<p>As others have said, it is not uncommon for college students to receive lower grades than they were used to, especially during the first year. Students will often do much better once they get their prereq’s out of the way and take more classes relating to their major. For some engineering students, co-op and internship opportunities can also make a huge difference in later academic performance. </p>
<p>S is also an engineering student; he is currently a soph but had a difficult time adjusting to college during his first yr. He also had a merit scholarship which made it financially possible for him to attend the school he’s at over our state flagship - and which he, unfortunately, lost this semester (he must maintain a B average). In hindsight, perhaps it was not realistic to expect a strong B but less than stellar student in hs to continue to maintain a B average in college (especially in engineering)?</p>
<p>At the same time, he seems to have finally gotten his act together academically this year (still had one C last semester-calculus has been a killer for him) and is currently doing B/B+ work in all of his classes. Do I really expect him to do better than this? He will also be doing his first co-op next fall; the main reason he chose the school he’s at (Northeastern) is for its strong co-op program since we both recognized that he might be do better with more hands-on learning. Do I take this opportunity away from him now that he is finally starting to meet my expectations for him?</p>
<p>Often, schools will give students a probation period to raise their grades before taking away merit scholarships. Unless finances do not allow this, it only seems fair for parents to do the same before permanently removing their student from a particular school. I would also recommend trying to improve the grades as best you can so that you can demonstrate to your folks that you are serious about your studies.</p>