General Dismissed from Optometry school, going to appeal

[Budlv]

Please help if anyone has a similar situation!


I am currently a 4th-year optometry student and I started optometry school in August 2018. I just failed my summer quarter rotation and I also failed one course from my first year ( which I already remediated). I just received an email from the dean stating I am dismissed from school for academic reasons. I am going to write a letter of appeal and a hearing will be held next Tuesday.

Honestly, my GPA wasn't good from the first 2 years with an average 0f 2.5, but my GPA went up to 3.0 and 3.2 for the last two semesters before I was out for rotation. Now my average GPA dropped to 2.34 due to the failure of my summer rotation.

*******You can skip it this just explaining my challenge**********I've been worried about my dad's health since the first day of school because of his lung cancer which was diagnosed in 2014. His condition was getting worse and with the increased dosage for chemo, he lost his hair and lost a significant amount of weight. In 2019, he had permanent left homonymous hemianopsia due to subacute ischemic stroke. Since then, he has experienced worsening neurological status due to metastatic spinal cord compression from lung cancer.)
My dad has always been hiding his illness because he didn't want me to worry about him. And my mom always told me the truth because she didn't want me to become an optometrist. She wanted me to start working as soon as possible because my family has a serious financial hardship. My dad couldn't work due to sickness and she wasn't able to work full time because she needs to take care of my dad. *******************************************

Without being supportive from my family and being worried about my dad, plus financial difficulty, I can barely focus on school works. That is how my GPA was always low and the preceptor from the summer rotation wasn't happy about my performance. On the other hand, he was also mean and kinda disrespectful when I made mistakes. He yelled at me and complained of my missfindings. English is not my first language and sometimes I couldn't take the perfect history as he wished. Of course, I am not blaming anyone but myself.

In my letter of appeal, I am going to explain the challenge that I faced and outline my plans for future success. Do you have any other suggestions in writing a letter of appeal?

I've worked on my knowledge base from studying for board part 2, reviewing materials from the previous academic years, and reading the Wills Eye Manual to obtain comprehensive knowledge. I reviewed every case that I had in the clinic to see what I've done right or what I can do better next time. Do you have any other suggestions for me so that I can show my potential for future academic success?

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[OD 1993]

Please help if anyone has a similar situation!


I am currently a 4th-year optometry student and I started optometry school in August 2018. I just failed my summer quarter rotation and I also failed one course from my first year ( which I already remediated). I just received an email from the dean stating I am dismissed from school for academic reasons. I am going to write a letter of appeal and a hearing will be held next Tuesday.

Honestly, my GPA wasn't good from the first 2 years with an average 0f 2.5, but my GPA went up to 3.0 and 3.2 for the last two semesters before I was out for rotation. Now my average GPA dropped to 2.34 due to the failure of my summer rotation.

*******You can skip it this just explaining my challenge**********I've been worried about my dad's health since the first day of school because of his lung cancer which was diagnosed in 2014. His condition was getting worse and with the increased dosage for chemo, he lost his hair and lost a significant amount of weight. In 2019, he had permanent left homonymous hemianopsia due to subacute ischemic stroke. Since then, he has experienced worsening neurological status due to metastatic spinal cord compression from lung cancer.)
My dad has always been hiding his illness because he didn't want me to worry about him. And my mom always told me the truth because she didn't want me to become an optometrist. She wanted me to start working as soon as possible because my family has a serious financial hardship. My dad couldn't work due to sickness and she wasn't able to work full time because she needs to take care of my dad. *******************************************

Without being supportive from my family and being worried about my dad, plus financial difficulty, I can barely focus on school works. That is how my GPA was always low and the preceptor from the summer rotation wasn't happy about my performance. On the other hand, he was also mean and kinda disrespectful when I made mistakes. He yelled at me and complained of my missfindings. English is not my first language and sometimes I couldn't take the perfect history as he wished. Of course, I am not blaming anyone but myself.

In my letter of appeal, I am going to explain the challenge that I faced and outline my plans for future success. Do you have any other suggestions in writing a letter of appeal?

I've worked on my knowledge base from studying for board part 2, reviewing materials from the previous academic years, and reading the Wills Eye Manual to obtain comprehensive knowledge. I reviewed every case that I had in the clinic to see what I've done right or what I can do better next time. Do you have any other suggestions for me so that I can show my potential for future academic success?

Hello 4th year. The drop out rate or dismissal usually occurs in the first year predominantly or even the second year due to academic poor performance from what I had seen decades ago. Perhaps, there is more to your circumstances you are not mentioning ? In my opinion, it is rare for a 4th year to get dismissed. Something does not add up. What was the reason you failed your summer clinical rotation ? To get to that point, what really happened ? Was it your knowledge base not up to par ? Clinical skills and pts dx and tx lack of ? Professionalism ?

Present your appeal and the best advice I can give you when you meet with the appropriate personnel is be HONEST. Don't lie about anything b/c they can read and see right thru you. Be honest with them and with yourself. Ask them sincerely for a second chance to prove your self and convey to them with assertiveness that you really want to become an OD.
You passed the class you failed and failing 1 rotation in my opinion, does not put you in academic dismissal
Is there more to the story ?

Good Luck !

 

[Drjc1977]

I have reread your post several times over the past 2 hours and agree with OD1993. However, I would like to add several comments of my own which hopefully adds clarity and give you a direction on handling this. The fact that you have progressed to the 4th year in itself is a great accomplishment. Professional school is not meant to be easy and it can break many a student. As OD1993 has said, be honest when your case is presented for review Above all, be honest with yourself. I mean no disrespect when I state this, but as I read about your personal hardships, it sounded to me more like an excuse for your poor performance rather than an explanation. so it begs the question, do you really want to be an optometrist? Losing a loved one can be a very difficult thing to experience and sometimes more difficult to recover from. As much as you love your father, you have to live your life for you. Do not live it at anybody's expense, but live it you must. Worrying about something you can not change will do you no good except hack away at your mental and physical health. Consider visiting a support group or seeking professional help to get you through this rough time. Student loans are always available which should alleviate any financial concerns until after graduation. Again I offer these comments with the best of intentions and wish you a successful completions of your professional studies and most importantly, the best for your father and family.

 

[Optoman24]

Hi, I was just wondering if you had your appeal hearing… I am very sorry to hear about your dad and although I agree with many comments above, I do not think they are all accurate and from an empathetic place. I do not believe you ever need to apologize for having hardships outside of the classroom and clinic, especially when it involves immediate family. Professors and classmates may or may not understand, but that does not mean anyone gets to decide how someone’s emotions play out. We are all different and handle trauma in our own ways.

Sometimes when you get so down about these types of things, especially when it’s an ongoing, unpredictable, worsening illness, it is hard to not lose joy in most things that once made you happy, let alone study and pay attention. Then to recall that information when so many other things are on your mind… I am very sorry for all you have gone through. I think it is important for the board to know this… and if it sounds like an excuse it’s because it is an excuse! Isn’t that the point of these hearings? If you do not have excuses than what else do you have…

if you have not met with them yet then I think the most pertinent things to stress are how you will fix it. Be sure the solutions are mature and rational - they want you to succeed just as much as you want to succeed. If you need time off to recover mentally then ask if you can take a break to seek counseling/therapy and come back next year if/when your mental health and focus is back up to par. Talk about other things you can do during that time to stay on top of clinic knowledge (offer to voluntarily come into clinic once or twice a week while on your leave of absence… you may have to pay tuition for it FYI). Good luck!! Wish you the best and sending your father and whole family positivity!