Withdrawing Without Financially Screwing Yourself?

[withwolvesteeth]

I have had SA since my teens and I have effectively messed up at one college before this. I withdrew completely since I had so many absences already, and did so before 60% of the semester was up. I was lucky enough to have extra money from my private loan so I was able to pay them back (and then use a bunch from my savings *grumble*). I withdrew because my counselor at the school said she would help with my absences and then never did.

I took about 5 months off and went to the school I'm attending now. I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. I'm already failing my math class, I'm failing art history (and she already let me make up one exam), and I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull off a C in my other two classes. My SA causes me to be absent sometimes, and they know that. I contacted Disability Services and they said they would help me if they had a letter from my counselor... He refused. He also told me after I mentioned that they'd be comparing the letter to the ADA that he wasn't licensed to do so, since he is a counselor and not a psychiatrist.

Has anyone successfully withdrawn from a college in the US with a letter from a psychiatrist? Should I be appealing my bad semester since my SA affected me so much? Is that even possible?

I'm starting to think that a.) I should have been seeing a psychiatrist all along since they can prescribe me something and give me the counseling aspect, and b.) I need to take time off again to introduce myself to situations, pay off my already accumulated student loan debt, and then try again at a community college for a couple of years.

Any advice would be great. I just don't feel like it's fair that I have to suffer financial and academic repercussions because of a legitimate mental health condition. I'll be paying back my student loans on my year or so off anyway, and like many people with SA, I'm working on getting a job right now.

[withwolvesteeth]

Or should I just keep attending my classes and try to pull off a D or C in the ones I think I might be able to pass?

I suppose I'm just panicking. :\

[Prakas]

If I were you, I'd try and pass the classes you can. Don't rely on a plan B. Don't think of yourself as disadvtanged, because honestly your not. You can do it! I've hit a rough spot with one of my classes this year and I'm going to fail it, however long as gpa is kept above 2.5 (may differ at your school) financial aid should still be attainable.

[withwolvesteeth]

I am going to try my hardest to pass those two classes, but if I fail them... I'll have to end up paying the school back anyway. I was just wondering if anyone had done really bad during a semester and tried to appeal their grades because of their SA? I think the highest I could get are D's right now.

I'm not returning to this school. I'm in Graphic Design, and so I contacted my career center teacher from high school for advice since he's been in the business for 30+ years. He advised me to not even go to school in Michigan because I will not be able to be hired by design firms/studios out of state since I will need connections from school. I was going to just take a year/year and a half off and save up money to go to a community college in a different state (this way I can ease myself back into college without tons of financial pressure). That way I can get an education and better job prospects, my boyfriend can get his Masters, and by that time I should have a better control of my anxiety. I'm in treatment right now.

[pita]

I can't speak to American policies, but I withdrew from college in Canada with a note from my GP. The college gave me a refund. Good luck with whatever you decide to do--I've been in your shoes and I know how brutal it is.

[Prakas]

man my school sucks....we don't have Ds....If you get <75 you fail..Its not even called failing, they call it "recycle", wtf?

A=93-100
B=85-92
C=75-84
R=<75

[00Athena00]

I would advise you to get official documentation for your disability. You don't necessarily need to see a psychiatrist to do this or start taking medication. Your counselor or general practitioner should be able to refer you to someone. There are lots of options available to you to help you bring your grades up or avoid some of the penalties for withdrawing, but they need documentation first.

I think that if you believe you can get a passing grade in some of your classes, that you should stick it out to the end. Once you have your documentation you can be given lenience with attendance, test taking, and due dates. That will go a long way towards improving your chances of passing.

I was in the same situation my first year of college. If you can at least get a C, the credits may transfer to your next school. It's worth it to save yourself some time and money to try to get those credits out of the way now.

[farleyknight]

I'm currently having a really hard time in one of my classes. It's kind of affecting my ability to concentrate during my other classes. I've considered dropping the course but I might be able to pull off a B.. I'm not sure. I'm just so frustrated with myself I've considered withdrawling, although I know that doing so will make it hard later on.. I know for a fact I need some time away from school, to figure out where I'm going.. Having SA has made this whole experience seem like I'm bounced around from one subject to the next.. No continuous flow, just dealing with teachers and their expectations.. When you meet them you're flying as high as a kite.. When you don't, well, I could use some very flowery words, but I shouldn't.. Bleh.. I just want my ****ing life back..

[withwolvesteeth]

Thanks for the encouragement and the advice. I'm heading down to my doctors probably next Wednesday to discuss being put on something to help with the remainder of the semester and after that. I also agree that I want my life back... Really bad, but that is why I'm actively working on it.

I asked my counselor to write me a letter for Disability Services at my school to see what they could help me with this semester, and he asked, "Why?". I explained that if he did this, my teachers might be a little more lenient if I miss a class due to a panic attack, or if I show up a little late (I hate waiting for class, it makes me so nervous when I get there 20 minutes early, and I always walk in a minute or two late. Not the typical rude late where it's 10 or 15 minutes). He said he wouldn't, which made me angry/frustrated. I just wanted to say, "I have just this one stupid semester, can't you just help me out here?!".

When I spoke with my teachers to work things out and let them know what was going on, they suggested I drop my classes. Wtf? So much for support. I'll ask my doctor if she can provide any kind of letter to give to them for the rest of the semester... But everyone around me is suggesting I be put on some kind of medication, so I guess I will do that to help me finish this semester up. Let's hope for D's!

[polythene]

You have about a month or two left in the semester, right?

To be honest, I think colleges have a strict policy when it comes to tuition refunds, regardless of circumstance, but if you're absolutely determined to end the semester early you need to talk to your registrar/financial aid office ASAP. I ended up adjusting my schedule in the middle of the semester due to medical reasons (SA and depression), and my school refused to adjust my tuition despite the fact that I have a legitimate 'excuse.'

I think your best bet would be to complete those classes to the best of your ability, AND to find a psychiatrist who's willing to give you a proper diagnosis and vouch for you. I ran into the same problem at my school - I'm still trying to apply for disability services, but they won't accept a letter from my school counselor (I can't currently afford to see a psychiatrist).

I've seen some other posts on here about people who have been able to petition their grades due to a disability, but it would probably be optimal if you did well enough to bypass that step. If you're absolutely sure you're going to fail your courses, another option would be to apply for incompletes. Usually you don't have to repeat the entire course, but you'll have to compensate for exams and papers and such that you've missed or done very badly on. I'm pretty sure you'd be approved for incompletes if you explained your situation to your professors. I just reread your posts though and am not sure how feasible this would be if you're not planning on returning, though.

Good luck!

[Akane]

You have an ADA? Once that is declared (usually requires a report by a psychiatrist proving you have a disability) then you should get a paper every semester listing exactly what your difficulties are and any suggestions to instructors to help with those difficulties. You take this to every instructor at the start of every semester and have them sign it. It has copies they can keep. Then you return the top copy and keep the next one. Now if anything comes up that is causing you to possibly fail the class due to your disability you are to discuss it with your instructor or your counselor discuss it with them to find a compromise that will let you pass. That little paper is important because it tells all the instructors there is a problem and you are officially in the ADA so they are legally required to accomodate you within reason.

If things go horribly wrong and you are definitely going to fail you can do a medical withdrawal. This would most likely require information from a psychiatrist. It depends how your school does it but I just did a medical withdrawal for physical reasons. I just went to enrollment services (or your counselor if they are cooperative) and said I wanted to do a medical withdrawal. They gave me a form that required all my doctor's info and then I dropped all my classes. It hasn't gone through yet but I was assured I would get a full refund and it would not affect financial aid. However my school and financial aid will only allow 2 of these and attempting it a 3rd time will lose you all your financial aid and not get you a refund.

Once you have an F on your record that's it. I've done everything I can and just cannot remove them. Even the ones from years ago. You have to not sign up for classes for 3years and then my college will remove all Fs 3years or older. It's best to figure something out before the Fs show up. Did you get assigned an ADA counselor or are you just going to a random one? I would go above this counselor even if you have to write a note because of your SA. See if you can find out who to talk to when your counselor is being an idiot, make sure you are assigned a case worker for being in the ADA program instead of just a regular school counselor, and if you are now then request a new one. This guy doesn't sound useful in the least.