So this morning the Vice Chancellor calls me and we discuss the situation. He told me to get in touch with the professor in charge of the admissions committee. I sent an email that told him that I was ok with going back to my 1L year if I was receiving a tuition waiver but that if the tuition waiver was not part of the deal, then there was no incentive for me to go that route. My GPA while not wonderful, has already been earned and paid for and I have no desire to pay for it again. I explained that I could take a year off and reapply and start where I had left off with very little struggle.
A couple of hours after I sent that email to the professor, I received a reply.
I approve a waiver of tuition (and tuition only -- not other fees that are not part of tuition itself) for next two academic years, provided that you meet the conditions of your academic probation and remain a full-time student in good standing. The waiver does not apply to the summer term.
This means I won! I got exactly what I had asked for. I feel like I have won a major legal battle.
Next installments will discuss schedules and classes.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
The Wait is Over....Sorta.
So I wake up this morning to wonderful news. I had received an email that accepted me into the Class of 2017. There was a letter attached that would spell out the conditions of my readmission. I open the letter to read the conditions and there was no mention of the tuition waiver. Why would I want to go back to being a 1L if I have to pay for it? It makes more sense for me to wait and reapply next year.
So on one hand, I am thrilled to be back in school but on the other I am furious. I cannot afford to pay for two more years of tuition. I will end up maxing out my student loans and not being able to finish. By declaring academic bankruptcy, I believe and I may be mistaken, that I am out of the running for scholarships and such so I cannot get any help there.
I emailed the admissions director and he said the committee voted against it. I'm having a hard time believing that. I emailed the vice chancellor and he is supposed to call me tomorrow morning.
So on one hand, I am thrilled to be back in school but on the other I am furious. I cannot afford to pay for two more years of tuition. I will end up maxing out my student loans and not being able to finish. By declaring academic bankruptcy, I believe and I may be mistaken, that I am out of the running for scholarships and such so I cannot get any help there.
I emailed the admissions director and he said the committee voted against it. I'm having a hard time believing that. I emailed the vice chancellor and he is supposed to call me tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
More Waiting
So at about noon today I emailed the Vice Chancellor that was included in the meeting. Below is the letter that I sent. I have removed names so as to keep these people anonymous.
Dear Vice Chancellor X,
On July 17, 2014 I drove to the law center at your request for a meeting with Admissions Director, Professor B, head of the Admissions Committee and you to discuss my academic situation. At that meeting, we discussed me declaring academic bankruptcy and starting over from my 1L year with a two year tuition waiver. There were some things that the three of you needed such as a conversation with my doctor and copies of more recent TSH test results. I provided the copies of test results from both May and June and I was informed that my endocrinologist spoke with Admissions Director on July 22. I emailed Professor B on July 23 to inquire if there was anything further needed and was informed there was not and he still needed to get the committee’s decision and in a few days shoukd be able to let me know. It is now July 29 and I am still waiting for this decision.My life is basically on hold until I receive the decision. I can’t go apply for jobs as I may have to leave in a few weeks when school starts. I can’t even go back to my volunteer position at a domestic violence shelter as I cannot give them a definitive answer as to how long I’m there. I did email Professor B again yesterday and have not heard anything back.If for some reason I should not be readmitted, I need to know this before my current health insurance expires so that I can find other insurance without having to deal with the complication of a prior diagnosed condition. While I appreciate the opportunity I have been extended, I am in need of some definitive answers at this point.I appreciate all that you have done for me and I look forward to starting law school again soon.
On July 17, 2014 I drove to the law center at your request for a meeting with Admissions Director, Professor B, head of the Admissions Committee and you to discuss my academic situation. At that meeting, we discussed me declaring academic bankruptcy and starting over from my 1L year with a two year tuition waiver. There were some things that the three of you needed such as a conversation with my doctor and copies of more recent TSH test results. I provided the copies of test results from both May and June and I was informed that my endocrinologist spoke with Admissions Director on July 22. I emailed Professor B on July 23 to inquire if there was anything further needed and was informed there was not and he still needed to get the committee’s decision and in a few days shoukd be able to let me know. It is now July 29 and I am still waiting for this decision.My life is basically on hold until I receive the decision. I can’t go apply for jobs as I may have to leave in a few weeks when school starts. I can’t even go back to my volunteer position at a domestic violence shelter as I cannot give them a definitive answer as to how long I’m there. I did email Professor B again yesterday and have not heard anything back.If for some reason I should not be readmitted, I need to know this before my current health insurance expires so that I can find other insurance without having to deal with the complication of a prior diagnosed condition. While I appreciate the opportunity I have been extended, I am in need of some definitive answers at this point.I appreciate all that you have done for me and I look forward to starting law school again soon.
He did respond with the following so hopefully I will know more later:
I am sorry that no decision has been made. I will check on this matter and determine whether further information is needed.
I am not involved in a direct manner in the process of admissions or readmission – but I can certainly check on this matter.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Waiting
So the director of admissions spoke with my endocrinologist on Tuesday. On Wednesday afternoon I emailed the head of the admissions committee to see if they needed any further information from me. About three hours later I got an email back from him telling me that he still needed to get the decision from the committee and he should be able to give me an answer in a few days. I, probably foolishly, was hoping that would mean that I would have an answer by the end of the week but it was not written in the stars. I was hoping that this indecision would finally be over.
One thing I am somewhat confused about though is why he needs to get the decision of the committee. Didn't they already offer me the deal? Was that not already approved? I understand that they need to be sure that the committee is aware that I wish to enroll for the upcoming year rather than waiting a year but this seems to be a bit roundabout. I am tired of waiting for all the people to get together to make this decision.
I know for a fact that the admissions committee sent out some readmission decisions as a friend was informed of their decision on Wednesday. That was part of the reason that I was hoping that I would get some answers by the end of last week. I have decided that if I do not have answers by the end of business on Monday I will be emailing the Vice Chancellor that was part of the meeting to get some answers.
One thing I am somewhat confused about though is why he needs to get the decision of the committee. Didn't they already offer me the deal? Was that not already approved? I understand that they need to be sure that the committee is aware that I wish to enroll for the upcoming year rather than waiting a year but this seems to be a bit roundabout. I am tired of waiting for all the people to get together to make this decision.
I know for a fact that the admissions committee sent out some readmission decisions as a friend was informed of their decision on Wednesday. That was part of the reason that I was hoping that I would get some answers by the end of last week. I have decided that if I do not have answers by the end of business on Monday I will be emailing the Vice Chancellor that was part of the meeting to get some answers.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Readmission
So I filled out the application for readmission just as I was instructed. I waited patiently for a month and a half. I asked the admissions director when the committee was meeting and rarely did I get a response. Finally I was informed that the committee had voted to deny my application. However, I did have an ace up my sleeve in that I had already emailed the Chancellor to speak with him about the numerous things that had occurred with my situation. We were meeting the following day.
I had already spoken to one of my favorite professors regarding some things I needed to do to convince the committee that I was working on my health and dealing with the academic problems. In fact, he was the one who suggested I talk to the Chancellor. In speaking with the Chancellor, he asked me how I would feel about conditional admission. I told him I would be fine with that as it would allow me the opportunity to prove to the committee that I could indeed do this. He said that he would speak with the Head of the Admissions Committee and get back with me.
I let about two weeks go by before I emailed the Chancellor again about the conditional admission. The very next day I got an email from the Vice Chancellor I had spoken to initially. He wanted me to call him so that we could set up a meeting about my academic situation. I drove to the campus two days later and met with the admissions director, head of the admissions committee and the Vice Chancellor. The deal they offered was not the conditional admission that the Chancellor and I had discussed, however it was just as good. They offered to allow me to return to law school as a 1L and retake all the classes by declaring academic bankruptcy. This would allow me to improve my grades and class rank without having to fight the horrid GPA that I already had due to the illness. In order for this not to be a drain on my finances, they did offer a two year tuition waiver for the years I had already paid for.
I did explain that I wanted to start back as a member of the class of 2017 if I did this. They wanted me to wait until 2018 (to allow my health time to improve they claimed). I explained however, that if I had to wait then they would be placing my health in more jeopardy as I would no longer have health insurance as my current health insurance was through the school. The head of the admissions committee said that my need for the insurance would probably be enough to persuade the committee to allow me to enroll this Fall.
They did wish to speak to my doctor before making that decision in order to ensure that I would not end up back in this same position. My doctor called the Admissions Director earlier in the week and via email it has been confirmed that the committee does not need anything further from me. All that I am waiting on now is for the committee to approve this and I can start this journey anew.
I had already spoken to one of my favorite professors regarding some things I needed to do to convince the committee that I was working on my health and dealing with the academic problems. In fact, he was the one who suggested I talk to the Chancellor. In speaking with the Chancellor, he asked me how I would feel about conditional admission. I told him I would be fine with that as it would allow me the opportunity to prove to the committee that I could indeed do this. He said that he would speak with the Head of the Admissions Committee and get back with me.
I let about two weeks go by before I emailed the Chancellor again about the conditional admission. The very next day I got an email from the Vice Chancellor I had spoken to initially. He wanted me to call him so that we could set up a meeting about my academic situation. I drove to the campus two days later and met with the admissions director, head of the admissions committee and the Vice Chancellor. The deal they offered was not the conditional admission that the Chancellor and I had discussed, however it was just as good. They offered to allow me to return to law school as a 1L and retake all the classes by declaring academic bankruptcy. This would allow me to improve my grades and class rank without having to fight the horrid GPA that I already had due to the illness. In order for this not to be a drain on my finances, they did offer a two year tuition waiver for the years I had already paid for.
I did explain that I wanted to start back as a member of the class of 2017 if I did this. They wanted me to wait until 2018 (to allow my health time to improve they claimed). I explained however, that if I had to wait then they would be placing my health in more jeopardy as I would no longer have health insurance as my current health insurance was through the school. The head of the admissions committee said that my need for the insurance would probably be enough to persuade the committee to allow me to enroll this Fall.
They did wish to speak to my doctor before making that decision in order to ensure that I would not end up back in this same position. My doctor called the Admissions Director earlier in the week and via email it has been confirmed that the committee does not need anything further from me. All that I am waiting on now is for the committee to approve this and I can start this journey anew.
Spring Semester
So Spring Semester starts. I'm still not feeling well. I can barely get out of bed. But I do it. Finally February arrives and I go see my new endocrinologist. I do my blood work and later that afternoon I get a phone call from his nurse who asks if I am taking my medication. I told her that yes I was taking it religiously. At this point I was taking 1 grain of Armour thyroid. She told me that I was extremely hypothyroid and the doctor wished to increase my dose.
So for those who are unfamiliar with hypothyroidism, normal ranges for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) are .3 - 3. The more your body makes of this hormone, the higher dose of the medicine you need. My level was 128.3! No wonder they asked if I was even taking my meds. This explains SOOOOO much! Once the dose is increased it takes 6 weeks to get into your system and test again. So since my initial appointment was the middle of February, we are looking at the end of April to test again. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EXAMS!
Cognitive difficulties, extreme fatigue, memory impairment. These are merely a few of the symptoms of thyroid disease. But I managed to push through these and take exams. The day after exams ended, my loving husband made me go to the doctor again. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given a steroid shot. This was about 4 pm. At about 11 pm that night, I started to not be able to hold my weight on my legs. They would just give out on me. My husband took me to the Emergency Room. I could not walk to the bathroom on my own. They ended up admitting me due to hypokalemia, low potassium. Apparently this is a rare reaction that happens with steroid shots and thyroid patients sometimes. I was admitted and kept for two days. I was released on Monday morning and have to take a potassium pill twice a day.
Around Memorial Day we got our grades. I was screwed. I didn't get a 2.0. I had a 1.95. I called the Vice Chancellor. We spoke about the situation and he told me to wait until the reports were run and if I was dropped that I would have to reapply. He did tell me to email him about the medical situation I was having. I did that thinking that he was going to see about perhaps dealing with the academic drop. No such luck. Tuesday, I was notified that I had been excluded from the student body.
So for those who are unfamiliar with hypothyroidism, normal ranges for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) are .3 - 3. The more your body makes of this hormone, the higher dose of the medicine you need. My level was 128.3! No wonder they asked if I was even taking my meds. This explains SOOOOO much! Once the dose is increased it takes 6 weeks to get into your system and test again. So since my initial appointment was the middle of February, we are looking at the end of April to test again. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EXAMS!
Cognitive difficulties, extreme fatigue, memory impairment. These are merely a few of the symptoms of thyroid disease. But I managed to push through these and take exams. The day after exams ended, my loving husband made me go to the doctor again. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given a steroid shot. This was about 4 pm. At about 11 pm that night, I started to not be able to hold my weight on my legs. They would just give out on me. My husband took me to the Emergency Room. I could not walk to the bathroom on my own. They ended up admitting me due to hypokalemia, low potassium. Apparently this is a rare reaction that happens with steroid shots and thyroid patients sometimes. I was admitted and kept for two days. I was released on Monday morning and have to take a potassium pill twice a day.
Around Memorial Day we got our grades. I was screwed. I didn't get a 2.0. I had a 1.95. I called the Vice Chancellor. We spoke about the situation and he told me to wait until the reports were run and if I was dropped that I would have to reapply. He did tell me to email him about the medical situation I was having. I did that thinking that he was going to see about perhaps dealing with the academic drop. No such luck. Tuesday, I was notified that I had been excluded from the student body.
The Beginning
So to start the journey let me explain where I came from. I was in the midst of a divorce, wanting a new start and decided to move away from Alabama and back to Louisiana where I had grown up. My father still lived here and I was hoping that he would show more of an interest in my children than he had so far. I had obtained my Associate's of Science from Central Alabama Community College and I applied to Southeastern Louisiana University. At that point, my major was initially math education. However, the difference in the states would have made me start almost completely over so I chose a new major, Criminal Justice. An offhand remark by my daughter reminded me of my desire to become an attorney and so a new path began.
I applied to three law schools in my senior year of college, Southern, Tulane and LSU. I really did not expect to get into LSU or Tulane. So I patiently waited while working in a domestic violence shelter. This only solidified my desire to practice law. So one day, two envelopes came in the mail, one from LSU and one from Southern. I had been accepted to both! So I had to make a decision. Did I go to the law school that had a higher bar passage rate but only accepted students full time or do I attempt to work around my job and go to the other school that accepts part time students? Fortunately for me, the decision was made for me, in that I lost my job. So I accepted the offer from LSU.
First year was hell. We don't choose schedules, the people we are in classes with, nothing. But I survived it. However, I failed contracts that first semester. The second semester was much better. I went to school during the summer in order to keep my credits on track for graduation. I began having migraines though, along with my thyroid disease that I have had for many years which is controlled very well through a daily medication. I was placed on a preventative for my migraines and it seemed to help.
Second year starts and I'm ok. Then I get a letter in the mail telling me that my endocrinologist has passed away. I was due for my semi-annual checkup in less than a month. So I call the new endocrinologist and I am unable to be seen until February (it's currently August). I begin feeling very fatigued and worn out. I find that I am unable to remember things that I should be remembering. This doesn't bode well for exam time. I get my grades for the Fall Semester and of course, they sucked. I had a GPA of 1.87. I was properly placed on academic probation. I needed to get a 2.0 the following semester or I would be removed from the student body.
I applied to three law schools in my senior year of college, Southern, Tulane and LSU. I really did not expect to get into LSU or Tulane. So I patiently waited while working in a domestic violence shelter. This only solidified my desire to practice law. So one day, two envelopes came in the mail, one from LSU and one from Southern. I had been accepted to both! So I had to make a decision. Did I go to the law school that had a higher bar passage rate but only accepted students full time or do I attempt to work around my job and go to the other school that accepts part time students? Fortunately for me, the decision was made for me, in that I lost my job. So I accepted the offer from LSU.
First year was hell. We don't choose schedules, the people we are in classes with, nothing. But I survived it. However, I failed contracts that first semester. The second semester was much better. I went to school during the summer in order to keep my credits on track for graduation. I began having migraines though, along with my thyroid disease that I have had for many years which is controlled very well through a daily medication. I was placed on a preventative for my migraines and it seemed to help.
Second year starts and I'm ok. Then I get a letter in the mail telling me that my endocrinologist has passed away. I was due for my semi-annual checkup in less than a month. So I call the new endocrinologist and I am unable to be seen until February (it's currently August). I begin feeling very fatigued and worn out. I find that I am unable to remember things that I should be remembering. This doesn't bode well for exam time. I get my grades for the Fall Semester and of course, they sucked. I had a GPA of 1.87. I was properly placed on academic probation. I needed to get a 2.0 the following semester or I would be removed from the student body.
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