<p>My DS just learned that he has been officially booted out of his engineering school (not his university, just the school of engineering)because his critical tracking course gpa dropped below 2.5 for two of the past four semesters. He talked to them and asked them to let him have another chance, but they were unrelenting and cancelled his registration for his fall engineering classes.</p>
<p>DS is perfectly capable of succeeding in engineering, and takes full responsibility for the "slacking off" that got him into this position. However, he does not want to change majors -- engineering is a passion for him, and there is nothing else that fits him quite so well.</p>
<p>Has anyone else been through this with their kid? Are there options for getting back into a program after you've been kicked out? What should he do to improve his chances? Any advice on this would be appreciated (but please, no recriminations for the fact that he got into this mess in the first place -- he accepts that it is his own fault. The point of this thread is -- what does he do to fix it?)</p>
<p>There is no other major that interests him, but he knows he’s going to have to pick something else, at least temporarily, since he cannot register under his current major. I don’t know about any interdisciplinary programs, but will have him look into that.</p>
<p>It seems your questions can only be answered by the specific university?
Did the engineering dean offer any suggestions?
Is depression involved? Will they consider reinstatement after a leave of absence?
Will they consider any course retakes to replace poor grades?</p>
<p>Is there an engineering professor who might go to bat for him and try to change the administration’s mind? </p>
<p>Otherwise, he may just have to choose an “engineering-like” major, such as physics, applied math, optics, robotics, etc., do well in it, and then try for a master’s or a 1 year post-bacc engineering program.</p>
<p>Just one point and I am sorry if it seems unsympathetic–if he was dropped because of the TWO semesters our of four with a below 2.5 he was almost certainly warned after the first time he got below a 2.5 that he was on academic probation in the program and would be out if it happened again. I know that does not make it any better and does not solve the current problem but it is illustrative of the way the world sometimes works and why it is so important to follow up on warnings–and it may explain why the program is now being unyielding. </p>
<p>And being capable of doing work is all very well but if you don’t care enough about it to actually do it well what happens when you design a bridge but don’t want to bother checking the actual load requirements?</p>
<p>mattmom – since you don’t even know my son or the circumstances in any depth, it is a bit harsh to be so judgemental. His mistakes were just that – mistakes. They should not permanently brand him as “not caring enough to do work well.”</p>
<p>Besides, I am not looking for opinions on his failures. My son is a wonderful, promising young man who lacked maturity and screwed up. He is responsible enough to know that he has to repair the damage on his own. He isn’t asking for a free ride, or to be allowed to continue without meeting the requirements. He is simply looking for a way to repair the damage.</p>
<p>I think that is what any good engineer would do. Find the flaws and fix them.</p>
<p>Could he take GEDs including any math or science courses required by the major and then get reinstated if his GPA is sufficient? I think that he should have a meeting with the dean to see what he can negotiate. He might have to take some courses over again too as the average may imply poor understanding of material which will be needed in downstream courses. It isn’t fair to other students if some come in without adequate preparation.</p>
<p>I know it sounded harsh but at the very least it is a learning experience for him and for others. In a world where term paper deadlines get moved back and standards can be hazy in so many ways, it is sometimes hard for students and others to remember that there really are some things that are not flexible. I am not making any judgment at all about your son or anyone else’s but simply observing that in real world terms sometimes there are serious and unchanging obligations and consequences and we aren’t always prepared for them.</p>
<p>If son really wants to do engineering, will he be able to transfer to another college in engineering, or will his GPA preclude that?</p>
<p>For instance, many colleges have very difficult engineering programs, where others do not. If he truly wants to be an engineer, he may want to explore that option. Is there a local university that he may be able to gain admission to? Maybe he can attend there for a year, bring up his GPA, and try to get back in his original school. Or maybe he can just finish his engineering degree at the “lesser” school. He would still have an engineering degree, which would be more marketable than a physics degree.</p>
<p>Then there is the 3+2 option that many colleges have, where you transfer to another college’s engineering program after three years of study. </p>
<p>And if all else fails, get that physics degree, take lots of math, computer science, and if still wants to get that engineering degree, try for the master’s. </p>
<p>I wish him lots of luck. Not all students are of the same maturity level. Some have to grow into their coursework. </p>
<p>But that should not deter them from following their dreams. They just might have to wait a little longer.</p>
<p>As a mom who knows what it’s like to have kids screw up due to immaturity and irresponsibility, I have lots of empathy for you. At the same time, I think your son needs to be the one seeking solutions to the problem that he caused for himself. One step would be asking engineering professors what he can do next year to prove that he has the skills and work ethic to be reinstated into the engineering program or to become an engineer by other means. </p>
<p>If all he has done so far is asking to be allowed to remain in the program, that probably just irritated the professors because your son wouldn’t have seemed to have recognized that his actions thus far haven’t proven that he has the work ethic or skills to remain in a demanding major. </p>
<p>I believe that if your son is serious about engineering, he’ll find a way to become an engineer without your help. If he likes the thought of being an engineer, but doesn’t want to do the hard work that is required, he’ll find another major that suits his personality better.</p>
<p>In my opinion asking for another “chance” was never going to work because you stated he slipped below the required GPA for 2 semesters. That question will only work after the first semester below GPA. Perhaps if he goes back and asks what steps he would have to take to be readmitted to the program he might get some constructive assistance. Being capable of a college path or being capable of a particular job is just the price of admission, once you are in the program or take the job you have to perform, it’s just the way things are and probably a good life lesson for your son although I’m sure as a parent it is painful to watch him fall down. Try the question, “can I be readmitted to the program in the future and if I can, what do I need to do to make that happen.” If he hits a brick wall and is SOL then he can think about another major, another school, all those sorts of things, but I also think he needs to think about the ramifications in terms of the number of years it will take if he has to walk away from his major for some time and weigh that issue into the eventual solution as it sounds like he is a rising junior which is a fairly critical juncture in terms of credits/hours/major etc. I know my husband and I would concerned about the financial implications of a “do over” if we were in your shoes.</p>
<p>Hmm, many colleges allow kids to repeat courses and get the higher grade. How about suggesting to the Engineering Department that your son repeat certain courses that he didn’t do well in. This should both pull up his GPA and give him another chance.</p>
<p>The engineering dept. isn’t likely to be amenable to the mother’s intervention since it was the son who screwed up, and the department probably expects students to be mature and responsible enough to handle their own grade problems.</p>
<p>The engineering dept. also may not wish to clutter their courses with students who got low grades in those courses in the past. The department may view such students as either not having the skills, talent or work ethic to be the type of students the departments wants to graduate in its major.</p>
<p>Is this a “look to your right, look to your left” kind of program that weeds out a significant number of students from this major? If so, his best bet may be to transfer.</p>
<p>Many university engineering colleges have min gpa requirements for the purpose of enrollment control. Your son needs to talk to the department again to determine what he needs to do for reinstatement into his major. Assuming that he can be reinstated, he should ask what gpa he needs to obtain the next semester and what coursed would he need to take that would be recognized by the department.</p>
<p>If the task ahead seems too difficult to him he should consider either another major or a transfer into another university engineering program.</p>
<p>Agree northstarmom, whatever happens the son needs to be the “face” of his own situation with the profs etc… As parent we can make suggestions but can’t be running intervention with the colleges. Our only exception to that rule is the finaid office, they expect us to pay so they can “talk to us” and we “talk to them” everything else is for the kids to work through.</p>
<p>I’d suggest that he make an appointment with his advisor (or another professor in the department where he demonstrated potential and has a positive relationship already) and go physically see him if at all possible. Making the effort for a face to face meeting is one step of showing that he is serious.</p>
<p>The professor can best help him determine the next steps - and can act as an advocate for him in working with the administration.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the impression that the OP was looking for advice on how SHE could address the situation. I think she was looking for some ideas from other parents that she could then discuss with her son.</p>
<p>He should ask about taking classes over and raising his GPA. There are no easy engineering colleges, they all follow a set of guidelines nationwide on required coursework.</p>
<p>A transfer is an option to some schools, However check closely as even many third tier publics can require a 2.7 or above to move into the junior level classes. At many of these schools the junior and senior year are called the professional programs and often it is a competitive process to get into that level. At my sons school if you did not have a 2.8 after the sophomore year you could not continue in Computer Engineering for example. The number of slots was limited. Top 20 schools screen at admission , the next level of public engineering schools may have to admit you but they are screening, just like the top schools do, at some point just the same.</p>
<p>I would stay away from the 3-2 programs except as a last resort frankly. Who wants to study for 3 years and never have taken an engineering class to see if you like that particular branch of engineering or engineering at all.</p>