<p>S just finished finals and grades were posted. Much to our chagrin, contrary to his assurances O-Chem and microbiology grades were too low to earn him credit. Smart kid, kind of a "good time Charlie."</p>
<p>GPA went from 3 to 2.87 to 2.67 to 1.75 </p>
<p>His mom and I are not apparently getting through to him as we have previously suggested the first line interventions: attend office hours, seek tutoring, better time management, assess concept and content mastery both before and after tests. spread out studying. </p>
<p>Next years coursework is the most rigorous of his 6 year professional program.</p>
<p>This is what we are going to suggest to him. He got himself into the hole and needs to climb his way out. I would love to hear any opinions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Meet with professors in both classes, before grades are official, review point totals on all assignments and tests. Ask for help identifying gaps in knowledge.. Apologize for not seeking help sooner and ask for advice to improve grade next time.</p></li>
<li><p>Meet with academic adviser, create action plan and measurable goals.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>3 Meet with F/A, check on the consequences of another bad semester.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Seriously consider whether a less rigorous university or major is in order.</p></li>
<li><p>Present complete and verifiable action plan. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think it sounds like a good plan. Did he just finish his second year? Will he be on academic probation from his professional program? Seems that maturity may be an issue or he is just in over his head. If you are paying… These things you are asking him to do should not be negotiable. </p>
<p>Yes finished year 2 of 6. I am honestly unsure of the complete ramifications since he could take O chem in summer but this specific micro can’t be taken away from his home school and may be a pre-req to some of the third year courses.</p>
<p>Absolutely, immaturity is an issue, too much partying more specifically may be an issue. I hope that my approach will acquaint him with the authentic consequences of his continued poor performance.Without improvement nothing he does or we do will help him.He is burning both the F/A and academic bridges.</p>
<p>Although lifestyle issues may be the biggest problem, I think it might be worth considering that your son is just in the wrong program for him. Not everyone is cut out for that degree of work and course difficulty. Maybe not, but worth considering. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think that is a legitimate concern. I know he’s capable of doing better but I respect his decision to “CHOOSE” not to work that hard. In that case another major is in order. The program is rigorous and I don’t want him to think I m disappointed if he wants to change. We discussed changing majors before he started this year since we were expecting him to maintain a better than 3.0 GPA and felt his actions, even from last year, showed a lack of commitment. He has assured us he “really wants” to stay in Pharmacy. Sadly the effort and results do not reflect his statements.</p>
<p>I think you should have another talk with your son and determine if he really wants to put in the time and effort for his current major. If the answer is yes, then I think what you have laid out should work. Do not budge on the tutor and a strict study schedule.<br>
I am going out on a limb but my guess, is that his poor grades are do to lack of motivation, not lack of ability. I would not be surprised if he gets As or Bs the second time around.
I really like and agree with your position that it is his decision to "choose " how hard he wants to work. </p>
<p>@sylvan8798 When they are away from home it is so hard to figure out where they are coming off the track !</p>
<p>That said I have my best guesses, and this is valuable for all students. DO NOT DO THIS:
S is stuck in “high school study mode” still cramming, trying to learn content instead of trends, theories, or connections… Lack of metacognitive awareness “He can’t tell what he knows from what he doesn’t know” so he wastes time studying what he’s already learned. He loves his friends and group study but doesn’t track what actually works.</p>
<p>My most ardent suggestion to him was to use the tests once he gets it returned with a grade, use them as a tool to assess his studying methodology. did flashcards help, did note reading help, did working extra problems help ?.Aside from listing what you need to learn for the final (things you didn’t do well on) write a note for the next test about what worked and what you could do to study better. I m afraid he’s spinning the tires in the mud and just digging in deeper. Worst of all it is totally demoralizing because I’ll bet he spends lots of time spinning his tires.</p>
<p>If he’s on academic probation, is he at risk of being suspended from school? Or from his program? He needs to find out exactly what the consequences are for continuing at this level if he and you don’t know already.</p>
<p>With this report card he will be on academic probation. They will give him one more semester to get his act together. If however, he can’t pick up the pieces no question he will be suspended and ineligible for financial aid. That is why I want him to meet with the “powers that be” himself. maybe then he will appreciate the gravity of his situation.</p>
<p>@annie2015 Your assumptions are right he has ability, if not motivation. It is very hard from a parental standpoint to watch your child sabotage their own life even when just watching is the right thing to do.</p>
<p>I want to drag his butt back to college by the ear and be his personal nightmare academic trainer. No drinking, no girls, no late night taco bell runs until you’ve learned your class material, Is that too much ??</p>
<p>He has to think about what happens if he’s suspended for a semester and/or can’t pay for school due to losing financial aid which could be the same thing. Even if he pulls himself up enough to get off probation, will that be enough to stay in the 6-year program? Are there separate grading criteria?</p>
<p>Singersdad can you look at his assignments and tests yourself? Even though you may not know the material, any comments, etc from the professors can give you some idea. Are they neat and conscientious or sloppy and half-akk? Does he SEEM to know the material on the homework but not on the exams (a sure sign he’s copying the hw assignments)? You think he’s spending time spinning his wheels, when in fact he may be spending very little time - and hence the problems.</p>
<p>@sylvan8798 good question. At 20 years of age I would never want to go into the profs office but maybe he could bring either the real tests or copies we could use to assess what is going wrong. I think he has some broad conceptual understanding but lacks the ability to easily discern the best way to get to solutions.He tends to try a few ways and look for the “easy” solution. As studying time goes I think he does actually make time available, not certain, but I think so. I am pretty sure it is not efficiently used </p>
<p>@oldmom4896 Aside from a 2.0 minimum for any class in your major, the program requirements are the same as the college in general. My personal expectations are a little higher than that. After all who wants the pharmacist who was in the bottom 10th of his class and who is going to be dispensing my anti psychotic drugs when all these kids drive me crazy … maybe him ! I certainly don’t want a slacker</p>
<p>He would do well to find some kind of coach during this summer to help him learn how to study. My daughter watched a lot of her fellow students in the Physician Assistant program falter because, as you said, they maintained the high school study mentality of memorizing facts, instead of learning what to do with those facts. Is he close enough to his college to work with some sort of tutor, or is there a pharm school nearby with a student you could hire? Or someone from the local community college, or a high school teacher, even, who could teach basic study skills?</p>
<p>I am amazed by how low an undergrad’s GPA can get in the pharmacology program. The PA program kicked students out with less than a 3.5 in undergrad, and anything less than an 85% on a graduate level test was considered a failing grade.</p>
<p>He is also most likely going to have financial aid suspended because he has not met Satisfactory Academic Progress. If he is at the end of his second year, he will probably need a 2.0 to meet SAP. He needs to know what is the process for appealing. </p>
<p>He needs to check for the academic requirements to stay in his PharmD program. While is is assured that he wants to stay in the program, he actions are to the contrary. You/he need to look into both of these concerns.</p>
<p>If he loses is financial aid, are you willing/able to make up the gap.</p>
<p>Ironically, @sybbie719 I have explored those issues S has not yet. He will get an F/A warning. He’s been very close to a 3.0 until this semester. So hopefully if he retakes and improves his grade he should be okay. The real question is should he continue?</p>
<p>You really need a better grip on the big picture. (1) He’s partying too much and trying to skate on the classes (unsuccessfully, obviously). (2) He’s making a legitimate effort and spinning his wheels because he doesn’t apply himself to the best effect. These are really two totally different scenarios. Most likely (1). As a professor I see it all the time. A little heart-to-heart, maybe a year of “motivational Burger King labor”, </p>