(no subject)
Hi, Dylan,
This is the time of year when some people are hard to get a hold of, so I
am still gathering information about your "case". I know that the waiting
and uncertainty can be very stressful.
Meanwhile, one thing to reflect on is that this will be at least the 2nd
consecutive year that your end-of-year, cumulative GPA has been below the
stated requirements for keeping the scholarship. Anything that you can say
in favor of your case, and that I can show to others, would be appreciated
(by me)! I understand that you aren't in it just for the grades; you're in
it for the learning. That's great, but everybody says that, and it's
precisely the sort of thing that one would expect to hear in these
circumstances. So, although that might be something that you want to say,
I would encourage you to try to find other, perhaps less cliched ways to
support your keeping the scholarship. (No other merit-based scholarships
at Guilford have any sort of probationary period, for example...)
Vance
Vance--
Here goes. Use anything I say in this e-mail that you think would help.
High school came far from preparing me for college. High school classes, even my AP classes, felt like a joke in terms of difficulty level. These classes did not prepare me for the challenging nature of college classes, even though these classes also left me hungering for the challenge. I'd say my first year was a year of adjustment, not only in terms of the academic challenge but also in terms of finally having a social life. In high school, I did not have a social life, at all. After school, I volunteered and then went home.
My second year of college, I found myself far more prepared for the challenge of my classes and far more adept at expressing myself in writing than I had been the year before; but I still found myself with time-management and insomnia issues on which I've made significant improvements throughout my time at Guilford. More and more I've been able to balance my time so that I can put the kind of energy into work that I would hope to put. Even if the subject matter of a course is not subject matter with which I'm particularly fascinated, I still find that I get quite passionately into the work and the ideas involved. I've had to struggle with not letting myself throw too much time into the assignments that draw the most of my passion such that I don't have time for other assignments about which I am also passionate. No class I've taken has been met with any lack of interest or effort on my part. I have not slacked off in any way.
In the fall semester of the year just finished, I found I was able to manage my time much more effectively. This was the semester in which I regained the scholarship. Before this semester I had been raising my cumulative GPA with each semester (except for remaining at a 2.97 from fall to spring my second year). In the spring, the semester just completed, I feel I would have had far less difficulty grade-wise had I not chosen to write the articles I felt driven to write. These articles, I strongly felt and feel, were a way in which I could contribute deeply to the life of the college itself, even if that meant temporarily for a few weeks diverting energy away from my classes. I wrote these articles because in all my time at Guilford I have heard some people -- students, faculty, staff -- complain of an "image change". I heard people talk to each other in small conversations, but I did not hear a larger discussion among the entire community. I wanted to trigger that larger discussion. I regret that these articles ultimately meant I did not do as well in my classes as I would've liked, but I do not regret writing them and I do not regret spending the time on them I did. I would not have wanted to "half-ass" these articles; it would not have been fair to Guilford. And I love Guilford too much to shortchange it like that.
My time at Guilford has been an amazing time of personal growth. I have internalized many Quaker principles, particularly those of direct access to God/truth and simplicity (in terms of inner truth being more valuable than outward appearances). Also I feel I have become a lot more able to see where people are coming from when I disagree with them. I value Guilford and I value my time at Guilford. The Guilford experience has changed my life and it has changed me. I want nothing more than to finish my college career at Guilford. My family cannot support the funding of my final year. I will have to work this summer and fund it myself. If I do lose the scholarship, I will do what I have to do to make next year happen for me. Guilford, learning, my classes, and my growth as an individual have been at the core of my focus for the last three years; and my focus will not shift.
This past semester, even if my grades paint me in an ill fashion, I made real lasting progress with time-management and sleep issues. I got through finals without falling apart mentally and emotionally for the first time, because I dealt with my sleep issues (only pulling one all-nighter in the last month) and I managed time between multiple assignments better than ever. I feel prepared for next semester in a way that I never have. I want the chance to show my growth.
This is the time of year when some people are hard to get a hold of, so I
am still gathering information about your "case". I know that the waiting
and uncertainty can be very stressful.
Meanwhile, one thing to reflect on is that this will be at least the 2nd
consecutive year that your end-of-year, cumulative GPA has been below the
stated requirements for keeping the scholarship. Anything that you can say
in favor of your case, and that I can show to others, would be appreciated
(by me)! I understand that you aren't in it just for the grades; you're in
it for the learning. That's great, but everybody says that, and it's
precisely the sort of thing that one would expect to hear in these
circumstances. So, although that might be something that you want to say,
I would encourage you to try to find other, perhaps less cliched ways to
support your keeping the scholarship. (No other merit-based scholarships
at Guilford have any sort of probationary period, for example...)
Vance
Vance--
Here goes. Use anything I say in this e-mail that you think would help.
High school came far from preparing me for college. High school classes, even my AP classes, felt like a joke in terms of difficulty level. These classes did not prepare me for the challenging nature of college classes, even though these classes also left me hungering for the challenge. I'd say my first year was a year of adjustment, not only in terms of the academic challenge but also in terms of finally having a social life. In high school, I did not have a social life, at all. After school, I volunteered and then went home.
My second year of college, I found myself far more prepared for the challenge of my classes and far more adept at expressing myself in writing than I had been the year before; but I still found myself with time-management and insomnia issues on which I've made significant improvements throughout my time at Guilford. More and more I've been able to balance my time so that I can put the kind of energy into work that I would hope to put. Even if the subject matter of a course is not subject matter with which I'm particularly fascinated, I still find that I get quite passionately into the work and the ideas involved. I've had to struggle with not letting myself throw too much time into the assignments that draw the most of my passion such that I don't have time for other assignments about which I am also passionate. No class I've taken has been met with any lack of interest or effort on my part. I have not slacked off in any way.
In the fall semester of the year just finished, I found I was able to manage my time much more effectively. This was the semester in which I regained the scholarship. Before this semester I had been raising my cumulative GPA with each semester (except for remaining at a 2.97 from fall to spring my second year). In the spring, the semester just completed, I feel I would have had far less difficulty grade-wise had I not chosen to write the articles I felt driven to write. These articles, I strongly felt and feel, were a way in which I could contribute deeply to the life of the college itself, even if that meant temporarily for a few weeks diverting energy away from my classes. I wrote these articles because in all my time at Guilford I have heard some people -- students, faculty, staff -- complain of an "image change". I heard people talk to each other in small conversations, but I did not hear a larger discussion among the entire community. I wanted to trigger that larger discussion. I regret that these articles ultimately meant I did not do as well in my classes as I would've liked, but I do not regret writing them and I do not regret spending the time on them I did. I would not have wanted to "half-ass" these articles; it would not have been fair to Guilford. And I love Guilford too much to shortchange it like that.
My time at Guilford has been an amazing time of personal growth. I have internalized many Quaker principles, particularly those of direct access to God/truth and simplicity (in terms of inner truth being more valuable than outward appearances). Also I feel I have become a lot more able to see where people are coming from when I disagree with them. I value Guilford and I value my time at Guilford. The Guilford experience has changed my life and it has changed me. I want nothing more than to finish my college career at Guilford. My family cannot support the funding of my final year. I will have to work this summer and fund it myself. If I do lose the scholarship, I will do what I have to do to make next year happen for me. Guilford, learning, my classes, and my growth as an individual have been at the core of my focus for the last three years; and my focus will not shift.
This past semester, even if my grades paint me in an ill fashion, I made real lasting progress with time-management and sleep issues. I got through finals without falling apart mentally and emotionally for the first time, because I dealt with my sleep issues (only pulling one all-nighter in the last month) and I managed time between multiple assignments better than ever. I feel prepared for next semester in a way that I never have. I want the chance to show my growth.