mith192

This isn't so much about ranking as it is about department culture in a way, but I definitely see what you're getting at.  I have always felt that if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.  It may be an adjustment if you are not used to being challenged, but I think people that genuinely enjoy learning thrive in environments where the material is challenging and you have the opportunity to learn from not only your professors, but also your peers.

You may need some time to adjust to being challenged, but I think if you're aware that challenges will come and you're open to taking them as a learning experience and not as a blow to your ego, you will be great.  Be excited!  You might look like a fool, but so does everyone at some point.  Your peers face the same risk.  Learning is hard, and that's why it's so damn rewarding.  Just anticipate the challenges/struggles, don't take them personally (easier said than done, I know), and do your best.  You will grow so much more when you are being pushed!  I think you'll do very well.

I agree that you should appeal, but I would be careful about how you word it. Your latest post here sounds like you're avoiding personal blame for the low GPA, and that won't win you any points on an appeal. 
 
Similarly, as Julliet mentioned, you have to actually have a disclosed and verified disability with disability services to receive accommodations. The way you word your post, it seems to me you didn't have a registered accommodation, which is on you not the school. 
 
Also, as mentioned, it's not the fact that you're 0.02 points below the GPA cutoff- it's that you're so close to the cutoff to begin with. It's also worth mentioning that some programs have both the GPA cutoff, and require no lower than certain standalone grades. Especially given that your average was 3.5 in the first semester, that would indicate some really low grades to pull you down to 2.98. At my school, and grade lower than a C+ is grounds for dismissal in addition to the overall GPA having to be above 3.0.
 
Also, you'll want to be careful about alcohol and the ADA requirements: Just to pull from one set of University FAQs:
 
 
You have to be undergoing treatment for alcoholism, and not currently be "abusing" alcohol. Also, reasonable accommodations for alcoholism are usually a leave of absence/counseling to get the problem under control, not extra test time or extended deadlines. It's worth noting the last line of the second paragraph: "An alcoholic student who does not meet the performance standards of the university is also not considered qualified."

The grading policy at this school focuses mainly on staying at or above 3.0. There are no specific guidelines as to what grades constitute failing, the only thing that the handbook says is that it is up to the faculty's discretion. Grades are also on a 80% = B-, 83% = B scale, which I didn't take into account at first. I've just never had problems with grades and I've never failed anything so I didn't pay much attention.
 
In my appeal I did not try to avoid blame for my GPA completely...I mainly blamed my personal problems. I did hint though that maybe I could have had more guidance. I felt like disclosing my problem may have hurt my relationship with the program more than staying quiet about it, and explained that it should not have been so. There is a certain stigma associated with this type of problem, you know? I feel like if I had a different type of disability I would be treated differently.
 
The scholarship is departmental and they give you a period of like 2 quarters to bring up your grade, so I would still be eligible for it. I guess the bottom line is that without being given the chance to attend for one more quarter I can't prove that my personal problems (which I feel like are under control now) were to blame. I completely agree that I needed some time off to get things under control, but time off has its own problems because I relied on staying a student to pay for my rent and bills. Had I gotten bad grades right off the bat, I would probably not be pushing this appeal, but I proved early on that I can handle the material.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I understand where you're coming from, but in my experience you're better off completely taking the responsibility for your low grades, explaining that you had mitigating personal circumstances, and moving on from there. 
 
This is a graduate program, and as such people are generally expected to be responsible adults. Accommodations can be trickier at the graduate level (there is less latitude in what can constitute reasonable accommodations), and things like guidance on grading & seeking accommodations is much less visible. You're expected to have some experience with what you need, and how to get it. It's often one of the most difficult transitions of undergraduate to graduate education. 
 
With something like alcoholism, for which there are rarely in-class accommodations (it's usually just a leave of absence), I'm not sure what guidance you expected.
 
You keep alluding to different treatment- did you have an official disability waiver from the office of disability services? Or did you just disclose it to your professors?
 
There's no reason that you need to tell your program, ever, what your disability is. That's what the office of disability services is for. They will certify that you have a disability, and what accommodations are appropriate. They will not reveal, and faculty won't ask, what the disability is.