Future at Cornell?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I was a freshman in CALS this past academic year. I wish I could have merry memories about my freshman year but unfortunately I do not. My first semester I experienced financial troubles with my sister's surgery which heavily impacted my family and I did not do as well as I thought. I received an incomplete in a class, which put my completed credits under the required 12, but I made up the work over winter break so my GPA was a 3.0. I intended on coming to Cornell spring semester with substantial academic improvement but the semester veered off course. I began experiencing debilitating abdominal and pelvic pains which negatively impacted my classroom attendance and involvement in other activities. By the time I went to Gannett, I was referred to have multiple tests and my prognosis went from endometriosis to other things to having no idea what was causing my severe pain. This impacted me academically and despite my last minute efforts to make up work in my classes I ended up getting an A-, B+, D, D, and an F in my freshman writing seminar for a GPA of 1.75 and an overall GPA of 2.3. </p>

<p>The Committee that reviews records will review my case tomorrow and I am really scared. I have written a statement explaining my case and the best I can hope for is academic probation. I called CALS and they said that since my cumulative GPA is over a 2.0 that I may not be required to take a leave of absence but there has been instances where the Committee has skipped right to a leave of absence over academic probation. I am really nervous, no one knows what I went through this semester, not my parents, friends, no one and me keeping my problems to myself is definitely the cause of why my grades turned out so bad this year. </p>

<p>Do you think I would be able to get academic probation? Would my financial aid be affected if I am able to return in the fall? Please help.</p>

2

<p>No one can answer your questions. But for the sake of discussion, let’s assume the worst: that you won’t be going back. Start thinking now about a back up plan. Explore your options - community college? A year off to work/rethink life? One thing to consider is breaking the news to your family. Since you’ve kept your troubles to yourself, they may be completely blindsided by this turn of events - and maybe even angry (at the very least because, in their eyes, they could have helped in some way.) So be ready for a long, frank discussion without recriminations or too many excuses. Doing so will help YOU absorb what’s happened and show your parents that you’re a thoughtful, responsible person planning ways to recover from a serious academic setback. And as awful as this seems now, that’s all it might be: a set back that changes your academic future a bit, but doesn’t end it. Good luck!</p>