Last year I was a first year and did very bad, got kicked out, filed for reinstatement, got denied.

Now i'm at a college and was wondering how good my marks have to be in order to be reinstated for July 2015.

I'm extremely confident that I will have an average higher than 90%.

Do you think that would be good enough to convince the reinstatement committee to let me back in(Given that I also write the letter again explaining my circumstances in my first year of university)?

All answers are highly appreciated.

Dependent on the faculty. I know science and soc sci like to see a minimum of a B in college classes, I would assume this is pretty similar to other faculties as well. However, a 90% does not guarantee reinstatement even if it meets the recommended minimum college grade. The decision is a combination of the quality of your letter, your reasoning (through talking with people who have gone through this, medical reasons tend to weigh more than "I partied to much and didn't take school seriouesly or study enough), doctors notes, grades, etc.

Thank you for your response kab.

I was thinking of stating that I was going through an extreme amount of stress and anxiety, on the brink of depression, last year and did not turn to help. I was also thinking of visiting my schools counselling system and learn how to deal with "Stress" and "anxiety". That way, I can include in the letter that I have recognized my problem, made an attempt to be handle it properly by visiting professional help, and how I have dramatically improved in all aspects of my life, which is where I flash the high 90's.

Hopefully that will help convince them.

Originally Posted by razorsharp55

Thank you for your response kab.

I was thinking of stating that I was going through an extreme amount of stress and anxiety, on the brink of depression, last year and did not turn to help. I was also thinking of visiting my schools counselling system and learn how to deal with "Stress" and "anxiety". That way, I can include in the letter that I have recognized my problem, made an attempt to be handle it properly by visiting professional help, and how I have dramatically improved in all aspects of my life, which is where I flash the high 90's.

Hopefully that will help convince them.

You "were thinking of stating"?? What on earth is that supposed to mean?
Maybe I'm not interpreting it the way you intended, but to me it sounds like you're just deciding to write that in as a reason regardless of whether or not it's true.
Whether or not it is true really isn't any of my business, but I will say these two things - first, watch your wording in your reinstatement letter. Things like that will really hinder your application, even if you're being completely honest. Second, you should (need to?) provide supporting documentation that you had anxiety, ideally from a doctor, but I think a psychologist or counsellor would also suffice. I'm not sure if you did that the first time around, especially if you only got help later on. It should ideally explain the rapid (~4 month) and drastic improvement that allowed you to go from failing to 90's, which is highly unusual in mental health issues.

Like I said, it's none of my business what actually happened, and I don't intend for you to feel like you should defend yourself with a further explanation. But you should be aware that the reinstatement committee or whomever is reading these letters is going to question the legitimacy of all of the claims that all of the applicants make. That is why supporting documentation is so crucial, as well as a clear and logical explanation as to what went wrong and how you have dealt with it - and miraculous recoveries can seem suspicious.

With 90's you probably have decent odds of getting in, but reinstatement is mostly for people who never really had a first chance, and less so for people who messed up their first chance. I don't know how much they weigh current performance with past circumstances.

Thank you for your response Starfish, really appreciate it.

The reason I said "I was thinking of stating" is because I did not go see professional help at the time, therefore wouldn't be able to back it up with clinical documents, which would make it a case of pure speculation.

I'm still experiencing a portion of stress/anxiety from last year, but I feel much more confident that I will better myself throughout the year. It has been 5 months since I last attended Mac and I can certainly say i'm not at 100%. But, Im much more dedicated and focussed right now then I have ever been in my life as I have straightened all my priorities. Getting kicked out of Mac was really a HUGE wake up call.

I want to do whatever it takes to get reinstated, but like you said, reinstatement is generally for people who never had a first chance rather than people who are aiming to earn a second chance. That is why I'm unsure of how to go about it; I don't want to get my diploma and THEN apply as a transfer student, I want to get into McMaster next year.

Originally Posted by razorsharp55

Thank you for your response Starfish, really appreciate it.

The reason I said "I was thinking of stating" is because I did not go see professional help at the time, therefore wouldn't be able to back it up with clinical documents, which would make it a case of pure speculation.

I'm still experiencing a portion of stress/anxiety from last year, but I feel much more confident that I will better myself throughout the year. It has been 5 months since I last attended Mac and I can certainly say i'm not at 100%. But, Im much more dedicated and focussed right now then I have ever been in my life as I have straightened all my priorities. Getting kicked out of Mac was really a HUGE wake up call.

I want to do whatever it takes to get reinstated, but like you said, reinstatement is generally for people who never had a first chance rather than people who are aiming to earn a second chance. That is why I'm unsure of how to go about it; I don't want to get my diploma and THEN apply as a transfer student, I want to get into McMaster next year.

Good luck.

I think having medical notes is really important....

It depends. The people who make reinstatement decisions want to know that you're no longer the same person who did as badly as you did. They want to see that you've grown and matured. They want to know that the problems that held you back before won't be an issue again, and they want to know why.

The longer you stay out of university, the less documentation matters because it gets harder to procure documentation of medical problems from a year ago plus.

If you write a frank letter explaining that you had problems adjusting to university and these problems led you to depression/anxiety symptoms, that's a completely valid basis for asking for reinstatement. What you need is a case for why this won't happen again. Do you plan on seeking counselling over your year off or pursuing any other type of treatment for your depression? Have you developed ways of dealing with your stress? Medical documentation is not as important as a convincing case here.

Others things to note:

- Keep your letter succinct. Don't go into woe-is-me details because they don't want to hear it. Explain what happened, explain how it affected your studies, explain your plan to fix it. Take responsibility for what happened.

- Use your year off to really examine what happened. Were you in the wrong program, maybe? Were you unmotivated for any particular reason?

- Figure out some concrete goals for the future and how McMaster fits into them.

- Your grades should be as high as possible. Working a job or volunteering will demonstrate time management skills. Attaching a recommendation letter from a teacher or employer could help.

- Write and rewrite. Start early. Get it proofread by someone whose English skills you trust.

Good luck!