Hello, I am writing this letters in regards to my petition to switch from the College of Engineering to the College of Letters and Sciences. I was on academic probation for failing to meet the minimum GPA to be in “good standing” at the College of Engineering, and while I realize the failure to meet the requirement is nobody’s fault but my own, I would still like to take the time to explain the causes behind my poor performance, the steps I have taken to remedy them, and the reasons I want to switch to Letters and Sciences.
I had a difficult time in my first quarter, as reflected by my grades. While I realize this does not excuse my poor performance, I would like to at least explain the difficulties I faced that caused my low grades.  To put it simply, I was ill-adjusted to the responsibilities associated with college life. While I knew that universities put responsibility on the student on things such as attending courses and remembering deadlines, I did not realize just how much I relied upon small reminders in high school – from deadlines being written on the board, to friends discussing schoolwork. The small reminders that had existed in high school, peppered throughout each day had vanished – and partly because of that, I was overwhelmed by the amount of project deadlines, homework, test dates, and registration dates thrown at me.  To elaborate on why my grade in Math 3C was especially poor, it was partly due to how early it was in the morning, and my poor eyesight. For the first few weeks of classes, my sleep schedule was not properly adjusted for the class. I always barely dragged myself out of bed twenty or so minutes before class, and biked immediately to class. Though I generally made it on time, the seats towards the front of the class were usually taken, so I had to sit near the back. I was still a bit drowsy, and to make matters worse, I could barely see what was being written on the board. These two factors prevented me from really understanding anything that had gone on in class for the first few weeks – until I made an appointment with an optometrist, had glasses made for me. Unfortunately, the feeling of hopelessness had already taken grip of me by then. I had little understanding of the concepts being discussed in class, and, in my attempts to save my grade in math, caused my other classes to suffer as well. Only over halfway into the quarter in did I realize my situation in math was hopeless – and I abandoned the class entirely, so I could focus on my other courses and at least make sure I did not fail them. Even then, I had never been driven into a corner like this before, and could not help but feel hopeless about my situation – I even ended up missing class registration. I realize that this all boils down to my inability to handle the responsibilities attached to independence, and that I have no one to blame but myself. However, I’m confident that these problems have been sorted out, and I am now prepared to face university life.
 		During my hiatus from classes, I took it up on myself to try to adapt to a more responsible way of living. I took on a variety of odd jobs – whatever I could find around my neighborhood to try to rid myself of the hand-holding I grew accustomed to throughout my high school education. I fixed my sleep schedule completely, waking up even before 7 in the morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day, rather than groggy. I talked to a therapist about my personal doubts and problems – an experience which served to bolster my confidence. I also looked up resources I could use if I do encounter more problems academically, including on-campus tutoring programs and counseling. After taking a couple of summer courses towards my Computer Science major, though I felt like I fixed a good number of my problems, I still had some struggle trying to understand the material being taught in numerous cases. Because of this, I feel that switching out of the College of Engineering and into Letters and Sciences would be the correct decision.
		I want to transfer to Letters and Science because although I’m not quite sure exactly what major I want to take yet, Letters and Sciences offers a wide variety of majors available for me to immerse myself in. The Engineering College is limited mostly to the field of engineering, and I no longer feel that is path I wish to take – thus, I see no reason to stay there. I’m sure that given a quarter or two in Letters and Sciences, I would find a subject I’d be satisfied to major in.
Though I would be coming into Letters and Sciences with an undeclared major, I have an interest in a few majors already, including Psychology and Anthropology, and I would test the waters by taking a few courses towards, and see how I feel about them. More importantly, however, I will devote extra focus onto organizing my time, habits, and life this time around, and make certain that this quarter is not a repeat of the first. Now that I know what responsibilities the university expects from me, I feel prepared this time around; I have a plan to succeed at my studies this time, and I know where to look on campus if I do need aid. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.