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{\parskip=0pt
\leftline{\hbox to1in{**To:**\hfil}\quad The Committee on Academic Performance}
\leftline{\hbox to1in{**From:**\hfil}\quad George A. Madrid, Class of 1991}
\leftline{\hbox to1in{**Subject:**\hfil}\quad Student's response to the
Committee concerning Required Withdrawal}
}

Members of the Committee:

I would like to take this opportunity to explain my poor performance in this
past term.  I~believe that you will find that the circumstances surrounding my
situation will merit the Committee's denial of a ``Required Withdrawal''
status for me.

I have found that life is a sequence of challenges to be met and dealt with.
Unfortunately, I~have come to a challenge which I have more than the usual
amount of trouble surmounting, 8.02.  Since my freshman year, this class has
been the bane of my academic career.  It was the cause of my first required
withdrawal in the beginning of 1989, and I fear it is leading to another one
now.  

During my first year off, I found the energy and enthusiasm to come back to
school and continue my education.  Since returning, I have done a fair job in
my classes, although I have always dreaded retaking 8.02.  Sure enough, I
retook it again this term, and all of my classes have suffered.  

My anxiety towards this class has approached the phobic level, and when I am
dealing with it, my life as a whole suffers.  I have discussed with Dean
Mthembu other options for fulfilling the Physics requirement, including
transferring the credit from somewhere else, or summer school.  I feel that
with this hurdle behind me, I can continue with my education and proceed
towards my ultimate goal, graduation.

I do understand that there is more to an education at~M.I.T. than just~8.02.
It is necessary for me perform in my other classes, as well.  Much of my
problem with other classes lies in my lack of attendence.  This is a serious
issue that I have dealt with on a private level through various means,
including professional psychiatric help.  Both myself and my doctor found that
I was making progress in this direction.  

Indeed, this term started well, and I was performing well in all of my classes
until shortly before Spring Break.  At this time, I suffered significant
personal difficulties of which Dean Mthembu is aware.  I regret it, but my
attendance in class ceased for several weeks due to these problems.  By the
time I had turned myself around, it was too late for the humanities classes
which depended on attendance, and I found myself with no other choice than to
drop them.  These difficulties are behind me now, and I am ready to start a
new term and continue the progress that I was making towards graduation.

I would like to detail my plans for the terms to come.  Next term, I plan on
taking 18.400, a course in the Theory of Computation.  I don't expect this to
be difficult---I will be spending the entire summer teaching this same subject
to a computer in the AI labs.  I also plan on taking a course in Artificial
Intelligence, completing my Course VI requirements.  I shall also take a
writing course and a course in French to fulfil my Humanities requirement.

In the terms to follow, I will take another writing course, ``Writing Longer
Fiction'' to complete my concentration in writing.  I will finish my
mathematics requirements, which at this point consists of a course in
combinatorics, and another in logic.  I will also take a courses in English
Literature and History to complete my HUM-D requirements.  Beyond these basic
requirements, I will take elective subjects to acheive the necessary units for
graduation.  I expect all of this to take three more terms, for a total of
nine terms here at M.I.T.

I would also like to mention the error on my transcript.  The registrar
reports that I received a grade of ``F'' in course 21.755.  This is incorrect.
I did not register for this course this term.  Why would I, when I passed it
my freshman year?  

I hope that I have managed to explain my situation.  I have had difficulties
in the past with 8.02 and attendence in class.  I was improving my attendence
and having a successful term until I encountered some personal trauma early
this term.  8.02 is still in my future, but in cooperation with the SAS and
Dean Mthembu, I shall pass it in the very near future.  I plan to finish
M.I.T. in three more terms and to graduate.  Also, there was an error on my
grade report.  I thank the Committee for taking the time to consider my
response, and I am anxious to hear the decision.

Sincerely,
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George A. Madrid

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