. The life of a new college student is both frightening and exciting. However, our policy is no late drops unless medically required. Unfortunately if I were to give you a free pass to drop the class, I would have to do it for all involved, and that very quickly becomes a messy idea. What I can offer you is the number for a counselor who can help you through any time management problems you have. Though I understand that Dr. Davidson is okay with you dropping the class, it is not his final decision. I believe you will benefit from struggling through this on your own. So please, work your hardest, do the best you can, and keep in touch with me. If you do your best you’ll be just fine.

As a senior in high school I had to complete the senior project. The senior project is considered the final stepping-stone in a high school career. For my project I chose to do a radio broadcast. I’m a sports fanatic and I’m also very interested in broadcast journalism so I thought combining the two would be a good idea. Early into the project I considered my objectives and my goals and slowly worked my way through them from beginning to end. I found that the easiest way to manage my project was to break it down into sections that I could tackle individually. By doing this I never set myself up with any tasks that would be overwhelmingly difficult and I ended up doing well on my final scores on the project.

1. Renee,
After reading your letter I have decided to allow you to drop English 1000 with Professor Davidson. You presented a sincere and compelling argument and showed that you are not merely a student who is trying to obtain an unfair advantage for an overdue mistake. There were three components to your letter than led to me my decision. First, by signing up for the two Learning Center workshops (time management and study skills), you have demonstrated that you are serious about learning how to handle a full course load. It is important to remember that all of your courses are important, not just the ones necessary for your major. By taking these two classes I believe you will see how to manage your time and give all of your classes an adequate amount of effort and attention. The second reason I have grated you the class drop is because of Professor Davidson's recommendation. The fact that he supports your decision to both drop the class and take it over again shows me that this is more than just an average case of procrastination. By having the support of my colleague it proves to me that your are a student overloaded with course work who needs a second chance. And finally, I have decided to allow the drop of English 1000 because of the negative implications an "F" would have on your medical school record. Normally I do not take this into consideration when deciding whether or not to grant a drop. But after coming to the conclusion that you are not a lazy student, but rather an overwhelmed pre-med student, it would be unfair for you to receive an "F" on your transcript. I hope that you find this letter more than just an answer to your prayers. It is important to understand that second chances are possible, but third chances rarely, if ever come around. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and I wish you well in your academic endeavors.
Sincerely,
Dean Meldrum

2. Renee,
After reading your letter I have decided to not grant you a drop for English 1000 with professor Davidson. I appreciate your very thoughtful and sincere letter, but unfortunately you failed to persuade me to allow your request. I have sited three reasons for my decision. First, it is far too late in the semester to ask for a drop. You had to have known earlier than now that you were doing poorly in English 1000 and a drop at this time shows extreme procrastination. Secondly, the excuse that "I thought it would be easy here" is an unacceptable one. This University rewards well rounded students who put effort into all of their classes, not just the ones that are required for their major. It is important to remember that this is not high school, and you will not simply be able to catch up when you fall behind. College classes are significantly more difficult that high school classes and require your full attention. And finally, I have chosen not to drop your class because I want you to learn from your mistakes. If I wipe your slate clean you will not learn what it takes to succeed despite your mistakes. In life you will undoubtedly make some serious blunders, and how you recover from them will make you who you are. I don't want you to think I am preventing you from success, but rather giving you a chance to succeed despite your failures. Although I have not granted you a drop for the class, I still encourage you to take time management and study skills in the Learning Center. Both courses will be beneficial in your growth as a college student and will give you valuable skills for the remainder of your college career. Again, thank you for your letter and I wish you well throughout the rest of your academic endeavors.
Sincerely,
Dean Meldrum

3. I am a reporter for the Cape Fear Sports Report here in Wilmington. Last week I was asked to put together a UNCW volleyball preview video for the website and was given three days to finish the project. The first step I had to take was to obtain a camera and determine how to properly use it. After I checked a camera out from the UNCW student media office I spent roughly half an hour learning the ins and outs of the device. I then had to plan out how I would produce an acceptable video for the website. I decided that I wanted to conduct three interviews (the coach and two players). I obtained phone numbers from all three and set up times to sit down and interview them. I then wrote down questions for all three and met with them at their respective times. After concluding with the interviews, I had to decide how I wanted to include them in the video. I decided that the best way for the video to work would be for me to do a voice over while pictures of the team were shown (like a slideshow) then cut to portions of the interviews. I then emailed the UNCW sports and information staff and obtained several pictures of the team. I then wrote a script for me too say while the pictures were scrolling across the screen. After editing the interviews and appropriately positioning them within the video, I then added music to the video to make it more lively. The video was then successfully loaded to the website and up for people to enjoy. This project may have looked very individual, but I had to to a lot of communicating for everything to come together. First, I had to communicate with the publisher on what exactly the video was going to be about. Second, I had to talk with the people I was interviewing and appropriately ask them questions that would be helpful for my video. I then had to communicate with the UNCW sports staff so that they could send me team pictures. In the end my goals were met for the project, as it turned out well and my publisher was pleased.

Renee,
Despite the fact that it is now well beyond the drop out time period, I have decided to grant you your class drop. I sympathize with you regarding your stretched time schedule and I know it can be difficult adjusting to the college lifestyle. I also appreciate the fact that you have Professor Davidson's support in this matter. Even though we have been cutting down on late drops, the fact that you are attending workshops is a promising sign that you are committed to improving. However in addition to the workshops, I suggest you also find a chemistry tutor. Many students have run into the problems you are having now, but if you put forth effort I think you can get passed this hiccup in your academic career and eventually succeed in medical school.

Renee,
I have considered your request and I regret to inform you that I will not be able to grant you your request for a late drop in ENG 1000, section 22. I appreciate the fact that you plan to attend study and time management workshops, and I recommend that you do that anyway despite my decision. Though your willingness to attend those workshops does show a commitment to improve, it is simply too late in the semester for a course to be dropped. When you started having trouble in your Chemistry and English courses you should have addressed the situation immediately. I hope that this does not discourage you in your academic pursuits. I suggest that you use your low grade in English as a motivation to do better in the future.

Last year in my Accounting Lab we were assigned a group presentation for the end of the semester. A large chunk of our grades depended on this presentation. When our group met for the first time we sliced up the work evenly and distributed it to the varying individuals in the group as per their preference. After we had all found the information and completed the accounting portions of the project, we met again as a group and discussed how we would present the project. We considered our audience which was our classmates and professor. However we designed the presentation mostly to please our professor by keeping it factual and businesslike. After getting our powerpoint presentation in order, we went through a few practice runs until we felt comfortable enough that we didn't have to look at the powerpoint itself to present it. In the end every person in our group scored a perfect 100.

1. Dear Renee,
Upon much consideration, I have decided to grant your request for a late drop. I am impressed by your maturity in your explanation for why you feel it would be important to drop the class, and many of the ideas you mention in your letter are certainly true. Although most students face time management issues in their first, and forthcoming, years of college, you seem to be taking a rare approach to address and fix this problem. It is important to prioritize based on personal goals, so I respect your attention to Chemistry more so than English. All of us are very busy around this time of the year so don't feel too overwhelmed. Being a freshman can be a lot to handle and I am more than willing to make special accommodations for students who genuinely deserve and need them. You seem to be a serious student, Renee, and clearly Professor Davidson and I can see that through your level of dedication and maturity. Good luck in the upcoming semester, and I hope you benefit from the workshops. Best wishes, The Dean.

2. Dear Renee,
I regret to inform you that I cannot grant your request for a drop. Let me first start by saying that your letter was well written and concise, however if I allowed every student who wrote a good letter to break the rules, the rules would become nullified. I understand that you are a busy freshman, but through my experience as the Dean of Students here at the university, I know that every freshman who intends to stay with us for all four years is very busy also. Time management is essential, and I am glad to see you plan on improving your skills through one of our workshops. As long as you continue to improve, you will constantly be doing better in your classes. We all can learn from our mistakes, and hopefully next semester you will schedule an easier course load or look into the amount of work required for each class before the Add/Drop period ends. With the support of Professor Davidson, I am sure you will be able to either dedicate more time to English here in the closing weeks of the semester and improve your grade, or simply retake the class next semester, knowing what to expect and what must be done to satisfy your own goals. Best wishes, The Dean.

3. In my senior year of high school my friend and I were assigned a project in our Anatomy class. We had to present to our class some type of presentation about a disease or physical ailment. We chose smoking as our topic. The guidelines were broad, so we had some creative license, and we also knew our teacher had a great sense of humor. Drawing off my own interests and resources, I chose to make a short five minute fictional film which would both encapsulate the negative effects of smoking as illustrated through the downfall of our main character, and also would present facts in a straight forward, explicit way. First, we wrote out an outline for the factual information and research we wanted to include. Then, I wrote a rough plot for the story line of the narrative. After we had both of these, I tried to synthesize the two by including a news report on the negative effects of smoking as part of the narrative. Finally, we story boarded and filmed our movie.

Renee,
I am sorry to hear that you are having troubles matriculating into the university setting. It is more difficult for some, than others, to balance many demanding tasks at the same time. With that being said I have decided to grant your request to drop your ENG 1000-22 class. Although I do not do this often, I see you have taken many necessary steps to resolve your issue; which shows a great amount of maturity. I also understand that a failing grade will not only diminish your GPA, but discourage you and cause you to lose focus on your other studies. Even in my decision to grant our request, I do expect you to continue your two sessions at the Learning Center on campus. I will be checking in with the instructors and giving Professor Davidson a call. I would love to have you stop by the office whenever you are free. Just send me an email and we can set something up. Finish the year out strong, and good luck with chemistry and all that you do!

Sincerely,
Dean Meldrum

Renee,
It is with my utmost sympathy to inform you that I will not be able to grant your request in dropping Mr. Davidson's ENG 1000-22 course this semester. I appreciate your efforts in visiting the Learning Center, Meeting with your professor, and contacting me in a very professional manner; however, we have set deadlines for a reason. Please understand that with 15,000 students under my jurisdiction I must stay fair. If I were to grant your request then I would have to do so for the other 14,999. Take this slight inconvenience as an opportunity to grow and become a better student. I would also love to see you continuing your sessions at the Learning Center. Still feel free to come by my office anytime. I want you to know that this university is behind you one hundred percent, and will do our best to help you succeed. Keep doing well in Chemistry and try not to let English ruin what you have worked for in your other classes. Keep your eye on the prize: the future; and you will be just fine. Again, if you need anything please feel free to email, call or stop by.

Have a wonderful day!
Warmly,
Dean Meldrum
MeldrumD@uncw.edu
9101234567

I was on the yearbook staff in high school for four years. At the beginning of the year our advisor would give us a spreadsheet with deadlines. Every week we had a deadline to meet; whether it be pictures, an actual layout, or setting up interviews. Since we did our yearbook through Jostens Online; which allowed us to work on our layouts wherever there is internet connection, it made deadlines a breeze to meet! I would always look at what my task was for the week and plan out how much I would get done each day. If I had 7 days I would plan it out for five days, leaving me enough time to get it edited and fully finished by the deadline time. I would make sure not to get behind or ahead. If I got ahead then I might use that as a reason not to be productive one day. To make sure my layouts would be successful according to the world’s toughest critics (high school student) I would simply do surveys during lunch to figure out what they wanted in a yearbook. What colors were popular and what colors were not. I would then generate a rough draft and pass it around the room to see what my friends thought. After I would show a couple people outside of the staff and het his/her opinions as well. After that I would formalize everything by checking for grammar, correct spelling, etc. In all, the pages I submitted to the yearbook were always huge successes because of my planning and consideration for the audience.